- Win Rate
- 49.0%
- Pick Rate
- 17.5%
- KDA
- 3.11
Calico Abilities
- Skill Level
- All Skill Levels
- Matches
- 20,516
- Version
- 6860
- Last Updated
- Nov 8, 2026 UTC
- Author
- Dakota Chinnick
- Methodology
- Data Methodology
Calico abilities are Gloom Bombs, Leaping Slash, Ava. The Calico ultimate ability is Return to Shadows. This page provides Calico's ability previews and provides the recommended Calico ability leveling order for competitive play.
Calico abilities
Gloom Bombs
Enemies hit by multiple bombs take 65% damage.
Calico abilities: cooldowns, damage & scaling
Calico's abilities in Deadlock: Gloom Bombs, Leaping Slash, and Ava. Ultimate: Return to Shadows (115s cooldown). Every number comes from the current game files. Move the Spirit Power slider, buy upgrade tiers or try an imbue item and the whole page recalculates.
| Ability | Cooldown | Key stat | Scaling | Effects |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Ability 1Gloom Bombs | 14s | 4Bomb Count | Damage +0.644 per Spirit Power | |
 Ability 2Leaping Slash | 13s | 10Impact Damage | Heal Amount +1.4 per Spirit Power | |
 Ability 3Ava | 30s | 30%Min Move Speed | No Spirit scaling | — |
 UltimateReturn to Shadows | 115s | 150Damage | Damage +0.609 per Spirit Power |
Also imbues any active ability:
Quicksilver Reload
Echo ShardMercurial Magnum
Mystic Reverb
Gloom Bombs
Leaping Slash
Ava
Return to ShadowsGloom Bombs (1)
Ability 1
Throw out cluster bombs
Throw a cluster of bombs that detonate after a delay, dealing
spirit damage.
Enemies hit by multiple bombs take 65% damage.
- Cooldown
- 14s
- Bomb Count
- 4
- Damage
- 45+0.644 per Spirit Power
- Radius
- 3m
- Lifetime
- 75s
- Melee Resist
- —Unlocked by an upgrade
- Melee Resist Reduction Duration
- —Unlocked by an upgrade
Gloom Bombs upgrades
| Tier | Cost | Effect | What changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | 1 AP | Cooldown 11s |
|
| T2 | 2 AP | Per Bomb Touch : -6% Melee Resist for 6s |
|
| T3 | 5 AP | Bomb Count 7 |
|
All three tiers cost 8 ability points. Values are at 0 Spirit Power; use the tier buttons to see them with your Spirit Power.
Items that boost Gloom Bombs
Mystic Expansion800 · T1Radius 3m → 3.6m
Compress Cooldown1,600 · T2Cooldown 14s → 11.5s
Ballistic Enchantment3,200 · T3Radius 3m → 3.66m
Surge of Power3,200 · T3Damage 45 → 63
An imbue item works on the one ability you pick when you buy it. Numbers are at 0 Spirit Power, before upgrades.
Leaping Slash (2)
Ability 2
Dash forward and slash enemies
Dash forward before slashing all enemies in a circle, dealing melee damage.
If the ability hits at least one hero,
heal a small amount of health.
- Cooldown
- 13s
- Impact Damage
- 10Melee scaling
- Heal Amount
- 40+1.4 per Spirit Power
- Dash Speed
- 2400m/s
- Radius
- 2m
- Slash Radius
- 4m
- Cast Range
- 9m
- Bounty Duration
- —Unlocked by an upgrade
- Bonus Souls Per Assassination
- —Unlocked by an upgrade
- Cooldown Refund
- —Unlocked by an upgrade
Leaping Slash upgrades
| Tier | Cost | Effect | What changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | 1 AP | Heal Amount 65 |
|
| T2 | 2 AP | Heroes killed within 3s grant +200 souls |
|
| T3 | 5 AP | +90 Damage & On Hero Hit: 50% Cooldown Refund |
|
All three tiers cost 8 ability points. Values are at 0 Spirit Power; use the tier buttons to see them with your Spirit Power.
Items that boost Leaping Slash
- Mystic Expansion800 · T1Slash Radius 4m → 4.8mCast Range 9m → 10.8m
- Compress Cooldown1,600 · T2Cooldown 13s → 10.7s
- Ballistic Enchantment3,200 · T3Slash Radius 4m → 4.88mCast Range 9m → 11m
- Surge of Power3,200 · T3Heal Amount 40 → 79.2
An imbue item works on the one ability you pick when you buy it. Numbers are at 0 Spirit Power, before upgrades.
Ava (3)
Ability 3
Take control of Ava
Turn to shadows and possess Ava. You gain
bonus move speed that increases over time, and become hidden on the minimap.
Taking damage from an enemy hero resets your bonus move speed and puts Ava on a brief cooldown.
- Cooldown
- 30s
- Min Move Speed
- 30%
- Max Move Speed
- 65%
- Buff Duration
- 15s
- Time for Max Bonus
- 4s
- Interrupt Cooldown
- 6s
- Health Regen
- —Unlocked by an upgrade
- Damage
- —Unlocked by an upgrade
Ava upgrades
| Tier | Cost | Effect | What changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | 1 AP | Buff Duration 30s |
|
| T2 | 2 AP | +15 Health Regen & +40% Max Move Speed |
|
| T3 | 5 AP | Gain Damage Amp over time, up to 18%. Lingers for 8s |
|
All three tiers cost 8 ability points. Values are at 0 Spirit Power; use the tier buttons to see them with your Spirit Power.
