Comprehensive Guide to Kelvin in Deadlock – Tips, Builds, and Strategies
Welcome to the Kelvin guide, designed to help you master this high-mobility “mage” with utility-focused abilities and strong map control. Here, we’ll cover optimal item builds, ability progression, and situational strategies to maximize Kelvin’s effectiveness, especially through his signature Frost Grenade. Whether you’re aiming to dominate in early skirmishes or scale into late-game power, this guide will provide the insights you need to excel.
Kelvin
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Kelvin is a versatile and beginner-friendly hero in Deadlock, suited to various playstyles.
Looking to be a sturdy frontliner? Want to support your team with healing? Or maybe you prefer split-pushing and creating map pressure? Kelvin has you covered.
Weapon Stats
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| DPS | 83 |
| Bullet Damage | 21 |
| Ammo | 15 |
| Bullets per Second | 4 |
| Light Melee | 63 |
| Heavy Melee | 116 |
Vitality Stats
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Max Health | 600 |
| Health Regen | 2 |
| Bullet Resist | 0% |
| Spirit Resist | 10% |
| Move Speed | 6.5 m/s |
| Sprint Speed | 0 m/s |
| Stamina | 3 |
Deadlock Kelvin: Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths
- Difficult to eliminate due to effective self-healing and debuff capabilities.
- High mobility enables quick rotations around the map.
- Excellent at disrupting enemies in an area of effect (AoE) setting.
Weaknesses
- Vulnerable to ranged attacks since his effective range is close to mid-distance.
- Slower rate of fire compared to other heroes’ primary weapons.
- Countered by anti-healing items such as Toxic Bullets, Healbane, and Decay.
Deadlock Kelvin Abilities
Frost Grenade (1)
Throws a grenade that bursts into a cloud of freezing ice, damaging and slowing enemies within its radius.
- 1 Charge
- 7s Cooldown Between Charges
- 22s Cooldown
- 6.5m Radius
- 80 Damage
- 40% Movement Slow
- 4s Slow Duration
Frost Grenade Upgrades
| AP Level | Upgrade |
|---|---|
| 1 AP | +1 Charge |
| 2 AP | Frost Grenade heals friendly targets by 125 HP. Scales with Spirit. |
| 5 AP | +175 Damage |
Maxing Frost Grenade enables more frequent use with extra charges, provides AoE healing to Kelvin and allies, and boosts the grenade’s damage output.
Tips for Frost Grenade
- Items like Mystic Shot and its upgrades can extend the radius of Frost Grenade.
- During team fights, position the grenade at your feet to hit yourself, allies, and enemies, maximizing its healing and slowing effect.
Ice Path (2)
Kelvin creates a floating trail of ice and snow, boosting movement speed for himself and allies. Kelvin also gains 60% resistance to slows while on the path. Enemies can walk on it as well.
Press [LEFT SHIFT] / [LEFT CTRL] to move up or down while using Ice Path.
- 8s Duration
- 18s Trail Duration
- 42s Cooldown
- +2 m/s Move Speed
- +2 m/s Sprint Speed
Ice Path Upgrades
| AP Level | Upgrade |
|---|---|
| 1 AP | +4 m/s Sprint Speed |
| 2 AP | -16s Cooldown |
| 5 AP | Gain +1 Spirit Power per meter of Ice Path created, maxing at 55 Spirit Power |
Maxing Ice Path enhances Kelvin’s mobility by increasing sprint speed, lowering cooldown, and generating Spirit Power for each path created. This ability is ideal for ganking, farming neutral camps, or split pushing.
Tips for Ice Path
- Use the path to reach high ground quickly, creating advantageous angles during fights.
- It’s also effective for catching up to heroes like Vindicta or Grey Talon, as they move slowly while floating.
Arctic Beam (3)
Fire a stream of freezing energy that damages enemies, stacking movement and fire rate slows on them the longer they’re hit. Using Arctic Beam reduces your movement speed.
- Channel Time: 5s
- Beam Length: 25m
- Cooldown: 24s
- DPS: 60
- Max Slow on Movement and Fire Rate: 40%
- Slow Linger: 2s
- Max Slow Build: 2s
Arctic Beam Upgrades
| AP Level | Upgrade |
|---|---|
| 1 AP | -8s Cooldown |
| 2 AP | +40 DPS |
| 5 AP | Fires 2 Additional Beams to nearby enemies within 13m of the last target hit |
Maxing Arctic Beam turns Kelvin into a powerful disruptor in team fights. The additional beams and reduced cooldown help neutralize multiple enemies, drastically slowing their fire rate and mobility.
Tips for Arctic Beam
- Track the enemy’s build path by checking their stats via Tab. Focus on weapon-based heroes who rely on regular attacks, as they’re more affected by Arctic Beam than those with Spirit-based builds.
Frozen Shelter (4)
Kelvin creates an impenetrable dome of frozen air around himself, providing rapid health regeneration to allies inside and slowing enemies.
