Shadowhunter PvP Skill Builds (2024)

Lost Ark lets players customise characters by levelling up skillsand giving them special attributes via "tripods", functioning like atalent system. In PvP, you are limited by the "Book of Coordination"which grants you a total of 340 skill points to distribute between your skills.There's a strict limit on which skills you can take and where to spend your points,but also an overwhelming 18 different pod combinations for each skill. Understandingwhat works best in PvP and why is crucial to starting off right.

This build is tailored primarily for 3v3 Team Death Match, however, it can also be used in1v1 Team Elimination. Look at the Alternate Skills section for flex 1v1 abilities.

The following overview will cover abilities as they are selected in thelinked build. There are alternative pods that can be used for many skills,for example Demon Vision can be run as a level 7 skill with two pods,and the additional skill points could be used to bring Rising Claw tolevel 10 with the Grasp of Death pod instead.

There are also potential pod alternatives for the skills listed at the endof this page.

• Demonic Slash

Paralysis Immune and inflicts Paralysis on hit.Deals roughly 1,200 damage per cast. Animation-locked during dash.

Demonic Slash is Shadowhunter's primary mobility tool.Not only can it be cast twice, but it also gives a movement speed buffafter every cast. This is great to outrun enemies in neutral or walkthem down after an engage.

It will true combo into all skills with the exception of Demon Visionand Piercing Thorn, which makes it a great combo starter. As it inflictsParalysis, it can also be used to interrupt enemy skills and counter combo —but be mindful as it only has Paralysis Immunity and will put Shadowhunterinto melee range.

Although it is a good engage tool, Demonic Slash is better reserved toreposition or escape from danger. As it has two casts, Shadowhunter can use onecast to get better field of view or gap close to better land a Sharpened Cut engage, then use the second cast to bail out once acombo lands to stay safe.

• Sharpened Cut

Paralysis Immune and inflicts Paralysis on hit. Deals roughly 6,000 damageper cast. Animation-locked for its full duration.

Sharpened Cut is how Shadowhunter initiates combos. It is apseudo-teleport skill that will immediately move her to the target position.If the cursor is placed close, Shadowhunter will only go as far as the cursoris placed. This level of precision makes it great to initiate and lead intocombos, as it will true combo into all skills with the exception of Demon Vision and Piercing Thorn.

Its damage is not bad either — and considering it can lead to a full Demonic Clone into Thrust Impact combo — it can enable30,000+ damage combos that Rush cannot break. Due to its speed,it is the best hitconfirm for Shadowhunter, as well as the fastestescape tool — even better than Rush at times, given that itsdistance is much greater.

• Grind Chain

No immunities and inflicts Paralysis on hit. Deals roughly 7,000 damage percast. Animation-locked for full duration.

Grind Chain is Shadowhunter's primary peeling tool. It is nearlyinstant startup, traveling extremely far while applying a heavy 50% slow allthe while also inflicting Paralysis, making it ideal to interruptenemy combos.

Its hitbox can be deceiving, as although the Shadowblades travel forwards,there is an active hitbox in between the Shadowhunter and the blades, meaningthat it can also be used in melee range for combo extensions and does not needperfect positioning.

Being a ranged skill with pretty low cooldown, decent damage and fastactivation, Grind Chain is very flexible with its use. Ideally, it is usedto peel enemies off teammates, but it is also great to catch in neutral andenable allies to push in and capitalize off hits. Given the slow debuff applieson every hit, even just clipping someone with a single hit is enough, whichmakes it very useful for chasing enemies after getup or just general spacecontrol.

• Demon Vision

No immunities and inflicts Electroshock (Hard CC) on hit. Deals roughly10,000 damage per cast. Animation-locked for full duration.

Demon Vision is a ranged Hard CC, and usually Shadowhunter's onlyHard CC tool. It has long cooldown of 30 seconds in PvP and has a thinhitbox that can make it difficult to land reliably, but its length isgood, and as it applies the Electroshock for every hit, it can piece Hard CCimmunity buffs like Guardian Tune's Wind of Protection Tripod.

