Who are the Deadlock characters? Blending the lane-dominating, creep-farming gameplay of a MOBA with pew-pew hero shooter action, Deadlock is quite the chimera. Currently in its fledgling state, Deadlock’s slowly adding new characters to the game as developer Valve looks to expand its already-diverse roster to include even more options.
Below, we’ll give you the full rundown of what each of the Deadlock characters does in-game. While there’s a lot to get to grips with in Valve’s new MOBA game, our accompanying Deadlock tier list, found at the bottom of this guide, will help you out when deciding which heroes are worth investing your time into. We’ve also highlighted the new characters currently being tested in our Deadlock release date guide.
Deadlock characters
Here are all the Deadlock characters and their abilities:
Abrams
Abram is a gargoyle whose health regen and damage mitigation make him nearly impossible to take down. Abrams comes complete with a gap-closer to help mitigate how poorly he performs at range, making him a nightmare to deal with.
Abrams can dish out a ton of damage while drain tanking with Siphon Life (1) or slamming into enemies with Shoulder Charge (2). His Seismic Impact (4) operates as a huge AoE stun that provides stats and CC immunity with upgrades, making for a devastating combination with the likes of Dynamo and Seven. The secret sauce to Abrams, though, is Infernal Resilience (3), a passive ability that grants him his health regen on top of even more health. Get this maxed first to quickly become an immovable object.
Abrams abilities:
- Siphon Life (1) – Abrams drains health from enemies in front of him, within the ability radius.
- Shoulder Charge (2) – Abrams charges forward, colliding with and dragging along enemy heroes. Enemy heroes that hit a wall are stunned. Abrams’ speed increases after colliding with enemy heroes.
- Infernal Resilience (3) – Abrams regenerates a portion of incoming damage over time.
- Seismic Impact (4) – Abrams leaps into the air and crashes into a chosen ground location. Enemy heroes hit within the radius are damaged and stunned. Recast to crash down early.
Bebop
The equivalent of Overwatch 2’s Roadhog or LoL’s Blitzcrank, Bebop is the perfect pick for making picks, yoinking foes into your team in preparation for a collective beatdown. But it’s not only Bebop’s Hook (3) that makes him a solid hero, as he’s equally proficient at swatting away enemies with his Exploding Uppercut (1).
Bebop’s shenanigans get even spicier when it comes to his final two abilities – Sticky Bomb (2) and Hyper Beam (4). With Sticky Bomb, Bebop can attach a timed explosive to a target – friend or foe – which is hilariously devastating when placed on the former. Imagine strapping a bomb to Lash before he swings into the enemy team, for example. As for Hyper Beam, well, it does exactly what you imagine it does. It’s a bit of a meme beam, but its DPS is no joke, and it even slows enemy movement. In practice, though, you want to prioritize Bebop’s Hook. It acts as an interrupt, which makes it the perfect salve for the ultimates like Seven’s.
Bebop abilities:
- Exploding Uppercut (1) – Bebop deals light melee damage to nearby units and sends them flying back, dealing area damage where they land. Allies don’t take damage.
- Sticky Bomb (2) – Bebop attaches a Sticky Bomb to a target, dealing explosive damage after a short delay. Gain bonus bomb damage for each enemy hero hit. Can be self-cast.
- Hook (3) – Bebop hooks and reels in the first hero – ally or enemy – hit, dealing damage if it’s the latter. Bebop’s hook places the target where he’s facing.
- Hyper Beam (4) – Bebop charges a powerful laser that deals damage while slowing enemy movement and dashes. Bebop has slow movement and turn rate for the duration. Bebop will hover while firing if unleashed in the air.
Dynamo
The king of crowd control, Dynamo is the perfect support for every team. Boasting the ability to make huge plays with relative ease, knocking up enemies with his Kinetic Pulse (1) and Singularity (4), catching enemy heroes in a CC chain is incredibly satisfying. However, you’ll have to time his Singularity properly as it can be interrupted by other CC abilities and items.
Dynamo is also the perfect partner for low-range or immobile carries. Thanks to his Quantum Entanglement (2), Dynamo can not only warp from one position to another, but he can also bring nearby allies with him. The nastiest combo for this currently involves Seven, who cannot move while using his Storm Cloud (4). By yoinking the lightning lord with him, Dynamo can reposition Seven to continue putting out big damage. To top it all off, Dynamo’s Rejuvenating Aurora (3) heals himself and nearby allies, making him a mobile ambulance.
