At a glance#
Role (our classification)
- Assassin — Finds isolated targets, deletes them and leaves before the enemy team can answer.
Damage
- Hybrid-leaning kit
Weapon
- Busted Flush
Released
- 15 Aug 2024
Shiv is a cutthroat monster hunter seeking atonement, using hit-and-run attacks and shotgun recoil to pick off vulnerable targets.
Shiv’s abilities explained#
Shiv has three regular abilities and an ultimate. Ability names and behaviour below were checked on 27 Oct 2026; numbers are left out on purpose because they change with almost every patch — the in-game tooltip shows the current values.
Ability 1
Serrated Knives
Throws a knife that bleeds an enemy; each extra hit strengthens the bleed. At full rage, knives also deal current-health damage and slow.
Ability 2
Slice and Dice
Dashes forward, damaging enemies along the path and reducing their spirit resist. At full rage an echo of the dash repeats.
Ability 3
Bloodletting
Takes part of incoming damage immediately and defers the rest over time. Activating it clears a portion of the deferred damage.
Ultimate
Killing Blow
Leaps to strike the first enemy hero, executing them if they're below a health threshold. An execute fills rage and allows a quick recast.
How to play Shiv#
Play around vision and timing: farm safely until your power spike, then hunt players who wander off alone. Avoid opening fights head-on — your job starts once the enemy has used their crowd control.
Tips from the current kit
- Use alt-fire recoil to move quickly.
- Bleed from range with Serrated Knives, then dash in with Slice and Dice.
- Build rage by dealing damage to unlock stronger abilities.
- Survive with Bloodletting, then finish targets with Killing Blow.
Build framework#
A starting framework, not a tested build
This section explains what kind of items Shiv’s kit rewards, built from how the abilities work. It isn’t a win-rate-tested build. For community builds with current stats, open the in-game Build Browser and filter by hero, then check our items explainer to understand why each item is there.
Hybrid lean. The kit mixes weapon and spirit damage, so builds lean whichever way your abilities and the game call for — often spirit items for the abilities you level first, then weapon items as the gun takes over.
| Stage | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Laning | Cheap 800-soul items that help you trade and sustain in lane, plus one that boosts your main damage source. |
| Mid game | Your first 3,200-soul item is usually the biggest single jump in power — buy toward the one that makes your best ability or your gun stronger. |
| Late game | Fill slots with 6,400-soul items, and swap cheap starters for upgrades. Leave room for an answer to what the enemy is doing. |
| Defence | Match the enemy’s damage: shields and resistance against whichever type is hurting you most. |
Items that fit a hybrid kit
Defensive options
Items opponents commonly use against Shiv — expect to see them, and plan around them:
Ability points#
Ability unlocks come from levelling up; ability points then buy upgrade tiers. A sensible default for Shiv:
- Unlock the ability that helps you farm or trade in lane first — for most players that’s Serrated Knives or the ability you can hit most reliably.
- Unlock all three regular abilities early so you have every tool in the first fights.
- Unlock Killing Blow as soon as it’s available.
- Put upgrade points into the ability you use most, then into whichever upgrade tier changes how an ability works (tier 3 upgrades often do).
General guidance; upgrade tiers and costs are shown in game.
Playing against Shiv#
- Slowing Hex disables Killing Blow and Slice and Dice.
- Dispel Magic removes the Serrated Knives bleed.
- Anti-heal reduces Bloodletting's healing.
The full breakdown — abilities to play around, counter items with reasons and mistakes to avoid — is in how to counter Shiv.
Recent changes#
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| 30 Oct 2026 | Serrated Knives rage damage 3.5% → 4% of current health; Killing Blow recast window 16s → 12s; alt-fire damage per boon −5%. |
| 16 Sep 2026 | Alt-fire damage increased; full-rage knives deal current-health damage on impact. |
Every update that touches heroes is summarised in patch notes explained and the patch impact tracker.