Sharpshooter • Lost Ark Nexus

Sharpshooter Comparison

Deathstrike

Loyal Companion

Summary

Core gameplay of Deathstrike is using your throwing your hawk to apply a debuff to deal damage.
Deathstrike is generally considered the more "burst" of the 2 classes, but it is very much a consistent burst.
Utilizes Crit damage tripods to boost damage, build will lean to more Crit rate.

Swift is the recommended build for both new and old players. It is the more fluid and mobile playstyle, that tends to feel the best to new and veteran players.
Spec is recommended for more experienced players, that are chasing ceiling. It is very slow and will not feel as fluid, in comparison to Swift.

Loyal Companion gameplay plays around having hawk out and enhancing your skills.
Loyal Companion is the more consistent damage build due to needing less Crit rate allowing you to take more CDR.
Very user friendly build, allowing for a more relaxed playstyle.
Utilizes Crit rate tripods to boost damage, making certain thresholds very easy reach.

Swift build is very uptime reliant for its damage, it feels and plays the best for most players. Deals most of its damage through tripods relating to having your hawk out. This is my recommended build for those wanting a relaxed playstyle or alt.
Spec build is more reliant on the hawks damage, than skill usage. A lot of its damage will end up coming from both the hawks basic attacks and z skill activation. Solid damage for the effort, may not be for everyone as its a very slow playstyle.

Pros

Swift

Fluid and smooth rotations and skills use due to lower CDR and faster skill usage.
More stagger due to uptime.
Has access to more mobility tools including push immunity skills.
Easy to pilot due to the many safety nets afforded to swift.

Spec

Post Ark Cores this build starts to shine in damage.
Slower rotations but is still a contender for equal damage to Swift.
More laid back due to lower cpm, but still very much consistent damage.

Swift

Fast and fluid due to swiftness and bonus move speed from having hawk out.
High stagger due to more skills being able to be used due to low cooldowns.

Spec

Slower playstyle, relying more on hawk to deal damage.
Slower feeling, due to no extra move speed nor attack speed, from Swift.
Very laidback playstyle, higher cooldowns and making use of hawk damage more.

Cons

Swift

Mana starved the more uptime you have.
For maximum damage output requires heavier investments (level 10 CD gem for Snipe).
Some QoL are locked behind Ark Cores.

Spec

Slow and immobile, this may be a deal breaker for you.
Only starts to shine once you unlock Ark Cores, before I'd highly recommend going swift.
Roughly 1-2% weaker than Swift, before cores.

Swift

Mana issues, not as bad due to ability to take mana related ark passives, but will still require food.
Higher CPM due to low cooldowns, may be a problem for some.

Spec

Very sluggish feeling, making the class feel very immobile.
Relies on hawk to deal most of its damage.

Deathstrike

Summary

Swift is the recommended build for both new and old players. It is the more fluid and mobile playstyle, that tends to feel the best to new and veteran players.
Spec is recommended for more experienced players, that are chasing ceiling. It is very slow and will not feel as fluid, in comparison to Swift.

Pros

Swift

Fluid and smooth rotations and skills use due to lower CDR and faster skill usage.
More stagger due to uptime.
Has access to more mobility tools including push immunity skills.
Easy to pilot due to the many safety nets afforded to swift.

Spec

Post Ark Cores this build starts to shine in damage.
Slower rotations but is still a contender for equal damage to Swift.
More laid back due to lower cpm, but still very much consistent damage.

Cons

Swift

Mana starved the more uptime you have.
For maximum damage output requires heavier investments (level 10 CD gem for Snipe).
Some QoL are locked behind Ark Cores.

Spec

Slow and immobile, this may be a deal breaker for you.
Only starts to shine once you unlock Ark Cores, before I'd highly recommend going swift.
Roughly 1-2% weaker than Swift, before cores.

Loyal Companion

Summary

Swift build is very uptime reliant for its damage, it feels and plays the best for most players. Deals most of its damage through tripods relating to having your hawk out. This is my recommended build for those wanting a relaxed playstyle or alt.
Spec build is more reliant on the hawks damage, than skill usage. A lot of its damage will end up coming from both the hawks basic attacks and z skill activation. Solid damage for the effort, may not be for everyone as its a very slow playstyle.