Dynamo abilities:
- Kinetic Pulse (1) – Dynamo fires an energy pulse that knocks enemies into the air.
- Quantum Entanglement (2) – Dynamo slips into the void, reappearing a short distance away. Reloads your weapon and gives a fire rate bonus on reappearing. Can be alt-cast to bring nearby allies with Dynamo, giving them half the fire rate bonus.
- Rejuvenating Aurora (3) – Dynamo restores health to himself and nearby allies while channeling.
- Singularity (4) – Dynamo creates a singularity that pulls in nearby enemies, damaging them. Once the channel finishes, enemies are knocked into the air.
Grey Talon
For the Robin Hood types out there, Grey Talon fulfills your bow-wielding fantasy. Both Charged Shot (1) and Rain of Arrows (2) aid Grey Talon’s already-solid DPS, which he can dish out consistently. Grey Talon can also control tight spaces with his Immobilizing Trap (3), though if your timing’s on point you can also deploy it just before another hero closes the gap between you, offering self-peel.
Grey Talon’s ultimate, Guided Owl (4), offers him innate scaling as it generates permanent Spirit Power for each enemy killed by it. As such, even if you find yourself behind in Souls, you can still scale into the late game as long as your owl bomb deployment is immaculate.
Grey Talon abilities:
- Charged Shot (1) – Grey Talon charges up a powerful shot that pierces through enemies. Hold the ability or fire button to hold the shot.
- Rain of Arrows (2) – Grey Talon launches into the air, allowing him to slowly glide. Grey Talon gains multishot and bonus weapon damage while airborne. Hit the jump key to cancel the glide.
- Immobilizing Trap (3) – Grey Talon throws out a trap that arms itself after a short delay. Enemies who enter its radius trigger it, immobilizing and subsequently slowing them.
- Guided Owl (4) – After a short cast, Grey Talon launches a spirit owl that he controls, which explodes on impact. Enemies hit are damaged and stunned. Each enemy killed gives permanent Spirit Power. Hold the fire button to speed the owl up. Press the jump key to release control.
Haze
Haze is a bit of a demon – even more so if you can hit your headshots consistently. Thanks to the ramping damage buff she gets from Fixation (3), Haze can maul through even the tankiest enemies if you can keep on them for long enough (bonus stacks are accrued for clicking heads). Thanks to Fixation, as well as her Sleep Dagger (1), Haze is one of the best 1v1 characters in the game, provided you stay at least even with the power curve of the lobby.
If, however, you find yourself in between multiple enemies, you have two options – drop a Smoke Bomb (2) and get out of dodge, or go sicko mode on them all with her Bullet Dance (4). If you opt for the latter, you’ll enter a flurry redolent of Reaper from Overwatch 2, or Samira from League of Legends – it’s fire. During the flurry Haze also gains bullet evasion, helping her survive the sheer amount of unwanted attention she’ll undoubtedly draw.
Haze abilities:
- Sleep Dagger (1) – Haze throws a dagger that damages and sleeps the enemy. Sleeping targets awaken just after they’re damaged. Throwing a Sleep Dagger doesn’t break Haze’s invisibility, nor does hitting an enemy with one interrupt their ability channels.
- Smoke Bomb (2) – Haze becomes invisible and gains sprint speed. Attacking removes invisibility. Nearby enemies can see through your stealth.
- Fixation (3) – Haze gains stacking damage for each bullet that hits the target. Each bullet hit grants one stack, while headshots grant two.
- Bullet Dance (4) – Haze fires her weapon at nearby enemies while flurrying, hitting them with perfect accuracy. During the flurry, Haze gains a fire rate bonus and bullet evasion chance.
Infernus
Putting the ‘fire’ in ‘gunfire,’ Infernus is an incredibly mobile DPS who excels at dealing burn damage over time with his Afterburn (3). Of course, if you want to just full-send it instead, you can combine Flame Dash (2) and Concussive Combustion (4) to transform into a high-speed nuke that can deliver devastating ganks across lanes (or mega engages in your current one).
As Infernus can speed himself up, so too can he slow enemies using his Catalyst (1), which also amplifies the damage Infernus deals to them. He’s one of the easier heroes to play on our Deadlock tier list, but his power defies his relatively low skill ceiling.
