Valve’s new multiplayer game Deadlock is described as a MOBA shooter, but is that actually accurate? MeinMMO editor Dariusz has taken a look at the game and tells you whether he sees Deadlock as a shooter or a MOBA.
Deadlock is currently extremely popular on Steam. The game has already reached over 106,000 players in the current alpha test and shooter legend shroud is also enthusiastic about Deadlock. In social networks, Deadlock is currently often described as a MOBA shooter, i.e. a mixture of MOBA and shooter.
The MOBA part is expressed in four lanes on which the 6 players per team fight. There, infantrymen (NPC opponents) defeat them, level up their skills and try to get closer to the enemy base and lay siege to it. To do this, they have to prevail against other players as well as the enemy guards and runners.
Deadlock has guns, so it’s not far-fetched to think that it’s also a shooter. But does Valve’s upcoming multiplayer game really play like a shooter? MeinMMO editor Dariusz has a clear opinion on this.
What makes him an expert? What sets him apart as an expert is that he has played almost every shooter or at least dealt with it in detail, has a basic knowledge of the corresponding games and can classify and explain topics. This role is therefore different from that of a professional player, who is characterized by outstanding skill and expertise in usually only one game.
Deadlock is much more MOBA than shooter
Is Deadlock a MOBA or a shooter? That probably depends on your perspective and your own expectations. The game has aspects of both, but If you’re expecting a pure shooter, you might not enjoy Deadlock.
I am a shooter gamer through and through. When I want to play something in the evening, the question is usually: should I play a PvE shooter today or do I feel like PvP? But Deadlock feels much more like a MOBA to me than a shooter. My aim, my gamesense and my movement, which I have developed in the various shooters, are of no use to me in Deadlock.
The time-to-kill of the heroes in Deadlock is very high, the use of skills in combat with other players is very important and the actual armament does not have a big influence on the outcome of a fight.
This is Deadlock – The new MOBA shooter from Valve
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Even the best aim is not a guaranteed victory
Valve secretly put blanks in my gun and it’s frustrating me. Even if you have much better aim than your opponents, you will rarely win a 1v2 in deadlock just by having good aim.
In Valorant, you can ideally end such an encounter with 2 bullets, i.e. 2 clean headshots. In CoD and other games, this is often possible with a maximum of one magazine. In Deadlock, the firearms don’t do much damage. You can forget about a 1-shot headshot altogether.
This is different even in hero shooters like Overwatch 2. There you can get kills with pure weapon skill, even if you don’t use any abilities. If necessary, just choose Soldier 76 and play him like any other shooter. You might lose the game and your fellow players might be angry, but you can get a step further with pure aim than in Deadlock. You can definitely eliminate an Ana or Kiriko without any problem.
Deadlock is much more than just pew pew
If you have played a MOBA before, getting used to the gameplay of Deadlock will probably not be a problem for you. I know a lot about shooters, but I have never played a MOBA. Accordingly, my performance in the rounds I played was poor – and I did try hard to understand what my tasks were.
You have to understand how the different heroes work, which is even more important because of the importance of the skills in direct combat. You have to understand what role the infantry, the guards and the runners play and what the souls are for. And you have to understand which items you should buy in the shop with which hero in which situation.
Deadlock is basically DOTA 2 in third person. Yes, there are guns, but that doesn’t mean that Deadlock plays like a normal shooter. First and foremost, you have to be able to play the game principle of a MOBA. On the other hand, there are probably MOBA players who say: “Deadlock is way too much of a shooter for me.”
If you’re like me and Deadlock doesn’t play like a shooter enough and a MOBA too, then you might find a game on MeinMMO that you like better: The 25 best shooters of 2024 – These PvP and PvE games impress with their gameplay