Level 1
- Ambush snipe is the key start to any nova build, it increases your snipe damage by 20% when used in stealth or 1 second after breaking stealth.

Level 4
- Gathering power, another key start to any good nova build. permanent 8% increase to abilities, and 2% increase on each kill. stacks up to 12% and lost on death.

Level 7
- This is where things differ. while you can always take Anti-Armor shells, which works perfectly in any nova build and sometimes works better. Sometimes i just need that additional attack speed to get that one last shot in for a kill, there's nothing more frustrating than waiting to take basic attack shot to kill but not being able to get it cause the wait time is too long. So i usually take One in the Chamber here because in later game with the crippling shot/snipe combo it adds one extra shot with 80% additional damage after the crippling shot and snipe which usually helps kill some of those tougher to kill heroes. it also adds that damage to early game which is a huge help.

Level 10
- Precision strike is what seems to be getting a lot of the work done these days. while triple tap in some situations is fantastic it can usually be blocked by other heroes or by running behind a tower. So precision strike seems to be the build to go with this. also in late game when their core has that little 10% health with this you can hit it from anywhere on the map and with crippling shot during the slow it will deal extra damage to the core which i have won many a game with.

Level 13
- At this level it all depends on how the game is going. If you are doing great and getting a ton of kills go for the Headshot to restore those cool downs by 4 seconds. If you aren't getting enough kills or are unsure and on the fence take the Lethal Decoy. It is a great addition to your crippling shot/snipe combo because now it will basically do 3 shots on an enemy instantly.

Level 16
- Crippling Shot, a key part to one of novas best combos and also a key to winning many team fights. Crippling Shot increases all damage taken by an enemy by 25% for duration of the slow. which is great because it works against towers too. so when that core needs a few extra shots you can crippling shot into a precision strike to hopefully end the game yourself. Also as stated it's great for team fights cause those big heroes you cant quite kill yourself it will add an additional 25% damage for anyone hitting them not just you.

Level 20
- Precision barrage. Whats better than one precision strike? 2 precision strikes. Although if the game is not going well for you and you are getting targeted a lot, its never a bad idea to take Bolt of the Storm to teleport away from being chased.

The Key to this build is really the crippling shot/Ambush snipe combo, and if you take the lethal decoy you instantly drop it at the same time to basically put 3 shots on an enemy at once. Plus with one in the chamber within 2 seconds you are basically putting 4 high damage shots into the enemy which is usually instant death.