Infernus abilities:
- Catalyst (1) – Infernus spews napalm that slows enemy movement and amplifies his damage dealt to them.
- Flame Dash (2) – Infernus sprints forward at high speed, leaving a trail of flame that burns enemies. Infernus gains slow resistance while dashing. Dash faster by holding the fire button.
- Afterburn (3) – Infernus’s bullets build up to apply a burning effect on enemies. Duration can be refreshed by bullets and abilities.
- Concussive Combustion (4) – Infernus turns himself into a living bomb that explodes after a short delay. Stuns all enemies caught up in the explosion radius.
Ivy
In a team environment, Ivy is a bit of a demon – she does currently possess one of the nastiest combos with Seven, after all. In an ideal world, Ivy will play heavily into her Air Drop (4), which grants her the ability to pick up an ally and fly them around, before dropping them like a tactical nuke to deal devastating damage. As you can imagine, picking up an ulting Seven and taking them on an adventure is pure evil.
However, for this to work you are going to have to rely on your teammates to get the best out of her – something you simply can’t do consistently in solo queue. Fortunately, Ivy is incredibly versatile, and can be utilized as a DPS, support, or even a roaming ganker thanks to her high stamina and mobility. Kudzu Bomb (1) can be used to set up plays or deter enemies from making their own, while Watcher’s Covenant (2) offers up buffs for you and your allies. Stone Form (3), meanwhile, can help you heal up while slamming into the ground, stunning nearby enemies – a solid, yet inconsistent form of CC.
Ivy abilities:
- Kudzu Bomb (1) – Ivy summons a patch of vines that damage and slow enemies within its radius.
- Watcher’s Covenant (2) – Ivy gains bonus stats that she automatically shares with a nearby ally, provided they’re in line of sight. Healing is replicated among connected allies. Reactivate to lock onto a target.
- Stone Form (3) – Ivy turns herself into an impervious stone, smashing into the ground. Nearby enemies are damaged and stunned. Stone Form heals Ivy for a percentage of her max health. While airborne, Stone Form grants limited air control.
- Air Drop (4) – Ivy picks up an ally or bomb and takes flight. The airlifted ally gains bullet resistance, but can’t attack while mid-air – abilities deal half damage. When Ivy drops the ally or bomb they cause a large explosion that slows impacted enemies. Ivy and her ally gain a bullet shield when Air Drop ends. Air Drop cast time is faster when targeting an ally.
Kelvin
Kelvin is a real annoyance to anyone and everyone who gets frostbitten by his abilities. If you’ve ever fallen prey to Mei from Overwatch 2, you’ll know exactly what this dude is all about. Whether it’s his Frost Grenade (1), Arctic Beam (3), or Frozen Shelter (4), Kelvin can and will slow you with great prejudice.
Kelvin’s greatest asset, perhaps ironically, is his Ice Path (2) which speeds him up and grants him verticality, rather than slowing enemies. This is great for pushing Deadlock characters who spend most of their time airborne, such as Vindicta.
Kelvin abilities:
- Frost Grenade (1) – Kelvin throws a Frost Grenade that damages and slows enemies.
- Ice Path (2) – Kelvin creates a floating trail of ice, granting himself and allies a movement speed bonus. Kelvin also gains slow resistance for the duration. Enemies can also walk on the trail.
- Arctic Beam (3) – Kelvin channels a beam of freezing energy, damaging targets while building up a movement and fire rate slow on them over time. Kelvin has reduced speed while channeling. The beam can also claim Souls.
- Frozen Shelter (4) – Kelvin freezes the air around him, creating an impenetrable dome. Allies inside the dome rapidly regenerate health, while enemies are slowed. Objectives under Frozen Shelter are frozen and become invulnerable.
Lady Geist
The vampiric Lady Geist operates like any other vampy character who sacrifices health to deal damage. Both her Essence Bomb (1) and Malice (3) trade blood for AoE damage and debuffs respectively. But don’t worry, as Life Drain (2) will let you tether to an enemy hero and feed off their life force – delicious.
While her base kit isn’t enough to make her a top-tier hero in itself, Lady Geist’s Soul Exchange (4) is ludicrously powerful in bruiser/tank-focused metas. When used, Soul Exchange lets Lady Geist swap health levels with her target of choice – you know where this is going. After letting the likes of Abrams or Warden beat up on you a bit, simply pop your ult and polish them off. As Deadlock is right now, we’d recommend upgrading Soul Exchange as much as possible. Yes, it turns Lady Geist into an ult bot, but it’s hard to find a more consistent tank buster, especially if you do fall behind in Souls.
