good post Jimjam!
On a sidenote, you'll see that quite a few rogues have far too much plat behind them from previous characters and have invested in a rogue epic MQ which isn't realistic if a rogue is your first character. I didn't get mine til 52-53 so don't feel like you won't get grouped if you don't have it (and take all the jokes about "omg dude, I thought rogues started with their epic"
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Better to save up 4-5k (which in itself isn't easy) and invest in a "Rapier of Oriin", the bestest pre epic piercer.
For your offhand weapon, it's all about ratio rather than big damage, so aim for something like a 9/18 or 10/20 weapon eventually (rather than 11/30 for example).