Shadowhunter PvP Skill Builds

Lost Ark lets players customise characters by levelling up skills and giving them special attributes via "tripods", functioning like a talent 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. Understanding what 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 in 1v1 Team Elimination. Look at the Alternate Skills section for flex 1v1 abilities.

The following overview will cover abilities as they are selected in the linked 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 to level 10 with the Grasp of Death pod instead.

There are also potential pod alternatives for the skills listed at the end of 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 buff after every cast. This is great to outrun enemies in neutral or walk them down after an engage.

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

Although it is a good engage tool, Demonic Slash is better reserved to reposition or escape from danger. As it has two casts, Shadowhunter can use one cast 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 a combo lands to stay safe.

• Sharpened Cut

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

Sharpened Cut is how Shadowhunter initiates combos. It is a pseudo-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 cursor is placed. This level of precision makes it great to initiate and lead into combos, 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 enable 30,000+ damage combos that Rush cannot break. Due to its speed, it is the best hitconfirm for Shadowhunter, as well as the fastest escape tool — even better than Rush at times, given that its distance is much greater.

• Grind Chain

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

Grind Chain is Shadowhunter's primary peeling tool. It is nearly instant startup, traveling extremely far while applying a heavy 50% slow all the while also inflicting Paralysis, making it ideal to interrupt enemy combos.

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

Being a ranged skill with pretty low cooldown, decent damage and fast activation, Grind Chain is very flexible with its use. Ideally, it is used to peel enemies off teammates, but it is also great to catch in neutral and enable allies to push in and capitalize off hits. Given the slow debuff applies on every hit, even just clipping someone with a single hit is enough, which makes it very useful for chasing enemies after getup or just general space control.

• Demon Vision

No immunities and inflicts Electroshock (Hard CC) on hit. Deals roughly 10,000 damage per cast. Animation-locked for full duration.

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

Despite its lack of immunity, the ability to Hard CC from range more than makes 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-lock themselves and are incapable of moving. The Hard CC is long enough to convert into pretty much any skill, whether that be an engage with Demonic Slash or a long range damage tool like Piercing Thorn.

Dealing decent damage while having the safety of range, all the while applying the strongest form of CC makes Demon Vision a critical skill to manage as Shadowhunter, especially as one rises in the ranks. Effective usage of this skill is one of the tells between a good and a great player, as it can singlehandedly 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 really comes from Piercing Thorn. It has an incredibly wide AoE with a lingering hitbox, making it a great way to both establish map control or just outright catch enemies at the end of their abilities. Hitting multiple enemies at once 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 is very little risk and incredibly high reward for landing it. The knock-up duration is long enough to combo into Demon Vision, which then opens up the opportunity for an unrollable combo with other melee burst abilities, leading to 50,000+ damage if done correctly.

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

• Rising Claw

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

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

Since it keeps Shadowhunter mostly stationary, it relies on enemies charging into it or being already in close proximity. It can also be used as a way to quickly 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 interrupt enemy attacks at close range. It combos into Demonic Clone on most classes and always into Thrust Impact if Rush is used. Just be wary 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 on the second hit. Deals roughly 12,000 damage per cast. Animation-locked until first claw slam.

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

It has also an incredibly low cooldown at 12 seconds. Use it pre-emptively to stop enemies engaging, as your core combo tool after an engage, or to interrupt enemies out of their combos to peel for your team. Given how often the skill is up 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 as often as possible.

• Thrust Impact

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

Thrust Impact is Shadowhunter's core damage skill, being her hardest hitting ability and working as a great combo finisher, creating distance between herself and the target via both a Push applied on its explosion (knocking enemies far away), and a recoil that moves Shadowhunter back a fair amount. Its fast startup mean it can combo off of practically any attack, but it has one of the smallest hitboxes out of any skill — so be mindful of range when using it.

It will very rarely be used raw, although there are cases where its quick startup means it can contest enemy engages if properly spaced, as the lack of immunity can make it risky. It is better reserved to quickly convert into damage and then escape right after. The long distance on its Push means that it can also be used to knock enemies into allies and away from their team by using 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 regular hitstun. Deals roughly 1,000 damage for a full string. Minor animation-locked at the start of every slash.

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

This is great to use as a filler skill after knocking an enemy on the ground to 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 dash distance), or even to counter enemy engages when perfectly timed — although the lack of immunity and wind up can make it risky.

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

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

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

• Decimate

No immunity and inflicts Paralysis on the first hit and Push on the second hit. 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 has a rather long cooldown at 27 seconds, and even with Swift Fingers, the skill does not always true combo off Demonic Slash or Sharpened Cut — although it only leaves a few frames of leniency which makes it somewhat reliable due to lack of input buffer on getting hit.

