Kelvin
Kelvin is a hero in Deadlock, with a Complexity of 2 in the game files. The game sums up the role as "Freezes enemies in their tracks." Kelvin has 880 base health and 1 health regen. Kelvin's gun fires 18.6 damage per bullet from a 14-round clip. Each level adds 60 health and 0.418 bullet damage.
Open the most-bought Kelvin build
The 4 items bought most in each phase of 59,346 Kelvin matches, October 30 to November 1, 2026, measured by deadlock-api.com.
How Kelvin plays
Timely heals and splitting a teamfight properly is the difference between an easy victory or a ruinous defeat. Gliding around slowing enemies gives Kelvin's team the maneuvering advantage to make this happen.
Kelvin counters
Kelvin's toughest matchups, the furthest below what both heroes' overall win rates predict, are Haze (49.5% over 12,361 matches, 1.4 points below expected), Billy (53.8% over 10,339 matches, 1.3 points below expected) and Shiv (58.1% over 9,120 matches, 1.1 points below expected), and its best, the furthest above, are Grey Talon (58.5% over 5,708 matches, 1.8 points above expected), Deadman Danny (52.0% over 9,523 matches, 1.5 points above expected) and Sinclair (60.7% over 2,991 matches, 1.3 points above expected), in all-rank matches from October 30 to November 1, 2026, from patch 6833's release day, measured by deadlock-api.com.
Measured from matches at all ranks from October 30 to November 1, 2026, starting on the day patch 6833 was released (October 30, 2026), by deadlock-api.com. These are match results, not numbers from the game files. A pairing shows its win rate only with at least 500 matches. Expected is what both heroes' overall win rates predict (computed), and each list is ordered by the gap between it and the win rate, not by the rate alone: how the order is computed. Across all its matches in the same window, Kelvin won 54.4% over 59,346 matches.
Toughest matchups
| Enemy | Kelvin win rate | Expectedcomputed | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|
 HazeMatchup lab | 49.5% | 50.9%1.4 below | 12,361 |
 BillyMatchup lab | 53.8% | 55.1%1.3 below | 10,339 |
 ShivMatchup lab | 58.1% | 59.2%1.1 below | 9,120 |
 ApolloMatchup lab | 54.7% | 55.6%0.9 below | 8,199 |
 SevenMatchup lab | 48.6% | 49.4%0.8 below | 8,844 |
Best matchups
| Enemy | Kelvin win rate | Expectedcomputed | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|
 Grey TalonMatchup lab | 58.5% | 56.8%1.8 above | 5,708 |
 Deadman DannyMatchup lab | 52.0% | 50.5%1.5 above | 9,523 |
 SinclairMatchup lab | 60.7% | 59.3%1.3 above | 2,991 |
 CalicoMatchup lab | 57.3% | 56.1%1.2 above | 4,942 |
 MirageMatchup lab | 61.6% | 60.8%0.8 above | 4,579 |
Match data: deadlock-api.com. deadlock-api.com is not endorsed by Valve and does not reflect the views or opinions of Valve or anyone officially involved in producing or managing Valve properties. How a rate is computed: methodology.
Most-bought Kelvin build
On Kelvin, players bought Extra Spirit in 84.0% of matches (49,866 of 59,346), Extra Charge in 82.0% of matches (48,644 of 59,346) and Improved Spirit in 80.4% of matches (47,700 of 59,346), in all-rank matches from October 30 to November 1, 2026, from patch 6833's release day, measured by deadlock-api.com.
