One of the four fresh characters, formerly known as Nano, has been added to the main roster of heroes in Deadlock. Previously, this character was exceptional at causing turmoil on the battlefield by providing ganking support. With suitable equipment, it can plunge in, secure kills, and vanish from the map before the opposing team can respond effectively.
Instead, by choosing the right equipment, you can turn this character into a colossal brawler who plunges headlong into battles and pushes objectives relentlessly. However, many players opt for the spirit-scaling assassin setup due to its impressive damage potential. In this tutorial, we’ll demonstrate how the Calico build performs in the game Deadlock, and which items you should acquire for the hero to make it effective.
Deadlock Calico Overview & Ability Details
Although Calico may not be very dominant during laning phases, she excels in 1-on-1 duels. Her unique ability to vanish from the map and swiftly provide ganking assistance to side lanes gives her an edge as a powerful hero to master. In Deadlock, her healing is incredibly potent, and her self-healing move with Leaping Slash ranks among the strongest in the game. Despite a modest ammunition capacity in her primary fire, it improves significantly with a few items, becoming effective during mid and late game scenarios.
Here’s a quick overview of Calico’s abilities in Deadlock:
| Ability Name | Effects | Upgrades |
|---|---|---|
| Gloom Bombs | Throw a cluster of bombs that detonate after a delay, dealing Spirit Damage.
|
1 AP: +20 Damage |
| 2 AP: -3s Cooldown | ||
| 5 AP: +2 Bomb Count | ||
| Leaping Slash | Dash forward before slashing all enemies in a circle, dealing Light Melee Damage. Heal a small amount of health on hero hit. Enemies hit by multiple Gloom Bombs take 50% decreased damage.
|
1 AP: +30 Heal Amount |
| 2 AP: +75 Damage | ||
| 5 AP: -50% Cooldown on Hit | ||
| Ava | Turn to shadows and possess Ava. You gain Movement Speed and become Hidden on the Minimap, but cannot attack or cast abilities.
|
1 AP: +20s Buff Duration |
| 2 AP: +45% Move Speed Bonus | ||
| 5 AP: -15s Cooldown, Gain 30 Health Regen during Ava. | ||
| Return to Shadows | Instantly turn to shadows, becoming Untargetabble, gaining Movement Speed, and dealing Damage. After 3s, return from the shadows, dealing Damage again.
|
1 AP: -30s Cooldown |
| 2 AP: +80 Damage | ||
| 5 AP: Reset all cooldowns and gain 30% damage amp for 5s. |
After sustaining damage from an enemy hero, I, for five heartbeats, won’t be able to utilize Ava. Additionally, the swiftness bonus that Ava grants me will drop by half when I take a hit from an enemy hero.
Calico Build Guide (Ability Order & Item Progression) in Deadlock
In Calico, you can choose between two distinct strategies: the first, akin to Abrams, involves playing as a robust frontliner who thrives in the heat of battle. The second option is to be a stealthy assassin, able to traverse the map undetected, taking out enemy heroes and pressuring lanes independently. In this guide, we’ll focus on the ganker playstyle, which is currently trending in the game meta. It’s also worth noting that with this build, you’ll have less dependence on your team for success.
Calico can be played both in a Solo and Dual lane.
In this setup, the build primarily leverages Calico’s high spirit scaling on Gloom Bombs and Leaping Slash to enhance its damage and healing capabilities. While you’ll primarily focus on acquiring Spirit Items, it’s important to allocate some resources into Weapon and Vitality items to complete your inventory and ensure a well-rounded build. The majority of your flexible slots will be dedicated to Spirit items, however.
Here’s how this build works:
Calico Ability Order
When controlling Calico, begin the laning phase by deploying a few Gloom Bombs. Given her relatively weak main weapon, you’ll need to use this skill to harass your opponents in lane. Proceed to unlock Leaping Slash followed by Ava as your next skills. Try to unlock your ultimate ability as soon as it becomes accessible for a significant power boost.
You can use Gloom Bombs to quickly farm Jungle camps.