Pros

Swift

Fast and fluid due to swiftness and bonus move speed from having hawk out.
High stagger due to more skills being able to be used due to low cooldowns.

Spec

Slower playstyle, relying more on hawk to deal damage.
Slower feeling, due to no extra move speed nor attack speed, from Swift.
Very laidback playstyle, higher cooldowns and making use of hawk damage more.

Cons

Swift

Mana issues, not as bad due to ability to take mana related ark passives, but will still require food.
Higher CPM due to low cooldowns, may be a problem for some.

Spec

Very sluggish feeling, making the class feel very immobile.
Relies on hawk to deal most of its damage.

Chaos Dungeon

Wings of Storm

Level

Hawk Shot

Level 14

Galewind

Arrow Shower

Level 14

Bleed

Spiral Arrow

Level 3

Bladestorm

Level 14

Galewind

Snipe

Level 14

Galewind

Awakening

Engravings

Fenrir

Ark Passives

Evolution

Enlightenment

Leap

Evolution

Swift

Crit

Keen Sense

Limit Break

Zealous Smite

Master

Pulverize

Standing Striker

Enlightenment

Death Strike

Hawk Meter Recovery

Final Mark

Faint Note

Silverhawk Assault

MP Recovery

Leap

Unleashed Power

Release Potential

Instant Spell

Task Force

Notes

Mana Ark Passives - Recommend taking Unlimited Magick before taking the others.
Illicit Spell, Boundless MP, Unlimited Magick.
Does not buff or apply to Silverhawk Assault itself as it does not consume mana.
The flat Evolution damage from these nodes will apply to Silverhawk Assault.

Taking Unlimited Magick is the best option to go if you're reaching over crit or are at or around 93%+. Unlimited Magick will offer the same amount of CDR as Boundless MP for all your mana consuming skills, even your T-skill as they consume mana, while also giving Evolution damage.

Crit Sources

Crit Sources	Alternatives for Crit Synergies
Always check what gear you have so you can optimize your Crit Rate, these are just some general ideas. Typically aim for 93%+ Crit Rate is a comfortable spot to be at. 15/30 Crit(29%~) Keen Sense 2(8%) Zealous Smite 2(24%) Master 5 stacks(7%) Adrenaline(14%-20%) 2x Crit Rate(3.1%) Total Crit before bracelet and synergies 85%~ (legendary Adrenaline) - 91%~ (relic Adrenaline).	Depending on total Crit rate available through bracelets, supports etc. these are some options to adjust your ark passive around. 2 Crit Synergies 3 Limit Break + Critical and Pulverize - more "burst damage" Unlimited Magick 2+ Master and Pulverize - more uptime for more damage in extended fights. Unlimited Magick 1 Zealous Smite 1 + Critical and Pulverize. 1 Crit Synergy Unlimited Magick 1 + Zealous Smite 1 + Master and Pulverize Limit break 3 Critical and Pulverize

Alternatives for Crit Synergies

Always check what gear you have so you can optimize your Crit Rate, these are just some general ideas. Typically aim for 93%+ Crit Rate is a comfortable spot to be at.

15/30 Crit(29%~)

Keen Sense 2(8%)

Zealous Smite 2(24%)

Master 5 stacks(7%)

Adrenaline(14%-20%)

2x Crit Rate(3.1%)

Total Crit before bracelet and synergies 85%~ (legendary Adrenaline) - 91%~ (relic Adrenaline).

Depending on total Crit rate available through bracelets, supports etc. these are some options to adjust your ark passive around.

2 Crit Synergies

3 Limit Break + Critical and Pulverize - more "burst damage"

Unlimited Magick 2+ Master and Pulverize - more uptime for more damage in extended fights.

Unlimited Magick 1 Zealous Smite 1 + Critical and Pulverize.

1 Crit Synergy

Unlimited Magick 1 + Zealous Smite 1 + Master and Pulverize

Limit break 3

Critical and Pulverize

Engravings

Core Engravings

Pick One

Core Engravings

Pick One

✓

Notes

Swift recommended 4 engravings are Grudge, Adrenaline, Raid Captain, Cursed Doll. The other options depend on both, your Ark Grid and Ark Passive.

