Deadlock HandbookPatch October 6, 2026

Kelvin

Support · Protector · Tank · Easy to learn

An ice-cold protector who slows enemies to a crawl, builds highways of ice, and shelters his team in a frozen dome.

By the Deadlock Handbook team·Updated ·Checked on the October 5, 2026 patch

Strengths and weaknesses

Good at

  • Strong team sustain from Frost Grenade and Frozen Shelter
  • Lots of slows that make enemies easy to hit
  • Ice Path gives the whole team fast rotations
  • High health (880, +60 per boon) and a strong gun

Struggles with

  • Frozen Shelter is a fixed area, so enemies can wait outside it for the dome to end
  • Arctic Beam needs him to stand still and keep aiming
  • Relies on teammates to finish off targets
  • Anti-heal cuts much of his value

Abilities

1

Frost Grenade

30s cooldown

Throw a grenade that damages enemies and heals allies in a 6.5m radius, slowing enemies by 32% for 4s. 2 charges.

Tier 1
1 point		+30 damage and +30 healing
Tier 2
2 points		-10s cooldown; also freezes stamina regen
Tier 3
5 points		+2m radius and better spirit scaling
2

Ice Path

50s cooldown

Create a trail of ice for 8s that gives allies +2 m/s move and sprint speed. Kelvin gets 60% slow resistance.

Tier 1
1 point		+2 m/s move speed and +35% bullet resist for Kelvin on the path
Tier 2
2 points		-25s cooldown
Tier 3
5 points		+35% spirit resist and +20 spirit power for Kelvin on the path
3

Arctic Beam

28s cooldown

Channel a freezing beam for 5s (45 DPS) that steadily slows the target's movement (up to 16%) and fire rate (up to 20%).

Tier 1
1 point		An extra -20% fire rate and move speed
Tier 2
2 points		+20 DPS and better spirit scaling
Tier 3
5 points		-13s cooldown; fires 2 extra beams at enemies within 10m of your target
ULT

Frozen Shelter

185s cooldown

Create a dome for 5s that heals allies inside (90 health per second) and slows enemies by 28%.

Tier 1
1 point		-20s cooldown
Tier 2
2 points		+1.5s duration
Tier 3
5 points		Purges non-ultimate debuffs; +65 health regen

Ability order

Spend points in this order. Each ability's tiers cost 1, 2 and 5 points.

  1. Unlock Frost Grenade
  2. Unlock Arctic Beam
  3. Unlock Ice Path
  4. Frost Grenade T1
  5. Arctic Beam T1
  6. Unlock Frozen Shelter
  7. Frost Grenade T2
  8. Ice Path T1
  9. Frozen Shelter T1
  10. Arctic Beam T2
  11. Ice Path T2
  12. Frozen Shelter T2
  13. Frost Grenade T3
  14. Frozen Shelter T3
  15. Arctic Beam T3
  16. Ice Path 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.

WeaponVitalitySpirit

StageItems
Laning (800-soul items)Frost Grenade charges and spirit power make lane sustain strong.
Mid game core (1,600–3,200)Healing and cooldowns turn you into a team-wide sustain engine.
Late game (3,200–6,400)Bigger domes, more grenades, and team-saving actives.
SituationalRescue Beam to save a caught teammate; Spirit Resilience against casters.

Rate this build in the build rater → See its grade, and the heroes it does well and badly against.

How to play

Kelvin is a support and protector. Frost Grenade heals allies and slows enemies, Ice Path gives your team a speed highway, Arctic Beam slows a target’s movement and fire rate, and Frozen Shelter creates a healing dome that can save a losing fight.

Laning phase (0–10 min)

  • Frost Grenade is your main tool. It damages and slows enemies and heals you and your lane partner, all at once.
  • Your gun hits hard. At 71 DPS, Kelvin’s gun is strong, so shoot often.
  • Arctic Beam to win duels. Slowing the enemy’s fire rate wins trades against gun heroes.

Mid game (10–25 min)

  • Lead rotations with Ice Path. The speed boost gets your whole team to objectives first.
  • Stay with your carries. Your healing and slows protect them.
  • Get Healing Booster. It amplifies every heal you give.

Late game and team fights (25+ min)

  • Frozen Shelter to save the fight. Drop it when your team is low and under fire; T3 also cleanses debuffs.
  • Grenade the enemy frontline to slow their engage.
  • Arctic Beam on their carry. The fire-rate slow cuts their damage heavily.

Combos

  1. Engage: Ice Path towards the enemy → Frost Grenade to slow them → team follows up on the slowed targets.
  2. Save: Frozen Shelter on your team → Frost Grenade to heal and slow divers.
  3. Duel: Arctic Beam → shoot → Frost Grenade to finish.

Matchups

  • Good against: gun duelists (Arctic Beam’s fire-rate slow) and dive heroes (slows and healing).
  • Hard against: anti-heal and long-range poke that outranges his grenades.

Pro tips

  • Frozen Shelter’s healing scales with spirit power (since September 16, 2026), so spirit items make your dome much stronger.
  • Ice Path T1 and T3 make Kelvin tougher while standing on his own path.
  • Frost Grenade T2 freezes stamina regen, stopping enemies from dashing away.

Lore

Kelvin is a scientist who vanished on an Arctic expedition to find an astral gate and was found frozen a year later. Somehow he came back without a pulse, and now he wants answers about what happened to him and his missing team.

Frequently asked questions

Is Kelvin good for beginners?

Yes. Kelvin is tanky, his abilities are easy to use, and his healing is valuable even when you're still learning. He's one of the best supports to start with.

How does Frozen Shelter work?

It creates a dome for 5 seconds that heals your allies inside and slows enemies. With T3, it also cleanses non-ultimate debuffs from your team. Since September 2026, its healing scales with spirit power.

How do you counter Kelvin?

Buy anti-heal to cut his grenades and dome. Interrupt Arctic Beam by breaking line of sight, and focus him down before he can save his team with Frozen Shelter.

Ability numbers are checked against the game and the community-run Deadlock Wiki after every patch. Builds are our own recommendations. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.