The ULTIMATE Shiv Guide! Skill build, itemization, playstyle, and more

[@Deathy]

Hey guys, just a quick update on this guide - I think 99% of the information is still correct, and the updated in-game build works just fine. However, Knife build has been gaining significant popularity in high mmr games. Knife build seems more consistent, but I think gun build has more carry potential. Figured I'd keep you guys up to date!

[@elliea8078]

Hi Deathy, love the video - trying to get better at Shiv!! When you say knife build, is that similar to the top couple builds on the public builds, like the OOO build and bloody shiv build? Or do you think there's a more slept on knife build people should know about? Love the guide, looking forward to more DL content.

[@spinyslasher6586]

I tried both the knife and your dash build, and I just don't see the use of spamming dash, especially early game. Without any tank and lifesteal items, Shiv gets melted too fast even with good use of dash and defer. Once you get enough items it's usually insane, but by that point, it's late game and I have both knife and dagger maxed out so I can do both. For me early to mid game it seems like a much better idea just staying back and poking with dagger then going in for a dash+ult.

[@WeCrackAllGames]

Can you do me a favor and explain what items i should sell if i dont have any slot's left in the late game? Not only for shiv but i always have the issue that i have to sell some stuff and im struggling on what i should sell

[@spinyslasher6586]

@@WeCrackAllGames first start by selling the basic 500 gold items, like basic magazine, extra regen etc.

[@LionKing288]

Check my immortal shiv build (9-22-24)

[@Stuss.-.y.-.]

something I don't really see anyone mention is that Shiv's Right-Click and 4 are both cancellable, in the way that you can another ability while it's going off. Both can be cancelled into his 1, 2, Melee and EACH OTHER for higher burst damage. There is also a unique interaction where you can use a RC while charging a Melee after a 4 (The shot goes mid-charge) , not sure if intended. RC is really strong if it headshots with the new items and you can follow it with Q for poke or E for engage, all can be used after sliding as well.

[@Deathy]

Interesting, didn't know the tech about the charge melee RC - will have to test! Thanks for the perspective

[@Nickmo39]

what is RC? just started playing yesterday. thanks!

[@Stuss.-.y.-.]

@@Nickmo39Right-Click, Shiv’s alternative firing mode

[@Nickmo39]

@@Stuss.-.y.-. oh i was thinkin too hard xD thanks

[@Deathy]

@@Nickmo39 Right click, Shiv has a secondary fire if you press right click :D

[@davidlinesq]

Great follow up video on Shiv. Looking forward to practicing playing with him. I really like your item and build explanations as well. As a new player, it's really daunting to learn the situational use cases for each item, and its helpful to understand why each item is included in someone else's build instead of just blinding following it.

[@Deathy]

Thanks for watching! Have fun out there

[@Dirtboy37]

great video! I'd love a macro guide next as im not sure when i should be going for camps, ganks, spirit urn, etc. throughout the game

[@Deathy]

It's in the list! That video will take a lot of work to be good, as I need to gather clips to showcase all of the principles, and then edit them. I am working on it though

[@S.G.W.C.]

@@Dirtboy37 usually I kill my lane guardian and push my creepers toward lane walker. most games since I solo que I'm in a solo lane. I'll juggle hopping over to the next lane and gank their enemy/help kill their guardian. usually while transitioning between lanes I'll start picking off lvl1 jungle mobs. once my lanes enemy walker falls is when the real fun begins. because at this point you should already have a decent amount of items. if your still struggling with lvl2 jungle mobs then go for the vending machines. also I try to kill enemy's jungle side mobs to deny them the soul economy then work backwards onto my side of jungle mobs and clear. by mid to late game I can confidential burst down the red lvl3 jungle mobs in less than 30seconds.

[@siralexandertggaming]

While I haven’t had any amazing games yet on Shiv this guide and build really helped me start to make more consistent plays. Appreciate the upload!

[@mrcorbak6793]

Thank you ! I just started the game and I like Shiv the most. I was bummed to see many people suggest you should play him with spirit damage. I'll follow your guide on my next games!

[@Will-zt9xz]

Hey Deathy your dedication to the game is admirable. I would ask for a solid game tech guide or hero specific tech guide (like specific tricks for Shiv such as that RC heavy melee cancel some guy was talking about or specific cancels on like abrahms) but game is still in alpha so things can change. They took away the heavy punch spirit barrage from pockt

[@habanerodash447]

Sick guide bro. Youre doing good work. Keep it going amigo

[@ThisIsNotKohkie]

Some things I noticed while playing this build, I always have to reload(Maybe an active reload or quicksilver would help?) and I don't have enough dashes(I tried kinetic dash instead). I removed headhunter for said items previously and replaced headshot booster with monster rounds to farm faster.

[@Elemvoice]

Thank you for yet another great guide!

