6.84 Sniper build

So I've been checking out some guides on Sniper on this site, and most of them seem to be 6.83 when Shrapnel was a rather potent spell. However, after the nerfs it received in the new patch, is it still worth putting level in or should I get 1 point in it early then max HS and Take Aim followed by stats?

And as a little side question - as of 6.84, Shrapnel doesn't damage towers, right? I saw someone in a pub do it but it didn't seem to work so I just wanna be sure.

I personally have never put more than one point in Shrapnel early, usually at levels 4-5, even in 6.83. Now I go for Q/W/E depending on the lane(Q for first blood, W for easy lane, E for harder lane), and then proceed to have 1-2-2-1 by 6 in various orders, again, depending on my lane opponents and supports. Then I max E, and them W, Q goes last.

Nope, Shrapnel no longer damages towers, but this guy did it for the vision I think.

Sniper's build is still rather situational, and depends on what you like.

Personally,i still like skilling sharpnel first because it is still a very powerful spell. It makes laning against sniper very irritating, like when you lane against a tinker or a alchemist. A wide area DoT that slows is quite powerful, and it actually does decent damage. The skill is also very powerful for early teamfights because of the area that sharpnel can cover. If the enemy has to fight under sharpnel, they get slowed and DoTted.

What i feel the nerf actually did was reduce the effectiveness of preventing juking for sniper. The laning stage effectiveness is not affected much, as long as you learn to manage your charges. Don't get me wrong, the skill is still very useful to help prevent juking, it is just reduced for a little bit.

I think that if you think that you want to max headshot and take aim, always get at least a value point into sharpnel to prevent jukes against your team and also simply for the value slow in teamfights.


And yes, sharpnel no longer does damage to towers. It was a change implemented along with the charge system in 6.83