Lady Geist abilities:
- Essence Bomb (1) – Lady Geist sacrifices some of her health to launch a damage-dealing bomb after briefly arming it. Self-sacrifice damage is Spirit, and can be mitigated.
- Life Drain (2) – Lady Geist tethers to an enemy, draining their health and healing her over time. Target must be within range and line of sight. Lady Geist can use other abilities while draining, but her movement speed is halved. Recast to cancel.
- Malice (3) – Lady Geist sacrifices some of her health to launch blood shards that apply a stack of Malice. Each stack slows the enemy while increasing the damage they take from Lady Geist. The slow degrades over time.
- Soul Exchange (4) – Lady Geist swaps health with an enemy target. There are minimum health percentages for both the health enemies can be brought down to and how much health Lady Geist receives, based on the enemy’s current health.
Lash
If executing complex combos is your forte, then Lash is the Deadlock character for you. Mixing said combos with hypermobility and CC, a good Lash can completely take over the game. By utilizing his whip, Lash can make anyone yield to his tempo – be it with his Flog (3) or Death Slam (4). Verticality is Lash’s best friend, so make sure you use his Grapple (2) to ping yourself up high before grabbing the enemy team with Death Slam.
Grapple is also incredibly helpful for dealing with Warden, as not only will it get you out of his Binding Word (3) lickety split, but it will also restore a stamina charge, mitigating Alchemical Flask (1). Finally, Lash’s Ground Strike (1) grows in power the further away from the ground you unleash it from. If you haven’t guessed already, mastering Lash’s Grapple is the key to unlocking his full potential.
Lash abilities:
- Ground Strike (1) – Lash stomps the ground, damaging enemies in front of him. If performed while airborne, Lash quickly dives toward the ground. Ground Strike deals more damage per meter traveled.
- Grapple (2) – Lash grapples through the air towards a target. Grapple restores all air jumps and dashes.
- Flog (3) – Lash strikes with his whip, stealing life from enemies hit.
- Death Slam (4) – Lash focuses on enemies, connecting whips to them. Once channeled, connected enemies are lifted and stunned, before being slammed into the ground. Both connected enemies and those in the landing radius will be damaged and slowed. Connected enemies can be thrown early with the fire button.
McGinnis
If you’re a fan of characters like Heimerdinger (LoL) and Torbjorn (Overwatch 2), then you’re going to love McGinnis. Deadlock’s own turret specialist is a versatile hero who can reel out the DPS using her Mini Turrets (1), while controlling the map with her Spectral Wall (3) – we’d argue this is actually the strongest part of her kit.
McGinnis’s play style changes over the course of the game, as their DPS does fall off late. As such, their strong laning should be used to build an advantage for your team, before you transition to a map controller who can also sustain her team with Medicinal Specter (2). Of course, her Heavy Barrage (4) is still going to deal an extra burst of damage, but McGinnis is never going to get through the likes of Abrams or Warden in the late game.
McGinnis abilities:
- Mini Turret (1) – McGinnis deploys a Mini Turret that automatically shoots enemies. The turret expires after a set time. Turrets gain a percentage of McGinnis’s max health and spirit resistance. Troopers and objectives take reduced damage from turrets.
- Medicinal Specter (2) – McGinnis deploys a spirit that heals nearby units.
- Spectral Wall (3) – McGinnis creates a large wall that springs forward. The wall deals damage and slows nearby enemies. Recast to spring the wall early.
- Heavy Barrage (4) – McGinnish unleashes a volley of homing rockets.
Mirage
Mirage is custom-built for players who love the thrill of the hunt – especially if tankbusting brings you joy. He’s also pretty handy in lanes where he’s at a numerical disadvantage thanks to his mobility and sustain.
Mirage’s Tornado (1) is straightforward – turn into tornado, zoom forward, hit enemy, knock them up in the air. It’s both a fabulous engage and disengage tool that can help him quickly reposition. The meat of Mirage’s kit is the combination of Fire Scarabs (2) and Djinn’s Mark (3), granting you a ton of 1v1 power. This is only exacerbated by the bonus stats you get from teleporting on top of them with Traveler (4).
