The Home of Early Access & Indie Gaming News & Reviews 

Deadlock Ivy Build Guide: Mastering Ivy's Abilities and Playstyle

Guides
Posted on:
29th January 2025
Updated:
ago
Est reading:
6 minutes

Intro

Deadlock features a diverse roster of heroes, but Ivy stands out as a versatile support hero with unique abilities that can turn the tide of battle. This Ivy build guide will provide you with the best strategies to maximize her potential, focusing on her strengths, weaknesses, and the optimal way to build her for maximum damage output and team support.

Deadlock Ivy Overview

Ivy in Deadlock is a support hero who excels in both healing and crowd control, making her one of the most unique heroes in the game. Ivy's abilities offer a blend of utility and damage over time, allowing her to control the battlefield effectively. While her weapon damage isn't the highest, her ability to disrupt enemies and support allies makes her invaluable in any team composition.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths

  • High Utility: Ivy excels in offering healing and protective buffs through her Watcher's Covenant ability, allowing her to keep multiple allies alive in critical moments. She can gain bonuses and automatically connect with a nearby ally to share enhancements, boosting their performance.
  • Strong Area Control: Abilities like Kudzu Bomb and Stone Form give Ivy great control over choke points and objectives. Kudzu Bomb can cause a large explosion that slows enemies, applying decay, while Stone Form allows her to smash into the ground, stunning foes.
  • Team Mobility: With Air Drop, Ivy can fly with an ally or a bomb to cause significant impact upon landing. The bomb causes a large explosion that affects enemy movement, and the ally gains a bullet shield when flying ends, providing additional bullet resist.

Weaknesses

  • Low Damage Output: While Ivy provides excellent support, her damage output pales compared to more damage-focused characters. Her role is more about sustaining and controlling the battlefield rather than dealing direct damage.
  • Reliant on Teammates: Ivy's abilities shine when her team can follow up on her healing and crowd control abilities, making her less effective if her teammates fail to capitalize on her utility.
  • Vulnerable During Cooldowns: With long cooldowns on her abilities, Ivy can find herself vulnerable if caught out of position without any spells available to defend or heal.

Ivy's Abilities Explained

Kudzu Bomb

Kudzu Bomb summons a patch of vines that deals damage over time and slows enemies within its radius, applying decay. This ability is ideal for zoning during team fights or holding defensive positions. Enemies caught in the Kudzu Bomb are less likely to escape or engage effectively.

  • Level 1: +1 charge
  • Level 2: +2-second duration
  • Level 3: +60 DPS

Watcher's Covenant

This ability allows Ivy to link with a nearby ally, sharing healing and bonus stats. The tethered ally benefits from increased fire rate and movement speed, making Watcher's Covenant a critical tool in team fights. Ivy can automatically connect with a nearby ally to enhance their capabilities.

  • Level 1: +10% fire rate
  • Level 2: +3 meters/second movement speed
  • Level 3: +1 tether count

Stone Form

Stone Form allows Ivy to turn into an impervious stone, heal for a portion of her max health, and smash into the ground, stunning enemies upon impact. This ability enhances her survivability and disrupts enemy engagements.

  • Level 1: -20-second cooldown
  • Level 2: +80 damage and 0.5-second stun
  • Level 3: +20% max health heal

Air Drop (Ultimate)

With Air Drop, Ivy can fly with an ally or bomb to cause a significant impact upon landing. The bomb causes a large explosion that affects enemy movement, and the ally gains a bullet shield when flying ends, providing additional bullet resist. This ability allows Ivy to lock on to a target and reposition strategically.

  • Level 1: -20% bullet resist on enemies hit
  • Level 2: +300 bullet shield, +5-meter explosion radius
  • Level 3: +4.5-second silence on hit enemies

Best Ivy Build Guide

Early Game

In the early game, focus on purchasing items that increase survivability and utility. Start with Basic Magazine to increase your ammo capacity and Extra Health for more durability. Ivy's primary goal during this stage is to assist in securing objectives and help her teammates push lanes. Items like Spirit Armor and Enduring Speed are essential to enhance your defenses and movement speed.