Its real use is to combo targets without Stand Up. As Shadowhunter's core combo can be done regardless of Stand Up (namely Demonic Clone into Thrust Impact), she can be lacking when it comes to bursting on incapacitated targets. Oftentimes, there will not even be time to execute a full combo with Demonic Clone as enemy peel may come fast, so Decimate can serve as a higher damage replacement option or a supplemental 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 its lack 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 3,000 damage 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 CC almost instantly, making it very difficult to interrupt despite its lack of immunity. The range is also deceptive large, matching that of Rising Claw even 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 duration that 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 against ranged enemies. It is more suited to punish reckless engages or whiffs from melee enemies, making it more common in 1v1 settings or specifically picked to deal with difficult melee matchups for Shadowhunter.

• Cruel Cutter

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

• Bleed Effect
• Ranged Attack
• Boomerang

Cruel Cutter is a high cooldown but potentially high damage ranged skill. Unlike Grind Chain, it only has an active hitbox at the saw location, but as it travels back and forth it has the potential to drag enemies along with it and continuously damage them. Furthermore, as the saws stay in place for a second or so before returning, enemies that cannot be moved (such as being on the ground or are hitstun immune) that happen to be at the return spot 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 limited combo potential and can be difficult to work with in a team environment, as the saws drag enemies with them, which can mess up allied combos. Given there is no Paralysis property on the active hitbox, it is also easy to just basic attack through and immune them as they travel — so unless sweetspotted, it is unlikely to do more than 3,000 to 6,000 damage.

Cruel Cutter allows for Shadowhunter to double down on the ranged game and not have to commit as much to melee in order to get burst off at the cost of 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 skill does good damage and can set-up good combos without going for risky initiations. Both Demonic Clone and Thrust Impact can combo out of it, meaning all the damage of a standard engage with none of the risk.

Unfortunately, it is not usually core as it only applies regular hitstun on cast. Unlike Grind Chain, it can not be used to peel or zone control too reliably, not to mention it has a high 18-second cooldown that can limit its use. 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 these skills have more range, which can put Shadowhunter in an awkward position of landing 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 of utility with its slow and consistent damage alone. It also yields a safer playstyle and can synergize well with teammates, since it can hook targets into disadvantageous positions. When with an organized team that can set-up the right 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 the backline due to a lack of Push Immunity. Spinning Dive is the only skill in her entire arsenal that has the potential to be Push Immune, giving her a much needed boost in defensive ability.

Spinning Dive also has the advantage of being a mobility option. Not only does it allow for trading against Push Inflicting skills (which covers Shadowhunter's most dreaded matchups), but it also allows for repositioning and regrouping with allies.

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

• 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 is among one of the lowest Hard CC durations in the game. Even with Swift Fingers, it is slow and easy to interrupt. It does not seem like a particularly useful skill in any way, but that is because it all rides on a single combo that makes use of the 30% increased damage dealt by Scream of Fury.

After a Rising Claw or Decimate, Howl can connect with foes before they fall on the ground, applying the Hard CC and damage taken increase 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-up into an unescapable 55,000 damage combos.

It lacks utility and is a rather one-dimensional skill, but it can make engaging on Shadowhunter far more punishing than usual. It is more seen in 1v1 scenarios where it can enable two-touch kill situations even off self peel.

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

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

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

• Demonic Slash

Master of Evasion is sometimes used as an alternative for the first line. Although having Damage Amplification is more beneficial for both personal and team damage output, it is infrequent that Demonic Slash hits 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 the hitbox, but the length as well, making Demonic Slash easier to land. On the other hand, a 20% attack and movement speed slow is very noticeable means that even engages that are immuned still have value, as just a single touch can slow 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 how useful it is in peeling for teammates and controlling the map. Running Quick Prep on the second line will sacrifice damage, but give it a whopping 6 seconds of cooldown reduction, making it available much more often and giving Shadowhunter a greater deal of ranged peel and team utility.

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

• Sharpened Cut

If Sharpened Cut gets brought up to level 10, then that opens up the Critical Cut pod. This translates to an average of 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 damage with 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 add much damage, considering the low base damage, but it adds an additional explosion that guarantees Demonic Clone to land both hits after use. The follow-up explosion also has a wider AoE than the claw and ticks a short while after, which can punish enemies that try to re-engage and can even hit where the claw does not, like directly behind the Shadowhunter. Making both combos and 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 at level 10 gives it a Push property with the Finish Dive pod. Rather than just using it as a defensive tool or combo extension, the slam that inflicts Push makes it better at trading or even just outright initiating on enemies while remaining safe, allowing for Shadowhunter to lean to more melee-oriented playstyles.