Despite its lack of immunity, the ability to Hard CC from range more thanmakes up for it, allowing for both safe peeling and punishes on enemy attacks.It is best used to punish enemies when they commit to an ability without having Rush available to animation cancel away, or when they animation-lockthemselves and are incapable of moving. The Hard CC is long enough to convertinto pretty much any skill, whether that be an engage with Demonic Slashor a long range damage tool like Piercing Thorn.

Dealing decent damage while having the safety of range, all the whileapplying the strongest form of CC makes Demon Vision a critical skill tomanage as Shadowhunter, especially as one rises in the ranks. Effective usage ofthis skill is one of the tells between a good and a great player, as it cansinglehandedly turn the tide of a game with minimal risk.

• Piercing Thorn

No immunities and inflicts Push on hit. Deals roughly 12,000 damage per cast.Animation-locked until hand lands on the ground.

Although one may think Shadowhunter's core damage tools would be Demonic Clone or Thrust Impact, the real bulk of her damage reallycomes from Piercing Thorn. It has an incredibly wide AoE with a lingeringhitbox, making it a great way to both establish map control or just outrightcatch enemies at the end of their abilities. Hitting multiple enemies atonce is pretty common due to its size, which greatly pads its damage.

As it is so big and very difficult to punish due to its long range, there isvery little risk and incredibly high reward for landing it. The knock-up durationis long enough to combo into Demon Vision, which then opens up theopportunity for an unrollable combo with other melee burst abilities, leadingto 50,000+ damage if done correctly.

The fact that it applies Push means that it is not just great for catchingor dissuading enemies from engaging, but it is one of the best peeling tools inthe entire game. It is hard to see the targeted location, does heavy damage, andis easy to land, which is what allows for Shadowhunter to comfortably playa ranged game all the while always being able to add value to the team even whennot engaging.

• Rising Claw

Paralysis Immunity and inflicts Push on hit. Deals roughly 3,000 damage percast. Animation-locked until summoned claw vanishes.

Shadowhunter is usually a ranged harasser, sometimes going in for heavy burstand then backing out. Rising Claw is how she deals with enemies chasingher down. It has a sizeable hitbox at level 7, and being a quick startup skillwith Paralysis Immunity means that it can contest most dashes and approachtools from rushdown characters.

Since it keeps Shadowhunter mostly stationary, it relies on enemies charginginto it or being already in close proximity. It can also be used as a way toquickly punish enemies with a Push faster than Demonic Clone or Piercing Thorn could, all the while maintaining Paralysis Immunity.

Use it pre-emptively to prevent enemy engages as a self-peel or to interruptenemy attacks at close range. It combos into Demonic Clone on mostclasses and always into Thrust Impact if Rush is used. Just bewary as this is Shadowhunter's only real self-peel; without Rising Claw,there are not many ways of keeping enemies away other than running.

• Demonic Clone

Paralysis Immunity and inflicts Paralysis on the first hit and Push onthe second hit. Deals roughly 12,000 damage per cast. Animation-locked untilfirst claw slam.

Possibly Shadowhunter's best all-purpose skill. Demonic Clone is acritical ability for combos, as it can chain flawlessly into Thrust Impact when coupled with Rush, leading to at least 25,000 — 30,000damage combos with every catch. Its Paralysis Immunity means that it can be auseful self-peel or trade tool in lieu of Rising Claw, and it has adeceptively large range, allowing it to interrupt enemies with its first hitParalysis and second hit Push.

It has also an incredibly low cooldown at 12 seconds. Use it pre-emptively tostop enemies engaging, as your core combo tool after an engage, or to interruptenemies out of their combos to peel for your team. Given how often the skill isup as well as the high trade and damage potential it has with combo setup,there is not much excuse to not be using Demonic Clone asoften as possible.

• Thrust Impact

No immunity and inflicts Paralysis on the first hit and Push on the secondhit. Deals roughly 15,000 damage per cast. Animation-locked until explosion.