Laning, bought before 10:00
| Item | Bought by | Win rate when bought | Average buy time |
|---|---|---|---|
 Extra ChargeIn the shop | 72.1%42,770 of 59,346 Kelvin matches | 55.0%42,770 matches | 3:14 |
 Extra SpiritIn the shop | 71.8%42,640 of 59,346 Kelvin matches | 55.3%42,640 matches | 4:52 |
 Extra RegenIn the shop | 62.4%37,029 of 59,346 Kelvin matches | 54.4%37,029 matches | 3:36 |
 Sprint BootsIn the shop | 39.9%23,673 of 59,346 Kelvin matches | 56.7%23,673 matches | 6:26 |
 Mystic ExpansionIn the shop | 32.1%19,048 of 59,346 Kelvin matches | 56.2%19,048 matches | 6:45 |
 Trophy CollectorIn the shop | 31.6%18,727 of 59,346 Kelvin matches | 58.2%18,727 matches | 7:19 |
Mid game, bought 10:00 to 19:59
| Item | Bought by | Win rate when bought | Average buy time |
|---|---|---|---|
 Improved SpiritIn the shop | 39.0%23,117 of 59,346 Kelvin matches | 54.3%23,117 matches | 14:02 |
 Mystic VulnerabilityIn the shop | 37.8%22,407 of 59,346 Kelvin matches | 57.5%22,407 matches | 15:46 |
 HealbaneIn the shop | 34.3%20,369 of 59,346 Kelvin matches | 55.7%20,369 matches | 13:50 |
 Rapid RechargeIn the shop | 32.7%19,396 of 59,346 Kelvin matches | 57.0%19,396 matches | 15:28 |
 Compress CooldownIn the shop | 27.5%16,302 of 59,346 Kelvin matches | 55.9%16,302 matches | 15:15 |
 Healing BoosterIn the shop | 25.9%15,386 of 59,346 Kelvin matches | 53.1%15,386 matches | 13:44 |
Late game, bought at 20:00 or later
| Item | Bought by | Win rate when bought | Average buy time |
|---|---|---|---|
 Boundless SpiritIn the shop | 59.3%35,164 of 59,346 Kelvin matches | 58.3%35,164 matches | 29:35 |
 Escalating ExposureIn the shop | 54.8%32,498 of 59,346 Kelvin matches | 58.2%32,498 matches | 28:46 |
 Greater ExpansionIn the shop | 48.7%28,898 of 59,346 Kelvin matches | 56.9%28,898 matches | 28:23 |
 Superior CooldownIn the shop | 45.7%27,113 of 59,346 Kelvin matches | 57.0%27,113 matches | 26:50 |
 Superior DurationIn the shop | 43.5%25,811 of 59,346 Kelvin matches | 58.2%25,811 matches | 29:03 |
 Spirit BurnIn the shop | 38.9%23,087 of 59,346 Kelvin matches | 62.0%23,087 matches | 31:47 |
Measured from matches at all ranks from October 30 to November 1, 2026, starting on the day patch 6833 was released (October 30, 2026), by deadlock-api.com. These are match results, not numbers from the game files, and the most bought items, not a recommended build. Each table counts the items bought in one part of a match, by the game time of the purchase: laning before 10:00, mid game 10:00 to 19:59 and late game at 20:00 or later. "Bought by" is the share of all Kelvin matches in which the Kelvin player bought the item in that phase, counting matches that ended before it began. The win rate is how often those players won, which describes the players who bought it, not what the item itself adds. The average buy time is the average game time of those purchases, also measured by deadlock-api.com. A copy the Broker corrupted is not counted. An item shows only with at least 500 matches.
Match data: deadlock-api.com. deadlock-api.com is not endorsed by Valve and does not reflect the views or opinions of Valve or anyone officially involved in producing or managing Valve properties. How a rate is computed: methodology.
Kelvin ability order
On Kelvin, players unlocked Frost Grenade, Arctic Beam, Ice Path, then Frozen Shelter in 80.1% of matches (47,760 of 59,631), and Arctic Beam, Frost Grenade, Ice Path, then Frozen Shelter in 14.6% of matches (8,710 of 59,631), in all-rank matches from October 30 to November 1, 2026, from patch 6833's release day, measured by deadlock-api.com.
| Unlock order | Matches |
|---|---|
| 80.1%47,760 of 59,631 | |
| 14.6%8,710 of 59,631 |
Measured from matches at all ranks from October 30 to November 1, 2026, starting on the day patch 6833 was released (October 30, 2026), by deadlock-api.com. These are match results, not numbers from the game files, and the most common orders, not a recommendation. An unlock order is the order of each ability's first point; the share is the Kelvin matches that used it out of every Kelvin match counted, including players who spent no point. An order shows only with at least 500 matches.
