Mastering Deadlock: The Ultimate Character Guide & Tier List

Who are the Deadlock characters? Blending the intense lane-dominating, creep-farming gameplay of a MOBA with thrilling hero shooter action, Deadlock is a truly unique experience. Still in its early stages, Deadlock is steadily introducing new characters as developer Valve expands its already diverse roster, offering even more strategic options.

Below, you’ll find a complete breakdown of what each Deadlock character does in-game. While there’s plenty to learn in Valve’s new MOBA, our accompanying Deadlock tier list, located at the bottom of this guide, will help you decide which heroes are worth your time and effort. We’ve also highlighted the latest characters currently being tested.

Deadlock characters

Here are all the Deadlock characters and their abilities:

Abrams

Meet Abrams, the formidable gargoyle whose incredible health regeneration and damage reduction make him a near-unstoppable force. Though he struggles at long range, his ability to quickly close distances means he’s a constant threat up close. Abrams excels at dealing massive damage while shrugging off hits, thanks to his Siphon Life or Shoulder Charge. His ultimate, Seismic Impact, is a colossal area-of-effect stun that can be upgraded to grant powerful stats and crowd control immunity, creating devastating combos with allies like Dynamo and Seven. But Abrams’ true strength lies in his passive, Infernal Resilience, which continuously restores his health and boosts his defenses. Prioritize upgrading this ability early to transform him into an unmovable, unbreakable titan.

Abrams abilities:

• Siphon Life (1) – Abrams drains health from enemies in front of him within a specified radius.
• Shoulder Charge (2) – Abrams charges forward, colliding with and dragging enemy heroes. Enemies that hit a wall are stunned. Abrams’ speed increases after hitting enemies.
• 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. Enemies hit within the radius are damaged and stunned. This ability can be recast to land early.

Bebop

Similar to Overwatch 2’s Roadhog or League of Legends’ Blitzcrank, Bebop is the ultimate character for snatching enemies, pulling them into your team for a decisive takedown. But it’s not just Bebop’s Hook that makes him a strong hero; he’s equally skilled at knocking back opponents with his Exploding Uppercut.

Bebop’s tactics get even more interesting with his Sticky Bomb and Hyper Beam. With Sticky Bomb, Bebop can attach a timed explosive to any target – friend or foe – which can be hilariously destructive when placed on an ally just before they charge into the enemy team. As for Hyper Beam, it delivers exactly what its name suggests: a powerful laser with significant DPS that also slows enemy movement. However, in most situations, you’ll want to prioritize Bebop’s Hook, as it serves as a critical interrupt, perfect for countering enemy ultimates like Seven’s.

Bebop abilities:

• Exploding Uppercut (1) – Bebop deals light melee damage to nearby units and sends them flying back, causing area damage where they land. Allies do not take damage.
• Sticky Bomb (2) – Bebop attaches a Sticky Bomb to a target, which explodes 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 an enemy. Bebop’s hook positions the target directly where he is facing.
• Hyper Beam (4) – Bebop charges a powerful laser that deals damage while slowing enemy movement and dashes. Bebop experiences reduced movement and turn speed during its duration. He will hover if fired while airborne.

Billy

Billy abilities:

• Bashdown (1) – Billy slams his bat into the ground, pulling enemies down and dealing melee damage. Bashdown’s slam creates a shockwave, dealing spirit damage and applying knockup.
• Rising Ram (2) – Billy charges head-first into an enemy, sending both himself and the target into the air.
• Blasted (3) – Passive: Melee attacks restore ammo and inflict ‘wrecked’ on the target. Active: Billy empowers his weapons. Melee boosts max health, while bullet damage is amplified against wrecked enemies. Dealing weapon damage keeps Billy in the Blasted state for longer.
• Chain Gang (4) – Billy chains enemies to himself. Chained enemies cannot use movement abilities and are heavily slowed when they pull on the chain. After a delay, Billy yanks everyone affected inward, dealing spirit damage.

Calico

The irony of Calico having a sphinx is not lost on us, but this shadowy agent can effortlessly vanish with Return to Shadows. Oh, and she can also possess and roam around as her cat, Ava, which immediately cements her as a top-tier character in our books. Beyond this, Calico can bare her claws with Leaping Slash, while Gloom Bombs provide some explosive utility.