Mid Game

As you transition into the mid game, consider acquiring Bullet Lifesteal to sustain yourself during skirmishes. Upgrading Watcher's Covenant early will maximize the healing and buffs you provide to teammates. The Titanic Magazine is a great upgrade to increase your ammo capacity, allowing you to maintain pressure on the enemy.

Late Game

In the late game, items like Close Quarters and Spirit Power become crucial. Close Quarters enhances your effectiveness in tight spaces, while Spirit Power boosts your ability to deal a lot of damage when needed. Consider Monster Rounds for increased weapon damage, helping you contribute more to team fights. Late-game items should focus on maximizing Ivy's support capabilities while enhancing her damage output.

Optional Items

  • Silencer: Essential against enemy heroes with powerful abilities.
  • Healer's Charm: Amplifies your healing effects to keep your team in the fight.
  • Fortitude: Provides extra max health to survive extended engagements.

Ability Upgrade Order

  1. Watcher's Covenant: Upgrade this first to maximize team support.
  2. Stone Form: Focus on this next for added survivability and crowd control.
  3. Kudzu Bomb: Upgrade to strengthen your zoning capabilities.
  4. Air Drop: Upgrade whenever available to enhance its impact.

Upgrading abilities in this order ensures that Ivy can support her team effectively throughout all stages of the game.

Gameplay Strategies

Early Game Laning

During the early game, Ivy should focus on supporting her laning partner by zoning enemies with Kudzu Bomb and healing them with Watcher's Covenant. Be mindful of enemy aggression, and maintain a safe distance while tethered to your ally. Ivy's role is not to secure kills but to keep her lane partner alive and apply pressure through her utility.

Team Fights

In team fights, prioritize tethering to the most valuable or vulnerable teammate. Use Stone Form to heal and stun enemies who target you or your allies. Proper timing of Air Drop can help initiate or disengage fights, especially when paired with an aggressive ally. Remember to drop your ally or bomb strategically to maximize the impact.

Mastering Ivy's Playstyle

Mastering Ivy requires understanding her balance between utility and positioning. Properly managing cooldowns and knowing when to engage or retreat is crucial. Utilizing her abilities effectively will make Ivy a cornerstone in your team's strategy. With the right items and upgrades, you can optimize her DPS and support capabilities.

Best Items and Abilities

The best items for Ivy focus on enhancing her support role while providing some offensive capabilities. Active Reload and Ammo Scavenger help maintain your ammo supply. Abilities like Slowing Bullets and Crippling Headshot can disrupt enemy movements. Improved Bullet Armor and Improved Spirit Armor boost your defenses significantly. Combining Point Blank and Titanic Magazine increases your close-range effectiveness, while Lucky Shot and Crippling Headshot enhance your critical damage potential.

Additional Tips

  • Heroic Aura is an excellent ability to support your team by increasing their stats.
  • Vampiric Burst provides additional healing during fights.
  • Utilizing Slowing Hex and Withering Whip can further control enemy movements.
  • Ivy starts with four stamina bars, giving her decent mobility early on.
  • Gargoyle can be a situational pick for extra defense.
  • Always be aware of the enemy hero positions to avoid getting caught during cooldowns.

Conclusion

Ivy's strength lies in her versatility as a support hero who can heal, control the battlefield, and protect key allies. By carefully selecting your items, upgrading her abilities, and playing around your team's strengths, you can ensure that Ivy remains a critical part of your team's success in Deadlock. With this best Ivy build, you'll maximize her potential and contribute significantly to your team's victories. Remember, mastering Ivy's playstyle and utilizing her unique abilities will make you an indispensable hero in Deadlock.

Want to learn more about the Deadlock heroes? Check out our other articles at SaveGame or our Deadlock lore article.

Disclaimer: This guide is based on the current patch and may change with future updates. For the most up-to-date strategies, be sure to check the latest guides and gameplay videos.

Share our awesome article on social media:
Still thirsty? Read more some more of our content
Article Contents
Follow us on
Made by a couple of 👾 gamers in Rural England