Mirage abilities:
- Tornado (1) – Mirage transforms into a Tornado that travels in a straight line forward, damaging and lifting enemies hit into the air. Mirage gains bullet evasion after emerging from the tornado.
- Fire Scarabs (2) – Mirage launches Fire Scarabs that steal max health from enemies and apply bullet resist reduction. Mirage can’t apply multiple scarabs to the same enemy. Mirage gains three times as much health from heroes hit with scarabs than non-heroes.
- Djinn’s Mark (3) – Mirage’s shots passively apply an increasing multiplayer on the target. When the multiplier expires, Mirage reaches the maximum stacks, or Mirage uses the active portion of this ability to expunge the stacks, the target is briefly revealed on the map and takes spirit damage. The total damage dealt is the base damage times the multiplier.
- Traveler (4) – Mirage can teleport to an ally or enemy hero on the minimap, taking him to where they were when the channel started. Once teleported, Mirage gains bonus movement speed and fire rate until his next reload.
Mo & Krill
While Mo & Krill are some of the best disruptors in the game right now, the pair demands a higher level of execution than other tanks to make an impact. Nonetheless, if burrowing around as a giant mole and causing chaos while being nigh on unkillable floats your boat, then you absolutely should try them out.
Mo & Krill excel as gankers, mowing down neutral camps with Scorn (1) while en route to dabble in dastardly deeds. Though Burrow (2) is the highlight of their kit, you won’t be able to spam it, so make sure you’re flanking enemies while underground rather than going for a frontal assault – you will get beamed despite the bullet resistance you gain in your burrowed state. When combined with Combo (4), Mo & Krill can lock down a target for several seconds, setting your DPS up for success. Sand Blast (3), meanwhile, is a fabulous disarming skill that should be used liberally on top damage dealers like Haze – she’ll hate you for it.
Mo & Krill abilities:
- Scorn (1) – Mo & Krill deal damage to nearby enemies and heal themselves based on damage dealt. Hitting enemy heroes heals more.
- Burrow (2) – Mo & Krill burrow underground, graining speed as well as spirit and bullet armor. Being damaged by enemy heroes reduces the speed bonus. When Mo & Krill jump out they knock enemies into the air before performing a spin attack that damages and slows.
- Sand Blast (3) – Mo & Krill spray sand that disarms enemies in front of them, dealing damage.
- Combo (4) – Mo & Krill hold a target in place, dealing damage and stunning them during the channel. If the enemy dies during Combo, Mo & Krill gain permanent max health.
Paradox
Paradox is a coordinated team’s dream, thanks to her ability to make huge picks with Paradoxical Swap (4). Of course, swapping yourself into the enemy team is usually a massive problem, but Paradox’s Time Wall (2) can quickly be deployed, helping her get out to safety while silencing foes who pass through it. You categorically need your team to take advantage of your picks, though, and help escort you back to a secure position. It’s for this reason that Paradox is a risky, albeit rewarding pick in solo queue.
If Paradox’s first two abilities weren’t unique enough, the rest of her kit follows suit. Pulse Grenade (1) becomes more powerful the more of its waves hit enemy targets – if you can coordinate with other CC to keep enemies within its radius then it becomes ridiculously strong. Kinetic Carbine (3), meanwhile, offers Paradox a bit more agency, granting her huge poke damage and debuffs should she hit a charged shot.
Paradox abilities:
- Pulse Grenade (1) – Paradox throws a grenade that begins pulsing on landing. Each pulse deals damage, slows, and applies stacking damage amplification for Paradox against the enemies hit.
- Time Wall (2) – Paradox creates a wall that stops time for all enemy projectiles and bullets that touch it. Enemies that touch the wall take max health damage and are briefly slowed.
- Kinetic Carbine (3) – Paradox starts charging his weapon, gaining movement speed at full charge. Paradox’s next shot releases the energy, dealing spirit damage and applying a time stop to the enemy hit. Damage dealt is your current weapon damage amplified. Alt-firing slows time on yourself when a charged shot is available.
- Paradoxical Swap (4) – Paradox fires a projectile that swaps his position with the target enemy hero. While under the effect, Paradox gains spirit lifestyle while the enemy hero takes damage over time.
The ultimate heist character, Pocket always has a trick up his sleeve when it comes to making a clean getaway after unloading a holy amount of AoE damage on the enemy team. There are a couple of things you’ll have to keep in mind, though, if you want to get the most out of him. Firstly, his Barrage (1) is best casted mid-air as Pocket retains any forward momentum he started with, making it harder to hit him as he unleashes his projectiles.
