Deadlock is Valve’s brand new 6v6 third-person shooter MOBA that follows in the same vein of DOTA and LoL, with the end goal of destroying the enemy team’s Patron before they can destroy yours. Many players have received early access keys from Valve and many have sung its praises for its innovative take on the MOBA genre. With over 21 starting characters in the roster, with more to come as the game is being developed, players are trying to find which character is the best for their playstyle. We can help by listing down each character and how they’re meant to be played.
Table of Contents
Abrams
Abrams is your classic tank character, focusing his entire kit on surviving enemy encounters and setting up crowd-control plays for your team. He can be extremely oppressive to face due to his high-burst close-range shotgun, along with his powerful melee strikes.
- Abram’s first skill is Siphon Life, which leeches the health of nearby enemies within a certain radius.
- His second skill is Shoulder Charge, giving him a speed boost and dealing damage to enemies he collides with. If he charges an enemy towards a wall, they’ll be stunned for a few seconds.
- His third skill is a passive that allows him to regenerate health based on the damage he recently received.
- His ultimate, Seismic Impact, causes him to leap to the air and slam down, stunning all enemies caught within the impact radius.
Players who like to play classic tank characters will love Abrams as his kit gives him the highest possible survivability, especially in the endgame where he can set up a team wipe.
Bebop
Bebop follows the staple “hook” hero archetype, pulling in enemies and making it easier for him and his team to isolate and pick off enemy players one at a time. He’s a close-range brawler with some insanely powerful burst damage and range in his kit.
- His first skill, Explosive Uppercut, is a short-range melee attack that launches opponents in the air. Upon landing, they deal AoE damage.
- For his second ability, Sticky Bomb, Bebop will place a bomb on an enemy that explodes around them after a short duration. The bomb will deal more damage for every enemy hero caught in the blast zone.
- His third skill, Hook, is a skillshot that pulls enemies in if they’re hit by the hook.
- Lastly, his ultimate ability, Hyper Beam, is a channeled laser attack that deals heavy Spirit damage, but will also slow his movement and turn rate.
Bebop is a nightmare in the laning phase up to the endgame. Players with good hook aiming skills are best suited to him as he can make tower-diving easy and has a simple 3-2-1 combo that will disrupt enemy teams.
Dynamo
Dynamo is the master of quantum mechanics and utilizes it to control the flow of any battle. His kit is completely based on full support, as he can heal his team while disrupting his foes at the same time. Despite being the premier support hero, Dynamo can still output some serious damage once he gets going with his build.
- For his first skill, Kinetic Pulse, he unleashes a wave that knocks any enemy hit by it into the air.
- His second skill, Quantum Entanglement, is a short-range teleport ability that can also grab allies and teleport them away or into an engagement.
- Rejuvenating Aura is Dynamo’s pure healing skill that heals nearby allies within a certain radius of him.
- Singularity is his final ability, which, when cast, sucks in nearby enemies while stunning them for the entire duration. When Singularity ends, all enemies will be knocked upwards.
Dynamo is one of the the biggest playmakers in Deadlock, thanks to the many support-oriented skills in his kit. His ultimate is one of the strongest in the game and has the potential to set up a team wipe when coordinated well. For players who want to support the team, Dynamo is the best for you.
Grey Talon
Grey Talon is Deadlock’s bow-and-arrow hero, dealing damage at long range and excelling at harassing enemy targets. If used right, Grey Talon can be a lethal killer with his many burst damage skills in his kit.
- Charged Shot is his first ability, which is a simple damage skillshot that deals more damage as it charges
- Grey Talon’s second skill, Rain of Arrows, causes him to leap and hover in the air, giving him bonus damage and two additional arrows to his primary shots.
- Immobilizing Trap lets him leave a trap on the ground that roots enemies in place once theystep on it.
- His ultimate ability, Guided Owl, launches an owl projectile that can be manually guided by Grey Talon. Upon detonation, it will stun any enemies caught in the blast radius. Kills with Guided Owl permanently increases his Spirit Power.
Players who like to harass and pressure opponents from high vantage points will love Grey Talon, as his skillset is a solid damage carry kit that rewards accuracy and positioning.
Haze
Haze is the ideal flanker hero of Deadlock, using her abilities to hit unaware opponents. She’s a stealth-based character that deals insane DPS at close-range engagements. While fragile, Haze excels at disengaging from fights she can’t win while also engaging in battles she’s guaranteed to win.