Match data: deadlock-api.com. deadlock-api.com is not endorsed by Valve and does not reflect the views or opinions of Valve or anyone officially involved in producing or managing Valve properties. How a share is computed: methodology.
Kelvin lore
A famed adventuring scientist, Kelvin made it his life's mission to explore and understand the unknowable. So naturally when rumors surfaced regarding an 8th astral gate hidden in the arctic, Kelvin couldn't build an expedition team fast enough. Assembling the brightest minds of his generation, Kelvin and his team set forth with much fanfare.
They never returned.
A year and a half later the frozen body of Kelvin was found by a fishing trawler, his corpse clutching a rock etched with glowing runes. The crew chipped away at the ice, looking to get a closer look at the body and were shocked when Kelvin opened his eyes. They checked his vitals... there was no pulse. They sought to bandage his open wounds... there was no blood. And yet, impossibly, Kelvin was "alive".
Having no memory of what happened on the expedition, Kelvin is looking for answers.
Kelvin stats
Kelvin abilities
| Slot | Ability | Damage | Cooldown | Scaling | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ability 1 |  Frost Grenade | 60Damage | 30s2 charges | +0.6 x SpiritDamage | Throw a grenade that explodes in a cloud of freezing ice that heals allies and applies spirit damage and move speed reduction to enemies. |
| Ability 2 |  Ice Path | 50s | Kelvin creates a floating trail of ice and snow that gives movement bonuses to him and his allies. Kelvin gains 60% slow resistance for the duration. Enemies can also walk on the floating trail. Press Dash / Crouch / slide to travel up or down while in Ice Path. | ||
| Ability 3 |  Arctic Beam | 45Damage Per Second | 28s | +0.38 x SpiritDamage Per Second | Shoot freezing cold energy out in front of you, damaging targets and progressively reducing their movement and fire rate the longer you sustain the beam on them. You have reduced move speed while using Arctic Beam. The beam may also claim Souls. |
| Ultimate |  Frozen Shelter | 190s | +0.2 x SpiritHealth Regen | Target yourself or a Hero to freeze the air and create an impenetrable dome around them. While in the dome, allies gain rapid regeneration and enemies are slowed. Objectives become Invulnerable and Frozen under Frozen Shelter. |
Hero
- Complexity
- 2
- Tags
- Protector, Explorer, Ice Cold
Starting stats
- Max Health
- 880
- Health Regen
- 1
- Move Speed
- 6.7
- Sprint Speed
- 1.1m
- Stamina
- 3
- Stamina regen per second
- 0.18181
- Light Melee
- 50
- Heavy Melee
- 116
- Ground dash distance
- 10m
- Air dash distance
- 8m
Gun
- Bullet Damage
- 18.6
- Bullets per shot
- 1
- Cycle time
- 0.2625s
- Rounds per second
- 3.81computed
- Weapon DPS
- 70.9computed
- Clip size
- 14
- Reload Time
- 2.585s
- Bullet Velocity
- 6300 units/s
- Falloff start range
- 787 units
- Falloff end range
- 2264 units
- Damage scale at falloff end
- 0.1
Weapon DPS is computed at level 1 with no items: bullet damage x bullets per shot x (1 / cycle time). Burst fire, reload and falloff are not modelled. Ranges and bullet speed are in the game file's own units.
