Vindicta’s ability to fly above the map in Deadlock is nothing spectacular. However, as one player found out, the flight’s duration and height can be substantially extended. So much so that players have dubbed it the ‘Google Maps’ build that lets Vindicta rain death from above.
The build, shared on Reddit on Sept. 14, sees Vindicta flying high and mighty above the buildings of the alternative 1920s New York City, shooting at opponents leagues below her feet. It lasts for quite a while, over 30 seconds, and lets this immense carry continuously use spells and her firepower to take down even the tankiest of heroes, albeit at the cost of some DPS. The key item that makes this possible is Boundless Spirit, which nearly doubles her second ability’s duration and is an unusual pick for Vindicta, who is almost always played as a bullet damage carry.
However, it can be perfectly viable. Against opponents who can lock you down easily, you might be forced into the safety of the clouds by combining Boundless Spirit with cooldown-reducing items. This combination lets you perpetually stay in Flight mode, and while you do sacrifice some of your damage, the trade-off is worth it in those situations. You can make up for the lost DPS by purchasing Long Range and upgrading it to Sharpshooter, which will reduce your damage drop-off and boost your weapon damage at range by a whopping 70 percent. Duration Extender can also come into play if you really want to stay up in the air forever, though it’s not a necessary pick.
Vindicta is by far the strongest bullet damage carry in the game if played correctly. She can stay away from danger while remaining highly effective at taking targets down using both her weapon and her spells, particularly the Ultimate promptly named Assassinate. With the build above, Vindicta can easily play Dota while everyone is stuck with the petty third-person Deadlock and rain hellfire down on her opponents.
