Although Deadlock is still in the testing and development phase and can only be played by invitation, it already has numerous fans. The game may look like a shooter, but it plays completely differently. MeinMMO explains what you need to pay attention to if you want to get better.
At the moment, you can only play the new Steam hit by invitation. However, it is relatively easy to get an invitation to Deadlock. The new game is accordingly popular among both players and streamers like shroud.
Perhaps the most important tip right away: Deadlock is a MOBA and not a shooter – or more precisely, a MOBA with shooter gameplay. Because although you do have to be able to aim well, the actual game principle is that of LoL and Co.:
To help you find your way around the game better, we have put together some tips for you that will especially help beginners in Deadlock. The tips come from expert sites like mobalytics as well as from our MOBA experts from the MeinMMO team.
This is Deadlock – The new MOBA shooter from Valve
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Tip 1: Read the ads 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, stamina, ammunition and the amount of souls you have collected.
Stamina is the white bar right next to your crosshairs. It determines whether you can “sprint” (i.e. dodge) or double jump. If you get into a firefight, you will definitely need this information – just like the amount of ammunition, of course.
What many people probably overlook, however, is the small bottle to the left of your life bar. This slowly fills up as you collect souls, but shows the total number of souls you have received. This is because this amount determines when you can skill:
Tip 2: Prevent your opponents from farming
Similar to DOTA, you can prevent your opponents from getting souls in Deadlock. When a minion dies, a soul rises from it. By default, souls that benefit you are green. Opponents’ souls are orange.
If you fire at a soul that belongs to your opponent, you prevent them from receiving their bonus. This means that you can actively prevent your enemies from leveling up.
Conversely, your opponents can of course also make you farm more slowly. If you have a partner in the lane, you can agree that one of you will “secure” the souls while the other tries to sabotage the opponent.
Tip 3: Learn what each hero can do
There are 21 different heroes in Deadlock, each with unique abilities. You don’t need to be able to play each hero in detail or know how their abilities change over the course of the game.
What you should know, however, is what a hero can basically do. This brings with it two advantages that you need to win:
Here on MeinMMO you can find our overview of all heroes in Deadlock and what they can do. Alternatively, you can look at the heroes in the menu under the item Heroes. If you are not yet sure what you want to play, we have prepared a tier list for you here:
More on the topic
Deadlock: Tier List of the best heroes
by Christos Tsogos
Tip 4: Learn the items
Now comes the tedious part. There is a shop at every active guardian on your side and in your base where you can exchange souls for items. To start with, it is sufficient if you play the recommended build.
However, you should still read carefully what the items actually do. This is the only way you will know how your hero has just become stronger and what options are open 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 create your own builds, but you will also know exactly how to counter an opponent. You can view items directly in the menu under “Resources” ⇒ “Browse items”.
Additional tip: By destroying guardians, runners and shrines you will receive additional “flex slots.” These will 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 orient yourself in the streets, you have a big advantage over your opponents:
There are also important objectives on the map, such as a boss and the Soul Vessel. Knowing where these are and when to tackle them is a key to victory. The best way to learn the map is solo in Edmo mode, just walking around.
The video by YouTuber The Gaming Merchant gives a good overview of the map and its secrets:
Tip 6: Do the right thing at the right time
Like any MOBA, Deadlock is divided into three different phases: early, mid and late game. In each of these phases, different goals are more or less important. Your plan should look something like this:
Depending on how well or poorly you do, the priority can change significantly. So don’t take this list as a hard and fast rule, but rather as a recommendation if you’re stuck.
Tip 7: You can turn a game around (almost) at any time
One important point that distinguishes Deadlock from many MOBAs is that the game usually cannot be decided after just a few minutes. In LoL, it can happen that a single champion with many kills can single-handedly end the game after just 20 minutes.
This doesn’t usually happen in Deadlock. You have a chance of winning as long as your patron is standing. A mistake by your opponents can mean that their entire team is wiped out. You then have the chance to basically march all the way to the enemy base.
The respawn and the way back are so long in the endgame that a complete “team wipe” can mean that even a completely defeated team can still win. Always keep this in mind and don’t throw in the towel after just a few minutes.
With our tips, it should be easier for you to gain a foothold in Deadlock and not get torn apart by some veterans. If you still get beaten more often, that’s more or less normal. Valve’s other MOBA, DOTA, takes a lot of time to get good at. Deadlock is no different: The new shooter on Steam is conquering Twitch – shroud raves: “It’s so cool and 1,000 hours aren’t enough to learn everything”