fobindianman's Guide to Slark (6.87c)

Hello, this guide is very usefull. But why is not better Skull Basher after Echo Sabre and before Skadi? 2x hit from ES + 4x hit druring pounce and first bash + 2x hit from ES after CD = 8 hits, it is about 100% chance to proc two bashes. I have very good experience with this build. Next questios is what is better item for Slark before Echo Sabre? Poor man's shield or Orb of venom? I have space only for one item because I have Boots,Stick,Aquila,SB,TP.
Thanks in Advance.

nice guide. i always play slark too with 1.5k games, rank 71st. lol

Very nice guide! Tried Slark for the first time in a pub today and all these advices and tips came really handy to get a good grasp on the hero in a short amount of time. I especially like his utility to figure out enemy ward positions due to his ult. I've also noticed that he has serious mana problems, would early Boots of Travel be good on him?

Long cooldowns in the early levels, low stats and hp, can't contest last hits effectively until lvl 3-4 etc. With a strong laner like Venge or Omni you can definitely dominate a lane, but solo vs an undying or beastmaster or axe or whatever you can be screwed.

why is Salk known for having weak laning, if anything I'd say he's a strong laner. I have about 50 Slark games and hes always beeen consistently good in lane due to the fact he has initiation, escape, a way to dispel stuns/slows, and he can trade hits very well due to ES. If you have an Omni or Venge support, youre even more likely to rape the lane. Is there something I'm missing here other than him being squishy?

I learned a lot actually! One more point in Pounce is an excellent idea. Also, some items that I never considered before. Abyssal is good on Slark (for pesky escapists), so is Wand (for early mana problems). I had no clue to use Linken's too but it's especially good when other team has a lot of disables. A disabled Slark is a dead Slark ;-)
Now, since Slark is a mobility hero, AC is a total waste of 5k+ gold. You can get Hyperstone and Blademail for less gold and better stats. AC stats are really bad for the price, but its saving grace is the "Assault aura" which Slark doesn't benefit from as he's not a teamfight hero. Let a Sven or a Tiny have the AC, as they would utlize it more efficiently.
Another item I disagree with is the Shadow Blade. It is simply a **** item early game becasuse it depletes mana on an already mana starved hero. If you don't have solid regen, then you have to go back to base, which is ironical for a hero with almost unlimited health! Blink dagger is cheaper, doesn't drain mana, and offeres far superior positioning. Again I'd like to refer to TI5 finals (game 3). You see can how good can Slark be in the right hands with a Blink dagger. Moreover, invisibility is not an escape. Anyone with half a brain can counter it (carrying dust, placing wards in "kill spots").
Skull Basher should be taken late game because bash won't apply if you don't have significant attack speed. Slark relies on stolen stats, but in case you haven't stolen anything, Basher simply won't work. I recommend a hyperstone mid game because it increase attack speed thereby allowing you to steal more stats, thereby increasing your damange and attack speed, thereby allowing you to steal even more stats..... you get the idea! It is a perpetual cycle. Hyperstone mid game makes him a beast.

Lord_vats got it perfectly! I get 2 points in pounce before 6 because you just don't have the mana or HP sustain to spam Pact to farm waves and camps. After Aquila and treads around level 7-8 you will have Pact maxed and can use it freely.

Thanks for the positive feedback so far guys!

I'm not the OP, obviously. But as a Slark player, I think I can answer your questions. The second one is easy, you don't point dark pact because you can't spam it too much without the health regen passive (which comes at level 6). Slark is a squishy hero, and you should never be using dark pact that early in the game. Essence Shift is very good choice at level 2 because putting a point in it makes you an excellent harasser until the late mid-game. You hit an enemy once, and BAM you take away their 20 HP and 15 Mana. If you manage to hit them 5 times, a kill is guaranteed if they make even a slight mistake. One point of ES goes a very long way, the earlier you get it, the better. Aggressif took a point in ES on level 1 in the TI5 finals (game 3) and it was a legendary Slark game.

The first question is a bit trickier. It depends more on the situation but generally 2 points in Pounce before level 6 is a very good choice for agressive gameplay. If you're not playing agressive with Slark, then you're not playing at all! That extra 50 damage helps a lot in securing kills while the 4 second low cooldown helps in quick escape should the tables turn. I've been caught out and killed (which I would've escaped if I had two more seconds) many times due to the extremely high 20 second cooldown on pounce. Moreover, what do you have to lose? You'll level Dark Pact at 8 instead of 7. But if you play aggressive due to pounce and get some kills, you'd reach level 8 in no time!


To the OP: Very good guide, +1. It was about time we got a new Slark guide.

Why do you take a 2nd point in pounce at level 4 in the safelane build and take a 2nd level in ES for the mid build? They delay maxing dark pact and delay your farming potential.

There's no good reason to get level 2 pounce. You increase the damage by 50 and reduce the CD by 4s. Neither of those will secure you a kill and neither gives you additional utility beyond what the first point gives you. While it should definitely be maxed 2nd, early levels in dark pact are more important than more levels in pounce.

Also, putting a 2nd point into E is also questionable. I can understand that it doubles the duration you keep it for but it doesn't scale anything else about the skill. You really level it early on for the extra -1 str per hit and to make trading more favorable. Past that, a 2nd point doesn't make you more efficient unless you trade hits again more than 30 but less than 60s after initially hitting them.

TL;DR: Farming speed is more important. You want to start pacting down camps once you have ulti; delaying that for a 2nd level in W or E offers less utility.

As a first guide, excellent job. My first guide sucked. What I would suggest as a way to improve the build is going the same Shadow Blade into Sange and Yasha, then disassembling the S+Y into Manta Style and Silver Edge, before or after Eye of Skadi depending on what you need more. Black King Bar as needed. The stats make the illusions strong, and you also have Manta to purge silences like Arcane Seal, Orchid Malevolence, and Geomagnetic Grip. Yes Dark Pact is a purge, but it's also a spell, which means you can't purge a silence if you're silenced. However, if you get it off before disables happen, it will save you. For those without instantaneous reaction times, BKB and/or Manta saves the day.