Calico abilities:

• Gloom Bombs (1) – Calico throws a cluster bomb that detonates after a short delay, dealing damage. Enemies hit by multiple bombs take half damage.
• Leaping Slash (2) – Calico leaps forward, slashing enemies in a circle and dealing light melee damage. Heals a small amount of health for each foe hit.
• Ava (3) – Calico possesses Ava, granting movement speed and the ability to destroy breakables she runs through. Ava is hidden on the minimap but cannot attack or cast abilities. Ava cannot be used for a short period after being hit by an enemy hero.
• Return to Shadows (4) – Calico turns into shadows, granting her movement speed and untargetability while dealing damage. After a short cooldown, Calico returns from the shadows, dealing damage once more.

Drifter

Drifter abilities:

• Rend (1) – Drifter swipes at enemies in a cone in front of him, dealing melee damage. If the enemy is close enough, Rend deals bonus spirit damage.
• Stalker’s Mark (2) – Drifter sends out a mark that bleeds the first target hit, dealing spirit damage over time. If an enemy is bleeding, Stalker’s Mark can be re-activated, making Drifter instantly appear behind them.
• Bloodscent (3) – Isolated heroes leave a trail as they move which Drifter can track. They also emit their heartbeat when afar. Drifter deals amplified damage against isolated heroes. Killing them grants him permanent weapon damage.
• Eternal Night (4) – Drifter envelops nearby enemy heroes in darkness, massively reducing their vision of other units. Enemies affected are briefly revealed. During Eternal Night, Drifter gains bonus sprint speed and his attacks proc spirit damage.

Dynamo

The undisputed master of crowd control, Dynamo is the ideal support for any team. Boasting the ability to execute massive plays with remarkable ease, he can launch enemies into the air with Kinetic Pulse and Singularity, setting up incredibly satisfying CC chains. However, his Singularity requires precise timing, as it can be interrupted by other crowd control abilities and items.

Dynamo is also the perfect partner for short-range or immobile damage dealers. Thanks to his Quantum Entanglement, Dynamo can not only teleport himself but also bring nearby allies with him. The most notorious combo involves Seven, who is stationary during his Storm Cloud. By pulling the lightning lord along, Dynamo can reposition Seven to continue unleashing devastating damage. To top it all off, Dynamo’s Rejuvenating Aurora heals himself and close allies, essentially turning him into a mobile medic.

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 provides a fire rate bonus on reappearing. Can be alt-cast to bring nearby allies with Dynamo, granting 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 those who love the fantasy of a bow-wielding hero, Grey Talon is your champion. Both Charged Shot and Rain of Arrows boost Grey Talon’s already impressive and consistent damage output. He can also control confined spaces effectively with his Immobilizing Trap; if your timing is perfect, you can deploy it just as an enemy approaches, creating vital space for yourself.

Grey Talon’s ultimate, Guided Owl, offers inherent scaling as it generates permanent Spirit Power for each enemy it eliminates. This means even if you fall behind in Souls, you can still remain a significant threat in the late game, provided your owl bomb deployments are precise.

Grey Talon abilities:

• Charged Shot (1) – Grey Talon charges a powerful shot that pierces through enemies. Hold the ability or fire button to maintain the charge.
• Rain of Arrows (2) – Grey Talon launches into the air, allowing him to glide slowly. He gains multishot and bonus weapon damage while airborne. Press the jump key to cancel the glide.
• Immobilizing Trap (3) – Grey Talon throws a trap that activates after a short delay. Enemies entering its radius trigger it, immobilizing and then slowing them.
• Guided Owl (4) – After a brief cast, Grey Talon launches a spirit owl that he controls, which explodes on impact. Enemies hit are damaged and stunned. Each enemy killed grants permanent Spirit Power. Hold the fire button to speed up the owl. Press the jump key to release control.

Haze

Haze is a force to be reckoned with, especially if you can consistently land headshots. Thanks to the escalating damage buff she receives from Fixation, Haze can tear through even the toughest enemies if you can maintain consistent pressure (bonus stacks are awarded for headshots). Because of Fixation and her Sleep Dagger, Haze is one of the premier 1v1 characters in the game, provided you keep pace with the power curve of the match.

