Deadlock: the comprehensive fundamentals primer (2026 edition) – any…

Steam Community guide by Makima.

INTRODUCTION – WHY YOU ARE LOSING AND HOW THIS GUIDE FIXES THAT

heyyy, fellow deadlock enjoyers!

first off — i have like. a lot of hours in this game. too many probably. my sleep schedule is in shambles. but that means you get to benefit from my poor life choices so like. win win?
if you are reading this guide, i want to commend you. and I want you to know, this guide is designed to be the definitive resource for players of any skill bracket whether you are a brand new initiate who just downloaded the game seventeen minutes ago or a seasoned veteran stuck in what the community refers to as "ELO Hell,". the information contained within this document will—and I say this with complete confidence—improve your gameplay outcomes by a MARGIN (winstreak after winstreak)
many players—and I do mean many, as i have personally observed across ** 847.3 hours** of gameplay and my total 3000+ matches on —approach Deadlock with what I can only describe as being a little suboptimal and new.
simply put, if you're loading into games and getting absolutely ROLLED by some haze with 40k souls who just presses 4 and your whole team evaporates, or if you're stuck in one rank before eternus —this is for you. we've all been there. it's rough out here in these streets.
anyway let's lock it in.

CORE MECHANICS YOU LITERALLY NEED TO KNOW (EVEN IF YOU THINK YOU DO)

All the bedrock is listed here. you don't need to scroll further if you're good with info and you read this stuff. This is the CORE-CORE stuff. literally. 🙏
after watching a few pro matches, I noticed that even in the top 15% eternus players (that's top 5% MMR distribution curve) people can consistently make fundamental mechanical errors that cost them souls, lane pressure, and ultimately, the match itself. so make of that what you will.
it's worth mentioning that all of the mechanics here apply to EVERY hero. meaning they work equally whether you are playing Abrams, Haze, Viscous, or any other member of the current roster. commit these to muscle memory.
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Movement Locomotion (basics literally)

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moving in Deadlock is, at its core, accomplished via the W, A, S, and D keys on your keyboard (default keybind configuration). If you've played cs, tf2 or other valve games, you'd be more familiar with the engine and the movement of Source (deadlock is Source2) the A and D keys are made for strafing, which is, ultimately, the most important keys of the 4. Important stuff : never NEVER EVER press W and just run... it's really slow and bad for traversal. explained further. _/

The Dash Mechanic:

pressing the Left Shift key (default keybind) will cause your hero to perform a short-range burst movement known as a "Dash." This action consumes one (1) unit of stamina, which is visually represented by the yellow segmented bar located directly beneath your crosshair. stamina regenerates automatically over a period of several seconds when not actively being expended.

The Slide Mechanic:

This is where we begin to separate the efficient players from the drooling ones. while sprinting (out of combat your character starts running), you may press and hold the left control key (default keybind for duck) to initiate a slide. This slide maneuver accomplishes three critical objectives simultaneously:

• It reduces your hitbox profile, making you a marginally more difficult target for enemy fire.
• It keeps forward momentum while allowing you to fire your weapon without the movement speed penalty and without ammo cost, typically associated with attacking while standing upright.
• It grants a small but non-zero amount of bonus Soul Orb collection radius due to your proximity to ground-level orb spawn locations.
  Fellow Deadlock enjoyers, I cannot stress this enough: You should be sliding 300% of the time if not the whole heckin' game!!!
  
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Soul Orb Acquisition 101

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souls are the primary currency and progression metric in Deadlock. Without Souls, you cannot purchase Items. Without Items, your hero's statistical output is suboptimal. Without optimal statistical output, you lose teamfights. Without winning teamfights, you lose the match.
everything is said right here.
souls are aquired how:

Trooper Kills:

the small AI-controlled creeps that march down each of the three lanes. dealing the final blow to a Trooper will cause it to release a floating green orb after some time (a little wisp flying up and glowing green). shooting this orb (or being in close proximity as it naturally descends) grants you souls.

