Slark

Stats

These are the base values written in the game files. Totals derived from attributes (HP, mana, armor) depend on engine-side formulas, so no estimated values are shown.

Recommended items

Items the in-game shop recommends for this hero (curated by Valve). These are not win-rate statistics.

Power Treads1400Echo Sabre2700Ring of Aquila—Shadow Blade3250Silver Edge5700Black King Bar4050Magic Wand460Skull Basher2875Linken's Sphere4800Eye of Skadi5900Quelling Blade100Abyssal Blade6250

Abilities

Dark Pact

Cooldown 9.0 / 8.0 / 7.0 / 6.0sMana 65MAGICAL

ActiveCooldown 9.0 / 8.0 / 7.0 / 6.0sMana 65

After a short delay, Slark sacrifices some of his life blood, purging most negative debuffs and dealing damage to enemy units around him and to himself. Slark only takes 30% of the damage. DISPEL TYPE: Strong Dispel

Raw values (from the game files)（7）

DELAY	1.5
pulse_duration	1.0
RADIUS	325
DAMAGE	75 / 150 / 225 / 300
total_pulses	10
pulse_interval	0.1
self_damage_pct	30

• 1.5 seconds after cast, a series of 10 pulses separated by 0.1 seconds deal the damage.
• Each pulse also removes debuffs from Slark.
• You can't kill yourself with this skill.
• The pulses stop if Slark dies.

Pounce

Cooldown 24 / 20 / 16 / 12sMana 75MAGICAL

ActiveCooldown 24 / 20 / 16 / 12sMana 75

Slark leaps forward, leashing and applying Essence Shift stacks to the first hero he connects. That unit can only move a limited distance away from Slark's landing position.

Raw values (from the game files)（7）

DISTANCE	700
pounce_speed	933.33
pounce_acceleration	7000.0
pounce_radius	120
LEASH DURATION	2.5 / 2.75 / 3 / 3.25
LEASH RADIUS	400
ESSENCE SHIFT STACKS	1 / 2 / 3 / 4

• On cast, Slark leaps forward at a speed of 933.33, stopping when he latches onto an enemy hero or has traveled 700 distance.
• Debuff Immune units cannot be leashed.
• Trees will be destroyed around Slark's landing location.

Patch history

7.402025-12-15

• Now applies 1/2/3/4 Essence Shift stacks when leashing an enemy hero

Saltwater Shiv

Cooldown 12.0 / 10.5 / 9.0 / 7.5sMana 25 / 30 / 35 / 40Range 150PHYSICAL

ActiveCooldown 12.0 / 10.5 / 9.0 / 7.5sMana 25 / 30 / 35 / 40Range 150

Slark slices the target with his salty shiv, stealing a portion of the target's movement speed, Health Regen and Health Restoration. These effects stack independently.

Raw values (from the game files)（6）

DURATION	12
%BASE RESTORATION STEAL	0
%RESTORATION STEAL	4 / 8 / 12 / 16
REGEN STEAL	4 / 8 / 12 / 16
SPEED STEAL	4 / 8 / 12 / 16
melee_range_buffer	50

Patch history

7.41d2026-06-04

• Cooldown decreased from 14/12/10/8s to 12/10.5/9/7.5s

7.412026-03-24

• Stacks now have independent durations and don't refresh previous ones
• Cooldown increased from 10/8/6/4s to 14/12/10/8s
• Mana Cost increased from 20 to 25/30/35/40
• Cast Range is now Slark's attack range + 50
• Stack Restoration Steal increased from 2/4/6/8% to 4/8/12/16%
• Stack Regen Steal increased from 2/4/6/8 to 4/8/12/16
• Stack Speed Steal increased from 2/4/6/8 to 4/8/12/16
• Now also modifies incoming healing（HP回復の変更に伴う）

7.40c2026-01-21

• Stack Restoration Steal rescaled from 3/4/5/6% to 2/4/6/8%
• Stack Regen Steal increased from 2/3/4/5 to 2/4/6/8
• Stack Speed Steal increased from 2/3/4/5 to 2/4/6/8

7.40b2025-12-23

• Duration increased from 6/8/10/12s to 12s
• Stack Regen Steal rescaled from 3 to 2/3/4/5
• Stack Speed Steal rescaled from 3 to 2/3/4/5

7.402025-12-15

• New basic ability. Passive, auto-cast attack modifier
• Slark slices the target with his salty shiv, stealing 3 Movement Speed, 3 Health Regen and 3/4/5/6% Health Restoration from them with each attack. Subsequent use of Saltwater Shiv refreshes the duration of all shiv stacks. Steal duration: 6/8/10/12s. Mana Cost: 20. Cooldown: 10/8/6/4s
• Not Breakable. Disabled by Silence. Has no stack limit. Ignores attack backswing
• Enemies with Health Restoration below -100% will not lose health from health restoration sources

Depth Shroud

Cooldown 75sMana 75Range 400

ActiveCooldown 75sMana 75Range 400

Creates a cloud at the target location. All allies inside the radius are hidden and affected by Shadow Dance.

Raw values (from the game files)（2）

DURATION	2
RADIUS	225

Patch history

7.402025-12-15

• Duration decreased from 3s to 2s

Essence ShiftInnatePassive

Passive

Slark steals the life essence of enemy heroes with his attacks, draining 1 of each of their attributes and converting them to bonus 3 Agility. If Slark kills an affected enemy hero, he permanently steals 1 Agility.

Raw values (from the game files)（4）

agi_gain	3
stat_loss	1
DURATION	10
STEAL RADIUS	300

• Attributes cannot be dropped below 1.
• Essence Shifted stats are returned to normal on death. The stat return for Slark and for the affected hero are separate.
• To permanently steal Agility, Slark doesn't need to land the killing blow, as long as the enemy hero is killed within Slark's Steal Radius while having the Essence Shift debuff.
• Break disables the gaining of temporary stacks. Does not disable the gaining of permanent stacks.
• Break does not disable the bonuses of existing stacks.

Patch history

7.41b2026-04-07

• Duration decreased from 12.5s + 2.5s per level to 10s + 2.5s per level

7.412026-03-24

• Duration changed from 15s + 2.5s per level up to 12.5s + 2.5s per level有効値は変更なし

7.402025-12-15

• Now an innate ability. Passive, improves with Slark's level
• Duration rescaled from 15/35/55/75s to 15s + 2.5s each time Slark levels up

Shadow Dance

Cooldown 50 / 40 / 30sMana 100

ActiveCooldown 50 / 40 / 30sMana 100

When not visible to the enemy team, Slark passively gains bonus movement speed and health regeneration. If Slark is damaged by a neutral unit, the passive movement and health regeneration bonuses are lost for 2.0 seconds. When activated, Slark hides himself in a cloud of shadows, becoming immune to detection. Attacking, casting spells, and using items will not reveal Slark, but enemies can see the cloud itself.

Raw values (from the game files)（5）

%BONUS MOVEMENT SPEED	20 / 30 / 40
HEALTH GAINED PER SECOND	60 / 90 / 120
activation_delay	0.5
neutral_disable	2.0
DURATION	4 / 4.25 / 4.5

Patch history

7.41a2026-03-27

• Bonus Movement Speed decreased from 24/36/48% to 20/30/40%

7.402025-12-15

• Now passively grants 24/36/48% movement speed and 60/90/120 health regen when unseen
• Previous Barracuda rules and mechanics unchanged

Talents

One of the two per level is chosen. They appear in the order registered in the game files.

Patch history (hero and talents)

Background

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.

Details