For point distribution, it’s advisable to put 1 Ability Point (AP) into Gloom Bombs initially for the bonus damage. Then, invest 3 AP into Leaping Slash to acquire its level 2 enhancement. Subsequently, prioritize maxing out your ultimate to trigger the damage boost and cooldown reduction. Following this, maximize Gloom Bombs and choose the final upgrade of Leaping Slash. Lastly, allocate points into Ava once all other abilities have reached their maximum upgrades.
The bonus damage from the Gloom Bombs upgrade applies to each individual bomb.
Calico Item Progression
When it comes to playing Calico as a ganker, fewer items are necessary for optimal performance compared to other heroes. Just like Lash, once you’ve gathered a few essential items and honed your ability points, you’ll rapidly dish out massive damage. Here’s a list of the items you should prioritize on Calico during gameplay.
Early Game:
- Ammo Scavenger
- Spirit Strike
- Melee Lifesteal
- Hollow Point Ward
- Basic Magazine
- Extra Health
- Cold Front
- Mystic Shot
- Extra Spirit
In the early stages as Calico, your main goal is to address her limited trading capabilities. Equipping Ammo Scavenger, Spirit Strike, and Melee Lifesteal will enhance your influence during laning, enabling you to harass your opponent. The Ammo Scavenger’s passive ability to replenish ammo becomes crucial for the hero due to her small magazine size. Additionally, the Melee Lifesteal synergizes well with the healing from Leaping Strike, making it a potent combo to employ during the laning phase.
With Hollow Point Ward and a Standard Magazine equipped, you’ll substantially increase your weapon’s capability for dealing damage. Basic Health and Spirit bonuses provide foundational enhancements to your stats, while Mystic Shot offers extra spirit-based damage. Lastly, consider Cold Front as an additional method to unleash area-of-effect (AOE) damage upon the enemy hero.
You can use Cold Front even when transformed into Ava.
Mid Game
- Torment Pulse
- Soul Shredder Bullets
- Healing Booster
- Healbane
- Spirit Snatch
- Lifestrike
- Improved Spirit
- Surge of Power
To maximize Calico’s abilities, it’s best to open the Flex Slots as soon as you can. Once you have at least one Flex Slot activated, consider using Torment Pulse. Although it’s costly, this single item will significantly boost your damage, passively dealing Spirit Damage to any surrounding enemy units.
The Soul Shredder Bullets are fantastic because they boost your ultimate’s damage even more. Crucial Vitality items like Healing Booster, Healbane, and Lifestrike will help you absorb damage and keep fighting for extended periods. Once you’ve fully leveled up Gloom Bombs, opt for Surge of Power to enhance this skill with the item. Next, improve Extra Spirits to Improved Spirits.
Late Game
- Bullet/Spirit Armor
- Improved Bullet/Spirit Armor
- Mystic Vulnerability
- Boundless Spirit
- Colossus/Debuff Reducer/Debuff Remover
- Warp Stone
To complete this project, there are some additional items you might need. Initially, you should consider purchasing either Bullet or Spirit Armor, depending on the composition of the opposing team. Once acquired, aim to upgrade it to a higher level. This will substantially improve your ability to withstand one-on-one fights and allow you to eliminate opponents while minimizing HP loss.
Opt for Spirit Shielding if your opponent’s team predominantly utilizes Spirit Harm and Barrier for damage resistant against weapon attacks.
1. In your upcoming flexible slot, you’ll find Mystic Vulnerability taking residence. If you don’t have additional slots unlocked yet, feel free to trade Ammo Scavenger at this juncture.
2. For those who are finding it tough to navigate enemy crowd-control abilities, consider either Colossus or Debuff Removers/Reducers.
3. Boundless Spirit is a fantastic choice for late-game power boosts.
4. Warp Stone might be beneficial if you require extra mobility to chase down elusive heroes like Pocket.
Deadlock is a highly adaptable game that allows for numerous hero build variations based on your preferred playing style. The Calico build we previously talked about excels in dueling and usually overpowers most heroes in the game with ease. However, remember that this isn’t the only way to play the hero. As you become more comfortable with the hero’s skills, don’t hesitate to experiment with different item combinations to discover the full potential of your chosen hero.
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2025-02-09 04:06