Kelvin is a support and control hero in Deadlock who turns the battlefield into an icy trap. He does not deal explosive burst like pure carries, but he excels at slowing enemies, saving allies and dictating the pace of team fights. If you enjoy playing around utility and initiation, Kelvin gives you plenty of tools to do it.

Role and play style

Kelvin feels best on the second line, next to a carry he needs to protect. His strength is constant control: slows stack on top of each other, and his mobility lets him take strong positions and retreat quickly. Try not to engage first on your own — your job is to support the trade and seal it with your ultimate.

Abilities and how to use them

Ice Path

Ice Path creates a strip of ice in the air that Kelvin slides along at high speed. It is both a means of travel and a tool for escaping or flanking. Lay the path over chasms and enemy cover to appear where you are not expected. The path also helps you rotate quickly between lanes and chase down retreating opponents.

Frost Grenade

Frost Grenade heals allies in the blast zone and slows enemies at the same time. Use it as light healing during the lane phase and as a control tool in fights. Throw the grenade at the feet of a fleeing enemy so your team can catch up to the target, or when an ally is short on health for a trade.

Arctic Beam

Arctic Beam is Kelvin's main source of damage. The longer the beam stays on a target, the stronger the slow becomes, up to a near-complete stop. Combine the beam with the grenade: slow the target first, then finish with the beam, never letting them break the distance. Remember that the beam drains a resource, so keep it on priority targets.

Ultimate — Frozen Shelter

Frozen Shelter creates a large dome of ice that heals all allies inside and slows enemies caught within it. It is one of the best save ultimates in the game: use it to pull your team out of a losing fight, wait out an enemy ultimate, or hold ground near an objective. Place the dome to cover your carry, but do not corner your allies — enemies can step inside it too.

Build and positioning

Kelvin wants survivability items and Spirit, which boosts his healing and beam damage. Early on take sustain and movement speed, in the mid game armor and duration items, and closer to the late game active items to save allies. The key positioning rule: always stay within reach of your team, but outside the enemy's focus. A good Kelvin almost never dies first and turns any fight into uncomfortable ground for the opponent.