Items that boost Ava
- Compress Cooldown1,600 · T2Cooldown 30s → 24.6s
Duration Extender1,600 · T2Buff Duration 15s → 18.3s
An imbue item works on the one ability you pick when you buy it. Numbers are at 0 Spirit Power, before upgrades.
Return to Shadows (4)
Ultimate
Turn to Shadows, gaining movespeed and dealing delayed damage
Instantly turn to shadows, becoming untargetable, gaining
bonus move speed, and dealing
spirit damage.
After a delay, return from the shadows, dealing
spirit damage again.
- Cooldown
- 115s
- Damage
- 150+0.609 per Spirit Power
- Move Speed
- +20%
- Explosion Delay
- 3s
- Radius
- 7.5m
- Heal Amount
- —Unlocked by an upgrade
Return to Shadows upgrades
| Tier | Cost | Effect | What changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | 1 AP | Cooldown 95s |
|
| T2 | 2 AP | +75 Damage and +20% Move Speed |
|
| T3 | 5 AP | On Completion: Heal for 450 and refund all ability cooldowns |
|
All three tiers cost 8 ability points. Values are at 0 Spirit Power; use the tier buttons to see them with your Spirit Power.
Items that boost Return to Shadows
- Mystic Expansion800 · T1Radius 7.5m → 9m
- Compress Cooldown1,600 · T2Cooldown 115s → 94.3s
- Duration Extender1,600 · T2Explosion Delay 3s → 3.66s
- Ballistic Enchantment3,200 · T3Radius 7.5m → 9.15m
- Surge of Power3,200 · T3Damage 150 → 167
An imbue item works on the one ability you pick when you buy it. Numbers are at 0 Spirit Power, before upgrades.
Calico skill order
214,446 gamesMost Calico players max Return to Shadows first (71% of games), then Leaping Slash (15%).
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gloom Bombs | + | T1 | T2 | T3 | ||||||||||||
| Leaping Slash | + | T1 | T2 | T3 | ||||||||||||
| Ava | + | T1 | T2 | T3 | ||||||||||||
| Return to Shadows | + | T1 | T2 | T3 |
Which ability players max first
The most common order in recent matches. The first 8 points come straight from match data; the rest follow the most common max-first priority. "+" marks the unlock, T1–T3 the upgrade tiers.
Calico Leveling Costs and Upgrades
Calico reaches max level (36) at 48,600 souls. New abilities unlock at levels 1, 3, 5, 8. Every other level adds an ability point.
| Level | Souls | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | Ability Unlock |
| 2 | 200 | Ability Point |
| 3 | 500 | Ability Unlock |
| 4 | 900 | Ability Point |
| 5 | 1,400 | Ability Unlock |
| 6 | 2,000 | Ability Point |
| 7 | 2,600 | Ability Point |
| 8 | 3,200 | Ability Unlock |
| 9 | 3,900 | Ability Point |
| 10 | 4,600 | Ability Point |
| 11 | 5,300 | Ability Point |
| 12 | 6,000 | Ability Point |
| Level | Souls | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | 6,800 | Ability Point |
| 14 | 7,600 | Ability Point |
| 15 | 8,400 | Ability Point |
| 16 | 9,200 | Ability Point |
| 17 | 10,100 | Ability Point |
| 18 | 11,000 | Ability Point |
| 19 | 11,900 | Ability Point |
| 20 | 12,800 | Ability Point |
| 21 | 13,800 | Ability Point |
| 22 | 14,900 | Ability Point |
| 23 | 16,100 | Ability Point |
| 24 | 17,400 | Ability Point |
| Level | Souls | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | 18,900 | Ability Point |
| 26 | 20,600 | Ability Point |
| 27 | 22,500 | Ability Point |
| 28 | 24,600 | Ability Point |
| 29 | 26,900 | Ability Point |
| 30 | 29,400 | Ability Point |
| 31 | 32,100 | Ability Point |
| 32 | 35,000 | Ability Point |
| 33 | 38,100 | Ability Point |
| 34 | 41,400 | Ability Point |
| 35 | 44,900 | Ability Point |
| 36 | 48,600 | Ability Point |
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Calico Abilities - FAQ
What abilities does Calico have?
Calico has four abilities: Gloom Bombs, Leaping Slash and Ava, plus the ultimate Return to Shadows.
What is Calico's ultimate in Deadlock?
Calico's ultimate is Return to Shadows, with a 115s base cooldown. Instantly turn to shadows, becoming untargetable, gaining bonus move speed, and dealing spirit damage. After a delay, return from the shadows, dealing spirit damage again.
What are Calico's ability cooldowns?
Base cooldowns for Calico: Gloom Bombs 14s, Leaping Slash 13s, Ava 30s, and Return to Shadows 115s. Upgrades cut the most from Return to Shadows, which goes from 115s to 95s with all three tiers.
What is the recommended ability leveling order for Calico?
Most Calico players max Return to Shadows first (71% of games), then Leaping Slash (15%).
Does Calico scale with Spirit Power?
Yes. 3 of Calico's 4 abilities scale with Spirit Power. The biggest scaler is Leaping Slash: Heal Amount gains 1.4 per point of Spirit Power.
Which items boost Calico's abilities?
Imbue items that change Calico's numbers: Mystic Expansion, Compress Cooldown, Ballistic Enchantment, Surge of Power, and Duration Extender. The biggest jump: Surge of Power on Leaping Slash takes Heal Amount from 40 to 79.2.