Supersonic - Go Hit Master. Note: Only usable after unlocking Ark Cores
Standing Striker - Can choose between Hit Master, Stabilized Status, Mass Increase or Keen Blunt Weapon.

Note: Keen Blunt Weapon is weaker than Cursed Doll and Hit Master by roughly 2.25%. IF you have a 9/7 with Keen Blunt, the bonus Attack Power will offset the damage difference. Replace either Cursed Doll or Hit Master.
Mass Increase notes.

Mass Increase default uses Standing Striker. This will be roughly 1.45%~ stronger than Supersonic without cap, and .8% stronger than capped Supersonic with Hit Master.
Max damage increase comes from using Mass Increase + synergies to cap Supersonic Breakthrough out. Capped Supersonic + Mass Increase is 1.6%~ stronger than Standing Striker + Mass Increase.

Crit/Spec Deathstrike core engravings are Grudge, Adrenaline, Keen Blunt Weapon. The 2 engravings are a matter of personal choice and eventually Ark Grid.

Cursed Doll
Mass Increase - Do not recommend without Piercing Arrow or an ATK speed buff.
Hit Master

Skills

Snipe

Level 14

Galewind

Strongest DPS skill

Minor backstep when casting, beware of patterns hitting you and cancelling it.
Galewind is default as this skill being highest damage, having it cancelled will severely reduce your overall damage.

Bursting Arrow Ark Core depending on build, may make this the second strongest skill.

Charged Shot

Level 14

Poison

Focus

4th - 5th highest damage skill, Good Weak point, Mid Stagger.

With Fast Fire, charging has no impact on the skill's damage, only the distance that the skill travels. This means that at melee range, you can let go immediately. Try to align the boss with the center of the circle explosion if using from afar.
Legendary Focus can be used if having a lot of mana problems.

Hawk Shot

Level 14

Wealth

4th - 5th DPS Skill, Primary Meter Gen, Weak Point

If this skill misses, immediately follow up with a backup generation skill.
Take Rare wealth for Bursting Arrow Ark Core, as it wont overfill meter.

Sharpshooter

Level 14

Focus

6th Highest DPS Skill, High Stagger, Filler skill.

Amplified Damage should NEVER be used under any circumstances, this is a significant DPS loss.
Lower gem priority skill, mainly used as Stagger and filler skill.

Atomic Arrow

Level 4/10

Bleed

Quick Recharge

Synergy, Weak Point, Stagger

Can be run at level 4-10 depending on build.
Purify rune on Atomic when content calls for it, low CD and isn't tied to meter building.
Leave at 4 for Swift, as it lowers mana cost, and the uptime of synergy is covered from lower CDR.
Crit/Spec will need to take it to level 10, to ensure synergy uptime.

Claymore Mine

Level 14

Focus

Decent Stagger, Weak Point, ATK. Power Down, Filler skill.

Solo Performance for extra damage.
Weapon Destruction for Attack Power down to make the raid easier, lowering boss’s damage.

Weapon Destruction does not overlap with Bard's Courageous Tune tripod will override Claymore's. You can time it to where there is a continuous Atk Power down debuff on boss, depending on rotation and uptimes. Can set and forget Weapon Destruction, as the damage gain from Solo Performance is minute compared to the QoL and overall ease of the raid.

Deadly Slash

Level 13

Wealth

Counter, Primary Meter Gen, Decent Stagger

Double Slash triggers the skill twice, this makes it deal double stagger and proc your Wealth rune twice, doubling your meter generation.
Both strikes counter.

Ensure both slashes land for maximum meter gain.

Moving Slash

Level 10

Wealth

Mobility, Secondary Meter Gen

Quick Prep is mandatory for meter generation upkeep. Should be paired with Deadly Slash or Hawk Shot for each identity cycle for generation.
Survival gives you status immunity and 30% chance to completely avoid damage, making the skill useful in niche situations.
Legend Wealth should be taken to help smooth out awkward meter generation.

Bladestorm

Level 14

Wealth

Meter Gen, Decent Stagger - Recommended for Bursting Arrow

Replaces Claymore Mine
Generates full meter, combining with an almost full gauge will allow for 2 Silverhawk Assaults, once when full meter while spinning, second when bladestorm ends.
When using Legendary wealth you become able to do a 2 bird Bladestorm when pairing with the rotation.