- Sleep Dagger is her first skill, which launches a projectile that hits the first enemy it makes contact with. Targets hit by this will fall asleep, stunning them until they take damage.
- Her second ability, Smoke Bomb, turns her invisible while giving her bonus movement speed. However, enemies close by are able to detect her.
- Her third skill, Fixation, is a passive that causes enemies hit by her bullets to take more damage from it per stack.
- Her ultimate ability is Bullet Dance, which deals unavoidable damage to all enemies around her. While her ult is active, she’ll automatically dodge a few shots.
Haze is the perfect character for players who prefer moving and shooting fast, as her kit is best used when sneaking up on enemies and dealing massive damage before they even realize you’re there.
Infernus
Infernus is a pyromaniac who can deal consistent damage over time with his tool kit. He’s a hybrid carry that deals both Bullet and Spirit damage at the same time, while also having a skillset that disrupts enemy players.
- Infernus’ first skill is Catalyst, which launches a canister of oil that slows enemies down while also causing them to take extra damage from your bullets and abilities.
- His second skill, Flame Dash, gives him extra movement speed while leaving behind a trail of fire that deals tick damage.
- Afterburn is a passive that applies a burn DoT to his bullets, refreshing its duration when he lands his other abilities.
- His Ultimate, Concussive Combustion, makes Infernus explode after a short delay. Enemies hit by the explosion are stunned.
Infernus is a powerful harasser who likes to build up damage with his burn DoTs, pressuring his opponents as their heals are disrupted. Players who like to constantly poke their rival laners or create Spirit and Bullet hybrid builds will find Infernus a suitable pick.
Ivy
Ivy is a gargoyle who synergizes well with her teammates, providing support utilities to the team while also crowd-controlling enemies at the same time. She can be a powerful ally to have on the team and will be a welcome addition for players who know how to help their allies.
- Her first skill is Kudzu Bomb, lobbing a grenade that leaves behind roots on contact. Enemies within its radius take damage while also being slowed.
- Her second skill, Watcher’s Covenant, tethers her to a targeted ally. While tethered, both players receive healing.
- Stone Form is her third ability, which slightly lifts her in the air while turning into a statue. After a short delay, she slams to the ground, stunning nearby enemies.
- Air Drop is her ultimate ability, allowing her to pick up an ally and fly in the air for a time. She can drop her ally to stun enemies wherever they land. If she doesn’t pick up an ally, she can instead drop a bomb that also stuns enemies.
Ivy, when paired with certain characters, can become one of the most oppressive characters to face against, as her abilities can enhance the performance of the team. Ivy is great for players who like to support the team by setting them up for big plays.
Lady Geist
Lady Geist is risk-reward made manifest, as much of her abilities use her health as a resource. In exchange, she can be a powerful asset for players who like to take risks in order to secure kills.
- Essence Bomb sacrifices a portion of Lady Geist’s health to throw a projectile that explodes after a short delay.
- Life Drain is a single target health leech that tethers her to a targeted hero. This tether requires line of sight to maintain.
- Malice lets Lady Geist sacrifice her health to throw blood knives that deal damage and inflict a stack of Malice that slows enemies and makes them more vulnerable.
- Soul Exchange targets a single hero. When she casts this ultimate, she will swap her health with the target’s health.
Lady Geist can be difficult to play, but she’s also a powerful hero to master if you can play around her health mechanics. It can be easy to handicap yourself if you cast too many of your Essence Bombs and Malice, but if you can time her Soul Exchange, you can burst down even the tankiest of targets.
Lash
Lash is a highly mobile character that’s build around Deadlock’s movement system. He’s a close-ranged brawler who can be hard to hit thanks to the extra mobility granted to him by his kit. While he’s more complex to play, mastering him can make him an oppressive enemy to face against.
- Ground Slam is a conal AoE attack that hits enemies in front of Lash. While he’s airborne, using Ground Slam immediately plummets him down, dealing extra damage the more distance he travels.
- Grapple pulls him towards a targeted piece of terrain. When he uses Grapple, he regains a Stamina charge and air maneuvers.
- Flog hits a target in front of him, dealing damage while leeching a portion of the enemy’s life.
- Death Slam is a two-stage ultimate. First, Lash targets enemy heroes in line of sight. Targets are then pulled towards Lash, which he can then throw to the ground to stun them.
