In Lost Ark, the Shadowhunters are an advanced class of Assassins. Their weapon of choice is the Shadowblade, which they expertly wield to destroy their enemies quickly and efficiently. What makes them special is their ability to use the power of a demon, which gives them access to different abilities and dramatically increases their movement speed and damage output. Demonizing comes with an entire range of skills the player can use while the Shadowhunter is in her Demon Form.
The player can choose from two different builds for PVE: Demonic Impulse and Perfect Suppression. However, Demonic Impulse offers a longer time spent in Demonic Form with access to greater Demon Skills, making it the better choice of the two. This guide will focus on everything the player needs to know about this build in Lost Ark.
Selecting The Essential Skills
The player will be using mostly Intrude Skills to build their Shadowhunter with Demonic Impulse. Most of these skills will also be combined with a Tripod that features a huge boost to the Shadowmeter, causing it to rapidly fill. This will allow for less cooldown time between uses of the Demon Form. Additionally, out of the two Awakening Skills, the player will want to select the skill Fallen Ruin to round out their collection.
Skill | Tripod 1 | Tripod 2 | Tripod 3 |
Demonic Slash | Excellent Mobility | Nimble Movement | N/A |
Thrust Impact | Swift Thrust | Deep Thrust | Encroaching Power |
Demonic Clone | Vital Point Strike | Fist of Destruction | Enhanced Release Encroachment |
Rising Claw | Naively Honest | Giant Hand | N/A |
Decimate | Quick Prep | Weak Point Detection | Cruel Hand |
Howl | Quick Prep | Encroaching Power | Scream of Fury |
Demon's Grip | Quick Prep | Encroaching Power | Stretching Hand |
Demon Vision | Concentrated Release | Encroaching Power | Instant Discharge |
Key Stats To Focus On
When focusing on a Demonic Impulse build, the primary stat the player should be focused on is Specialization. This serves a two-fold purpose. First, it will increase how long the Shadowmeter lasts. Second, it will increase the damage dealt by the Demon Skills as it will improve their overall efficacy.
The secondary stat they should focus on is Critical. This stat will boost the players chance of landing a critical hit. Combine that with a powerful Demon Skill, and they have the chance of landing an all-powerful hit that severely damages the enemy.
The Best Engravings
Choosing the best engravings is essential to completing the Shadowhunter build. Engravings add important buffs that improve the player's abilities during battle. Some of them are essential to beating exceptionally strong bosses. These are the recommended engravings for the best build:
Engraving | Effect At Maximum Level |
Demonic Impulse | Removes Composure debuff, preventing Shadowburst Meter from gaining for 30 seconds after exiting Demon Form, but adds +30% Crit Rate in Demon Form |
Grudge | Damage output is +20% for all boss or higher enemies, but incoming damage is also +20% |
Adrenaline | Atk Power +1% for 6 seconds after using skills, can stack 6 times. At max stack, Crit Rate is +15%. Any cooldown reduction due to skill cancel will be applied at end of skill. |
Keen Blunt Weapon | +50% Crit damage, but attacks may deliver -20% damage |
Raid Captain | Damage output is +45% of basic Move Speed bonus percent |
Changes In Skills For PVP
When the player decides to team up with friends and take on other players, they'll want to change up their skill set a tiny bit. They'll still be relying a lot on Demonizing to take a toll on their enemies, but their Tripods are not as focused on the Shadowmeter for PVP. It's important to remember that when using any of these skills, the player needs to remember to maintain their defense as a Shadowhunter can be quite squishy. The best strategy is to deal damage from afar and come in close only when the enemy is stunned.
Skill | Tripod 1 | Tripod 2 | Tripod 3 |
Demonic Clone | Naively Honest | Fist of Destruction | Encroachment Discharge |
Demonic Slash | Excellent Mobility | Nimble Movement | Chain Charge |
Demon Vision | Quick Release | Electric Discharge | Instant Discharge |
Grind Chain | Earth Attack | Impaired Mobility | Chain Attack |
Piercing Thorn | Enhanced Strike | Triple Thorn | Massive Thorns |
Rising Claw | Naively Honest | Giant Hand | Quick Release |
Sharpened Cut | Excellent Mobility | Infiltration Attack | N/A |
Thrust Impact | Swift Thrust | Enhanced Explosion | Spectral Explosion |
PVP Key Stats To Focus On
When they switch over to PVP, their skills aren't the only things they'll have to alter with their build. The player will also need to readjust their focus on their stats. The primary stat to focus on is Swiftness. Adding a ton of points here will increase the player's move and attack speeds while reducing cooldown times.
The secondary stat should be Domination. While the Shadowhunter has excellent and powerful attacks, this stat will boost her ability to decimate stunned targets. The player will need to remember to exercise caution when attempting this, as again, the Shadowhunter is squishy and can take some serious damage when taking a direct hit.
Lost Ark is available now on PC.