Gem Priority

Gems are listed in order of most to least important from left to right. Grayed out icons are optional.

DMG

Swift prioritizes Snipe over all other gems.

CDR

Highly suggest taking Bladestorm cooldown for Bursting Arrow, smooths rotation out, will also fill in any extra meter needs.

Notes

Spec will prioritize Silverhawk Damage gem before Snipe, as it will be highest damage contributor.
Highly suggest taking Bladestorm cooldown for Bursting Arrow, smooths rotation out, will also fill in any extra meter needs.
Claymore Damage and Cooldown is taken by Swift, but for Spec, the skill usage changes.

Ark Grid Cores

Sun

Moon

Star

Order

TA-09 Piercing Arrow / TA-12 Bursting Arrow

HSU-98 Avian Strike

HSU-04 Smart Scope

Chaos

Flashy Attack

Smoldering Strike

Attack

Notes

Both cores can be used by either Swift or Spec, it will be up to personal preference as to what core you utilize.

Bursting Arrow -

Bursting gives 20% damage to normal skills ( Snipe, Charged Shot, Sharpshooter, Hawk Shot, T Skill ( either Lock On or Spiral Arrow)). Ancient core increases this value to 22%.
Highly recommend taking Bladestorm over claymore using Bursting Arrow core, as it will smooth out rotations and allow for even more Silverhawk spamming.

Piercing Arrow -

Upon destiny activation increase Snipe damage by 35% (40% for ancient), granting Snipe push immunity ( allowing you to greed more patterns), and 10% Attack and Move speed for 15 seconds.
This unlocks a lot of build variations for all builds, as it not only gives us an ATK/MS steroid, but Push Immunity on our biggest skill.

Avian Strike

Destiny activator, gives 20% Silverhawk Assault Damage, 25% for ancient. Spec utilizes the damage the most as more meter gen from skills, boosts the amount of Silverhawks that are being used.
This is the default destiny activator due to not making our rotation clunkier via using Special High Explosive core. Silver Rain is not recommended as activator, as it only buffs normal skills damage.

Smart Scope

Bread and butter core, makes Snipe cast much faster, for both builds. 15% Snipe casting speed, with 15% Snipe damage at 17p ( Ancient 18% at 17p), making it very worthwhile to get 17p over Avian Strike.
Combined with the Piercing Arrow core, makes Snipe's damage contribution 35% of the damage.

Moon Core

Smoldering Strike is around 4% damage for Ancient and 3% at Relic.
Crushing Strike gives roughly 1% less damage, but offers Crit Rate and Weak Point, it will be entirely up to you and how you build. 3.88% Crit rate from Ancient and 2.58% Crit rate from Relic.

Rotation

Notes

This is the normal Swift rotation for Swift Deathstrike both Supersonic or Standing Striker. Use this rotation pre - Ark Grid.

Atropine window

Main - Use Lock-On into Snipe ( Atropine right as you're about to release Snipe, as it will extend the window for double Snipe Atropine window), use Z ( Silverhawk Assault) right as Snipe either is about to reach Perfect Zone or after and cycle through.
Alternative - After Snipe is released, and Atropine was used, use Awakening (cast Silverhawk Assault while charging) then soon as you release Awakening, use Silverhawk Assault and continue rotation from there.

Skills and rotation may change depending on Ark Grid.

Piercing Arrow does not change anything about this rotation, as the Ark Core mainly buffs Snipe, and gives extra damage to Silverhawk Assault via Avian Strike.
Bursting Arrow has a couple options to go, although Bladestorm is recommended as it smooths out the rotation better than Claymore.

9 second Snipe atropine window relates to the GIF below, so long as your Snipe is at 9s before casting, and you use Atropine right as you let go, you can do a double atropine Snipe within the 10 second Atropine window. Make sure to follow the rotation below, for whichever build you decide to play
9 Second Atro window example

Sharpshooter Comparison

Chaos Dungeon

Ark Passives

Crit Sources

Engravings

Skills

Gem Priority

Ark Grid Cores

Rotation

DPS Distribution