However, if you find yourself surrounded by multiple enemies, you have two options: deploy a Smoke Bomb and make a quick escape, or unleash a devastating Bullet Dance on them all. If you choose the latter, you’ll enter a rapid-fire flurry reminiscent of Reaper from Overwatch 2 or Samira from League of Legends—it’s incredibly powerful. During this flurry, Haze also gains bullet evasion, helping her survive the inevitable attention she’ll draw.

Haze abilities:

• Sleep Dagger (1) – Haze throws a dagger that damages and puts the enemy to sleep. Sleeping targets awaken shortly after taking damage. Throwing a Sleep Dagger does not 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 her 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.

Holliday

The rootin’, tootin’, lasso-slinging Holliday is, to say the least, a crackshot. Combining potent gunplay with incendiary capabilities, Holliday can make an explosive entry into any fight; she is particularly effective at isolating 1v1 engagements.

Holliday has some truly impressive combo potential, often involving dragging an enemy with Spirit Lasso into multiple Powder Kegs, culminating in an explosive stomp from Bounce Pad. If you prefer to keep things straightforward and simply shoot your target, then build to maximize the bonus damage and effective range of Crackshot.

Holliday abilities:

• Powder Keg (1) – Holliday throws an explosive barrel that arms itself after a short delay. Once primed, the barrel can be detonated, dealing damage. Shooting, meleeing, launching, or detonating another barrel within range will detonate it.
• Bounce Pad (2) – Holliday drops a Bounce Pad that launches any hero. Holliday explodes upon landing, dealing damage to nearby enemies. Holliday can only explode once per pad.
• Crackshot (3) – Holliday’s headshots deal bonus damage and apply a fading slow (this only applies when Crackshot is off cooldown). Crackshot ignores ranged damage fall-off. Triggering Crackshot on non-hero units only uses half the cooldown.
• Spirit Lasso (4) – Holliday throws her lasso, grabbing the first enemy hit and dealing damage. Lassoed foes are stunned and dragged behind her. Holliday cannot melee or shoot while Spirit Lasso is active.

Infernus

Putting the ‘fire’ in ‘gunfire,’ Infernus is an incredibly mobile DPS character who excels at dealing consistent burn damage over time with his Afterburn. Of course, if you prefer to go all-in, you can combine Flame Dash and Concussive Combustion to transform into a high-speed explosive, capable of delivering devastating ganks across lanes or massive engagements in your current one.

Just as Infernus can boost his own speed, he can also slow enemies using his Catalyst, which further amplifies the damage he deals to them. He’s one of the easier heroes to play on our Deadlock tier list, yet his power belies 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 in the explosion radius.

Ivy

In a coordinated team, Ivy is a formidable force—she currently boasts one of the most potent combos with Seven. In an ideal scenario, Ivy will heavily leverage her Air Drop, an ability that allows her to pick up an ally and fly them around, before dropping them like a tactical bomb to unleash devastating damage. As you can imagine, picking up a Seven in the middle of his ultimate and taking him on an aerial adventure is pure mischief.

However, for this to work effectively, you’ll need to rely on your teammates to make the most of her potential, which is inconsistent 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 can be used to set up plays or deter enemies, while Watcher’s Covenant offers buffs for both you and your allies. Stone Form, meanwhile, helps her heal while slamming into the ground, stunning nearby enemies—a solid, yet sometimes unpredictable, form of crowd control.

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 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 cannot attack 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 relentless nuisance to anyone caught in his icy grip. If you’ve ever been frustrated by Mei in Overwatch 2, you’ll recognize Kelvin’s playstyle instantly. Whether it’s his Frost Grenade, Arctic Beam, or Frozen Shelter, Kelvin will slow you down with extreme prejudice.

Kelvin’s greatest asset, perhaps ironically, is his Ice Path, which boosts his speed and grants him vertical movement, rather than primarily slowing enemies. This is fantastic for engaging Deadlock characters who spend a lot of 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 much like any other character who sacrifices health to deal damage. Both her Essence Bomb and Malice trade blood for area-of-effect damage and debuffs, respectively. But don’t worry, as Life Drain allows you to tether to an enemy hero and feast on their life force—a delicious prospect.

