Dhelmise Defender Supporter Build Guide — Unstoppable Anchor in Pokemon Unite
Dhelmise is one of those tanky, disruptive picks that can swing a match without needing the highest damage numbers. When played as a hybrid defender/support, Dhelmise becomes an immovable anchor: a peel machine that locks targets down, controls space, and sets up kills for carries. This guide walks you through a fully optimized Dhelmise build for defender/support mains who want to climb ranked ladder—covering movesets, held items, battle item choices, level-by-level priority, team rotations, objective control, synergies, counters, and advanced micro/macros that turn a good Dhelmise into a game-winning one.
What you'll get in this guide
Full recommended build and alternative loadouts for different metas and teammates
Detailed moveset analysis and evolution path walkthrough
Leveling and ability priority with in-game examples
Positioning, peel tactics, and crowd-control (CC) combos
Best held items and battle item choices, plus situational swaps
Objective control and rotation templates for early, mid, and late game
Team synergy, best partners, and worst matchups
Tips for climbing ranked as a defender/support main with Dhelmise
FAQ and concise troubleshooting checklist to fix common mistakes
If you prefer a condensed checklist or printable cheat sheet, tell me after reading and I’ll craft one.
Moveset overview and role breakdown
Dhelmise fills the defender/support niche best when it focuses on space control, CC, and sustained disruption. Its toolkit gives it a unique mix of single-target lockdown and area denial. As a defender/support, your job is to:
Protect squishy allies from divers and assassins
Lock down priority targets with stuns and roots long enough for your team to burst them
Deny area and zoning with anchored abilities that disrupt enemy movement
Contest and secure objectives with sustained presence, not raw damage
Core abilities provide a mix of shock damage and lockdown; evolving them at correct levels augments survivability and the potency of your peel. Build toward enabling your team to play around your space control early, then translate that into objective control mid- to late-game.
Optimal moveset and evolution path
Primary moveset (recommended for defender/support role)
Start with the passive and your base move that gives baseline CC or sustain as available.
Prioritize the ability that provides reliable crowd control first when you evolve (often at level 4 or 6 depending on the ability mechanics of Dhelmise at the current patch).
Take the secondary CC or area-denial move second to maximize teamfight impact.
Finally, evolve the Ult/Uber ability that extends your lockdown and offers longer crowd control windows.
Example priority (generalized for support/defender play)
Evolve the main CC root/lock ability first — this is your peel answer.
Evolve the area denial or zoning move second — increases your ability to control objectives.
Evolve the ultimate third — longer lockdown + teamfight extension.
Why this order? Defender/support Dhelmise sacrifices some solo-kill finish potential to keep enemies pinned for carries. Getting your CC online earlier means you can start influencing fights and skirmishes as soon as they happen rather than waiting for late-game evolutions.
Held items and battle item — core choices
Core held items (recommended)
Buddy Barrier — A top choice for any defender/support. The shield on use grants survivability for both you and an ally, enabling you to initiate or save carries during crucial moments. This item is especially strong when paired with your CC, as the shield often lands on an ally right before they commit to follow-up damage.
Focus Band — Grants sustain and improves survivability during prolonged skirmishes and objective fights. It reduces the risk of getting one-shot by duelists and helps you remain on point to peel.
Sitrus Berry or Rocky Helmet (situational)
Sitrus Berry adds burst self-heal during clutch HP thresholds which can be the difference in a close fight.
Rocky Helmet punishes attackers and helps when the enemy team relies on auto-attacking divers.
Alternative/Meta swaps
Score Shield / Shell Bell — If your team needs more sustained healing or you’re consistently the point of damage intake, Shell Bell offers healing on attack and can work with certain aggressive defensive builds.
Focus Band + Buddy Barrier + Rocky Helmet is a classic peel-heavy line-up. If the meta favors ability damage or sustained poke, consider swapping Focus Band for Shell Bell.
Battle item
Eject Button — Excellent for defender/support Dhelmise; great for repositioning out of danger, peeling for allies by ejecting them, or creating space. Use proactively to save a carry or to escape when your CC is down.
Alternative: Potion — When your match impact relies on staying in contested areas and you're being poked down frequently, a Potion can help sustain longer objective standoffs.
Ability combos and in-fight sequences
Basic peel combo
Enter the frontline and draw attention; use your zoning move to block a flank.
Hit your primary CC to lock the diver on your carry.
Use Buddy Barrier (if ready) to shield team; follow with your crowd control ultimate to extend lockdown.
Reposition with Eject Button or body-block to keep the diver off your teammates.
Aggressive engage (when your team can follow up)
Use area-denial ability to trap multiple enemies.
Immediately use your main CC to isolate the priority target.
Eject forward or use the mobility aspect of your ultimate if it offers it to close on the target.
Allow your damage dealers to finish the locked target while you maintain zone control.
Zoning and objective hold
Place your area denial on the objective or choke point.
Maintain front presence to prevent enemy approach; trade CC until your team is ready to contest.
Use Focus Band and item actives proactively to survive and outlast enemy attempts.
