Welcome to my guide of how to play Minerva.

First of all I just wanted to say that I haven't played this game a lot but I saw that the Steam Community about this game is very small so I decided to help it a bit. Also, if you have any suggestions about anything in this guide (Items, Abilities etc.) just leave a comment and I will respond.
Thank you for chosing this Minerva guide (which is the only one on Steam Community at least it was when I made it.)

While I have played Minerva a couple of times, I have noticed that most of the recommended items that the game gives you to choose from are really useful. However I had a hard time dealing with the low mana that this character has and also the big mana cost that she has too. So I made a build that at least helps me use Minerva like I want.

-Starting Items-
Minerva deals a lot of damage but also consumes a lot of mana for her abilities, so you should be careful of that.
For starting items i take:

Mana Shard - A good starting item which gives mana enough for a starting lvl so that Minerva can use her abilities without having that thought of low mana.

Clarity Shard - Good starting Mana regen. so that you can stay in lane more.

Health Potion (Optional) - This is just for cases where you can't out of combat regenerate health so you should pick one. Or two.

Rocket Boots - This is the kind of boots that you need if you want to play as a high mobility assassin. If not,take boots like Intertia Boots for the CC remover they have.

-Main Build-
So, just to know it, Minerva is an assassin that deals massive damage and usually is builded as a bruiser (a class that has defensive and power items) so that she can survive many hits when she engages. Many of the recommended items are in this build cause i found them really useful.

Grimnoire - Using Mana Shard and Clarity Shard to complete this item, it gives you Power which boosts up your abilities and also has a great passive which makes you ignore the 35% of the targets Magic Armor. As you can see this is a big help for you in order to take quick kills and deal high damage.

Mystic Dagger - This is a must for an ability based assassin like Minerva cause you deal bonus damage after an ability. So having this boosts your damage with your next attack after you have engaged with your Q.

Inferno Brand - A tanky item that boosts your abilities with the power it provides and also it deals a bit of a damage to nearby enemies, making you avoidable, even for a short time.

Power Conduit - This item is personaly a MUST for Minerva. It solves all your mana problems especially from mid to late game, where you just kill people really fast and spend a lot of mana, because of its passive, which give you 20% of your mana back for every kill or assist you get.

Giant's Visage - Basicaly what this item is useful for is the power it gives you for a precentage of your health, which makes you deal more damage. It also gives you health, Magic and Physical Armor so you can die even less easily.

-Occasional Items-

Guardian Helm - For a more Defensive finish.

Crystalline Shiv - For a more Offensive finish.

In conclusion, with this build you will be an awesome high mobility and SUPER high damage assassin, who can roam free and 1v1 almost everyone in your game.

I have tried many combinations of how to level up my abilities and these are the best ways so far.

For an offensive assassin who will take hits more often and usually engage

Abilities in Level Order








With this setup you will deal high damage with your W even at early game, while being protected by your shield. Also, one level of your Q is enough to dash to a target and deal damage.

For a passive assassin who uses their mobility abilities to deal damage to a target

Abilities in Level Order









Unlikely with the previous one, using this Ability setup you will be able to deal damage with your Q and W while maintaining a distance with the target. By leveling up your Q also makes it easier to clear minion waves because of the attack speed.

In conclusion, these are the two Ability Setups that I found the best, even though I highly recommend the first one, as I also use myself. But still, both Setups make Minerva a great Mobility assassin which will deal high damage.

-On Lane-
Early Game
At start, when I play Minerva, I prefer to pick a lane and farm while waiting for the perfect moment to dash to my opponent and deal as much damage as i can until I kill him. When going with a teammate, my role is to engage our opponents so we can take over the lane we are on and push it. Of course as an assassin, i will target and kill the enemies while my teammate helps with supporting damage.

Mid Game
If i had a good early game with at least one kill, mid game is the time to shine. The main thing I do is to roam from lane to lane in order to take as many kills as possible. The gold of these kills lets me buy even quicker my items so I can be an unstoppable beast at late game.
If I hadn't a good early game though, my main objective is to try and see the damage that I can deal to my enemies. If it is enough for me to kill a single target, I then proceed with the "good early game" plan. If not, i stay on a lane or go jungle in order to farm and get gold and then buy the items that i need.

Late Game
There is nothing to say here rather than I deal massive damage to any single enemy that I find and in teamfights, I engage and kill quickly the enemy ADC or any squishy target (which is a target with low base hp and armor) that I find.

-In Jungle-
General Game
By going jungle with Minerva, i have the opportunity to initiate and get kills easier and from Early Game, cause of my roaming on the map. The starting creeps are a pain in the ass though, since Minerva is specialized in single target damage so, I do not recommend this role so much. I have tried it myself and found that the first one is much more easier and also more profitable in gold than this one.

As I said many times before, Minerva is a great mobility assassin, specialized in single target initiation and damage. With the items that i proposed and the Ability Setups and Roles that i wrote, i bet you can be the ultimate high damage dealer, while maintaining many hitpoints and also great mobility.
Thanks again for checking this guide, feel free to comment your suggestions about it and tell me your opinions. Upvote it if it was helpful for you and most of all, make your own guides so that we can grow the Strife Steam Community larger.