While her base kit alone isn’t enough to make her a top-tier hero, Lady Geist’s Soul Exchange is incredibly powerful in bruiser/tank-heavy metas. When used, Soul Exchange lets Lady Geist swap health percentages with her chosen target—you can imagine where this is going. After letting formidable tanks like Abrams or Warden wear you down a bit, simply activate your ultimate and finish them off. In the current state of Deadlock, we highly recommend upgrading Soul Exchange as much as possible. Yes, it turns Lady Geist into an ultimate-reliant hero, but it’s hard to find a more consistent tank buster, especially if you 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. The 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 how low enemies can be brought and how much health Lady Geist receives, based on the enemy’s current health.

Lash

If executing intricate combos is your specialty, then Lash is the Deadlock character for you. By combining these combos with hypermobility and crowd control, a skilled Lash can completely dominate a game. Utilizing his whip, Lash can force anyone to dance to his tune—whether with his Flog or Death Slam. Verticality is Lash’s greatest ally, so be sure to use his Grapple to propel yourself high into the air before seizing the enemy team with Death Slam.

Grapple is also incredibly useful for countering Warden; not only does it quickly get you out of his Binding Word, but it also restores a stamina charge, mitigating the effects of Alchemical Flask. Finally, Lash’s Ground Strike gains power the higher you are when you unleash it. As you may have guessed, 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 (League of Legends) and Torbjorn (Overwatch 2), then you’re going to love McGinnis. Deadlock’s resident turret specialist is a versatile hero who can unleash significant DPS using her Mini Turrets, while also controlling the map with her Spectral Wall—which we’d argue is actually the strongest part of her kit.

McGinnis’s playstyle evolves throughout the game, as her DPS tends to taper off in the late game. Therefore, her strong laning phase should be leveraged to build an early advantage for your team, before transitioning into a map controller who can also sustain her allies with Medicinal Specter. Of course, her Heavy Barrage will still provide a powerful burst of damage, but McGinnis won’t be able to effectively break through tanks like 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) – McGinnis unleashes a volley of homing rockets.

Mina

Mina abilities:

• Rake (1) – Mina slashes with her umbrella, dealing spirit damage that increases with missing health.
• Sanguine Retreat (2) – Mina briefly disperses, becoming untargetable as she flies to a target location. Sanguine Retreat can be recasted within a brief window.
• Love Bites (3) – Mina’s bullets and abilities apply spirit damage, building up to a burst of bonus spirit damage.
• Nox Nostra (4) – Active: Mina unleashes a cloud of flying bats that seek targets, dealing spirit damage and silencing those hit. Passive: Triggering Love Bites against heroes permanently increases the number of bats Mina releases.

Mirage

Mirage is perfectly designed for players who relish the thrill of the hunt—especially if tankbusting brings you joy. He’s also quite effective in lanes where he faces a numerical disadvantage, thanks to his mobility and sustain.

Mirage’s Tornado is straightforward: transform into a tornado, zoom forward, hit an enemy, and launch them into the air. It’s an excellent tool for both engaging and disengaging, helping him quickly reposition. The core of Mirage’s kit lies in the combination of Fire Scarabs and Djinn’s Mark, which grant him immense 1v1 power. This is further amplified by the bonus stats he receives from teleporting onto targets with Traveler.

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 cannot 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 multiplier 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 currently some of the best disruptors in the game, this dynamic duo demands a higher level of execution than other tanks to truly make an impact. Nonetheless, if burrowing around as a giant mole, causing chaos, and being nearly unkillable sounds appealing, then you absolutely should give them a try.

Mo & Krill excel as gankers, effortlessly clearing neutral camps with Scorn on their way to engage in mischievous deeds. Although Burrow is the highlight of their kit, you won’t be able to spam it, so ensure you’re flanking enemies while underground rather than charging head-on—you will get focused down despite the bullet resistance you gain in your burrowed state. When combined with Combo, Mo & Krill can lock down a target for several seconds, setting your damage dealers up for success. Sand Blast, meanwhile, is a fantastic disarming skill that should be liberally used on high-damage threats like Haze—she’ll absolutely detest 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, gaining speed as well as spirit and bullet armor. Being damaged by enemy heroes reduces the speed bonus. When Mo & Krill emerge, 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.

