Deadlock hero Ivy: All abilities, best build, and more

Deadlock has dozens of heroes but Ivy stands out for her high fire rate, stamina, and mobility abilities; here’s how to play and build this DPS gargoyle.

There are several reasons to pick Ivy in Valve’s Overwatch-style MOBA. Her exceptional weapon fires at a peerless 14.3 bullets per second, the highest in the game. With her unmatched stamina score of four, Ivy poses a significant threat to enemies who struggle with pursuit. Her base model is pretty impressive, but when upgraded, Ivy becomes unstoppable.

Ivy is a DPS hero who can also be played as a carry, built into a front-liner, and even support. But, to do any of that, it’s worth understanding her base toolkit first.

All of Ivy’s abilities in Deadlock

Ivy deals damage while airborne, and while she’s pretty powerful on her own, she shines in a team setting. This is all thanks to her abilities, which let her carry teammates to safety and heal them. Even when playing public matchmaking without inviting any friends to a lobby, Ivy’s high mobility and burst potential makes her fun for the player and threatening for opponents.

Kudzu Bomb

Ivy’s first ability is Kudzu Bomb, which simply damages and slows enemies in its AOE. It deals 240 damage over four seconds, which can be mitigated by Spirit Resist. In that case, the damage will be reduced. It has a sizable radius of 6 meters and can be thrown a fair distance.

• Level 1: One charge
• Level 2: Lasts for an extra two seconds
• Level 3: Deals +60 damage per second

Ivy players should stay on the frontlines along with tank heroes who may not be as mobile. She works best as a DPS, thanks to her death-dealing gun and Stone Form.

Ivy’s Kudzu Bomb should be the first ability players unlock, using the ability point granted at the start of the game. Since her other abilities require close proximity to enemies, which is not recommended during the farming stage, Kudzu Bomb is a safer choice. This ability can help take down troopers and earn Souls to upgrade Ivy.

To maximize Soul collection, toss the bomb when creeps are clustered together, then finish them with the last hit to secure the Souls. Kudzu Bomb is also highly impactful when combined with Ivy’s dash. While dashing, Ivy gains unlimited ammo for a brief period, enabling her to follow up the bomb with additional damage.

While it’s best unlocked first, leveling up Kudzu Bomb isn’t advisable until the very end. Ivy’s other abilities are more important to her build and players should therefore use their ability points to max out her other abilities first.

Watcher’s Covenant

Ivy is not a healer, but she’s a team player. So whenever she deals damage when her Watchers’ Covenant is enabled, she’ll heal a nearby ally. Other bonuses will also be replicated, including a +10% fire rate and +15% bullet lifesteal.

• Level 1: 10% fire rate boost.
• Level 2: Grants 2m/s movement bonus.
• Level 3: Grants one extra Tether. Ivy can share bonuses with two allies.

Watcher’s Covenant and Air Drop are two abilities that should be leveled up when deemed appropriate. It’s best to unlock Air Drop first, then Watcher’s Covenant, and then max out both alternatively.

Watcher’s Covenant ties Ivy to a nearby ally, but to heal a hero instead of a Trooper, it’s recommended to lock the target by pressing 2. That way, all bonuses will go to a teammate instead of a nearby Trooper. Don’t hold onto this ability to wait for the right moment. It can be used simply as a healing for a wounded teammate by shooting at Troopers.

Stone Form

Ivy’s Stone Form levitates into the air and slams down onto enemies, stunning and damaging them.

Within 6 meters, all enemies will deal 80 damage and a second-long stun, both of which can be increased by leveling up this ability. Ivy herself gains 10% of her max health heal.

• Level 1: Reduces cooldown by 20 seconds.
• Level 2: Grants +80 damage and a 0.5-second stun.
• Level 3: Restores +20% of Ivy’s max health.

Stone Form is the ability players will use most, especially when cut off from teammates in enemies’ claws. Stone Form works like a confidence booster and should be used as such. Instead of using it merely to damage enemies, use it when in a dicey situation without other options. Press 3 and slam into enemies to regain health, deal damage, and buy a little time. While it’s the most important ability in this Ivy build, it’s still extremely valuable.

This offers a chance to escape to safety in good health. For this reason, activating Stone Form as soon as possible after getting one level in Kudzu Bomb is recommended. Players may also want to max out this ability early to gain 20% more health. Stone Form is highly viable but, unfortunately, has a longer cooldown. Maxing out all levels will also cut down the wait by 20 seconds. With the cooldown reduced, this ability can be combined with Kudzu Bomb to finish off tenderized enemies.

Air Drop

Ivy’s support traits once again come into play here. With Air Drop, Ivy turns her allies into a bomb, which deals 150 damage upon explosion to enemies within 8-meter range.