Leveling priority and early game pathing
Early game (levels 1–4)
Start top or bot depending on your draft; as a defender/support you should couple with a ranged attacker or scorer to secure early objectives and jungle buffs.
Prioritize last-hitting wild Pokemon when safe; your presence is more valuable as a deterrent than raw experience collection. Steal laning experience only when it doesn’t expose your carry.
First few ability points: take your primary poke or CC ability. Even at low levels the threat of CC deters dives.
Mid game (levels 5–7)
Look for skirmishes and set up vision around objectives (Rotom, Dreadnaw). Use your zoning to create control windows.
When you hit your first evolution of the primary ability, become more aggressive in initiating or counter-initiating. Your presence should enable safe objective take.
Late mid-game (levels 8–11)
Your role shifts to strict peel and objective control. If the enemy is grouping to contest Rotom or Dreadnaw, position to maximize your ability’s area coverage.
Ensure your held items are bought and prepared for the big fights.
Positioning and map awareness
Frontline placement
Anchor on a corner or choke that forces enemies to funnel. Avoid standing in the middle of open space where you can be flanked easily.
Use brush to set traps and deny enemy vision when contesting objectives. The threat of sudden CC from a hidden Dhelmise can turn a fight without a single ability being cast.
Peel positioning
Stand between your carry and the most likely flanking route. As soon as an enemy engages, use your primary CC to peel and your battle item to reposition either the threat or your ally.
Never chase a kill deep if your team is not nearby. Your value comes from being present for the next fight and keeping your carries alive.
Team synergy — best partners
Best allies to pair Dhelmise with
High-damage marksmen or attackers who need space to dish out consistent DPS (e.g., critical strikers or ranged carries). Your CC lets them stay alive long enough to win duels.
Initiators with follow-up area damage. If your teammate has an AoE ult, your CC magnifies its value by keeping targets in place.
Secondary supports who can heal or buff—your peel plus their sustain equals unstoppable objectives.
Synergy examples
Pairing with a hyper carry: Your lockdown creates windows for them to unload their damage safely.
Pairing with area-damage mages or attackers: Your zone + their AoE = quick multi-kills in clustered fights.
Worst matchups and counters
Who gives you trouble
High-burst assassins who can one-shot carries and get out quickly. If they avoid your CC or have gap closers that bypass your zoning, you’re pressured to itemize defensively.
Heavy poke teams that can chip away at your team before you can fully engage. Sustained poke means you might need to swap Focus Band for Shell Bell or Sitrus Berry.
Mobile divers who can ignore your choke points, especially if they have long-range gap closers.
How to mitigate counters
Communicate with team to focus on peeling the diver immediately (communicate in voice or pings).
Adjust items: Rocky Helmet or Shell Bell can punish autos and sustain through poke.
Play more conservatively: Keep flanks warded and avoid committing to isolated 1v1s.
Objective control: Rotom and Dreadnaw templates
Rotom contest template
Early Rotom (first spawn): Have your carry and a jungler present; use your zone control to prevent enemy from getting safe hits. Protect your scorer while they deliver the last hits.
Late-game Rotom: If contesting Rotom with multiple enemies, place your area denial to split the team and lock as many as possible during your team’s focus.
Dreadnaw contest template
Dreadnaw fights are the moment to use your Buddy Barrier and ult. The shield plus CC window lets your team freely deal damage.
If your opponents have heavy initiation, wait for them to commit and use your CC to punish their positioning, turning the engage into a team wipe.
Item timing and purchase priority
What to buy first
Aim to buy your core held items (e.g., Buddy Barrier and Focus Band) as early as possible. These items amplify your teamfight value more than raw attack or speed items.
Buy Sitrus Berry or Rocky Helmet situationally; these give you the edge when you're being singled out.
When to use battle item
Eject Button: Use preemptively to save an ally or reposition to block an enemy’s route, not reactively when you’re already collapsed.
Potion: Use during long objective holds or if poke is whittling down your team before a planned engage.
Advanced tips and mechanical tricks
Timing the shield for maximum impact
Use Buddy Barrier when your ally is about to commit. The shield often has a cast delay that synchronizes better when used slightly before the burst occurs.
Feigning a commit
Step into a choke as if to initiate, then back off to bait the enemy into a poor engage—this is especially effective when you know your team has follow-up ults ready.
Knocking priority targets into your team
If your kit has displacement elements, aim to push enemy divers into your team’s AoE, not away from them. The ideal peel often involves turning enemy mobility against them.
Macro decision-making and shot-calling tips
When to rotate for objectives
Always rotate when your team has wave or numbers advantage. Use pings to coordinate and place your zone where the enemy has to walk to contest.
If a Dreadnaw or Rotom fight is about to begin, begin positioning 10–15 seconds earlier rather than reacting at spawn time.
When to concede and reset
If the enemy outnumbers or out-levels you at an objective, disengage and reset. A bad fight around an objective usually costs more than rotating to grab map control elsewhere.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
Mistake: Overchasing kills
Fix: Your value is area control and peel. If an enemy escapes, let them. You being out of position loses objectives and leaves your team vulnerable.
