Slark

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• Equipment
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[e][h]Slark

Dire Hero

Attributes

21 +1.9

21 +1.7

16 +1.7

32 - 40

0

300

Base Stats

Base HP Regen

1.75

Base Mana Regen

0

Sight Range

1800 / 1800

Attack Range

150

Missile Speed

Instant

Attack Duration

0.5 + 0.3

Cast Duration

0 + 0.51

Base Attack Speed

120

Base Attack Time

1.7

Base Magic Resist

25%

Turn Rate

0.7

Level Changes

Level

1

15

25

Health

578

1046

1388

Mana

267

543

747

Armor

4.2

9

12.4

Damage

53-61

76-84

93-101

Spell Amp

1.1%

2.8%

4%

Magic Resist

26%

27%

28%

Movement Speed Amp

1.1%

2.2%

3.1%

Most Played As

LessMore

Role

1

2

3

4

5

Slark, the Nightcrawler

Recommended Roles

Carry Escape Disabler Nuker

Little known to the inhabitants of the dry world, Dark Reef is a sunken prison where the worst of the sea-bred are sent for crimes against their fellows. It is a razor barbed warren full of murderous slithereen, treacherous Deep Ones, sociopathic meranths. In this dim labyrinth, patrolled by eels and guarded by enormous anemones, only the vicious survive. Pitched into Dark Reef for crimes unknown, Slark spent half a lifetime without kin or kindness, trusting no one, surviving through a combination of stealth and ruthlessness, keeping his thoughts and his plans to himself. When the infamous Dark Reef Dozen plotted their ill-fated breakout, they kept their plans a perfect secret, murdering anyone who could have put the pieces together—but somehow Slark discovered their scheme and made a place for himself in it. Ten of the Dozen died in the escape attempt, and two were captured, hauled back to Dark Reef, then executed for the entertainment of their fellow inmates. But Slark, the unsung thirteenth, used the commotion as cover and slipped away, never to be caught. Now a furtive resident of the carnivorous mangrove scrub that grips the southern reach of Shadeshore, Slark remains the only successful escapee from Dark Reef.

Abilities

Dark Pact

QC

Targeting
No Target

Affects
Enemy Units

Damage Type
Magical

After a short delay, Slark sacrifices some of his life blood, purging debuffs and dealing damage to enemy units around him.

Damage	75 / 150 / 225 / 300 450 20

Self Damage	50%

Duration	1

Radius	325

Delay	1.5

Cast Point	0

9 / 8 / 7 / 6

60

	Does not pierce Spell Immunity.

Slithereen are capable of quickly regrowing appendages, in case of critical injury, to save their own lives.

Notes

• After a short delay, Dark Pact begins damaging in a series of 10 pulses every 0.1 seconds.
• Each pulse applies a strong dispel to Slark. If Slark dies, the pulses immediately stop.
• The self damage is non-lethal.

Pounce

WE

Targeting
No Target

Affects
Enemy Heroes

Damage Type
Magical

Slark leaps forward, grabbing the first enemy hero he connects with. That unit is leashed to Slark, and can only move a limited distance away from Slark's landing position.

Leash Duration	2.5 / 2.75 / 3 / 3.25 4.25 20

Leash Radius	400

Pounce Distance	700 1400

Collision Radius	95

Cast Point	0

Charges	2

20 / 16 / 12 / 8

75

	Provides 2 charges and increases pounce range.
	Does not pierce Spell Immunity.
	Cannot be cast while rooted.

Time in the Dark Reef made Slark a dangerous assassin; aggressive and fearless.

Notes

• On cast, Slark leaps forward at a speed of 933, stopping early if he latches onto an enemy unit in a 95 radius along the 700 distance.
• Moving more than 100 distance away in less than 0.03 seconds will break the leash.
• Trees are destroyed in a 200×200 rectangle around Slark's landing area.
• Blink, teleport, or other movement abilities cannot break the leash.
•  Force Staff can break the leash.
• Scepter also doubles the speed.

Essence Shift

EN

Targeting
Passive

Affects
Enemy Heroes

Slark steals the life essence of enemy heroes with his attacks, draining each of their attributes and converting them to bonus Agility. If Slark kills an affected enemy hero, he permanently steals 1 Agility.

