Perfect Suppression Shadowhunter Build Guide
Last Updated:February 22, 2025|Changelog
Welcome to the Perfect Suppression Shadowhunter Build Guide! This is a consistent-damage class with lots of multi-hit skills that disables the Demon Form entirely.
Perfect Suppression revolves around generating Shadowburst Meter with your Intrude skills (often called builders) and spending it to boost specific Human skills (often called spenders).
Outside of that, Perfect Suppression inflicts decent amounts of Stagger and Destruction, but it may fail to deliver in very short checks since her utility comes from the amount of skills cast.
- Want a simpler playstyle based on Shadowhunter's Demon Form? Check out our Demonic Impulse guide.
- For more information on some of the systems that make up your build, check out the guides below:
Builds


Skills Setup
- Cruel Cutter, Grind Chain, Spinning Weapon and Storm Grinding are your main damage skills, and also your Spenders (they consume 20% of your Shadowburst meter to deal increased damage).
- Demonic Clone, Howl and Decimate are your Shadowburst meter generators.
- Decimate, Wild Slash and Piercing Thorn are secondary damage skills that don't consume Shadowburst meter.
- Slasher is your Counter, as well as your main Damage Amplification Synergy and Nimble Movement Self-Buff applicator.
Alternative Skill, Tripod, and Rune Options
Howl can be replaced with Demonic Slash.
- Since Shadowburst Meter generation isn't too tight, you can swap to this Mobility skill that also provides Synergy and Self-Buff, as well as one extra point of Destruction. The downside is that spamming this skill will drain all your mana.
Skills Setup
- Grind Chain is your main skill to clear lesser monsters. It has big radius and can be used pretty often.
- Cruel Cutter is your main damage skill to take down Bosses.
- The rest of the skills do high enough damage to one-shot mostly everything.
Recommended Engravings
- Preemptive Strike
- Contender
- Raid Captain
- Cursed Doll
- Magick Stream
This build is optimized and meant to be used only in Kurzan Front. For Ebony Cube please use a Raid build.
Identity & Gameplay
This build focuses on cycling between generating Shadowburst Meter and using it. Some of the skills lack Paralysis Immunity, meaning they can be easily interrupted by basic boss attacks.
You can't activate Demonize in this build, but you can utilize the Shadowburst Meter generated.
Your Spenders consume 20% of this meter to deal increased damage.
With the Storm Grinding Ark Passive node, each time you use a Spender you gain one Shadow Shard which, when stacked 3 times, grants the buff "Shadow Injection". This buff causes the next Storm Grinding used to restore 20% of the Shadowburst Meter.
Shadowhunter Identity

Rotation
There is no strict rotation for this playstyle. Instead, you have a priority list and use skills accordingly. This priority is:
- Apply your Damage Amplification Synergy and Nimble Movement Self-buff
- Use your Encroachment Release spenders with at least 20% Shadowburst Meter
- Use your secondary damage skills
- Use your Encroaching Power Shadowburst Meter generators
Example Rotation
- Remember to always keep up Damage Amplification and Nimble Movement with Slasher.
- Grind Chain has forced displacement which moves you backwards, and Spinning Weapon has a small hitbox that spawns a few meters in front of your character (which means it can miss small bosses entirely if used at point-blank distance). Therefore, it's smart to use them in that order (when possible) so you don't have to manually reposition yourself.
Gems
Gems are another significant aspect of your build, as they directly impact the damage and cooldowns of your skills. You can equip up to 11 gems at a time. Here are the ones you should focus on to maximize this build's potential, listed according to their priority.
Damage Gems
- Grind Chain
- Spinning Weapon
- Cruel Cutter
- Piercing Thorn
- Decimate
Cooldown Gems
- Spinning Weapon
- Grind Chain
- Cruel Cutter
- Piercing Thorn
- Decimate
- Demonic Clone
Engravings
Engravings are a core part of your build. You can equip up to five at a time, freely swapping between them.
Engravings are listed in order of importance.
Recommended Setup
- Grudge
- Keen Blunt Weapon
- Adrenaline
- Raid Captain
- Cursed Doll
Tripods
Tripods affect your skills directly by providing utility, damage, cooldown reduction or gauge generation. You should level up these first:
- Slasher: Nimble Movement
- Demonic Clone: Enh. Release Shadowburst
- Howl: Encroaching Power
Bracelet
Bracelets provide beneficial effects to yourself or to your party members depending on the rolls they have.
The primary goal is to get the main stats used by your build. After that, you should be aiming for Special Rolls to get more damage. Here are the effects you should look out for, in no particular order:
Tier 3 | Tier 4 |
---|---|
Crit | Crit |
Swiftness | Swiftness |
Superiority | Crit Rate +3.4/4.2/5%. Crit Hit Damage +1.5%. |
Circulate | Crit Damage +6.8/8.4/10%. Crit Hit Damage +1.5%. |
Fervor | Damage +2/2.5/3%. Damage against Staggered foes +4/4.5/5%. |
Hammer | Additional Damage +2.5/3/3.5%. Demon & Arch-Demon Damage +2.5%. |
Wedge | Damage +4.5/5/5.5%. Skill Cooldown +2%. |
Assail | On hit, Weapon Power +1,160/1,320/1,480 and Att. & Mov. Speed +1%. (max 6 stacks, 10s duration). |
Precise | Weapon Power +7,200/8,100/9,000. When HP is above 50%, on hit Weapon Power +2,000/2,200/2,400 for 5s. |
Weapon Power | Weapon Power +6,900/7,800/8,700. On hit, Weapon Power +130/140/150 (max 30 stacks, 120s duration). |
Dexterity | Damage +2/2.5/3%. |
Additional Damage +3/3.5/4%. | |
Non-Directional / Back Attack Damage +2/2.5/3%. | |
Crit Rate +3.4/4.2/5%. | |
Crit Damage +6.8/8.4/10%. | |
Weapon Power +7,200/8,100/9,000. | |
Dexterity |
Elixir
The recommended Elixir Set for this build is Master.
Credits
Written by Sekwah
Reviewed by Perciculum
Changelog
- February 26, 2025
Ark Passive Rework Update
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