Kelvin vs every hero
Body shots Kelvin needs to kill each other hero, and each hero needs to kill Kelvin, both at level 1 with no items. Each number opens that matchup in the lab.
| Hero | Kelvin kills themcomputed | They kill Kelvincomputed |
|---|---|---|
| Abrams | 44 | 26 |
| Apollo | 42 | 48 |
| Baba | 42 | 34 |
| Bebop | 48 | 177 |
| Billy | 45 | 140 |
| Calico | 40 | 54 |
| Celeste | 38 | 49 |
| Deadman Danny | 40 | 59 |
| Drifter | 41 | 15 |
| Dynamo | 48 | 70 |
| Graves | 40 | 245 |
| Grey Talon | 42 | 38 |
| Haze | 40 | 168 |
| Holliday | 42 | 45 |
| Infernus | 45 | 160 |
| Ivy | 41 | 198 |
| Lady Geist | 48 | 43 |
| Lash | 42 | 105 |
| McGinnis | 42 | 145 |
| Mina | 36 | 121 |
| Mirage | 40 | 60 |
| Mo & Krill | 50 | 79 |
| Nurse Harrow | 40 | 61 |
| Paige | 37 | 28 |
| Paradox | 40 | 130 |
| 42 | 30 | |
| Rat King | 44 | 76 |
| Rem | 37 | 55 |
| Seven | 40 | 82 |
| Shiv | 45 | 31 |
| Silver | 45 | 25 |
| Sinclair | 40 | 54 |
| Solomon | 42 | 36 |
| The Doorman | 41 | 37 |
| Venator | 45 | 110 |
| Victor | 44 | 74 |
| Vindicta | 41 | 72 |
| Violet | 39 | 30 |
| Viscous | 42 | 86 |
| Vyper | 42 | 134 |
| Warden | 44 | 51 |
| Wraith | 40 | 157 |
| Yamato | 40 | 34 |
Computed with the matchup lab's formula, body shots with every pellet hitting, level 1, no items: damage per bullet = bullet damage x (1 - defender bullet resist / 100); bullets to kill = ceil(defender max health / damage per bullet); body shots = ceil(bullets to kill / bullets per shot). Each number's tooltip holds its inputs.
Not modelled:
- Headshots: the gun files give a 1.65 bonus, a game setting gives 1.25, and only the game shows which applies.
- Damage falloff over range, and the game-unit to meter conversion.
- Resist shred and negative resist.
- Reload, burst-fire and spin-up timing, so time to kill is shown only when the kill fits in one clip of a gun that neither bursts nor spins up.
- Item procs and actives, spirit damage amplifiers, and ability upgrades (every ability is at its base tier).
- Health regen, barriers and healing during the fight.
Gains per level
- Bullet damage per level
- 0.418
- Health per level
- 60
- Melee damage per level
- 1.58
- Boons per level
- 1
- Spirit power per level
- 1.3
- Spirit resist per level
- 0.625
Souls and investment
Same soul curve as every hero: Kelvin reaches level 36 at 48,600 souls. See souls per level and investment bonuses.
Kelvin change history
| Patch | Change | State |
|---|---|---|
| November 5, 2026build 6860from build 6835 | No player-facing change in 9 builds (October 30 to November 5, 2026). | Unchanged |
| October 30, 2026build 6833 | Kelvin's hero type changed. | Changed |
| October 26, 2026build 6821from build 6742 | No player-facing change in 27 builds (October 2 to October 26, 2026). | Unchanged |
| October 1, 2026build 6731 | Kelvin's shop stat panel now lists Lifesteal Effectiveness under Vitality. | Changed |
| September 30, 2026build 6726from build 6643 | No player-facing change in 16 builds (July 28 to September 30, 2026). | Unchanged |
| July 28, 2026build 6642 | Kelvin's Air dash duration changed from 0.49 to 0.51 and Ground dash duration from 0.7 to 0.72. | Changed |
| July 25, 2026build 6640 | First recorded in Deadlock. | Baseline |
Kelvin FAQ
Who is Kelvin in Deadlock?
Kelvin is a hero in Deadlock, with a Complexity of 2 in the game files. A famed adventuring scientist, Kelvin made it his life's mission to explore and understand the unknowable. So naturally when rumors surfaced regarding an 8th astral gate hidden in the arctic, Kelvin couldn't build an expedition team fast enough. Assembling the brightest minds of his generation, Kelvin and his team set forth with much fanfare.
