This guide aims to equip you with the essential knowledge to dive right into Deadlock, start playing, and enjoy the game from the outset.
Hero Selection
The first step is choosing a hero. Don’t worry too much about finding the “perfect” one—just pick a hero whose abilities or design appeal to you. No one in Deadlock has enough experience yet to criticize your choice, so focus on having fun and learning the game. Since Deadlock is 80% MOBA and 20% shooter, try different heroes until you find one that suits your playstyle.
The Importance of Collecting Souls
Souls are at the heart of the game. The more Souls you collect, the more powerful items you can buy, which directly translates to your strength against other players. Early in the game, focus on killing enemy Troopers and collecting their Souls. For the first 10 minutes, each Trooper kill gives you 50% of its Soul value, while the other 50% is stored in a Soul orb that you must collect to get the full benefit.
Pay attention to denying your opponent Souls as well. When they kill your Troopers, you can shoot the red Soul orbs to prevent them from gaining 50% of the Souls they’re entitled to. After 10 minutes, all the Souls are stored in orbs, making it even more crucial to stay on top of collecting them.
Items and Power
Items are your true source of power in Deadlock. As soon as you collect 500 Souls, head to the shop to buy an item. The 500 Soul items are strong enough to give you an advantage even in the mid-game. While early on you’ll follow standard builds by selecting pre-made guides, as you gain more experience, you’ll start tailoring your items to counter specific enemies or situations. Keep in mind that having a large number of Souls means nothing unless you spend them on items. Items provide power—so don’t sit on your Souls, use them as soon as possible.
Melee Attacks and Their Use
Melee combat has two forms: a quick, light melee that deals instant damage and a heavy melee that propels you forward. Timing your heavy melee attacks is key since they can be parried, which stuns you and leaves you vulnerable. A well-timed parry, bound to the “F” key, can turn the tide of a fight by stunning your enemy and allowing you to finish them off with extra melee damage.
Additionally, you can use melee attacks to instantly collect Souls after killing enemy Troopers. This guarantees you collect them without interference from the enemy team.
Managing Unsecured Souls
Jungle camps offer Souls, but initially, these are unsecured, meaning they can be lost if you die before they secure over time. If you die with unsecured Souls, they drop and can be collected by the enemy team. To avoid this, either spend them quickly or survive long enough for them to be secured. Pay attention to the glowing orb on your character, as it indicates how many unsecured Souls you’re carrying—making you a prime target for enemies.
Shops and Power-Ups
Throughout the game, you’ll find shops in your lane and in hidden locations around the map. These secret shops can be risky to visit due to their isolated positions, but they offer a strategic advantage. Additionally, destructible items scattered across the map contain Souls and sometimes power-ups, which scale in strength after 25 minutes. Power-ups can significantly boost your stats, such as increasing fire rate or health regeneration, so it’s worth breaking these items as you move across the map.
Zip Lines and Teleporters for Fast Travel
Deadlock offers a fast travel system through zip lines and teleporters. Zip lines are color-coded (purple, blue, orange, yellow) and allow you to quickly move between different areas of the map. Teleporters let you instantly move across the map without interruption, making them incredibly useful for changing lanes or repositioning during intense moments.
Mid Boss – A Critical Objective
- Timing: The mid boss spawns at 10 minutes. You can attempt to kill it right away, but it requires a coordinated effort from your team.
- Location: You can only damage the mid boss by standing inside its pit, making it a high-risk area that often leads to intense fights.
- Rewards: Defeating the boss grants your team faster respawn times, a fire rate increase, and stronger Troopers.
- Strategy: Be cautious of the enemy team. They may attempt to steal the rejuvenator buff once you’ve defeated the boss, as it becomes vulnerable during its descent.
A well-timed mid boss kill can give your team a huge advantage, but it requires teamwork and proper positioning to secure.
Mastering Movement
Movement is an essential skill in Deadlock. Every character has a double jump, and you can dash in any direction by pressing shift, making you harder to hit. You can also slide by pressing shift and jump, which is the fastest way to traverse the map. Combining jumps, dashes, and slides allows for fluid and dynamic movement, making you a more elusive target in combat.