Denial Orbs:

when an enemy Trooper is killed, it releases a red/orange floating orb. Shooting this orb denies the enemy team those souls and transfers a portion of the value to you. This is the single highest-impact mechanical skill in the laning phase.

Jungle Camps:

neutral creeps located in the spaces between lanes. those three-legged one-eyed things you see sleeping most of the time. these should be cleared when your lane is pushed up and it is unsafe to approach the enemy guardian. (lane farm is far greater than jungling)

The Soul Urn:

located in two centers of the map. picking up the Urn and delivering it to the designated altar on the enemy side of the map grants a significant team-wide soul injection. We will discuss urn dynamics in greater detail later.
in conclusion,

shoot the orbs.

Shoot ALL of the orbs. stealing them or securing them is literally free value and also it tilts the enemy laner so it's double value emotional damage.
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The Zipline

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to rotate or switch lanes quickly, you must mount the Zipline. approach the glowing blue (or yellow or green) anchor point at the top of any lane and press the jump key while looking at it (default keybind for jump is space) when the prompt appears on your heads-up display.
it's really not that deep. get on the zipline > press F on the glowy thing as it's off the cooldown > you zoom faster. don't press F while facing away from it like a goober. we've all done it. it's embarrassing every time.
once mounted, you may press the A or D keys to slightly shift your horizontal position on the cable, which can help you dodge incoming linear skillshot abilities, because if they hit you - you're probably dead. you may also press the jump key (space is default keybind for jump) to dismount early.

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The Melee

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Press q (default bind for melee) to perform a melee attack. If you hold it for 1.7 seconds it becomes a charged melee that kills creeps without their soul leaving their body and deals a great amount of damage.
to counteract this melee stuff, you press f (default parry button), which parries both light melee and heavy melee attacks and stuns for 3 seconds. high risk - high reward that goes both ways. you can also parry a lot of interesting things like viscous' punch and with the Counterspell item you can literally dodge ultimates by parrying.

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The Shop Interface and You

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souls are useless if they remain unspent. Press the B key (default keybind) while in close proximity to your team's shop (located at every Guardian and Base spawn location) to open the purchasing menu.
The Shop is divided into three primary categories, color-coded so even your 4 year old toddler could understand:

• Weapon (Orange): = gun go brr
• Vitality (Green): = you don't die
• Spirit (Purple): = abilities go crazy
  all of the items can naturally synergize and create unique hybrid builds that compliment each other. so there's a lot of build variety (probably the top reason I play this game personally). i'm not gonna tierlist every item like a mouthbreather and just gonna tell you - the world is your playground.
  play, experiment, learn from your mistakes and create your own mega-rapist-killer-sniper-destroyer optimal build. that's the whole fun in ts game ✌✌✌
  
  ^^^Extra Regen^^^
  (Pro Tip That Is Actually Just Basic Functionality) many people don't know, but you can shift right-click on any item in the shop to pin it to your HUD for quick purchasing later. you can also queue up multiple items. thiis is incredibly valuable for ensuring you do not forget to purchase your core components during the heat of battle. forgetting to buy Extra Regen before the 2:30 mark is griefing yourself. don't grief yourself.

HERO SELECTION 101 – A PAINFULLY DETAILED BREAKDOWN FOR EVERY ROLE AND PLAYSTYLE INCLINATION

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which guy should you play (actual useful breakdown)

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ok so you're staring at the hero select screen and there's like 67 of them now. overwhelming. here's the actual tea on what each role does and who fits what vibe.

**THE CARRIES ** (you want the kill feed to be your name)

these are the damage dealers. you live for the late game. you farm. you scale. you press one button and six people disappear. the pressure is on though because if you're behind you're kinda useless.