Enemy Attribute Loss	1 Strength 1 Agility 1 Intelligence

Self Agility Gain	3

Steal Duration	15 / 30 / 60 / 100 180 25

Permanent Steal On Kill	1 Agility

0.4 / 0.35 / 0.3 / 0.25

	Disabled by break.

With each strike at his adversaries, Slark's knowledge of their weaknesses improves.

Notes

• When an enemy hero dies under the effect of Essence Shift, the hero will revive with their attributes restored but Slark will not immediately lose his agility gained.

Shadow Dance

RD

Targeting
No Target
Passive

Affects
Self

Slark hides himself in a cloud of shadows, becoming completely invisible and untargetable. Attacking, casting spells, and using items do not reveal Slark, and True Sight does not reveal him either.

---

Additionally, when not visible to the enemy team, Slark gains bonus movement speed and health regeneration.

Movement Speed Bonus	20% / 35% / 50%

HP Regeneration Bonus	5% / 6% / 7%

Passive Delay	0.5

Duration	4 / 4.25 / 4.5 5.5 25

Cast Point	0

80 / 70 / 60

120

	When broken, only the passive regeneration and speed are disabled.

The hidden Thirteenth is a slippery foe.

Notes

• When cast, the Slark becomes invisible for 4 seconds, this invisibility is not broken by casting abilities, using items, or attacking. True Sight from any source does not reveal him either.
• While invisible from this ability's active effect, a visible dark cloud effect is shown at Slark's position.
• If Slark is damaged by a neutral creep, the passive effect is disabled for 2 seconds.

Talent Tree

Talent Tree
+80s Essence Shift duration	25	+1s Shadow Dance Duration
+1s Pounce Leash	20	+150 Dark Pact Damage
20% Lifesteal	15	+30 Attack Speed
+6 Agility	10	+10 Strength

Recommended Items

Starting Items			Early Game

Mid Game			Late Game

General Strategy

Pouncing into danger then slipping back out is what Slark does best. He rushes at the chance to pin or corner a lone foe, steals their essence with each cut from his dagger, and is always ready to vanish should the tables turn.

Slark (In-Game Description)

Overview

Skill Build

Level	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Spell
Level	11	12	13	14	15	16	18	20	25
Spell

