Deadlock is currently in a testing phase. The new game from Valve on Steam has excited MeinMMO author Nico so much that he has already played over 1,000 hours before release. Now he wants to show you why Deadlock will be a masterpiece.
What is Deadlock anyway? Deadlock is a new MOBA from Valve and mixes well-known representatives of the genre like Dota 2 or LoL with hero shooters like Overwatch or Marvel Rivals.
In the streets of New York, you fight for your life in a ritual. Six heroes or mystics, as they are called in Deadlock, battle each other and must destroy the main building, the Patron, to win the round.
A new MOBA from Valve – can it become something?
When I first heard about Deadlock, I doubted whether it could actually become something. Can a MOBA establish itself among the big competitors nowadays, and will Valve stick with it? In the past, Valve has shown that they can quickly shelve a project, as happened with the card game “Artifact” or “Dota Underlords”.
However, the first information about Deadlock had a special feature: “Icefrog” is one of the main developers. This name is very meaningful for many players, and especially for me. Because Icefrog is one of the original developers of Dota and was later hired by Valve to create Dota 2.
After this info, my interest was awakened. When the day of my invitation to Deadlock finally came, I played my first rounds and realized that this game is something special. In the directory, there is a small overview of the key points why I say that Deadlock will be a masterpiece:
The incredible depth of MOBAs and fun action of hero shooters combined
Games like Dota 2 or League of Legends are so popular because they offer incredible complexity and are regularly updated. Each character has different abilities that you can level up, and from a huge selection of items, you buy the best for your heroes.
Hero shooters like Overwatch or Marvel Rivals, on the other hand, have relatively less complexity. There are no items to buy and your character cannot level up, but the fast shooter gameplay is really fun and the abilities of the heroes provide a certain learning curve.
Deadlock combines both strengths of the genres – and that’s precisely one of the main reasons why it is so much fun.
My first steps in Deadlock
After the download was finished, I excitedly started my first round. After about 40 minutes, I was thrilled with Deadlock and found many parallels to Dota 2. The handwriting of developer Icefrog was clearly noticeable. Familiar items, abilities, or game elements made me feel immediately at home.
However, the mentioned things are by no means an easy copy. They have been perfectly adapted to the gameplay of a hero shooter. Since I enjoyed playing Overwatch very much, but missed the complexity there, Deadlock just felt right to me and I knew this game would be something special.
In the first rounds, I immediately noticed the movement in Deadlock, with which the heroes navigate through New York. This is not just WASD, jumping, and dodging, but has a steep learning curve.
New York is a parkour for the characters
Besides the major mechanics of MOBAs and hero shooters, Deadlock introduces a novelty that I have not experienced in any other game of this genre. The movement mechanics are so complex that even after many hundreds of hours, I am still learning new tricks to navigate faster through the streets of New York.
In addition to simple dodging and a double jump, there are many other means to traverse the map. The gondola, which characters use to move to the lanes, can be used with the right timing for a quick speed boost. Then you fly a few meters through the air, execute a wall jump, and use the double jump to cover the last meters to the skyscraper.
This route normally takes many important seconds but can be crossed in a fraction of the time with some training. Learning the movement in Deadlock is incredibly fun and rewards you regularly the better you get at it. Here is an example of what the movement in Deadlock looks like with some training.
The limits of heroes can be stretched with items
In Deadlock, many items are not just stats for your hero or a passive ability that hardly matters. They determine how your character is played in a round, and at the same time, you can stretch the limits of the heroes.
The items are classified into three categories – weapon, magic, and vitality. Each category has its own density of items. Besides those that merely increase the fire rate or health, there are also many special features to discover.
There are items to extend the range, duration, or number of charges of your abilities. Additionally, you can choose from interesting support items, such as a rescue beam that can pull your teammates out of tricky situations.
That was just a very small selection of examples with which the heroes can be expanded beyond their abilities. Additionally, there are flying carpets, an anvil that falls on your opponents, and the ability to bounce your shots off multiple enemies.
The item system of Deadlock is probably the best and most interesting I have seen in a MOBA and often drives me to try different and fun builds.
Many characters have multiple playstyles
In Deadlock, there are no officially defined roles, such as support or carry. However, some heroes have strong support abilities or are more intended to use their weapon. In the end, the items determine which role you take in the team, and thus most heroes have multiple playstyles that differ significantly.
