Strengths and weaknesses
Good at
- Very fast bullets (1,160 m/s), so almost no need to lead
- Crackshot headshots hit very hard and ignore falloff
- Bounce Pad gives her (and her team) excellent mobility
- Spirit Lasso drags a target into her team
Struggles with
- Only 2 stamina bars
- Small magazine (10)
- Relies heavily on landing headshots
- Powder Kegs can be detonated by enemies
Abilities
Powder Keg
28s cooldownThrow an explosive barrel (2 charges) that deals 40 spirit damage on impact plus a burn for 3s in 6m. Shooting it, meleeing it or blowing up another barrel next to it detonates it early.
| Tier 1 1 point | -10s cooldown |
|---|---|
| Tier 2 2 points | +1 charge |
| Tier 3 5 points | +40 impact damage, a stronger burn, faster charges and better scaling |
Bounce Pad
41s cooldownDrop a pad (lasts 22s) that launches any hero who steps on it, with full air control. You explode on landing for 60 spirit damage in 9m (once per person).
| Tier 1 1 point | -10s cooldown |
|---|---|
| Tier 2 2 points | +4 m/s move speed for 4s on landing |
| Tier 3 5 points | Your landing stomp stuns for 0.7s |
Crackshot
20s cooldownYour next headshot deals 55 bonus weapon damage and slows by 40% for 2s. It ignores damage falloff and doesn't work on objectives. Hitting NPCs halves the cooldown.
| Tier 1 1 point | -20% slow strength |
|---|---|
| Tier 2 2 points | +49.5 damage; -6% bullet resist for 5s |
| Tier 3 5 points | Hero headshots take 6s off the cooldown; NPC hits take 3s |
Spirit Lasso
130s cooldownThrow a lasso (20m) that deals 80 spirit damage and drags and stuns the target for 2.25s. Using Bounce Pad while lassoing extends it by 1.25s.
| Tier 1 1 point | +80 damage |
|---|---|
| Tier 2 2 points | +0.75s duration |
| Tier 3 5 points | -40s cooldown |
Ability order
Spend points in this order. Each ability's tiers cost 1, 2 and 5 points.
- Unlock Crackshot
- Unlock Powder Keg
- Unlock Bounce Pad
- Crackshot T1
- Powder Keg T1
- Unlock Spirit Lasso
- Crackshot T2
- Powder Keg T2
- Spirit Lasso T1–T2
- Crackshot T3
- Bounce Pad T1
- Spirit Lasso T3
- Powder Keg T3
- Bounce Pad T2–T3
Item build
A starting build that works in most games. Swap pieces based on the enemy team; the notes explain what each stage is for.
Checked against 15,902 Holliday matches from October 6–7, 2026 (all ranks). It keeps the items most Holliday players buy and fills the other slots with the items that won most often. See the item tier list for how we measure that.
WeaponVitalitySpirit
| Stage | Items |
|---|---|
| Laning (800-soul items)Almost every Holliday starts with Extra Charge. Extra Stamina, Extra Spirit and Headshot Booster round out the opener. | |
| Mid game core (1,600–3,200)Holliday is built mostly on spirit: Rapid Recharge, Stamina Mastery, Tankbuster and Headhunter. We swap the usual Improved Spirit for Superior Cooldown, which does much better in the data, and add Fortitude for health. | |
| Late game (6,400)Lucky Shot, Escalating Exposure and Spirit Burn have the best late-game results for her. | |
| SituationalMystic Vulnerability has strong results on Holliday. Spellslinger and Spiritual Overflow for a hybrid build, Spirit Resilience against spirit damage. |
Extra Charge
Extra Stamina
Extra Spirit
Headshot Booster
Rapid Recharge
Headhunter
Superior Cooldown
Fortitude
Spirit Burn
Escalating Exposure
Lucky Shot
Mystic Vulnerability
Spiritual Overflow
Spirit ResilienceRate this build in the build rater → See its grade, and the heroes it does well and badly against.
How to play
Holliday is a headshot-focused gunslinger. Crackshot makes her next headshot hit much harder, Powder Keg throws barrels she can detonate with a shot, Bounce Pad launches her (and anyone else) into the air, and Spirit Lasso ropes a target and drags them away.
Laning phase (0–10 min)
- Land Crackshot on the enemy hero. Bonus damage plus a slow wins trades.
- Use Crackshot on troopers to halve the cooldown, then use it on the hero again.
- Barrel plus shot. Throw a Powder Keg near the enemy and shoot it to detonate it.
Mid game (10–25 min)
- Bounce Pad for ganks. Launch yourself into a lane from above.
- Fast bullets (1,160 m/s) make long-range fights easy, so take headshots from range.
Late game and team fights (25+ min)
- Lasso a backline target and drag them into your team.
- Bounce Pad during Lasso extends it by 1.25 seconds.
- Crackshot T3 lets you chain headshots by reducing the cooldown on each hit.
Combos
- Barrel burst: Powder Keg → shoot to detonate → Crackshot headshot.
- Pick: Spirit Lasso → Bounce Pad (extends the lasso) → land on them (T3 stun) → headshot.
- Gank: Bounce Pad from high ground → land in the lane (T3 stun) → Crackshot.
Matchups
- Good against: heroes with big heads and predictable movement, and squishy backliners.
- Hard against: divers who catch her low on stamina, and bullet-resistant tanks.
Pro tips
- Barrels chain. A barrel exploding next to another sets it off.
- Crackshot doesn’t work on objectives, so save it for heroes and troopers.
Lore
Holliday was a contented small-town sheriff until a serial killer called The Troubadour left a trail of brutal murders through her town. When he escaped by turning into a flock of crows, she followed him all the way to New York to bring him down.
Frequently asked questions
How does Crackshot work?
It charges your next headshot. That headshot deals bonus weapon damage, slows the target by 40% for 2 seconds and ignores damage falloff. With T3, landing it on a hero takes 6 seconds off its cooldown.
Can enemies use Holliday's Bounce Pad?
Yes, any hero can be launched by it. Place it where your team benefits and enemies can't easily follow.
How do you counter Holliday?
Keep moving so headshots are harder to land. Shoot her Powder Kegs before they're in position, and dive her, since she only has 2 stamina.
Ability numbers are checked against the game and the community-run Deadlock Wiki after every patch. Builds are our own recommendations, checked against public match data. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.