How do you play Kelvin in Deadlock?
Timely heals and splitting a teamfight properly is the difference between an easy victory or a ruinous defeat. Gliding around slowing enemies gives Kelvin's team the maneuvering advantage to make this happen.
Who counters Kelvin in Deadlock?
In all-rank matches from October 30 to November 1, 2026, from patch 6833's release day, Kelvin did furthest below what both heroes' overall win rates predict against Haze (49.5% over 12,361 matches, 1.4 points below expected), Billy (53.8% over 10,339 matches, 1.3 points below expected), Shiv (58.1% over 9,120 matches, 1.1 points below expected), Apollo (54.7% over 8,199 matches, 0.9 points below expected) and Seven (48.6% over 8,844 matches, 0.8 points below expected). These are match results measured by deadlock-api.com, not numbers from the game files.
What items do players buy most on Kelvin in Deadlock?
In all-rank matches from October 30 to November 1, 2026, from patch 6833's release day, Kelvin players bought Extra Spirit in 84.0% of matches (49,866 of 59,346), Extra Charge in 82.0% of matches (48,644 of 59,346) and Improved Spirit in 80.4% of matches (47,700 of 59,346). These are match results measured by deadlock-api.com, not numbers from the game files, and the most bought items are not a recommended build.
What are Kelvin's abilities in Deadlock?
Kelvin has four abilities. Frost Grenade (first ability, 30 second cooldown and 2 charges): Throw a grenade that explodes in a cloud of freezing ice that heals allies and applies spirit damage and move speed reduction to enemies. Ice Path (second ability, 50 second cooldown): Kelvin creates a floating trail of ice and snow that gives movement bonuses to him and his allies. Kelvin gains 60% slow resistance for the duration. Enemies can also walk on the floating trail. Press Dash / Crouch / slide to travel up or down while in Ice Path. Arctic Beam (third ability, 28 second cooldown): Shoot freezing cold energy out in front of you, damaging targets and progressively reducing their movement and fire rate the longer you sustain the beam on them. You have reduced move speed while using Arctic Beam. The beam may also claim Souls. Frozen Shelter (ultimate, 190 second cooldown): Target yourself or a Hero to freeze the air and create an impenetrable dome around them. While in the dome, allies gain rapid regeneration and enemies are slowed. Objectives become Invulnerable and Frozen under Frozen Shelter.
What do Kelvin's abilities scale with?
Three of Kelvin's four abilities scale with Spirit in the game files: Frost Grenade (60 Damage, +0.6 x Spirit), Arctic Beam (45 Damage Per Second, +0.38 x Spirit) and Frozen Shelter (+90 Health Regen, +0.2 x Spirit). Ice Path has no damage scaling in the files.
What order do players unlock Kelvin's abilities in Deadlock?
In all-rank matches from October 30 to November 1, 2026, from patch 6833's release day, Kelvin players unlocked Frost Grenade, Arctic Beam, Ice Path, then Frozen Shelter in 80.1% of matches (47,760 of 59,631), and Arctic Beam, Frost Grenade, Ice Path, then Frozen Shelter in 14.6% of matches (8,710 of 59,631). These are match results measured by deadlock-api.com, not numbers from the game files, and the most common order is not a recommendation.
How much health does Kelvin have in Deadlock?
Kelvin starts with 880 max health and gains 60 health per level, before items.
How much damage does Kelvin's gun do?
Kelvin's gun fires 18.6 damage per bullet from a 14-round clip. That is about 70.9 damage per second at level 1 with no items, computed as bullet damage x bullets per shot / cycle time, ignoring reload and falloff.
How many souls does Kelvin need to reach max level?
Kelvin reaches level 36 at 48,600 souls (Boon 35 in the game's HUD).
Was Kelvin changed in the latest patch?
No. Kelvin is unchanged in the latest build of Deadlock on file (the November 5, 2026 patch, build 6860). It last changed in the October 30, 2026 patch (build 6833).