Kelvin

3:59 Kelvin is a Deadlock brawler who controls fights with ice: his grenades damage enemies and heal allies at once, his Ice Path lifts his team onto a fast floating trail, his Arctic Beam slows and weakens a target, and his Frozen Shelter ultimate raises a dome that heals allies and keeps enemies out. Valve's game files describe him as "Freezes enemies in their tracks" (deadlock-api's copy of the game files, Oct 26, 2026). He is one of the 21 original Heroes who were in the closed playtest before Valve's Aug 23, 2024 reveal, per PCGamesN's roster count, and one of the strongest heroes in late Oct 2026 while one of the least picked. Deadlock is still an invite-only playtest, and Valve has not announced a release date.

Quick facts

Source: the game files as of Oct 26, 2026 (deadlock-api, heroes) and deadlock-api's measurement of normal matches, Oct 15 to Oct 26, 2026.

Abilities

Source: the game files as of Oct 26, 2026 (deadlock-api, items) and Valve's Jul 28, 2026 update for Frozen Shelter's cooldown.

5:27 Frost Grenade is his main tool and his main heal. Since Valve's Mar 6, 2026 rework it has 2 charges (7s apart) on a 30s cooldown and bursts into ice in 6.5 m, dealing 60 spirit damage and a 32% slow for 4s to enemies while healing allies for 60 (game files, Oct 26, 2026); Valve cut its damage scaling to 0.6 on May 22, 2026. T1 adds 30 damage and 30 healing, T2 cuts 10s from the cooldown and freezes enemies' stamina regeneration, and T3 adds 2 m of radius and better damage and healing scaling.

Ice Path is his team's mobility. For 8s Kelvin lays a floating trail of ice that lasts 18s and gives him and his allies 2 m/s more move and sprint speed, while he gets 60% slow resistance; enemies can walk on it too (game files, Oct 26, 2026). T1 adds 2 m/s and 35% bullet resistance on the path, T2 cuts 25s from the 50s cooldown, and T3 gives him +35% Spirit Power and +20 Spirit Power while on it.

3:23 Arctic Beam is his sustained damage. He channels a 25 m beam for 5s that deals 45 damage per second (0.38 spirit scaling since May 22, 2026) and ramps over 2s to a 16% slow and a 20% fire rate cut; it can claim souls, and he can throw Frost Grenade and use items while beaming (game files, Oct 26, 2026). T1 adds 20% slow and 25% fire rate reduction, T2 adds 20 damage per second and 0.6 spirit scaling, and T3 cuts 13s from the 28s cooldown and splits the beam to 2 more targets within 10 m.

Frozen Shelter is his team-saving ultimate. He targets himself or a hero within 8 m to raise an impenetrable 10 m dome for 5s; allies inside regenerate 90 health per second, scaling with Spirit Power since Sep 16, 2026, enemies inside are slowed 28%, and objectives inside become invulnerable (game files, Oct 26, 2026). Valve cut its cooldown from 195s to 185s on Jul 28, 2026. T1 cuts 20s, T2 adds 1.5s, and T3 purges non-ultimate debuffs from him and his allies and adds 65 health regeneration.

How to play

Kelvin is a frontline healer who wins fights with his team. Mobalytics' Kelvin guide lists his strengths as easy healing, slows, mobility and control of space, and his weaknesses as poke, a slow rate of fire and anti-heal. The Mobalytics build by Hydration (updated Oct 13, 2026) sums him up: "Kelvin is very strong while fighting with allies, he also has good mobility options with icepath, and great healing output."

His gun is heavy but slow. Each shot deals 18.6 damage, but the projectiles are slow since Valve cut their velocity from 254 to 160 on Nov 21, 2025, so he has to lead targets at range. In lane he trades with Frost Grenade, which also heals his partner (Laning Guide).

7:49 In fights he opens with Ice Path to bring his team in or out, slows with Arctic Beam and Frost Grenade, and saves Frozen Shelter for the moment allies are about to die. The dome also makes objectives invulnerable, and Mobalytics' Mid-Boss guide (Aug 8, 2026) names Kelvin among the strong Mid-Boss heroes for Frozen Shelter on the crystal; see Mid-Boss and Rejuvenator. Hydration calls Boundless Spirit "an insane spike" for him.

Builds

Kelvin is built as a spirit healer with some early gun items. Hydration's Mobalytics build (Build ID 17516, Oct 13, 2026) starts with Monster Rounds and High-Velocity Rounds to push the wave, Extra Regen (into Healing Booster and later Healing Tempo), Opening Rounds, Extra Charge, Battle Vest, Enchanter's Emblem, Heroic Aura, and Mystic Expansion and Compress Cooldown on Frozen Shelter; mid game Recharging Rush, Refresher, Warp Stone and Healing Tempo; late, Boundless Spirit, Transcendent Cooldown and Superior Duration. It mixes Weapon Items, Vitality Items and Spirit Items.

Players lean further into Spirit Power. deadlock-api measured Improved Spirit and Extra Charge in 81% of his games, Extra Spirit 80%, Extra Regen 72%, Rapid Recharge 69% and Mystic Vulnerability 67% from Oct 15 to Oct 26, 2026; Boundless Spirit, in 65%, won 59.0%, and Escalating Exposure, in 59%, won 59.2%. Hydration's situational picks include Alchemical Fire and Hunter's Aura to use inside Frozen Shelter. See Items and Shop and Builds and Itemization.

