Shiv is a melee hero in Deadlock who turns other people's wounds into his own advantage. His style revolves around bleed: the longer an enemy bleeds from his cuts, the more damage they take and the faster Shiv himself recovers. That makes him an aggressive assassin who hunts isolated targets, finishes the wounded, and rarely leaves a fight first. In this guide we cover his abilities, basic combos, and build priorities.

Role and Strengths

Shiv is a kill-securer. His job is to patrol the flanks, catch heroes on low health, and take them down before their supports arrive. Thanks to his self-healing he can stay in the thick of a fight for a long time, but charging a stacked five head-on is a weakness: his strength lies in picking one-on-one trades and punishing positioning mistakes.

Abilities

Serrated Knives is his main source of ranged pressure. Shiv throws knives that apply bleed and deal damage over several seconds. The ability is great for finishing fleeing enemies and keeping bleed stacks up without exposing yourself to a counterattack.

Slice and Dice is a dash that sends Shiv straight through enemies, damaging everything in his path. It is both a mobility tool for closing distance or escaping and a way to clip several targets at once. Try not to spend the dash only on engaging — keep it in reserve for a getaway.

Bloodletting is the key to Shiv's survivability. He has a Rage meter that fills as enemies bleed from his attacks. Stored Rage converts into healing and reduces incoming damage, so in a drawn-out fight it pays to keep bleed running on several opponents at once.

Killing Blow is his execute ultimate. It deals damage scaled to the target's missing health and prevents the enemy from healing. It is the perfect tool to guarantee a kill on a weakened hero or cut off their escape. Don't waste it on full-health targets — save it for the finish.

Combos and Timing

The basic combo is simple: open with Serrated Knives to apply bleed and build Rage, then dash in and finish with auto-attacks. Once the target drops below half health, cast Killing Blow. If a fight drags on, don't be afraid to dive deeper — Rage healing often lets you survive the trade, especially when the enemy switches focus to your allies.

Build Priorities

Early on Shiv wants weapon and survivability items to lane confidently and survive trades. In the mid game add lifesteal sources and items that boost melee and auto-attack damage. Active items for escaping or removing enemy crowd control are valuable, since Shiv often ends up in the center of the fight. Tune your build to the enemy lineup: against healing-heavy teams, pick up items that weaken healing.