Early Game

Mid Game

Late Game

Version History

Version	Balance Changes
7.23
	Reworked Scepter: Pounce now has two charges and travels double the distance/speed.
7.22f
	Base damage reduced by 1 Level 20 Talent reduced from +1.25s Pounce Leash to +1s
7.22b
	Essence Shift level 4 duration reduced from 120 to 100
7.22
	Base attack speed increased from 100 to 120 Shadow Dance passive health regen rescaled from 3/5/7% to 5/6/7% Shadow Dance Scepter range increased from 325 to 425
7.21b
	Base armor increased by 1
7.21
	Pounce no longer does 30/60/90/120 damage
7.20e
	Level 20 talent reduced from +1.5s Pounce Leash to +1.25s
7.20d
	Pounce leash distance increased from 350 to 400 Shadow Dance movement speed reduced from 30/40/50% to 20/35/50% Level 25 Talent reduced from +100s Essense Shift Duration to +80s
7.20c
	Pounce duration reduced from 2.75/3/3.25/3.5 to 2.5/2.75/3/3.25 Dark Pact mana cost from 55/50/45/40 to 60 Shadow Dance duration from 4/4.5/5 to 4/4.25/4.5 Agility steal now also occurs when an enemy dies within 300 units from you with the debuff (Rather than only when you get the killing blow) Level 10 Talent reduced from +8 Agility to +6 Agility Level 20 Talent reduced from +2s Pounce Leash to +1.5s Level 25 Talent reduced from +120s Essence Shift Duration to +100s
7.20b
	Now only steals agility when he kills the enemy himself Pounce leash duration reduced from 3.5 to 2.75/3/3.25/3.5 Pounce leash range increased from 325 to 350 Shadow Dance cooldown increased from 60 to 80/70/60 Level 20 Talent reduced from +3s Pounce Leash to +2s
7.20
	Turn rate improved from 0.6 to 0.7 Pounce now applies a Leashed state to the target, disallowing teleportation and mobility based abilities Shadow Dance duration improved from 4 to 4/4.5/5 A hero dying with Essence Shift debuff on them causes Slark to permanently steal 1 Agility
7.18
	Level 10 Talent reduced from +10 Agility to +8
7.16
	Pounce damage reduced from 40/80/120/160 to 30/60/90/120
7.14
	Base HP regen increased from 2.75 to 3.25 Shadow Dance move speed bonus increased from 30/35/40% to 30/40/50%
7.12
	Base HP regen increased from 1.5 to 2.75 Turn rate improved from 0.5 to 0.6
7.10
	Level 10 Talent increased from +8 Strength to +10
7.07
	Movement Speed reduced by 5 Reworked Talent Tree
7.06
	Intelligence gain reduced from 1.9 to 1.7
7.02
	Movement speed reduced from 305 to 300 Level 15 Talent from +10 Strength to +15 Level 20 Talent from +250 Health to +10% Cooldown Reduction
7.01
	Slark strength reduced from 21 + 1.8 to 20 + 1.6
7.00
	Added Scepter to Slark: Reduces ultimate cooldown from 60 to 30 Causes Shadow Dance active to be a 325 AoE, hiding allied heroes underneath it Pounce no longer disjoints projectiles Added Talent Tree
6.88
	Pounce damage reduced from 50/100/150/200 to 40/80/120/160
6.83b
	Pounce damage reduced from 55/110/165/220 to 50/100/150/200
6.83
	Pounce damage reduced from 60/120/180/240 to 55/110/165/220
6.82
	Slark is no longer visible inside Chronosphere during Shadow Dance
6.80
	Pounce damage reduced from 70/140/210/280 to 60/120/180/240 Shadow Dance cooldown reduced from 65 to 60
6.79
	Shadow Dance duration reduced from 5.5 to 4 Shadow Dance cooldown increased from 25 to 65 Shadow Dance can no longer be revealed by True Sight
6.77
	Base agility increased by 6
6.75
	Shadow Dance HP regen increased from 3/4/5% to 3/5/7% Dark Pact cooldown decreased from 10/9/8/7 to 9/8/7/6
6.73
	Pounce damage increased from 40/80/120/160 to 70/140/210/280 Pounce cast range increased from 400/500/600/700 to 700 Shadow Dance regen increased from 2/3/4% to 3/4/5% Shadow Dance passive bonuses activation delay decreased from 0.7 to 0.5 Pounce cooldown rescaled from 12 to 20/16/12/8
6.72b
	Essence Shift no longer permanently steals attributes
6.72
	Pounce speed fixed to be the same at all levels Pounce no longer hits non-hero units Essence Shift duration increased from 15/30/45/60 to 15/30/60/120 Strength growth increased from 1 to 1.8 Intelligence growth increased from 1.6 to 1.9 Essence Shift permanently reduces each stat of a hero Slark kills by 1 and he gains 3 Agi permanently Pounce AoE increased from 85 to 95 Agility growth reduced from 2 to 1.5 Essence Shift now reduces each stat by 1 on attacks (no longer reduces the primary by 2) Essence Shift agility bonus reduced from 4 to 3 per attack
6.71
	Pounce cooldown reduced from 16 to 12
6.70
	Adjusted the timing on Dark Pact Dark Pact self damage is now dealt to himself as he deals it to the area around him instead of at cast time
6.69
	Decreased base Agility from 21 to 15 and increased starting damage by the same amount Pounce damage rescaled from 50/75/100/125 to 40/80/120/160 Dark Pact cooldown reduced from 10 to 10/9/8/7
6.66
	Pounce Leash now gets removed if the target blinks or teleports away Shadow Dance passive no longer works if Slark is Doomed
6.65
	New Hero

Notable Players

Aventador

Eurus

QO

Nikobaby

ALOHADANCE

See also

• Trap
• Invisibility

External links

Guides

• Standard Slark (Lane) Build
• Standard Slark (Middle) Build
• DotaFire's Builds & Guides for Slark