Counters and matchups

Healing reduction and poke counter Kelvin. Mobalytics says to fight him with an ally rather than alone, keep your distance, punish the windows when Frost Grenade and Arctic Beam are on cooldown (especially before his ultimate), and bring healing reduction. More on Counter Items.

deadlock-api's matchup measurement (Oct 15 to Oct 26, 2026) found Kelvin's lowest win rates against Graves (46.4%), Rat King (48.0%), Paige (48.3%), Seven (48.8%) and Baba (49.6%), and his highest against Pocket (60.6%), Mirage (60.1%), Holliday (59.3%), Paradox (59.1%) and Shiv (59.0%). Victor won only 49.2% against him.

Kelvin wins far more than his pick rate suggests. He was in only 12.9% of normal matches yet won 54.37%, and 54.30% at Phantom and above (deadlock-api, Oct 15 to Oct 26, 2026); in Ranked he won 54.9%, the third highest (deadlock-api, Ranked). Outlets disagree: Dot Esports put him in S tier on Aug 25, 2026, Dexerto in A on Oct 9, 2026, and Mobalytics' expert list in B on Oct 22, 2026. See the Hero Tier List.

Patch history

• Sep 16, 2026: Frozen Shelter's base health regeneration now scales with Spirit Power (0.2) (Valve).
• Jul 28, 2026: Frozen Shelter's cooldown from 195s to 185s (Valve), after the Jun 30, 2026 15% increase to every ultimate's cooldowns.
• May 22, 2026: Frost Grenade damage scaling from 0.7 to 0.6, Arctic Beam's from 0.5 to 0.38, and an interrupted Ice Path now drops him to the ground (Valve).
• Mar 6, 2026: a rework: Frost Grenade became a 2-charge damage-and-heal grenade (cooldown 20s to 30s), Arctic Beam's slow and fire rate cut fell from 40% and 35% to 20% each, and Frozen Shelter became a targeted dome (Valve).

Valve's Oct 5 and Oct 14, 2026 updates did not name Kelvin; all changes are on Patches and Updates.

Lore

29:06 Kelvin's in-game biography makes him an adventuring scientist whose expedition to "an 8th astral gate hidden in the arctic" never returned; a year and a half later a fishing trawler found his frozen body clutching a rock etched with glowing runes (game files, Oct 26, 2026). His gun is "Expedition's End". The setting is on Lore and Setting.

Frequently asked questions

Is Kelvin good in Deadlock? Yes: Kelvin won 54.37% of normal Deadlock matches from Oct 15 to Oct 26, 2026 and 54.9% in Ranked, as deadlock-api measured, among the highest of all 44 heroes, though he was picked in only 12.9% of matches.

What is the best Kelvin build in Deadlock? Deadlock players build Kelvin around Spirit Power and healing: Improved Spirit, Extra Charge, Extra Spirit, Extra Regen and Rapid Recharge are his most bought items, and Boundless Spirit won 59.0% of the games it was bought in (deadlock-api, Oct 15 to Oct 26, 2026).

How do you counter Kelvin in Deadlock? In Deadlock, bring healing reduction, keep your distance to poke him, and attack while Frost Grenade and Arctic Beam are on cooldown, per Mobalytics. Fight him with an ally rather than alone.

What does Kelvin's Frozen Shelter do? Frozen Shelter is Kelvin's ultimate in Deadlock: an impenetrable 10 m dome for 5s that heals allies 90 health per second, slows enemies 28% and makes objectives inside invulnerable (game files, Oct 26, 2026), on a 185s cooldown since Valve's Jul 28, 2026 update.

Is Kelvin a healer in Deadlock? Kelvin plays as a healer in Deadlock: his Frost Grenade heals allies for 60 while damaging enemies, and Frozen Shelter heals allies inside it, though Valve's game files class him as a brawler.

Sources

• Assets API: heroes, deadlock-api (game files), Oct 26, 2026
• Assets API: items, deadlock-api (game files), Oct 26, 2026
• Hero stats, Oct 15 to Oct 26, 2026, deadlock-api (measured), Oct 26, 2026
• Hero stats, Phantom and above, Oct 15 to Oct 26, 2026, deadlock-api (measured), Oct 26, 2026
• Hero stats, Ranked, from Oct 15, 2026, deadlock-api (measured), Oct 26, 2026
• Hero counter stats, Oct 15 to Oct 26, 2026, deadlock-api (measured), Oct 26, 2026
• Item stats, Kelvin, deadlock-api (measured), Oct 26, 2026
• Minor Update - 09-16-2026, Valve, Sep 16, 2026
• Minor Update - 07-28-2026, Valve, Jul 28, 2026
• Minor Update - 06-30-2026, Valve, Jun 30, 2026
• Gameplay Update - 05-22-2026, Valve, May 22, 2026
• Gameplay Update - 03-06-2026, Valve, Mar 6, 2026
• 11-21-2025 Update, Valve, Nov 21, 2025
• Deadlock adds four new heroes, PCGamesN (Jamie Hore), Jan 17, 2025
• Kelvin by Hydration, Mobalytics (Hydration), Oct 13, 2026
• Deadlock Kelvin Guide - Abilities, Overview & More, Mobalytics, undated, read Oct 26, 2026
• Deadlock Mid Boss Guide, Mobalytics, Aug 8, 2026
• Expert Deadlock Tier List, Mobalytics (RinaVX), Oct 22, 2026
• Deadlock tier list: Best characters and heroes ranked, Dot Esports (Elizbar Ramazashvili), Aug 25, 2026
• Deadlock Tier List: Best characters to pick in the 2026 meta, Dexerto, Oct 9, 2026
• Your Team Sucks. Carry Them as Kelvin | Deadlock 2026 Guide, Grimbles Grumbles, Dec 31, 2025 (video)
• The Complete Lore Of Valve's Next Game | Deadlock Story Explained, OhHeckItsTristan, Mar 28, 2026 (video)