At a glance#
Role (our classification)
- Assassin — Finds isolated targets, deletes them and leaves before the enemy team can answer.
Damage
- Hybrid-leaning kit
Weapon
- Sweetest Lie (spreadshot)
Released
- 17 Jan 2025
A shadowy assassin Hero who stalks the streets in the form of her cat before ambushing foes with claw and bombs.
Calico’s abilities explained#
Calico has three regular abilities and an ultimate. Ability names and behaviour below were checked on 27 Oct 2026; numbers are left out on purpose because they change with almost every patch — the in-game tooltip shows the current values.
Ability 1
Gloom Bombs
Throws a cluster of bombs that detonate after a short delay for spirit damage. Enemies hit by multiple bombs take reduced damage.
Ability 2
Leaping Slash
Dashes forward, then slashes all enemies in a circle for melee damage. Hitting a hero restores some health.
Ability 3
Ava
Possesses her cat, gaining growing move speed and hiding from the minimap. Damage from an enemy hero resets the bonus.
Ultimate
Return to Shadows
Becomes untargetable in shadows with bonus speed and spirit damage, then returns after a delay to deal spirit damage again. Completing it heals Calico.
How to play Calico#
Play around vision and timing: farm safely until your power spike, then hunt players who wander off alone. Avoid opening fights head-on — your job starts once the enemy has used their crowd control.
Tips from the current kit
- Aim Gloom Bombs at a hero's centre of mass so all bombs connect.
- Use Return to Shadows to disengage, or to re-engage when enemies least expect it.
- Ava can enter vents.
- Leaping Slash's dash ends at the first enemy hero it hits.
Build framework#
A starting framework, not a tested build
This section explains what kind of items Calico’s kit rewards, built from how the abilities work. It isn’t a win-rate-tested build. For community builds with current stats, open the in-game Build Browser and filter by hero, then check our items explainer to understand why each item is there.
Hybrid lean. The kit mixes weapon and spirit damage, so builds lean whichever way your abilities and the game call for — often spirit items for the abilities you level first, then weapon items as the gun takes over.
| Stage | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Laning | Cheap 800-soul items that help you trade and sustain in lane, plus one that boosts your main damage source. |
| Mid game | Your first 3,200-soul item is usually the biggest single jump in power — buy toward the one that makes your best ability or your gun stronger. |
| Late game | Fill slots with 6,400-soul items, and swap cheap starters for upgrades. Leave room for an answer to what the enemy is doing. |
| Defence | Match the enemy’s damage: shields and resistance against whichever type is hurting you most. |
Items that fit a hybrid kit
Defensive options
Items opponents commonly use against Calico — expect to see them, and plan around them:
Ability points#
Ability unlocks come from levelling up; ability points then buy upgrade tiers. A sensible default for Calico:
- Unlock the ability that helps you farm or trade in lane first — for most players that’s Gloom Bombs or the ability you can hit most reliably.
- Unlock all three regular abilities early so you have every tool in the first fights.
- Unlock Return to Shadows as soon as it’s available.
- Put upgrade points into the ability you use most, then into whichever upgrade tier changes how an ability works (tier 3 upgrades often do).
General guidance; upgrade tiers and costs are shown in game.
Playing against Calico#
- Slowing Hex disables Leaping Slash, Ava and Return to Shadows.
- Healing reduction cuts her healing from Leaping Slash and Return to Shadows.
- Damaging Calico in Ava form resets her speed and puts Ava on cooldown.
The full breakdown — abilities to play around, counter items with reasons and mistakes to avoid — is in how to counter Calico.
Recent changes#
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| 30 Oct 2026 | Leaping Slash T3 bonus damage +60 → +90; Ava T3 duration 6s → 8s. |
| 28 Jul 2026 | Ava T2 move speed +45%→+40%; T3 damage amp +20%→+18%. |
Every update that touches heroes is summarised in patch notes explained and the patch impact tracker.