[@drewpeacock9087]

I would love for you to go over what you think a good Spirit build is even if you prefer gun damage overall. Either way I love hearing your thoughts , more on what items counter who would be amazing!

Great video, thank you very much! The only thing I would say is that for anyone using your build in game, would probably buy the items in the wrong order if they don't watch this video. Why not specify which items to prioritize in the build description?

[@Deathy]

Very good point, currently working on that

@@Deathy Great, thank you very much! I tried your build today, and I am very tanky and won the lane easily after falling behind at first. Later I was a menace :)

[@DeputyFish]

should put the skills left to right priority wise. obviously theres always situations where some are better than the other but you should put it in the "optimal" in a perfect world order

[@AyyoNevNev]

Deathy back with another BANGER!❤‍🔥

[@lexrascal]

Amazing guide bro, thank you so much!

[@Deathy]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@mushiim8]

Dropped 50 kills in a 40 min game with this build and had no idea what to buy. Ended up buying Curse and Rebirth and did quite well

[@mas0ny149]

Looks like we rush leech instead of siphon now xD. Again awesome content. I'm surprised you didn't mention warpstone despite our discussions in discord haha

[@Deathy]

Yeah I think warp stone is good too kinda forgot about it tbh

[@CLARPUS]

i love shiv. thanks

[@bayodashi7283]

Hey awesome vid yet again! I recommend ordering all skills in an order it should be bought and rushed first and then leaving ones that needs to be chosen situationally at the end of the line. Makes it really easy in middle of the game to quick buy under stressful situations etc. Other than that thanks for the guide will be updating how I play Shiv.

[@mrcorbak6793]

I'm new to the game so I might be wrong but I don't understand why you'd ever take Heroic Aura to buff Minions and Ally attack speed (?) as a Bruiser over Point Blank or Hunter Aura ?

[@SoulGaleo1992]

He said in the video that it's for the lifesteal (15%) it offers. However, I still don't think that it's better than Point Blank. He could just get Bullet Lifesteal instead; it's cheaper and has more lifesteal. There should be at least one extra slot unlocked by the time he gets Leech online, so there shouldn't be a reason not to fit it in the build.

[@polishlinks]

It's interesting that you left off close quarters/point blank. Is it a case of Beserker doing the same kinda thing (bullet res + damage amp) but cheaper? The slow and extra stam seem a little hard to pass on.

[@Deathy]

Doesn't give you extra stamina anymore, but yeah its a slot issue - when the new headshot item gets nerfed point blank will be back in probably

[@polishlinks]

@@Deathy Oh right, I was working off bad memory. Fair enough.

[@polishlinks]

I double checked and it looks like point blank does still give 1 stam.

[@kita4299]

Hi, u can just re-order items as u use it? thanks !!! Good guide!

[@Bronko_]

Hi Deathy, I play Hydration's build for the Serrated Knives atm and i was wondering what skill you imbue your Superior Cooldown on? Since there is already Rapid Recharge for the Knives, do i rather imbue improved CD on the Slice and Dice?

[@ITZBROKENhotDOG12]

No rapid recharge and point blank is trolling

[@timeingram2890]

Good vid!

[@ThisIsNotKohkie]

Although you've mentioned that you prefer the gun slide and dice build, can you make one for the mystic dagger build?

[@Stuntmanleon]

Goat

[@lettuce2740]

I still don’t think I understand what “deferred damage” means on Shiv’s 3. Is there a visual I’m missing? Amazing video and I’m definitely gonna have to try this build!

[@wildercerrate7295]

Basically he take the damage out on a “loan” so instead of getting shot and instantly taking 100 damage he would over time take 100 damage while the ability goes on

[@TaySengg]

If you get hit for 1000 dmg with the skill maxed and full rage you will take only 550 dmg instantly, the other 450 is taken over time in a window of 15 secs, like a bleeding effect. The health that you'll lose over time is displayed in your health bar as orange portion. You can also use the active part of the skill to cleanse a portion (75% when the skill is maxed) of that 450 bleeding damage, if you cleanse immediately after taking the 1000 dmg, you basically cancel ~337 dmg of the bleeding so at the end of the day you only take 662.5 dmg (550 instantly + 112.5 bleed). tldr: It makes very hard to burst Shiv, even if you hit him for 150% of his health he can cleanse part of that damage to live with a sliver of health

[@isaansari9838]

deferred damage is damage over time, so lets say you take 100 damage, that 100 damage wont INSTANTLY be taken away from your hp bar, instead it will be taken away in small portions over time, why this is good is because you can heal while those ticks of damage are happening to you, essentially making you alot more durable. and the active part of his 3 lets you take away a portion of the deferred damage, so to begin with you dont even take full damage cuz of the passive and then u click the button and the rest of it wont come either!

