Although Deadlock is still in the testing and development phase and is only playable by invitation, it already has numerous fans. The game may look like a shooter, but it plays quite differently. MeinMMO explains what you need to pay attention to if you want to improve.
At the moment, you can only play the new Steam hit by invitation. However, it is relatively easy to get an invitation to Deadlock. Accordingly, the new game is popular among players as well as streamers like shroud.
The perhaps most important tip right away: Deadlock is a MOBA, not a shooter – or more precisely, a MOBA with shooter gameplay. Because while you do need to aim well, the actual game principle is that of LoL and Co.:
- You play as one of several different heroes with unique abilities.
- On four “lanes”, you kill NPC opponents and fight against other players.
- In the process, you farm “souls”, the currency, and level up.
- With skill points and souls, you buy and upgrade skills and items that strengthen your character.
- The goal is to destroy the buildings on the lanes and ultimately annihilate the enemy’s guardian.
To help you better navigate the game, we have compiled some tips here, especially for newcomers to Deadlock. The tips come from expert sites like mobalytics as well as from our MOBA experts from the MeinMMO team.
Tip 1: Read the displays on your screen correctly
Your interface, or HUD (short for: Heads-Up Display), consists of several elements that can provide you with important information. The three most important are your life, your stamina, ammunition, and the amount of collected souls.
Stamina is the white bars directly next to your crosshair. It determines whether you can currently “sprint”, that is, dodge, or perform a double jump. When you get into a firefight, you absolutely need this information – just like the amount of ammunition, logically.
However, many probably overlook the small bottle to the left of your health display. This fills up slowly as you collect souls, but shows the number of souls you have received in total. Because this amount determines when you can skill:
- At 0, 400, 1,500, and 3,000 souls, you can unlock a new ability.
- In all the steps in between, you either receive a skill point to improve abilities, or a boost to your overall strength.
- From about the middle of the game, you roughly receive a new level every 1,000 to 2,000 souls.
Tip 2: Stop your opponents from farming
Similar to DOTA, you can prevent your opponents in Deadlock from gaining souls. When a minion dies, a soul rises from it. By default, souls that benefit you are green. Opponents’ are orange.
If you shoot at a soul that belongs to the opponents, you prevent them from receiving their bonus. This means: You can actively hinder your enemies from leveling up.
Conversely, your opponents can, of course, also ensure that you farm more slowly. If you have a partner on the lane, you can coordinate that one of you consistently “secures” the souls while the other tries to sabotage the opponent.
Tip 3: Learn what each individual hero can do
In Deadlock, there are 21 different heroes, all of whom have unique abilities. You do not need to be able to play every hero in detail or know how their abilities change throughout the game.
However, you should know what a hero can generally do. This brings two advantages that you need for victory:
- On the one hand, you have more choice before the match and ideally master several heroes at about the same level.
- On the other hand, you know what your opponent can do. This is important because it prevents surprises, such as the opposing hero being able to block your escape.
Here on MeinMMO, you can find our overview of all heroes in Deadlock and what they can do. Alternatively, you can check out the heroes in the menu under the section Heroes
. If you are not yet sure what you want to play, we have prepared a tier list for you:
Tip 4: Learn the items
Now comes the tedious part. At every active guardian on your side as well as in your base, there is a shop where you can exchange souls for items. For starters, it is sufficient to play the recommended build.
However, you should still read carefully what the items actually do. Only then will you know how your hero has become stronger and what options are available to you.
If you really want to stand out from other players, learn all the items and their effects. This way, you can not only build your own builds but also know exactly how to counter an opponent. You can view items directly in the menu under the section “Resources” ⇒ “Browse items”.
Bonus tip: For destroying guardians, runners, and shrines, you receive additional “flex slots.” These help you to buy more items and become even stronger.
Tip 5: Learn the map
The map of Deadlock consists not only of the four lanes, but also of many areas in between. If you can navigate the streets, you have a great advantage over your opponents:
- At many locations, there are neutral “camps” that you can clear for souls when it is too dangerous to venture deeper into enemy territory.
- If you destroy crates and vases, you sometimes find a small buff or a small amount of souls.
- There are certain alleys and passages that are obscured by smoke (commonly referred to as “bushes” in other MOBAs). There you can flee from opponents or ambush them.
There are also important objectives on the map, such as a boss and the soul vessel. Knowing where they are located and when you should tackle the objectives is key to victory. The best way to learn the map is solo in Edmo mode by just wandering around.
The video by YouTuber The Gaming Merchant provides a good overview of the map and its secrets:
Tip 6: Do the right thing at the right time
Like every MOBA, Deadlock is divided into three different phases: early, mid, and late game. In each of these phases, different objectives are more or less important. Your plan should roughly look like this:
- Early game (about until minute 10). Collect as many souls as possible and most importantly: Stay alive! Early deaths give the opponent a big advantage and a heavy disadvantage to you. Try not to force kills, but farm minions instead.
- Mid game (about minute 10-20 or as soon as guardians fall). The focus is still on farming souls. However, you need to be increasingly aware that you are not attacked by opponents from other lanes (a so-called “gank”). If your guardian has already been destroyed, you can take care of the soul urn or support other lanes.
- End game (no later than minute 30). Here it is usually about team fights. Play your role accordingly in cooperation with others or flank opponents to secure kills and pressure the enemy.
Depending on how well or poorly you perform, the priority can change significantly. So do not take this list as a strict rule, but rather as a recommendation when you are not sure what to do next.
Tip 7: You can turn a game (almost) at any time
An important point that distinguishes Deadlock from many MOBAs is that the game cannot usually be decided within just a few minutes. In LoL, it can happen that a single champion with many kills can end the game alone after 20 minutes.
In Deadlock, this usually does not happen. You have a chance for victory as long as your patron stands. An opponent’s mistake can cause your entire team to be wiped out. You then have the chance to basically march all the way to the enemy’s base.
The respawn and the way back are so long in the end game that a complete “team wipe” can lead to even a completely defeated team still achieving victory. Always keep that in mind and do not throw in the towel after just a few minutes.
With our tips, it should be easier for you to get a foothold in Deadlock and not be immediately taken apart by any veterans. If you still frequently lose, that is more or less normal. Valve’s other MOBA, DOTA, also takes a long time to get good at it. Deadlock is no different: The new shooter on Steam conquers Twitch – shroud raves: “It’s so cool and 1,000 hours is not enough to learn everything”