- Radius: 10m
- Duration: 5.5s
- Cooldown: 127s
- Health Regen: +120 per second
- Movement Slow: 35% for enemies
Frozen Shelter Upgrades
| AP Level | Upgrade |
|---|---|
| 1 AP | +40% Fire Rate Slow for enemies |
| 2 AP | -40s Cooldown |
| 5 AP | +70 Health Regen, scaling with Spirit Power |
Maxing Frozen Shelter enhances Kelvin’s role as a tanky frontline hero. With increased Health Regen and a more potent Fire Rate Slow for enemies, it becomes invaluable in team fights, offering high sustainability and CC to control the battlefield.
Tips for Frozen Shelter
- On Offense: Use it to stack effects with heroes like Haze or Seven, whose powerful AoE ults can synergize well with the Shelter’s slowdown.
- On Defense: Cast Frozen Shelter around enemies using channeling abilities to isolate them within the dome, forcing them to only hit you while you enjoy increased tankiness from the regen boost.
Ability Point Order
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How to Counter Kelvin
- Maintain Distance: Kelvin thrives in close-range combat, so if he's already on top of you, he likely has the upper hand. Keep your distance unless you have a clear advantage to engage.
- Track Ability Cooldowns: Kelvin's Frost Grenade has a 22-second base cooldown, and Arctic Beam cools down every 16 seconds after rank 1. If these abilities are on cooldown, you have a good opportunity to take him down, especially before he can use his ultimate.
- Apply Healing Reduction: Items like Toxic Bullets, Healbane, and Decay are effective against Kelvin, limiting his healing capabilities and making him less durable in prolonged fights.
Recommended Counter Items for Kelvin
| Item | Cost | |
|---|---|---|
 |
Toxic Bullets | 3,000 |
 |
Healbane | 1,250 |
 |
Decay | 1,250 |
 |
Ethereal Shift | 3,000 |
Deadlock Kelvin Build
Kelvin can be utilized as a utility-focused, high-mobility “mage” with strong map presence. This build emphasizes maximizing the effectiveness of his Frost Grenade ability.
Early Game
Start with the High-Velocity Mag as your first item to help secure and deny souls effectively.
Next, invest in Hollow Point Ward, then proceed to Headshot Booster, Mystic Burst, and Extra Charge to strengthen your lane presence and create kill opportunities!
Close Quarters, Extra Health, and Extra Spirit will further boost your early tempo.
Finally, grab Sprint Boots to move swiftly across the map. Paired with Ice Path, you’ll transform into a ganking powerhouse.
| Item | Cost | |
|---|---|---|
 |
High-Velocity Mag | 500 |
 |
Headshot Booster | 500 |
 |
Hollow Point Ward | 500 |
 |
Mystic Burst | 500 |
 |
Extra Charge | 500 |
 |
Close Quarters | 500 |
 |
Extra Health | 500 |
 |
Extra Spirit | 500 |
 |
Sprint Boots | 500 |
Mid Game
During the midgame, focus on filling up your item slots while applying pressure across the map.
If you’re ahead, prioritize purchasing Rapid Recharge and Improved Burst.
| Item | Cost | |
|---|---|---|
 |
Healing Booster | 1,250 |
 |
Improved Cooldown | 1,250 |
 |
Bullet Armor | 1,250 |
 |
Spirit Armor | 1,250 |
 |
Enduring Speed | 1,750 |
 |
Rapid Recharge | 3,500 |
 |
Improved Burst | 3,500 |
Late Game
At this stage, decide whether to focus on Spirit or Weapon depending on your team’s damage spread and the enemy’s resistances.
If your slots are full, upgrade Headhunter, Pristine Emblem, and Point Blank. Alternatively, Hunter's Aura and Alchemical Fire are excellent choices for fighting enemies inside your Frozen Shelter.
If you opt to emphasize Spirit, upgrade Improved Spirit and Superior Cooldown, then start saving for Mystic Reverb, Boundless Spirit, and Echo Shard.
| Item | Cost | |
|---|---|---|
 |
Headhunter | 3,500 |
 |
Pristine Emblem | 3,500 |
 |
Alchemical Fire | 3,000 |
 |
Hunter's Aura | 3,000 |
 |
Point Blank | 3,500 |
 |
Improved Spirit | 3,500 |
 |
Improved Bullet Armor | 4,250 |
 |
Improved Spirit Armor | 4,250 |
 |
Superior Cooldown | 4,250 |
Situational Items
Mystic Reverb is useful for slowing down the enemy team while enhancing your poke damage.
Boundless Spirit is a strong choice that boosts your overall power and makes your healing more effective.
Echo Shard is the best item for amplifying your burst potential—use it right after launching a Frost Grenade.
Siphon Bullets is one of the best 6200 Vitality items for Kelvin. It deals significant damage and increases your survivability with the additional healing Kelvin provides.
| Item | Cost | |
|---|---|---|
 |
Mystic Burst | 500 |
 |
Echo Shard | 6,200 |
 |
Boundless Spirit | 9,800 |
 |
Siphon Bullets | 6,200 |