I agree that if I was just solo PVEing I would definitely spec for combat dags. Blade Flurry is too awesome to pass up.

However, I am liking the Mutilate spec much better for group PVE situations. For one thing, I felt like I had to ask permission from my group every time I wanted to use Blade Flurry/Adrenaline Rush, as it would turn me into a multi-target aggro monster, and required my Tank and Healer to save my ass. For another, with the group buffs I get in instances, my crit rate goes through the roof, and makes my Seal Fate proc constantly. The Mutilate build also gives me more combo points than I know what to do with, so I get tons of control over each encounter.

I am sticking with Mutilate for now, as it gives me a good balance of solo PVE, group PVE, and PVP utility. If I get bored with the group PVE and want to solo for a bit, I'll probably spec combat dags or even combat maces (I have all the mats to grind BS up in my bank).

Yes I read the topic. Solo PVE. Yes I understand the OP would rather not use deadly to avoid spoiling his gouge. However, my point is for pure grinding don't bother with gouge and use deadly poison with a mutilate build.

Further, Combat Daggers is superior to mutilate in PVE versus single and multiple targets. As for "backing it up" I can only offer what I have experienced which is consistently higher DPS results over a large number of encounters between the two specs.

With Combat Daggers you can drop deadly poison in the OH and use instant poison. Combat potency plus a quick dagger like Retainers or Guile + Abacus and SnD and you've got sick energy generation.

Where Mutilate is superior is you generally take less damage over time because you can stunlock more efficiently. However, I have not seen the difference significant enough to warrant me favoring Mutilate over Combat Daggers.

The title is solo MUTILATE.

You didn't read it.

I said "topic" not "title". Learn to read. I responded to the question posed in the title and then commented on the topic of solo PVE. You do understand the concepts of "topic" and "title" are disparate right?

I was specced Mutilate for awhile, Blade of whispering secrets and Ced's Carver. It was diffrent then my old combat swords and hemo builds I had been used too.

When I grinded with my mutilate specc I used to use crippling because

1) It's cheap to make
2) it hasn't got stacks

in pve I used dual deadly and harassed my shaman to drop grace of air instead of windfury for better cold blood envenoms. Always a finger on that vanish key.

The OP asked for comments from those who use mutilate; ergo, the "topic" is about mutilate, not fucking combat daggers.

Presumably this Deadly > others, Envenom thing doesn't apply if you've only got 1/5 Vile and 1/5 Imp Poisons and 3/3 Imp Evisc like me? (It's an Arena spec).

3/3 Imp Evisc must beat Envenom most of the time talented like that?

[I usually use wound/cripple and I find imp gouging by far the most efficient usually, since you have no downtime from incoming damage with it]

My grinding routine is pretty much:

CS -> Mut -> KS -> Mut -> Eviscerate

Any poisonable non-elite mob should be dead by now, unless I've had horrible luck with my hits or my Seal Fate proc'ing, but if the mob is still alive I like to have the option to

Gouge -> Mutilate -> Eviscerate.

I suppose ppl are right, I'm going to be able to do all this with Deadly Poison anyway, and as my gouge is right after my evis, I could just change that to an Envenom and probably be fine anyway... Thanks everyone for the input. This kind of random theorycrafting is what keeps me going while I'm stuck at work away from WoW .