Additionally, his two getaway abilities – Flying Cloak (2) and Enchanter’s Satchel (3) – can also be used offensively to deal a large amount of AoE damage when combined. Next time you’re in a game as Pocket, throw out the first part of your Flying Cloak, hop into your Enchanter’s Satchel, then reactivate the cloak at the target location to teleport in time for you to pop out. Pocket’s Affliction (4) may not be able to kill the targets it hits, but it will do a massive amount of damage over time while massively reducing healing – a must when dealing with the likes of Abrams and Lady Geist.
Pocket abilities:
- Barrage (1) – Pocket begins channeling, launching projectiles that deal damage and slows enemies in their impact area. Each projectile that hits an enemy hero grants Pocket a stacking damage amp buff. If cast while airborne, Pocket floats and maintains any horizontal momentum he started with.
- Flying Cloak (2) – Pocket launches a cloak that travels forward and damages enemies. Recast to teleport to its location.
- Enchanter’s Satchel (3) – Pocket escapes into his suitcase. After a delay, Pocket pops out, dealing damage to nearby enemies. Perform any action to exist the suitcase early.
- Affliction (4) – Pocket applies non-lethal damage over time to all nearby enemies. Affliction’s damage does not apply item procs.
Seven
We don’t know why he’s called Seven when he’s a perfect ten when it comes to zapping the life out of enemy heroes with his lightning-focused kit. Not only is Seven simple to pick up and play, but he also deals a ridiculous amount of damage. Between his Static Charge (2) and Power Surge (3), Seven can lock down a target and spread his damage to nearby enemies while lighting them up. Throw in a Lightning Ball (1) for even more burst and you’re cooking.
The pièce de résistance of Seven’s kit, though, is undoubtedly his Storm Cloud (4) – an expanding storm cloud that strikes all enemies within its radius and line of sight. Unleashed at the right moment, in the right position (ideally when airborne), and you can absolutely decimate a lane. With big DPS and a forgiving play style, there’s no reason not to lock Seven in as one of your preferred heroes right now.
Seven abilities:
- Lightning Ball (1) – Seven shoots a ball of lightning in a straight line, dealing damage to all targets in its radius. The ball slows when damaging enemies and stops completely if it hits terrain.
- Static Charge (2) – Seven applies a static charge to an enemy that stuns and damages enemies within their radius after a short duration. Alt-cast to apply on self.
- Power Surge (3) – Seven powers up his weapon, applying shock damage to his bullets that can bounce to enemies near your target. Shock damage chain occurs once per burst shot.
- Storm Cloud (4) – Seven channels an expanding storm cloud around him that damages all enemies within its radius and line of sight. Seven has increased bullet resistance during the channel.
Shiv
Shiv needs to pick his moments to shine, but if you can bide your time, control your aggression, and survive his weak early laning phase then he can completely explode lobbies with his powerful Slice and Dice (2) and Killing Blow (4). What’s more, he can function as a pseudo-tank thanks to the huge amount of damage deferral he gains from Bloodletting (3).
Shiv’s play style has changed drastically as nerfs have hit his Serrated Knives (1) hard. To get the most out of him, prioritize his Slice and Dice and Bloodletting, turning him into an ultra-mobile ganker who can soak damage for fun. You’re going to have a tough time in lane, but once you get out of it you’re free to go wild.
Shiv abilities:
- Serrated Knives (1) – Shiv throws a knife that damages and slows an enemy. Each additional hit adds a stack and refreshes the debuff. Damage increases per stack.
- Slice and Dice (2) – Shiv dashes forward, damaging enemies along his path. After unlocking Killing Blow (4), an echo of Shiv retraces the dash path after a short delay, damaging enemies again – Shiv’s rage has to be full for this to proc.
- Bloodletting (3) – Shiv passively defers a portion of his damage taken over time. Activate Bloodletting to clear a portion of the deferred damage, regaining it as health.
- Killing Blow (4) – Shiv leaps towards an enemy hero, instantly killing them if their health is below the execute threshold. If it isn’t, deal a large chunk of damage to them.