When she’s by herself, she can still use this ability with an actual bomb that does the same amount of damage by pressing the scroll wheel. She also gains a powerful Bullet Shield when airborne, while her ally gains Bully Resist.

• Level 1: Reduces Bullet Resist on enemies by 20% for 12 seconds.
• Level 2: Grants +300 Bullet Shield and expands Explode Radius by 5 meters.
• Level 3: Applies Silence on enemies hit for 4.5 seconds.

Finally, her Air Drop gives her the most powerful ability in Deadlock; aerial control. For 17 seconds, Ivy can soar to safety, evading the battlefield and escaping harm’s way. This ability is extremely helpful for rescuing wounded teammates and whisking them to safety. To maximize its impact, staying close to Tanks with a high number of Souls is recommended. This strategy prevents them from dying, which would result in a longer respawn time later in the round.

Air Drop can also be combined with Stone Form, which deals 160 damage when leveled up. Since Ivy is already right in the enemy’s face, players can Air Drop on them to double the damage dealt. With a teammate in the mix, it’s possible to take down a weakened Guardian with this combination, especially with the right upgrades.

How to level Ivy’s abilities in Deadlock

Ivy may be a team player, but to farm early in the round and maintain a safe distance from Guardians, players should focus on developing her ranged abilities, such as the Kudzu Bomb. However, once she finds her tempo, prioritizing Stone Form is crucial, as it amplifies the impact of Ivy’s other abilities when combined.

Ideally, Stone Form should always have a low cooldown and increased radius. Upgrading Air Drop’s final level can wait, as it offers minimal benefits early in the round. In contrast, upgrading Watcher’s Covenant and AirDrop depends heavily on team coordination and how effectively allies synergize with Ivy’s bonuses.

• Kudzu Bomb
• Stone Form
• Stone Form
• Stone Form
• Watcher’s Covenant
• Air Drop
• Air Drop
• Kudzu Bomb
• Kudzu Bomb
• Watcher’s Covenant
• Watcher’s Covenant
• Air Drop

The best Ivy item build in Deadlock

• Early game: Basic magazine, Close Quarters, Melee Lifesteal, Mystic Reach, Sprint Boots
• Mid-game: Point Blank, Berserker, Healing Booster, Health Nova, Improved Cooldown
• Late game: Tesla Bullets, Improved Bullet Armor, Leech, Improved Reach, Superior Cooldown, Hunter’s Aura, Soul Rebirth

In the early game, Ivy’s build should be focused on boosting her weapon damage. Basic magazine and close quarters provide an instant magazine buff while increasing damage when the target is in close range. When paired with her dash, Ivy’s weapon itself can be enough to weaken Guardians and Walkers.

Considering the nature of her toolkit, she’s often face-to-face with enemies. It’s worth building up her melee by investing Souls on Melee Lifesteal, which heals for 20% of the melee damage dealt. If need to get to safety, consider getting Sprint Boots to help with movement. Finally, Mystic Reach is a must-have to increase the radius of AoE-based abilities and grab/heal allies from a distance.

Ivy has high ammo capacity naturally, but pairing ammo scavenger with a basic magazine can help with farming quicker and stacking up souls.

Players will keep finding themselves in the frontline after unlocking abilities like Stone Form and Watcher’s Covenant. In the middle of the round, upgrades like Point Blank and Berserker provide a much-needed damage boost when targets are up close. Health nova and healing booster allow quick health regen and heal nearby allies.

Improved Cooldown, specifically on Stone Form, is a strong investment to escape tough duels one after another. If Stone Form is already maxed out, this upgrade will decrease the cooldown by 16%. That means the ability will be ready to use in 15 seconds.

An alternative to cooldown reductions is Duration Extender. Each ability will last longer, and it offers bonus of health and regen.

After stacking up Souls, shelling those out on shields and spirit boosters is the best direction for building out Ivy. Improved Reach and Superior Cooldown are both excellent late-round upgrades that can be bound to the player’s primary ability. Bind Improved Reach to either Kudzu Bomb or Watcher’s Covenant to gain a 35% increase in range and radius. This binding also extends a 25% boost to Ivy’s remaining abilities. Furthermore, bind Superior Cooldown to Air Drop, though other options are also viable.

Improved Bullet Armor and Leech are solid shields that boost weapon damage. Whereas Tesla Bullets amplify damage when on the move, allowing Ivy to chain damage between nearby enemies.

Soul Rebirth may not be the most popular upgrade for Ivy but, given the 45-second respawn time players work around in the late game, instantly respawning at the location of the last death, albeit with reduced health, is a viable option. This is especially true if Ivy is the team’s best tank, as the team doesn’t want the most important hero out for too long.

Among the luxury items, Echo Shard is highly recommended. It instantly resets the cooldown of the most recently used ability, allowing Ivy to provide healing for her allies without interruption sustainably. This makes it an especially valuable asset for those who prefer a support playstyle.