Updated August 27th, 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 still BiS after the projectile speed nerfs in my opinion because Shiv's biggest weakness is still 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.
@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. Previously, I was playing with @Glide Boots, because it improved her abyss play and alongside a bug where if you spammed your glider open and closed after dashing, you'd maintain a really high momentum and move faster. That bug has been removed though, so now it only provides a better abyss game. Still viable in my opinion, but I currently like @Bloodlust Boots the most because of how the extra movespeed while in combat improves Shiv's chase and dueling potential.
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.
@Sword of Seven Suns / @Rampager: These items provide % damage, which, alongside @Sunweaver, can mean a very high damage output, similar to old Shiv damage values. @Sword of Seven Suns means committing fully into dealing damage (if I build this, I typically swap @Ragesteel Gauntlet for @Rabbit Paw), and @Rampager gives omnivamp instead of full damage. I don't think either of these are objectively better than @Vive Infusor, but they are fun.

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, @Armor Shredder, and @Heal Receptor . @Regenerative Armor is one of the best perks in the game for maintaining armor durability throughout a game, @Armor Shredder works really well with Shiv's role as an entry-fragger, starting fights off with dealing massive AoE damage to teams, and @Heal Receptor synergizes well with Shiv's passive, @Vive Infusor and even @Sunweaver at 3 stars.

Some other perks to keep note of are:
@Thermal Suit: Probably the most valuable perk in the game in chaos steppes endgames. Can also be useful in shards of fate endgames.
@Amphibian : Helps mitigate the movement speed debuff of water biomes, which Shiv typically hates. (Prisma Falls, Magebog, etc.)
@Glider Booster : Reliable for increased speed around the map.
@Glider Coolant : Good for Abyss fighting.
@Contract Killer: Helps with resource management in kill-heavy games, but not more valuable that stats in my opinion.

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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