Haze is the poster child. her ult (Bullet Dance) is literally "i win this teamfight" if you position it right. she's popular for a reason. she's also banned more than doorman for a reason. if you want to play like a valorant player, this is it. just know everyone will try to kill you specifically.

Seven is Haze's electric-chair cousin. his ult (Storm Cloud) is area denial - you pop it and the enemy team is just forced to hide, because if they eat it = they die. his laning phase is also really solid because Static Charge is free poke damage. seven players are usually pretty chill honestly.

Wraith is the assassin carry. teleport behind someone, throw cards at their head, refuse to elaborate. her mobility is insane and her burst damage catches people off guard constantly. if you like being the reason the enemy support is scared to walk anywhere alone, wraith is your pick.

THE FRONTLINE or tank (you are the problem they have to deal with)

your job is to be annoying. in their face. eating cooldowns. making space. you don't always top the damage charts but the damage dealers literally cannot function without you.

Abrams is the classic tank. big health bar. charges in. punches things. his shoulder charge into a wall is one of the most satisfying abilities in the game when you land it. you just exist in the middle of their team and suddenly they have to deal with you instead of shooting your haze. that's value.

**Mo & Krill ** are weird but effective. you burrow underground and pop up in places people don't expect. your whole kit is about sitting on objectives and daring them to approach. slower tempo but incredibly annoying to play against. if you enjoy making people type "can this mo & krill keep himself self" in all chat, this is the pick.

THE SUPPORTS (you enable everyone else to pop off)

support diff is real and it wins games. it's also one of the most fun classes to experiment on and build damage, because no one expects it (and in deadlock, on some supports you LITERALLY need to build damage to be viable). you won't get the glory but you'll know in your heart that your haze only got that quadra kill because you kept her alive.

**Kelvin **is the dedicated healer. his kit just pumps health into allies. his ult (Frozen Shelter) can completely negate enemy ults if you time it right. playing kelvin requires a specific mindset where you find validation in the "healing done" stat instead of kills. it's an acquired taste but good kelvins are literally game-changing.

Ivy is support with some damage potential mixed in. her vines clear waves in seconds. her Stone Form gives you invulnerability and a big aoe stun-slam. her ult provides global vision and bombs an enemy airforce-style. she's flexible. you can kinda do a bit of everything. jack of all trades support vibes.

Dynamo lives and dies by his ult (Singularity). you pull everyone in. your team blows them up. you win the game. or you miss and everyone sees it. the pressure is immense but pulling off a 4-man singularity is pure dopamine.

** !!! SPECIAL MENTION: VISCOUS !!! **

(OUR PRECIOUS GOO BOY, THE LOML, I WOULD DIE FOR HIM)

viscous is not just a hero. viscous is a LIFESTYLE. he is a sentient pile of goo with a dream and i would literally take a bullet for him. look at him. LOOK at his little face. he has no business being this cute while also committing war crimes in the midlane. he's just a little guy. a scrunkly. a moist friend. and he's PERFECT.

his little run animation where he just schlorps across the ground??? i'm physically incapable of being tilted when i play viscous. my team could be down 20k souls, the enemy haze is 15-0, our abrams is typing paragraphs in all chat about how it's everyone else's fault, and i'm just sitting there watching my goo boy wiggle across the map like "hehehe splort." it's therapeutic. valve put viscous in the game as a mental health resource and i will not be convinced otherwise.
the abilities are actually so fun though
Puddle Punch (his 1) makes the most satisfying little splat sound i've ever heard in a video game. the sound design team understood the assignment. it's like ASMR but violent. and Splatter (his 2) leaves little goo puddles everywhere that slow enemies and speed up allies??? he's literally just helping. he's a helpful little goo friend leaving helpful little goo gifts around the map. "here king you dropped this" splats supportive puddle at your feet.