Thrust Impact is Shadowhunter's core damage skill, being her hardesthitting ability and working as a great combo finisher, creating distance betweenherself and the target via both a Push applied on its explosion (knockingenemies far away), and a recoil that moves Shadowhunter back a fair amount. Itsfast startup mean it can combo off of practically any attack, but it has one ofthe smallest hitboxes out of any skill — so be mindful of range whenusing it.

It will very rarely be used raw, although there are cases where its quickstartup means it can contest enemy engages if properly spaced, as the lack ofimmunity can make it risky. It is better reserved to quickly convert into damageand then escape right after. The long distance on its Push means that it canalso be used to knock enemies into allies and away from their team byusing Rush to reposition before use.

Between the choice of all of Shadowhunter's damage skills, Thrust Impact always has priority due to its long cooldown, high damage,reposition potential, and general greater utility of other skills (namely Piercing Thorn and Demonic Clone).

• Basic Attack

No immunity and inflicts regular hitstun on the first few hits (slashes),nothing on the Shadowblade throw, and Push on perfect zone timing, else regularhitstun. Deals roughly 1,000 damage for a full string. Minor animation-locked atthe start of every slash.

It may not an ability that receives any skill points, or even slotted on ahotbar, but Shadowhunter's basic attack is arguably the best in the game. Byletting go of the mouse button when the Shadowblades are thrown and re-clickingjust as they return to Shadowhunter, the final hit in the Basic Attack stringwill become a Push.

This is great to use as a filler skill after knocking an enemy on the groundto buy time for cooldowns to come back up or for teammates to arrive:

It can also be used in neutral for mobility (due to the enhanced dashdistance), or even to counter enemy engages when perfectly timed — although thelack of immunity and wind up can make it risky.

The build given is a good foundation for 3v3, but Shadowhunter has multipleother skills that see frequent use and can be slotted in.

Which skill to drop exactly varies based on personal preference; some mayopt to replace Grind Chain with Cruel Cutter as they are bothranged tools, but others may replace Thrust Impact instead consideringthat the purpose for bringing Cruel Cutter is primarily damage.

Experimenting with different combinations and finding what works best ispart of the PvP experience. As for which alternate skills and pods seemost frequent use, these are:

• Decimate

No immunity and inflicts Paralysis on the first hit and Push on the secondhit. Deals roughly 20,000 damage per cast. Animation-locked until swipe —explosion follow-up is guaranteed to come off regardless of cancel point.Pods used are:

• Swift Fingers
• Encroachment Discharge
• Cruel Hand

Decimate is taken when damage is what matters above all else. It hasa rather long cooldown at 27 seconds, and even with Swift Fingers, the skill does not always true combooff Demonic Slash or Sharpened Cut — although it only leaves a fewframes of leniency which makes it somewhat reliable due to lack of input bufferon getting hit.

Its real use is to combo targets without Stand Up. As Shadowhunter'score combo can be done regardless of Stand Up (namely Demonic Clone into Thrust Impact), she can be lacking when itcomes to bursting on incapacitated targets. Oftentimes, there will not even betime to execute a full combo with Demonic Clone as enemy peel may comefast, so Decimate can serve as a higher damage replacement option or asupplemental damage option.

It is possible to combo from Piercing Thorn with Decimate,and it sees frequent use when paired with Howl. When damage is needed, Decimate is usually the hardest hitting option. Just be mindful of itslack of immunity and melee range; it can be both risky and costly to commit,given the long cooldown.

• Slasher

No immunity and inflicts Electroshock (Hard CC) on hit. Deals roughly 3,000damage per cast. Animation-locked until orb appears. Pods used are:

• Swift Fingers
• Wide-Angle Attack
• Electronic Shock

Slasher is Shadowhunter's anti-melee tool. It applies its Hard CCalmost instantly, making it very difficult to interrupt despite its lack ofimmunity. The range is also deceptive large, matching that of Rising Claweven without any forward movement, and has much lower cooldown than Demon Vision.