Mistake: Using shield reactively when ally is already dead or CC’d
Fix: Anticipate engagements and use Buddy Barrier proactively before the burst, not after.
Mistake: Standing centrally and getting flanked
Fix: Anchor to flanks or brush, and always have an escape route or a teammate ready for follow-up.
Adaptive builds for solo queue vs. coordinated team play
Solo queue
Prioritize survivability and immediate item actives like Buddy Barrier and Focus Band. Solo queue often lacks synchronized follow-up, so your items must cover inconsistent teammate performance.
Coordinated team play
If you have reliable follow-up, feel free to swap one defensive item for a more utility-focused item that increases team damage window (e.g., Shell Bell for sustained healing when a teammate dives).
Sample in-game timelines and decision trees
Early game (0:00–6:00)
Pair with a lane carry; keep the enemy pressured; secure early wild Pokemon and assist with early kills when safe.
Priority: vision, peel, and making small trades to deny enemy snowball.
Mid game (6:00–12:00)
Look for contested objectives; play around your team’s power spikes.
Priority: zoning, anti-dive, and enabling carries to secure kills.
Late game (12:00+)
Position around Dreadnaw and late Rotom spawns; buy items and coordinate shields.
Priority: stick to carries, force enemy mistakes, and secure objectives.
Ranked climbing tips specific to Dhelmise
Focus on win conditions
Your presence should create windows for carries. Track which teammates can capitalize and prioritize enabling them over chasing personal stats.
Communication
Pings and short calls (“Peel now”, “Buddy ready”) beat long sentences. Keep it concise: remind your carry to commit after your CC hits, or to back off until the shield drops.
Review and iterate
After every lost objective, note if peel timing, shield usage, or positioning failed. Small adjustments compound quickly into improved win rates.
Sample match commentary (play-by-play)
0:45 — You rotate to assist bot; your mere presence deters a dive. 2:30 — Fight at wild buff; you use your zone to split the enemy, teammate secures the takedown. 7:45 — Rotom spawn; you anchor the choke with area denial, allowing your carry to score two hits safely. 12:05 — Dreadnaw fight; you time Buddy Barrier as the enemy initiates—the shield plus your ult turns a 50/50 into a decisive wipe.
Practice drills to improve Dhelmise play
Drill 1: CC timing in custom matches
Practice locking a moving target and timing the shield to match ally damage windows. Drill until the shield is almost instinctual in use.
Drill 2: Positioning and brush control
Play matches where you intentionally hold brush and force enemies to play around it. Work on baiting enemies into poor engages.
Drill 3: Eject Button mastery
Learn the micro of ejecting allies versus ejecting enemies to reposition fighting lines. Successful ejects can turn the tide of close fights.
Quick troubleshooting checklist
If Dhelmise feels weak
Check item timings: did you get Buddy Barrier by mid-game?
Inspect positioning: are you getting flanked? Are you too deep?
Review ult/CC usage: are you wasting CC on low-value targets or using it when your team can’t follow up?
If your team lacks damage
Shift play to zoning and peeling to force safer rotations; suggest to carry to build damage-oriented items.
If you’re constantly dying first
Consider swapping one offensive item for Focus Band, use Eject Button earlier, and avoid isolated engages.
FAQ
Q: Is Dhelmise better as a defender or a supporter? A: Dhelmise trunks the line between defender and support. In most ranked matches, playing it as a defender/support—focusing on peel and zone control—yields the best win rates, especially when paired with a high-damage carry. If your team lacks frontliners, lean defender; if they lack sustain and utility, lean support.
Q: What are the absolute must-buy held items for Dhelmise? A: Buddy Barrier and Focus Band are core held items for defender/support Dhelmise. They provide immediate team value via a team shield and survivability during prolonged fights.
Q: When should I use Eject Button vs. Potion? A: Use Eject Button when you need a quick peel, reposition, or to save an ally. Use Potion when preparing for long objective contests where poke damage becomes a factor.
Q: How do I handle dive compositions? A: Prioritize peel: always stand between the diver and your carry; use CC to lock the diver and shield the ally with Buddy Barrier. If dive persists, pick Rocky Helmet or Shell Bell to punish attackers.
Q: Can Dhelmise solo carry ranked matches? A: Not typically. Dhelmise’s strength is enabling carries through zoning and CC. You can tilt games by setting up kills and securing objectives, but Dhelmise relies on teammates to capitalize.
Q: When should I evolve my abilities for optimal impact? A: Evolve your primary CC first, followed by zoning/area control abilities, and finally your ultimate. This order grants you early-game utility and mid-game teamfight control.
Q: Any tips for duo queue synergy? A: Pair with a hyper carry or a coordinated initiator who can follow your CC. Communicate shield timings and call targets for locked-down enemies.
Final words
Dhelmise as a defender/support is deeply satisfying because its value scales with good decision-making rather than just raw damage totals. A patient Dhelmise who times shields, reads flanks, and forces fights in advantageous spaces will outvalue flashy players wielding higher DPS picks. Focus on mastering item timings, CC sequencing, and map control—and you’ll turn Dhelmise into the anchor your team needs to consistently win ranked matches.
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