[@DeputyFish]

you bleed them. but you make them bleed you back. but the bleed against you. is weaker than the flat damage so its a good thing.

[@user93284]

Awesome video bro! Could you do one for Paradox and / or Infernus?

[@Deathy]

I have things planned for every hero but it will take some time

[@Josh-n2z]

Bunch of random questions if you don't mind me asking. Is it better to finish out the core before going to luxuries? If not when should you start buying luxuries. I have a hard time knowing when I should move to the next tier of items. How do you not get rolled when you save points to max dash. Doesn't this make you very weak cause you have unspent points? How does Bloodletting work, I'm never sure when to activate it. If I activate it does it heal the deferred damage? Should i be primary firing in close quarters or stick to seconday Thank you. I'm new and these videos are great

[@fr_og]

so bloodletting's passive is all the time deffering damage to self dot. using blodletting clears a portion of deferred dmg. hope this helps

[@xDrac]

Can someone explain to me WHEN to use Shiv's right click instead of left click?

[@TheThe13used]

once you get used to the slice and dice build nothing feels even close to as good as it

[@endlessheat2703]

Do you think metal skin is slept on as a hard counter to gun builds or characters like haze that are essentially gun dmg only?

[@Deathy]

Not slept on, the only character that justifies buying metal skin right now is Haze though. But yeah if a Haze is doing really well, everyone should buy metal skin!

[@Geekknight777]

Can you order the build so newer players like me can follow it more easily, see the top haze build for a amazing way to do it

[@abcdaffaa]

When is the right time to use the third skill

[@leifjurgensen5843]

Was curious how you feel about melee shiv? Currently got 90% win rate with it, but only 20 games, but 1800+ mmr

[@Deathy]

Any melee build stops being viable once people parry, 99% of the playerbase is still very bad at parrying so its good for the average player, but it only gets worse as you get against better players

[@leifjurgensen5843]

@@Deathy Gotcha, will have to see when i get there i guess, i usually use it around corners or backstab people with it. Have you tried torment pulse at all on shiv? Ive been doing significant amounts of damage with it and think it is a must have with how divey he is.

[@wildercerrate7295]

I’d be surprised if they don’t end up adding a heart of tarrasque/spirit visage type of item

[@plopap]

When do you use left click vs right click ?

[@Hemoclysm]

Why's nobody ever explain what early tier items are good and bad to sell? I'm Hella new so maybe something obvious I'm missing but even when I look to guides they have so many things but it's like yea if you're "fed" get these. But get those and replace what?

[@_claymore]

the builds I have seen & used very rarely need you to sell items - IF you are doing well and get the Flex slots unlocked. but you are right, most build guides don't make suggestions on what to sell when you have to, which is a shame. generally speaking, tier1 items are what you wanna sell, because you "only lose 250 souls" when selling them. also tier1s that give flat damage boosts are good to sell - such as headshot booster. these items are good early because the flat damage is a big chunk that makes a difference there, but late(r) game it doesn't scale and the 45 damage aren't as valuable anymore compared to other boosts.

[@detalores]

Do you not get healing rite on shiv every game (unless you're just totally stomping early and don't need any regen lol)?! I feel like it's so good on him even into the late mid-game. I can't count the amount of times I've gotten away but the deferred damage would kill me. Pop on healing rite and it'll usually outheal the deferred damage. Especially if you're leveling 3, can buy enough time to even use the 3 heal again.

[@Deathy]

It's really good yeah, I don't buy it every game though but it's very value for sure. It wouldn't be wrong to buy it every game

[@ten.kenobi]

so, shot guns do headshots?

[@3dock694]

no charges?

[@Flitchy]

Does reactive barrier work on charged punches ?

[@Deathy]

It does not, however if you punch and get parried, that will activate reactive barrier. Hope that helps!

[@bushidog6915]

I still have no idea how bloodletting works. Is it deferring the damage you just took or the damage you expect to take in the next 3 seconds? So if I take 100 damage, I take 100 dmg, but if I use Bloodletting I get 35 health back but it'll slowly take back that 35 health?

[@mas0ny149]

Defers the damage U just take. Say u have 2k hp and u take 1k damage. Your hp would be 1550 (ur at full rage deferring 45%) and u would have yellow hp all the way down to 1k hp (550 yellow hp, u would take this over the next 10 seconds). Pressijg bloodletting would reduce the amount of yellow hp you take (ive forgot the numbers off the top of my end but i think its something like 50% deferred I think at Max). Ud not "gain" any hp instantly, but instead take less dmg over the next 10 seconds

[@bushidog6915]

Thanks, still don't get it 🗿​@@mas0ny149

[@zenosyne7920]

After only playing bleed build I tried this build and I gotta say it is really broken

[@Deathy]

yeah its way better than bleed IMO

[@eemmeekk1]

Would you still rank Shiv in S tier for Solo carries?