It is ideal at punishing enemy engages or animation-locks given its speed,and although the Hard CC lasts for only 1 second, it is a range and durationthat is no issue for Demonic Clone, Thrust Impact (with Rush) or Decimate to capitalize from.

Despite its great melee range and speed, it can be difficult to use againstranged enemies. It is more suited to punish reckless engages or whiffs frommelee enemies, making it more common in 1v1 settings or specifically picked todeal with difficult melee matchups for Shadowhunter.

• Cruel Cutter

No immunity and inflicts regular hitstun. Damage is highly variable based onpositioning, ranging from as little as 3,000 damage to as high as 30,000 damage percast. Animation-locked until saws are released. Pods used are:

• Bleed Effect
• Ranged Attack
• Boomerang

Cruel Cutter is a high cooldown but potentially high damage rangedskill. Unlike Grind Chain, it only has an active hitbox at the sawlocation, but as it travels back and forth it has the potential to drag enemiesalong with it and continuously damage them. Furthermore, as the saws stay inplace for a second or so before returning, enemies that cannot be moved (suchas being on the ground or are hitstun immune) that happen to be at the returnspot can take significant amounts of damage as the hitbox continues to tick.

It can deal up to 30,000 damage in ideal scenarios, however, it has limitedcombo potential and can be difficult to work with in a team environment, as thesaws drag enemies with them, which can mess up allied combos. Given there isno Paralysis property on the active hitbox, it is also easy to just basic attackthrough and immune them as they travel — so unless sweetspotted, it is unlikelyto do more than 3,000 to 6,000 damage.

Cruel Cutter allows for Shadowhunter to double down on the ranged gameand not have to commit as much to melee in order to get burst off at the costof inconsistency.

• Demon's Grip

No immunity and inflicts regular hitstun. Deals roughly 7,000 damage.Animation-locked until claw pulls back. Pods used are:

• Swift Fingers
• Numbing Effect
• Giant Grasp

Rather than diving deep and weaving in and out of enemy attacks to get burst, Demon's Grip allows for Shadowhunter to bring enemies to her instead,pulling targets into range of burst abilities from a safe distance.Considering that it applies a 20% attack and movement speed slow, the skilldoes good damage and can set-up good combos without going for risky initiations.Both Demonic Clone and Thrust Impact can combo out of it, meaningall the damage of a standard engage with none of the risk.

Unfortunately, it is not usually core as it only applies regular hitstun oncast. Unlike Grind Chain, it can not be used to peel or zone control tooreliably, not to mention it has a high 18-second cooldown that can limit itsuse. Since just basic attacks are enough to prevent the pull, Demon's Grip has to be comboed off of other skills, like Grind Chain or Demon Vision. The issue is that both of theseskills have more range, which can put Shadowhunter in an awkward position oflanding an interrupt, but then not being within range to pull enemies in.

That is not to say that Demon's Grip does not offer a great deal ofutility with its slow and consistent damage alone. It also yields a saferplaystyle and can synergize well with teammates, since it can hook targets intodisadvantageous positions. When with an organized team that can set-up theright situations to hook, this skill shines brightest.

• Spinning Dive

Push Immunity and inflicts regular hitstun. Deals roughly 5,000 damage.Animation-locked for its full duration. Pods used are:

• Excellent Mobility
• Tenacity

Shadowhunter is a hybrid class, but she leans more to staying in thebackline due to a lack of Push Immunity. Spinning Dive is the only skillin her entire arsenal that has the potential to be Push Immune, giving her amuch needed boost in defensive ability.

Spinning Dive also has the advantage of being a mobility option. Notonly does it allow for trading against Push Inflicting skills (which coversShadowhunter's most dreaded matchups), but it also allows for repositioning andregrouping with allies.

Despite its mobility it is rather slow and easy to react to, with anoticeable startup. This makes it limited almost strictly to defensive options,as attempting to initiate with it is just giving up a critical immunity andescape skill. Considering that Shadowhunter can just play behind her allies andmake use of her already good mobility and zone control tools to not get chased, Spinning Dive can feel somewhat redundant. It can protect her againstthe classes she struggles against the most however, and also sees frequent usein 1v1 where a constrained map and lack of allies diminishes her survivalability.