Paige

Paige abilities:

• Conjure Dragon (1) – Paige conjures a dragon at the target location that flies forward, dealing spirit damage and leaving a burning path in its wake.
• Defend and Fight! (2) – Paige provides a barrier for an ally, granting bonus weapon damage while it holds.
• Captivating Read (3) – Paige targets an area with latent magic, slowing enemies inside. After a delay, the magic detonates, dealing spirit damage and applying immobilize to those hit.
• Rallying Charge (4) – Paige releases a wave of spectral knights upon steeds that charge across the entire map, healing allies and dealing spirit damage to enemies.

Paradox

Paradox is a coordinated team’s dream, thanks to her ability to make impactful picks with Paradoxical Swap. Of course, swapping yourself directly into the enemy team would usually be a huge problem, but Paradox’s Time Wall can be quickly deployed, helping her escape to safety while silencing foes who pass through it. You absolutely need your team to capitalize on your picks, however, and help escort you back to a secure position. For this reason, Paradox is a risky, though rewarding, choice in solo queue.

If Paradox’s first two abilities weren’t unique enough, the rest of her kit continues this trend. Pulse Grenade becomes more powerful the more of its waves hit enemy targets—if you can coordinate with other crowd control abilities to keep enemies within its radius, it becomes ridiculously strong. Kinetic Carbine, meanwhile, offers Paradox a bit more autonomy, granting her significant poke damage and debuffs if she lands 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 lifesteal while the enemy hero takes damage over time.

Pocket

The ultimate escape artist, Pocket always has a trick up his sleeve for making a clean getaway after unleashing a massive amount of area-of-effect damage on the enemy team. There are a couple of things you’ll need to remember to get the most out of him. Firstly, his Barrage is best cast mid-air, as Pocket retains any forward momentum he started with, making him harder to hit as he rains down projectiles.

Additionally, his two escape abilities—Flying Cloak and Enchanter’s Satchel—can also be used offensively to deal significant area damage when combined. Next time you’re playing 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 just in time to pop out. Pocket’s Affliction may not be able to finish off targets, but it will deal a massive amount of damage over time while significantly reducing healing—a must when dealing with tanks like Abrams and Lady Geist.

Pocket abilities:

• Barrage (1) – Pocket begins channeling, launching projectiles that deal damage and slow enemies in their impact area. Each projectile that hits an enemy hero grants Pocket a stacking damage amplification 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 exit 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’re not sure why he’s called Seven when he’s a perfect ten at zapping the life out of enemy heroes with his lightning-focused kit. Not only is Seven easy to pick up and play, but he also deals an absurd amount of damage. Between his Static Charge and Power Surge, Seven can lock down a target and spread his damage to nearby enemies while electrifying them. Throw in a Lightning Ball for even more burst, and you’re in business.

The crowning jewel of Seven’s kit, though, is undoubtedly his Storm Cloud—an expanding storm cloud that strikes all enemies within its radius and line of sight. Unleashed at the right moment, from the perfect position (ideally while airborne), and you can absolutely decimate an entire lane. With high DPS and a forgiving playstyle, there’s every reason to choose Seven 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 must choose his moments carefully to truly shine, but if you can bide your time, manage your aggression, and survive his weak early laning phase, he can completely explode lobbies with his powerful Slice and Dice and Killing Blow. What’s more, he can function as a pseudo-tank thanks to the immense amount of damage deferral he gains from Bloodletting.

Shiv’s playstyle has undergone significant changes due to heavy nerfs to his Serrated Knives. To get the most out of him now, prioritize Slice and Dice and Bloodletting, transforming him into an ultra-mobile ganker who can absorb damage for fun. You’ll face a tough time in lane, but once you break free, you’re cleared to wreak havoc.

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, an echo of Shiv retraces the dash path after a short delay, damaging enemies again—Shiv’s rage must be full for this to activate.
• 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, he deals a large chunk of damage to them.

The Doorman

The Doorman abilities:

• Call Bell (1) – The Doorman throws out a call bell that deals spirit damage on impact. It explodes after a short delay, dealing additional spirit damage and causing affected enemies to suffer reduced weapon accuracy and slowed movement.
• Doorway (2) – The Doorman places two connected doors on the map. Heroes and most projectiles entering one door will exit from the other. The doors are closed either at the end of Doorway’s duration or when re-activated.
• Luggage Cart (3) – The Doorman sends out a luggage cart that deals spirit damage and pulls enemy heroes along its path. Alt cast to target friendly heroes instead.
• Hotel Guest (4) – The Doorman sends the target’s physical body to the Baroness Hotel. The guest must quickly make their way to the exit elevator to escape. The target takes spirit damage during their stay, and takes additional spirit damage should they fail to get out.

