Updated August 16th, 2025.

@Ragesteel Gauntlet over @Power Gauntlet because Ragesteel's Attack Speed Debuff doesn't affect Shiv if she is combo-ing her empowered %Arcslinger shots with her regular %Arcslinger shots. If you find yourself regularly not dashing, and just spamming lmb, power gauntlet is fine, but typically unoptimal.
@Longclaw Optics are BiS in my opinion since Shiv's biggest weakness is being low-mid range. Increasing her range increases her consistency and strengthens her weaker matchups. I hear some people don't prefer it though. For those people, I'd recommend @Rabbit Paw, and going %Quickflip level 4 instead of %Farstep Dagger level 4. With this alongside @Bloodlust Boots, you can get close to the max movement speed possible in the game (~700 ms), and that can make up for the lack of range.
Another build I'm testing and playing around with is @Rabbit Paw + @Longclaw Optics for max range and max movement speed, but right now, I'm leaning towards the "more damage = better" mindset winning overall.
@Rocket High-Tops are also a really great item for Shiv, because it increases your dash distance, which means it increases her effective range of engagement, similar to @Longclaw Optics. I've been experimenting more with @Glide Boots for 2 reasons: First, it makes Shiv's abyss-combat more superior, and that particularly fits my strengths. Second, there is a bug where if you spam open and close your glider after gaining momentum, it'll maintain your momentum for longer, making you faster, but it costs more glider fuel. Building @Glide Boots mitigates that downside. I still often build @Rocket High-Tops and @Bloodlust Boots though, so build those as fits your preference.
For Damage-Focused Relics, I've done extensive damage testing at different levels, and @Sunweaver beats out all other options. @Harmonic Edge and @Refractor aren't bad, and I'll pick them up if I get them for free, but there isn't much of a point in building a more expensive item for weaker results, in my opinion.
For Survival-Focused Relics, I think it is pretty clear that @Vive Infusor is just OP on Shiv. She dashes multiple times per fight and there is no internal cooldown (ICD) on @Vive Infusor. @Last Bite and @Essence Reaper are just lesser quality items on this character in my opinion, and I personally never build them.
Honorable Mentions:
@Resonating Idol: When you stack this up on your dash or your dagger (with level 2 Idol), you can play with some ridiculous gameplay patterns. 2 second dash cooldowns, permanent uptime on your dagger, etc. It is a less potent item than other options, but if you get used to it, can be a really devastating item for some playstyles.
@Stasis Shard: This item has some tech with Shiv's dagger, where if you use the active so you are in stasis when your dagger would normally teleport you back, it won't teleport you and will just end the dagger. This can have some cool use-cases, but I currently find @Vive Infusor + @Sunweaver to bring more consistent results. Maybe in scrims or competitive play, this tech will be more useful though.

Perk options:
Perks are really important to modify Shiv's gameplay at higher levels of play. Personally, my bread-and-butter perks are @Regenerative Armor, @Adversity Engine, and @Armor Shredder. @Regenerative Armor is one of the best perks in the game for maintaining armor durability throughout a game, @Adversity Engine increases Shiv's damage reduction while nearby targets, which is typically when she is in the most danger, and that DR is not to be underestimated, and @Armor Shredder works really well with Shiv's role as an entry-fragger, starting fights off with dealing massive AoE damage to teams. When you can break a team's armor before the fight even really begins, you basically win the fight.

Some other perks to keep note of are:
@Amplified Speed : Good to more reliably hit max movement speed w/ a @Rabbit Paw, %Quickflip max build.
@Amphibian : Helps mitigate the movement speed debuff of water biomes, which Shiv typically hates.
@Generative Elixirs : Can be abused if you have a consumable you can spam (like #Scan Grenade for example).
@Glider Booster : Reliable for increased speed around the map.
@Glider Coolant : Good for Abyss fighting and Glider-spamming.
@Swiftness : Dash Haste is very valuable for Shiv, especially in @Resonating Idol builds.
@Heal Receptor : Increasing all incoming healing by 10%, including omnivamp, @Vive Infusor, %Master Assassin's healing passive, and teammate's healing effects.

Lastly, I typically with go %Farstep Dagger level 4 at level 9 (Reset %Quickflip cooldown if you stick your dagger on a target). This is for 2 reasons: 1: it has a higher skill ceiling than %Quickflip level 4. 2: it is great into melee/dive matchups. Overall, with practice, it is really potent and really consistent. However, as I mentioned already, I'll go %Quickflip level 4 at level 6 if I'm going for a @Rabbit Paw / movement speed build, since it just helps me get to ~700 ms more easily/consistently.

Anyways, that's my guide! If you have any questions, feel free to comment or ask in the #Shiv channel in the Supervive discord. Cheers!

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