One of my favorite heroes is Paradox. Paradox has a pulsating bomb that becomes huge with the right build and can be used a second time with a special item. Additionally, the item alchemist fire is placed, and you have a strong team fighter who can control large areas.
Another ability is to charge her weapon to fire a devastating shot that briefly freezes the affected enemies in time. With the right items, this shot becomes deadly and often wipes out a large chunk of health bar. This build focuses on the weapon and the chargeable shot, allowing Paradox to transform from a strong team fighter to a deadly hunter.
Finally, let’s look at her ultimate. Paradox throws a projectile and swaps positions with the affected opponent. If you build around this ability, Paradox becomes a support who prepares important kills and generally supports the team strongly.
Valve puts an incredible amount of love into Deadlock
During my time in Deadlock, I have repeatedly noticed the quality of the game. Of course, there are many things that are not finished, and some models still come from an early version of Deadlock called Neon-Prime. Nevertheless, Valve puts a lot of love into their new project.
The sound design of Deadlock is phenomenal. Each character has unique sound effects for their abilities and the items also come with their own sounds. Particularly in heated battles, where 12 characters shoot around with weapons and abilities, I recognize the quality of the game and know exactly when something happens as soon as I hear a certain sound.
Speaking of sound, let’s talk about the voice acting. In Deadlock, every character has multiple voicelines that adapt to the gameplay. If two heroes go to a lane together at the beginning of the round, they talk to each other along the way if their characters are lore connected. Entire conversations are also held between some heroes and contribute to an immersive world.
In addition to the many voicelines that refer to one’s own money, items, killstreaks, and killing specific enemies, the excellent ping system comes into play. By holding the mouse wheel, a chat wheel is called up where you can choose from pre-prepared commands. These are classic such as “Retreat”, “Yes”, or “No”, but have different ways in which your character says them.
This has led to many conversations being conducted entirely via the chat wheel, which has greatly improved the often dull communication in other games.
Deadlock has the most interesting characters of all MOBAs
The 32 characters of Deadlock are a delightful change after many thousands of hours in MOBAs and offer many interesting ideas. The vertical gameplay principle of Deadlock also helps to create unique and iconic heroes.
In Deadlock, a robot with a huge laser, a hotel staff member with doors like a portal gun, or a wrestler who rushes down on you from the air at almost light speed is just part of the daily routine.
Admittedly, it took me some time to warm up to the characters, as many are simple in theory but require a certain training. The more rounds I played with a character, the more interesting it became for me. At the same time, it was also increasingly fun to test various builds.
After over 300 characters that I got to know in Dota 2 and League of Legends, Deadlock has by far the most unique heroes for me.
2025 was a really strong year for Deadlock
We have already written extensively about the year 2025 in Deadlock, so here is a brief summary of what happened this year:
- In January, four new heroes joined
- The map was completely revised in February
- In May, there was a major update for the entire item shop
- August brought six new heroes, a comic-like look for Deadlock, and a new main menu
- In November, there was a “small” patch, which caused massive changes
The next update was supposed to come in December and before Christmas. However, Valve developer Yoshi announced in the official Discord that it will very likely be released in January 2026.
For the holidays, there is instead a Holiday Challenge. If you win a round with one of the 32 heroes, a Christmas ornament will be placed on the tree in the hideout. Additionally, there is a new snowball ability that improves with each decoration hung.
Final words on one of the best competitive games that has not yet been released
Deadlock has quickly become one of, if not the best competitive game for me. The unique characters, the item system, the setting, the map, and the quality of Deadlock are already excellent and improve with every update. The last time I was this excited about a game was when I discovered Dota 2 13 years ago.
Every update of Deadlock feels like Christmas to me and I am extremely excited to see what else Valve will come up with. Of course, there is the classic entry hurdle of a MOBA, but Deadlock rewards the player with an unforgettable competitive experience.
If you want to try Deadlock yourself, don’t be discouraged as it has a very steep learning curve and can often be overwhelming at first. With each round and each item bought, you will improve and learn. We have already put together some beginner tips to help you find a better start in Deadlock: Deadlock Beginner’s Guide: 9 tips to make you better right away