Vindicta
Vindicta is made for the 360 no-scope dons who prefer to deal their damage from afar. Deadlock’s sniper character, Vindicta is at her best when she takes Flight (2), bolstering her damage while she remains airborne. She’s incredibly vulnerable when grounded, so try and play around her Flight time as much as possible. The other major ability Vindicta has is, unsurprisingly, her ultimate, Assassinate (4). At max rank, this powerful shot gives you bonus Souls for each assassination, helping Vindicta scale in the same way Grey Talon does. Its cooldown is incredibly low with a single point in it, so don’t be afraid to use it for chip damage.
Before you start juicing enemy heroes, though, make sure you lead with your Crow Familiar (3) where possible. It deals percentage health damage based on current health, so it’s most effective the healthier the enemy is. Finally, catching someone with your Stake (1) will set you up for easy headshots, so don’t underestimate its usefulness.
Vindicta abilities:
- Stake (1) – Vindicta throws a stake, tethering enemies to where it lands. Enemies can’t move past the length of the tether.
- Flight (2) – Vindicta takes flight, dealing bonus spirit damage while airborne.
- Crow Familiar (3) – Vindicta’s crow familiar deals impact damage and applies a bleed that deals damage based on the enemy’s current health.
- Assassinate (4) – Vindicta’s scoped rifle fires a powerful long-distance shot. The shot only deals partial damage until it’s fully charged. Assassinate deals bonus damage to enemies with less than 50% health. Landing a killing blow with Assassinate gives bonus Souls.
Viscous
The green crewmate from Among Us got in the gym after their most recent ejection from the hit party game, evolving into Viscous in the process – at least, that’s our head canon. Viscous is a CC specialist with an incredibly high skill ceiling who can generate a decent amount of lane pressure by clearing waves quickly with his Splatter (1), before getting out of dodge with his Goo Ball (4). He can also use his ultimate’s mobility to shift between lanes and disrupt their status quo with Puddle Punch (3), which is itself one of the hardest abilities in the game to use effectively.
Of course, you can use Goo Ball itself to get in and stun enemies, but that does leave you incredibly open to being focused down once the CC wears off – Viscous doesn’t have another form of escape. Fortunately, The Cube (2) can be used as a stasis tool of sorts, providing plenty of resistances and healing until your team can follow up – if they follow up. Indeed, Viscous needs you to both master his kit and coordinate with your team to be most effective.
Viscous abilities:
- Splatter (1) – Viscous throws a ball of goo that deals damage, leaving behind goo puddles that slow enemies in their radius.
- The Cube (2) – Viscous encases an ally in a cube of restorative goo that removes debuffs, increases health regen, and protects from damage. The target is unable to take any new actions until freed. Viscous can cube himself. Press the jump key to escape early.
- Puddle Punch (3) – Viscous materializes a fist that punches nearby units, sending them flying. Enemies hit have damage dealt, their dash distance reduced briefly, and their movement slowed. Puddle Punch is classed as a light melee attack.
- Goo Ball (4) – Viscous morphs into a large goo ball that deals damage and stuns enemies hit. While in this form, Viscous gains large amounts of bullet and spirit resistance, bounces off walls, and can double jump.
Warden
Warden’s biggest weakness is his lack of range. Fortunately, the cop is used to chasing and locking down ne’er-do-wells with his incredibly oppressive kit. Warden’s Willpower (2) speeds him up, while Binding Word (3) will immobilize the target if they don’t slither away in time. While enemies can simply flip away using stamina, Warden’s Alchemical Flask (1) can strip them of it, rendering them powerless. If you end up snared by Binding Word, consider yourself dead. Due to all of the above, Warden is a roaming death ball, so be sure to lane hop often.
On top of this, Warden is an absolute nightmare to try and take down due to his freakishly large health bar. A true, blue bruiser, Warden is an absolute beast of a frontliner. What’s more, Warden’s Last Stand (4) can unleash a ton of AoE damage after charging it, healing him based on the damage done. Nasty.
Warden abilities:
- Alchemical Flask (1) – Warden throws a flash that damages, slows, and reduces both the weapon damage and stamina of enemies hit.
- Willpower (2) – Warden gains a spirit shield and bonus movement speed.
- Binding Word (3) – Warden curses an enemy hero. If they don’t escape from their initial position quickly enough they will be damaged and immobilized.
- Last Stand (4) – Warden charges up before releasing pulses that damage enemies and heal him based on the damage dealt. Warden has greatly increased bullet and spirit resist while channeling.