• Howl

No immunities and inflicts Fear (Hard CC). Deals roughly 4,000 damage.Animation-locked until roar. Pods used are:

• Swift Fingers
• Encroaching Power
• Scream of Fury

Howl has a long cooldown, small range, does little damage and isamong one of the lowest Hard CC durations in the game. Even with Swift Fingers, it is slow and easy to interrupt. Itdoes not seem like a particularly useful skill in any way, but that is becauseit all rides on a single combo that makes use of the 30% increased damage dealtby Scream of Fury.

After a Rising Claw or Decimate, Howl can connectwith foes before they fall on the ground, applying the Hard CC and damage takenincrease debuff. Within that second, Shadowhunter can fit two burst abilities(usually Decimate into Thrust Impact, but it can also be done with Demonic Clone into Thrust Impact), transforming any stray knock-upinto an unescapable 55,000 damage combos.

It lacks utility and is a rather one-dimensional skill, but it can makeengaging on Shadowhunter far more punishing than usual. It is more seen in 1v1scenarios where it can enable two-touch kill situations even off self peel.

Some of the skills listed in this section have multiple tripod combinationsthat can work.

Shadowhunter tends to run 2x level 7 skills: Sharpened Cut and Rising Claw. By dropping Rising Claw to level 4, this opens upthe opportunity to raise a level 7 skill to level 10.

Alternatively, Demon Vision can be run at level 7 — this does notreduce the length or width of the beam, costing only very minor startup speedand damage, which many do not consider an issue. This can open up more skillpoints to be used to bring up other skills to level 10.

• Demonic Slash

Master of Evasion is sometimes used as analternative for the first line. Although having Damage Amplification is more beneficial for bothpersonal and team damage output, it is infrequent that Demonic Slashhits its target, as it is more conventionally used to reposition or escape.10% is low, but can be the difference between taking 25,000 damage from a Perfect Shot and taking 25 damage.

For the second line, both Wide Hit and Numbing Effect are also viable alternatives. Wide Hit does not just increase the width of thehitbox, but the length as well, making Demonic Slash easier to land. Onthe other hand, a 20% attack and movement speed slow is very noticeable meansthat even engages that are immuned still have value, as just a single touch canslow down the enemy enough to set-up for a recatch shortly after.

• Piercing Thorn

Although Piercing Thorn is one of Shadowhunter's core damage tools,one of the reasons it is so effective at getting damage is because of howuseful it is in peeling for teammates and controlling the map. Running Quick Prep on the second line will sacrificedamage, but give it a whopping 6 seconds of cooldown reduction, making itavailable much more often and giving Shadowhunter a greater deal of ranged peeland team utility.

The high mana cost of the skill may warrant use of Magick Control for the first line, as regularmana regeneration may not be able to keep up with the much lower cooldown ifused frequently.

• Sharpened Cut

If Sharpened Cut gets brought up to level 10, then that opens up the Critical Cut pod. This translates to an averageof 45% increased damage from the pod alone — when factoring in the level change,it goes to about 55% increased damage total. Getting an additional 3,000 — 4,000 damagewith every engage can add up.

• Rising Claw

By bringing Rising Claw up to level 10, the Grasp of Death pod can be used. This does not addmuch damage, considering the low base damage, but it adds an additionalexplosion that guarantees Demonic Clone to land both hits after use. Thefollow-up explosion also has a wider AoE than the claw and ticks a short whileafter, which can punish enemies that try to re-engage and can even hit wherethe claw does not, like directly behind the Shadowhunter. Making both combosand self-peel easier, it is hard to not feel the utility value from it.

• Spinning Dive

Although it is fine to run Spinning Dive at level 7, running it atlevel 10 gives it a Push property with the Finish Dive pod. Rather than just using it as adefensive tool or combo extension, the slam that inflicts Push makes it betterat trading or even just outright initiating on enemies while remaining safe,allowing for Shadowhunter to lean to more melee-oriented playstyles.