McGinnis
McGinnis is the engineer of the team, providing support for her team through her turrets, healing station and walls that can isolate or prevent pushes. She controls the battlefield with her skills while serving as the anchor of the team.
- Mini Turrets places turrets in a targeted area, which will expire after a duration. These inherit a portion of her maximum health.
- Medicinal Specter places a spirit that heals nearby allies
- Spectral Wall creates a wall in front of McGinnis that damages and slows nearby enemies.
- Heavy Barrage reduces her movement speed but allows her to channel a barrage of missiles at a targeted location.
Tank players who prefer to be the center of the team may like McGinnis for her team support gameplay and aerial denial capabilities by fortifying positions with her versatile skills.
Seven
Seven is considered one of Deadlock’s caster DPS characters, with most of his damage coming from his abilities and Spirit synergies. He is a solid Spirit DPS character that has the most playmaking potential in the game with his ultimate and abilities.
- Lightning Ball is a projectile that deals Spirit damage per tick. Whenever it hits an enemy, the projectile stops for a brief moment. It’ll keep moving until it hits any map terrain.
- Static Charge is a close-range single-target skill that stuns an enemy hero after a short delay.
- Power Surge empowers his primary weapon with additional Spirit damage and a chain lightning effect that hits enemies near the first target.
- Seven’s ultimate, Storm Cloud, causes him to hover in the air and become a living electrical conduit, hitting all enemies within line of sight. This deals heavy Spirit damage per tick.
Seven has the best ultimate in the game that can easily wipe out an entire team if caught unaware. Players who like to cast their abilities will make very good use of Seven’s insane Spirit damage.
Vindicta
Vindicta is Deadlock’s sniper hero that prefers to take long-range engagements while setting up her prey for easy kills. She is built around positioning in high areas and keeping a low profile until she can secure a kill. Vindicta rewards players who can consistently land headshots.
- Stake is a projectile that she can throw to create a trap. When an enemy gets near it, they’ll be unable to move away from the trap radius, keeping them pinned in a small area.
- Flight launches Vindicta upwards and allows her to hover. Her weapon gains bonus damage while she’s airborne.
- Crow Familiar launches a crow that deals damage on impact and inflicts a bleed DoT on enemies hit by it.
- Assassinate turns Vindicta’s weapon into a sniper rifle. This sniper can be charged up to deal more damage, which also deals extra damage to enemies below 50% health.
Players who are accutomed to using sniper rifles in any FPS or TPS will be right at home with Vindicta, as she rewards those who are methodical and patient with their gameplan. If mastered, she can pick off targets with ease and snowball hard in the endgame.
Wraith
Wraith is a simple yet powerful 1v1 dueller that can out-DPS her enemies if played right. Her kit is perfect for killing isolated enemies, as she has a nice balance of damage, mobility and CC with her abilities. Players starting out with the game can pick her up and learn the game well with Wraith.
- Card Trick is a damaging projectile that can follow your crosshair.
- Project Mind allows Wraith to teleport to a targeted location.
- Full Auto, when activated, gives her gun a boost in rate of fire. Nearby allies will receive half the bonus.
- Telekinesis launches a homing projectile that tracks towards a targeted hero. Upon a hit, the target is lifted to the air is stunned for a few seconds. After the stun, the target takes another burst of damage upon landing.
Wraith’s kit is accessible for new Deadlock players and is easy to pick up. However, when mastered, Wraith can be a deadly opponent to lane and fight against.
Warden
Warden can lock down enemies quickly and can be a menace for enemies to lane against. He’s all about weakening opponents and controlling the space with his abilities, ensuring that they’re punished for getting too confident with their space.
- Alchemical Flask causes Warden to lob a flask that deals damage, slows enemies, and reduces weapon damage and stamina regeneration as well.
- Willpower grants Warden a Spirit shield and extra movement speed on activation.
- Binding Word forces an enemy to move out of their initial position. If they don’t leave the marked area after a short duration, they’ll take damage and be rooted for a few seconds.
- Last Stand is Warden’s ultimate that causes him to channel for 2 seconds. After channeling, Warden will create a cone in front of him that damages enemies per pulse while healing based on the damage given.
Players who like to control the enemy’s spacing will make good use of Warden, as his skills punish teams that group up too close. With his mastery over space, he can ensure that enemies play more cautiously around him.