Wraith
If you’re looking to make a name for yourself then meet Wraith. The magic card-manipulating hero is a serious splitpushing threat who can mow down all in her path at breakneck pace. If you’re looking to take a lane into your own hands, then Wraith is our pick of the bunch as she can not only eviscerate structures with her Full Auto (3) fire rate bonus, but she can also get out of danger just as quickly with her teleport, Project Mind (2). Full Auto also affects nearby allies and Troopers, which naturally ensures your lane will always push harder than your foe’s.
Wraith is also a powerful duelist thanks to her steroid and Card Trick (1). As most enemies would rather not take the full brunt of Full Auto, it’s standard fare for them to dip behind cover to wait it out. However, Card Trick actually deals splash damage, ensuring Wraith’s onslaught can continue unperturbed by terrain. Nasty. And, before they can retreat to cover, Wraith can lift and stun them using Telekinesis (4), leaving them open to her full wrath. If you can play the map properly and remain cognizant of where enemy heroes are, Wraith can generate a ridiculous amount of pressure.
Wraith abilities:
- Card Trick (1) – Wraith summons cards by dealing weapon damage. Activate the skill to throw a card that flies towards the enemy or point under the crosshair.
- Project Mind (2) – Wraith teleports to the target location.
- Full Auto (3) – Wraith temporarily boosts her fire rate. Nearby allies receive half the bonus.
- Telekinesis (4) – Wraith lifts an enemy hero into the air, stunning them briefly. The target takes damage when Telekinesis ends.
Yamato
Yamato is one of those Deadlock characters that can clean house if she gets ahead, but her ridiculously high skill ceiling makes her a risky pick. As a 1v1 duelist, few can compete with Yamato thanks to her Power Slash (1) and Crimson Slash (3) quickly dishing out damage. Those who try to flee from Yamato do so in vein as her Flying Strike (2) can quickly close the gap.
The real spice in Yamato’s kit is undoubtedly her Shadow Transformation (4), which not only makes her invincible during the cast animation, but makes her unkillable while it’s active. On top of this, ability cooldowns are massively reduced, your weapon gains infinite ammo, and she becomes impervious to negative status effects. Oh, and she takes less damage. A true one-woman-army, Yamato’s potential to go nuclear is clear to see, though she becomes a total dead weight if she falls too far behind. Feast or famine in its truest sense.
Yamato abilities:
- Power Slash (1) – Yamato channels, increasing her damage before letting loose a fully-charged sword strike. Reactivate or press the fire button to trigger the strike early, dealing partial damage.
- Flying Strike (2) – Yamato throws a grappling hook, reeling herself towards an enemy. Yamato damages and slows the target upon arrival.
- Crimson Slash (3) – Yamato slashes enemies in front of her, damaging them and slowing their fire rate. Yamato heals off of enemy heroes hit.
- Shadow Transformation (4) – Yamato becomes infused with her shadow soul, transforming. Yamato is invincible during the transformation. While transformed, Yamato’s abilities are refreshed and are much faster, her weapon has infinite ammo, and she gains both damage resistance and immunity to negative status effects. Shadow Transformation’s duration is extended on hero kill.
Deadlock tier list
Here are the best Deadlock characters to play right now:
| Tier | Character |
| S | Dynamo, McGinnis |
| A | Mo & Krill, Abrams, Lady Geist, Pocket, Lash, Bebop, Ivy, Wraith, Infernus |
| B | Seven, Paradox, Viscous, Yamato, Shiv, Grey Talon, Mirage |
| C | Kelvin, Vindicta |
| D | Haze, Warden |
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that both Dynamo and McGinnis are considered the premiere Deadlock characters. After all, between Dynamo’s monstrous crowd control and McGinnis’s turret power, both heroes are nightmarish to deal with. That’s not to say there aren’t other heroes who can carry a game.
For example, Lash and Pocket are both powerful DPS picks, while Wraith is categorically the best splitpusher in the game. Abrams, meanwhile is a tanky beast that has managed to persist even with Warden’s decline. The further down the list you go, the more situational it gets. As player understanding has rapidly increased, once top-tier picks like Haze and the aforementioned Warden have declined as counterplay has improved.
And that’s everything you need to know about the Deadlock characters, as well as the latest iteration of our Deadlock tier list. Be sure to refer to this guide often as the free PC game‘s meta shifts and Valve releases more characters.