The Magnificent Sinclair

If you’re seeking a more enchanting in-game experience, then the mystifying, majestic Magnificent Sinclair offers more tricks than you can shake a wand at. A master of bewildering skills, The Magnificent Sinclair liberally uses his Spectral Assistant to deal damage with Vexing Bolt before making a grand escape.

Forget pulling a rabbit out of a hat; with Rabbit Hex, Sinclair can turn everyone into a happy, hopping little creature, setting them up for easy eliminations—devious, dare we say dastardly. For his final trick, Sinclair can copy enemies’ ultimate abilities, making him a true Sinclair of all trades.

The Magnificent Sinclair abilities:

• Vexing Bolt (1) – Sinclair fires a bolt of damaging magic that increases in potency as it travels. Your assistant will also cast a weaker version if summoned.
• Spectral Assistant (2) – Sinclair summons an assistant at the target location who attacks when he does. Recast to swap positions with the assistant. Casting Spectral Assistant reloads Sinclair’s weapon.
• Rabbit Hex (3) – Sinclair hexes a target area, dealing damage and turning all enemies into rabbits for a set time. Rabbits move faster but take increased damage. They also cannot perform most actions. Rabbit Hex does not interrupt abilities.
• Audience Participation (4) – Sinclair copies the ultimate of a hero he deals spirit damage to. Recast to use the copied ultimate. Copied ultimates inherit Audience Participation’s upgrade points and cooldown.

Victor

Victor abilities:

• Pain Battery (1) – Taking damage charges Victor’s Pain Battery. Once full, this zaps targets in front of Victor, dealing spirit damage.
• Jumpstart (2) – Victor deals spirit damage to himself, gaining bonus health regeneration and bonus movement speed that decays over time.
• Aura of Suffering (3) – Victor unleashes pain, dealing spirit damage over time to both himself and enemies. The longer Aura of Suffering is channeled, the more damage it deals, up to a maximum amount.
• Shocking Reanimation (4) – Victor revives after taking lethal damage, dealing spirit damage and stunning nearby enemies.

Vindicta

Vindicta is tailor-made for the quick-scoping sharpshooters who prefer to deal damage from a distance. Deadlock’s resident sniper character, Vindicta is at her best when she takes Flight, boosting her damage while airborne. She’s incredibly vulnerable when grounded, so try to maximize her Flight time. Vindicta’s other crucial ability is, unsurprisingly, her ultimate, Assassinate. At max rank, this powerful shot grants bonus Souls for each assassination, helping Vindicta scale similarly to Grey Talon. Its cooldown is remarkably low even with just one point, so don’t hesitate to use it for chip damage.

Before you start eliminating enemy heroes, however, ensure you lead with your Crow Familiar whenever possible. It deals percentage health damage based on current health, making it most effective against healthier enemies. Finally, catching someone with your Stake will set you up for easy headshots, so don’t underestimate its utility.

Vindicta abilities:

• Stake (1) – Vindicta throws a stake, tethering enemies to where it lands. Enemies cannot 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 grants bonus Souls.

Viscous

The green crewmate from Among Us hit the gym after his most recent ejection from the hit party game, evolving into Viscous in the process—at least, that’s our headcanon. Viscous is a crowd control specialist with an incredibly high skill ceiling who can generate a decent amount of lane pressure by quickly clearing waves with his Splatter before making a swift exit with his Goo Ball. He can also use his ultimate’s mobility to shift between lanes and disrupt their status quo with Puddle Punch, which is itself one of the hardest abilities in the game to use effectively.

Of course, you can use Goo Ball itself to engage and stun enemies, but that leaves you extremely vulnerable to being focused down once the crowd control wears off—Viscous lacks another form of escape. Fortunately, The Cube 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 requires both mastery of his kit and coordination 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 regeneration, 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 take damage, have their dash distance briefly reduced, 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.