[@Deathy]

Probably, he still feels incredibly strong and his ability to kill almost any character in the game 1v1 is always gonna make him a strong solo carry character

[@stinglock]

It looks like bloodletting is taken as spirit damage with the post death dmg, does stacking spirit resist reduce this?

[@Deathy]

As far as I know, it does not

[@ITZBROKENhotDOG12]

It's an execute so not a big deal

[@stinglock]

@@ITZBROKENhotDOG12 bloodletting is the third ability where you take damage over time instead of as it happens.

[@ladderlappen4585]

hey awesome that you are doing this. i would recommend to not read out what the abilities do, because most poeple allready know that or can just read it themself. you can talk about them, if there is something worth mentioning.

[@busdriver8289]

i don't understand what the rage is; and how do you get it full?

[@evo8337]

Did you even watched the video ? lmao. For every damage you input on anything you'll fill the rage bar, simple as that, so keep hitting stuff and you'll fill it up

[@Hostobi]

Is his lanning weak? I played against and as him and felt very weak at lanning

[@juliushehe6778]

yep he comes online hard when he hits headhunter or heroic aura

[@Deathy]

His laning is fine, it's not weak but it's not his strongest point either

[@S.G.W.C.]

@@Hostobi lanning is fine just play cautious and poke with daggers till your 4 ability come online cuz then u can start building rage and out dmg ur opponents

[@endlessheat2703]

Match ID 5661574 Display of a fed Shiv’s power

[@T2EH1N]

One thing I think they should buff of shiv is that his RAGE. For now his AutoAttack is gaining too less for the RAGE on the game. Not matching with the game rhythm.

[@S.G.W.C.]

@@T2EH1N it should not be buffed. you just need to know that with shiv you have to preheat the oven. before I zipping into a fight I try to build rage off a jungle mob and then go in. it's important to get rage started before the fight even if it's a little

[@Bagginsess]

@@S.G.W.C.it's like a warrior in WOW. You want to chain rage between enemies to sustain damage.

[@T2EH1N]

@@S.G.W.C. That's why his WR always below 50%.

[@cpulevel2]

@@T2EH1Nalso because of low level shitters playing the champ cmon now

[@S.G.W.C.]

max his ult first to be able to chain kills in a team fight. next Max's the dash so you're able to reduce the cooldown. knives are the next to max followed by the defer damage lastly. not having closer quarters on shiv is tragic. also you dont need cooldown since your dash and ult have built in cooldown reduction when maxed. also the spirit and bullet upgrades arent really that necessary and i would focus on stamina or fleetfoot to help you close distance on a target or evade easier. you can see my build if you search in public builds: "The only shiv build you'll ever need" all the items in my build stack into each other nicely and when jungling correctly with shiv you able to purchase the three different 6k soul perks i have set up. my build makes him a menace mid game onwards

[@Deathy]

I tried maxing his ult first, it's not good against players that know what's happening because you're not going to be chaining kills in most situations - my build's not perfect but I have like a 65% winrate in the top 0.01% mmr so it's been working pretty good I'd say

[@S.G.W.C.]

@@Deathy I would recommend looking into saving up for leech,glass cannon, and spirit overflow, I have won games with those and having just basic lvl1 perks it creates a nice balance of lifesteal in weapon and spirit, weapon dmg, and more spirit dmg with the overflow. even in high mmr lobbies if the enemy knows what's happening they very rarely can stop getting burst down below the ult execution threshold. the new heads hot perk and healbane feed into this giving you more health back on execute. the only real counter to shiv is curse and if the enemy curses you then buy ethereal shift and can wait it out with very little drain on your rage bar. also important to mention to prospective shiv users is to farm rage on jungle mobs before engaging into a fight. it's such a big boost to win rates of a fight to already go in with a little rage built up

[@HarveyPrice-h8t]

@@S.G.W.C. siphon is better than leech though, massive additional damage along with sustain so its better to rush that first even after nerf

[@Bagginsess]

I think the better thing to do for any character is level up 2 skills and then when you get to the end of 1 point limit level up the ult and level it up each time you get to a new bracket. Like how in Dota you normally level up 1 or 2 skills and ignore the 3rd but level up the ultimate as soon as possible. If you let skill points stack and only level up the ult you are wasting early power spikes because you are saving your points. Remember better abilities means faster farm which will lead to unlocking the rest of the ult otherwise you are wasting 9 points/levels with little increase in power since your ult has a long cooldown.

[@S.G.W.C.]

@@Bagginsess that's what I do my skill lvl up order goes 1,1->2,2->4,4,4->2->1->3,3,3,

[@zndxt1970]

Why do i keep hearing your saliva lmao hooly thats annoying