and his ULTIMATE. GOO BALL. he turns into a GIANT BOUNCY BALL OF GOO and just rolls over people. it's the funniest ability in the entire game. no contest. the first time i saw a viscous ult i literally laughed out loud. you're in a serious competitive shooter moba hybrid and suddenly there's just a giant lime jello sphere careening toward you at mach speed. and then you die. to the goo ball. and you can't even be mad because look at him. he's just rolling. he's having the time of his life.
viscous mains are a different breed!

if you see someone with 500 games on viscous, that person has achieved enlightenment. they have transcended the need for kda. they have accepted the goo into their heart. they will save your life with a well-timed puddle slow and then schlorp away into the sunset without expecting so much as a "ty" in chat. they are the unsung heroes of the deadlock community and they deserve more recognition.
is viscous the "best" hero statistically? no. i don't care. winrates are temporary. goo boy is forever. sometimes you just need to lock in viscous, turn your brain off, and roll around as a ball for 30 minutes. it's self-care. it's enrichment. it's what the patron would want.

anyway. back to the guide. but just know that if you ever see a viscous on your team, be nice to them. they're doing important work. goo bless. 🙏🙏🙏
[IMAGE SUGGESTION:

THE Early Game Shopping List (just trust me)

you know how I said i'm not gonna give you detailed builds and tierlist items? screw that.
you start with 500 souls. here's the optimal first 7 minutes of purchases for basically any hero. i'm not saying you CAN'T deviate. i'm saying if you don't know what you're doing, just do this and you'll be fine.

first money - High-Velocity Rounds

your bullets go faster. this makes last hitting troopers AND shooting soul orbs significantly easier. it's 800 souls. it's the best first buy for like 90% of the roster. just get it.

second money- Extra Regen

this is the "i can stay in lane forever" item. you trade damage with the enemy. you heal passively. they don't. huge. (unless they bought it too). this single item determines who wins most lane matchups. if you don't have this by 3 minutes you are actively making the game harder for yourself.

third money - Sprint Boots or Extra Stamina (only if you're a 2stam chud)

movement speed is everything. dodging skillshots. rotating between lanes. chasing. running away. boots make all of it better. simple investment. high return.

fourth money - Mystic Burst

even on gun heroes this is good. the little spirit damage pop when you land an ability adds up. it's free extra damage. free damage is free damage.

that's the core. from here you build toward your actual items depending on your hero. but this opener is consistent and reliable.

LANE PHASE/ LANING LIKE SHROUD PRIME SUMMIT1G

First 10 minutes

This is where games are won or lost before they really start. you don't need to gap your opponent. you just need to not get gapped.

Last hitting is the whole job

Don't just hold left click and spray the wave. wait for troopers to get low. one or two bullets -> pop the orb -> shoot the orb. that's it. but mind that if you mindlessly push the wave you end up standing under their tower which is where ganks happen. equals you get killed easily.

Trading is about timing

you and the enemy laner are gonna shoot each other. it's inevitable. but do it smart. pop out from cover. land a few shots. use your 1 ability. go back behind cover. let extra regen do its thing. watch their stamina bar - if they just dashed, they can't dash again for a few seconds. that's your window to land your skillshot.

The 10:00 urn spawn

urn starts to spawn\ every 5 minutes from minute 10. look at your lane. are you pushed up to their tower? don't rotate. stay. protect your own tower.
are you pushed back to your tower? clear the wave and maybe rotate to help. but do NOT go alone. solo urn is just donating souls to the enemy team and tilting your teammates. don't be that guy.
also by minute 10 you already kinda want the enemy guardian to be gone, so, priorities straight:
Last hitting and Killing Guardians

Praisekinking teammates is unironically optimal

your teammate in another lane gets a kill? type "gj" or "nice" in chat. suck them off. it takes one second. it makes people play better. positive vibes are a real advantage. be the teammate who doesn't make everyone want to mute all.

MID & LATE GAME. WHAT AM I DOING???

lane phase is over.

you're in the jungle. there's 3 minutes until next objective. what now?
the only