Vyper

Vyper puts the ‘Viper’ in ‘Viper-mobile’—she’s so speedy we coined a whole new term for her. Thanks to Slither, Vyper can glide across the map at incredible speeds, which, combined with her smaller character model, makes her a nightmare to lock onto. Slowing or even petrifying foes with Petrifying Bola makes them easy targets for her Lethal Venom, setting up for massive damage after a short delay—damage that scales based on the target’s missing health. Be sure to throw your Screwjab Dagger at them just to ensure they’re finished.

Vyper abilities:

• Screwjab Dagger (1) – Vyper throws a dagger, dealing spirit damage and applying a fading slow.
• Lethal Venom (2) – Vyper injects a target with venom, which triggers and deals spirit damage after a short delay. Damage is increased by the target’s missing health.
• Slither (3) – Vyper can slide further, up hills, and she can turn faster while sliding.
• Petrifying Bola (4) – Vyper throws an explosive bola that slows and damages enemies in an area when it explodes. Direct hits deal additional damage and petrify instead of slowing. Petrified enemies cannot take actions but block all damage.

Warden

Warden’s biggest weakness is his lack of range. Fortunately, this enforcer is accustomed to chasing down and apprehending troublemakers with his incredibly oppressive kit. Warden’s Willpower boosts his speed, while Binding Word will immobilize the target if they don’t escape in time. While enemies can simply use stamina to dash away, Warden’s Alchemical Flask can strip them of it, leaving them defenseless. If you find yourself snared by Binding Word, consider yourself doomed. Due to all of these abilities, Warden is a roaming death machine, so be sure to frequently move between lanes.

On top of this, Warden is an absolute nightmare to take down due to his exceptionally large health bar. A true, blue bruiser, Warden is an absolute beast on the front line. What’s more, Warden’s Last Stand can unleash a ton of area-of-effect damage after charging it, healing him based on the damage dealt. Nasty.

Warden abilities:

• Alchemical Flask (1) – Warden throws a flask 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 resistance while channeling.

Wraith

If you’re looking to make a name for yourself, then meet Wraith. This magic card-manipulating hero is a serious split-pushing threat who can decimate everything in her path at breakneck speed. If you want to take control of a lane, Wraith is our top pick, as she can not only obliterate structures with her Full Auto fire rate bonus but also escape danger just as quickly with her Project Mind teleport. Full Auto also affects nearby allies and Troopers, naturally ensuring your lane will always push harder than your opponent’s.

Wraith is also a formidable duelist thanks to her steroid and Card Trick. As most enemies would rather avoid the full force of Full Auto, it’s common for them to hide behind cover to wait it out. However, Card Trick deals splash damage, ensuring Wraith’s onslaught continues unimpeded by terrain. Nasty. And before they can retreat to cover, Wraith can lift and stun them using Telekinesis, leaving them vulnerable to her full wrath. If you can play the map intelligently and remain aware of enemy hero positions, Wraith can generate an astonishing 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 who can completely sweep the floor if she gets ahead, but her exceptionally high skill ceiling makes her a risky pick. As a 1v1 duelist, few can compete with Yamato, thanks to her Power Slash and Crimson Slash quickly dishing out damage. Those who attempt to flee from Yamato do so in vain, as her Flying Strike can swiftly close the gap.

The real highlight of Yamato’s kit is undoubtedly her Shadow Transformation, which not only makes her invincible during the cast animation but also renders her unkillable while active. On top of this, ability cooldowns are significantly reduced, her weapon gains infinite ammo, and she becomes immune to negative status effects. Oh, and she takes less damage. A true one-woman army, Yamato’s potential to go nuclear is evident, though she becomes a total dead weight if she falls too far behind. It’s a feast or famine situation in its truest sense.

Yamato abilities:

• Power Slash (1) – Yamato channels, increasing her damage before unleashing 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:

After a brief dip, Haze and Warden reclaim the top spots on the tier list. While players are becoming more adept at countering them, their inherent power often proves too much. Abrams, meanwhile, remains a consistently S-tier tanky beast. Vyper has also shown consistent lethality, as has Seven. However, other heroes are certainly capable of carrying a game.

For instance, Lash and Calico are both powerful DPS options, while Dynamo has consistently shone as the game’s premier support pick. As you move further down the list, hero effectiveness becomes increasingly situational.

And that’s your complete guide to the Deadlock characters, along with the latest iteration of our Deadlock tier list. Be sure to revisit this guide frequently as the free-to-play PC game’s meta evolves and Valve introduces more characters.