How to Play Deadlock: A Beginner’s Guide

§01Deadlock in 60 seconds#

Deadlock is Valve’s third-person hero shooter with MOBA rules. Two teams of six fight across a city split into three lanes. Waves of troopers march down each lane; your team pushes them forward, destroys the enemy’s defensive structures one layer at a time, and wins by killing the enemy Patron at the heart of their base.

Along the way you earn souls — the game’s currency — and spend them on items that shape what your hero is good at. Aim matters like in a shooter; timing, map awareness and spending matter like in a MOBA.

§02How you win a match#

Each team defends the same chain of structures. You have to break them roughly in this order, because the deeper ones are protected until the outer ones fall:

1. Guardians — one per lane, 3 in total. The first objective in each lane.
2. Walkers — one per lane, 3 in total. Destroying enemy Walkers also unlocks extra item slots for your team.
3. Base Guardians — 6 in total, at the entrance to the base.
4. Shrines — 2 in total. The Patron can’t be damaged until both Shrines are down.
5. The Patron — destroy it to win.

The map guide covers where each lane goes, the four districts and when timed objectives appear.

§03Souls: the economy#

Souls pay for everything. You earn them by killing troopers, clearing neutral camps, taking down enemy heroes, destroying objectives and delivering the Urn. The fastest way to fall behind is to stop collecting them — a hero who farms steadily usually out-scales one who only fights.

Two habits to build early:

• Collect souls from every trooper you can. How last-hits and denies work is being written up with clips. Pending in-game verification
• Spend souls when you’re near a shop. Unspent souls do nothing for you in a fight.

§04Items and builds basics#

The shop has three categories — Weapon, Vitality and Spirit — and four price tiers: 800, 1,600, 3,200 and 6,400 souls. You start with 9 item slots and unlock 3 extra slots by destroying enemy Walkers.

As a beginner, buy a mix: something that makes your main damage stronger (gun or spirit, depending on your hero) and something that keeps you alive. Then add one counter item when a specific enemy keeps beating you.

Full explanation, including upgrades, selling and the “4.8k spike”: Deadlock items explained. Buying against a specific threat: counter items cheat sheet.

§05Abilities and leveling#

Every hero has four abilities. You unlock and upgrade them as you level up during the match, so the order you invest in matters — each hero guide includes a recommended order with reasons.

The exact rules for unlocking abilities and spending ability points are being re-checked in game on the current patch before we document them here. Pending in-game verification

§06Movement and melee basics#

Deadlock rewards movement more than most MOBAs. The basics to practise:

• Slide and dash to reposition quickly and dodge shots.
• Zip lines run along the lanes and get you back to the fight fast after respawning or shopping.
• Heavy melee hits hard and is great for finishing troopers and objectives.
• Parry (default key F) blocks an enemy melee hit; a successful parry stuns the attacker for 2.75 seconds. Full details in the parry guide.

§07The laning phase#

Early on you share a lane with a teammate and face enemies doing the same. Your jobs, in order:

1. Stay alive — dying early hands souls to your opponent and leaves your partner alone.
2. Collect souls from your troopers and deny the enemy theirs where you can.
3. Pressure the enemy Guardian when your wave is healthy.

When to leave your lane, and the in-game terms for securing souls, are being verified with clips. Pending in-game verification

§08Mid-game: farming, objectives and teamfights#

Once Guardians start falling, the map opens up. The City Never Sleeps map (29 Sep 2026) adds features worth knowing by name:

• The Urn — a soul objective you carry and deliver.
• Midboss and Rejuvenator — a big shared objective under the middle lane.
• Bell Tower in the Chinatown district and the Sunken Plaza, where fog blocks sight and sound.

Timers and strategy for each are in the map guide.

§09Best heroes for beginners#

We’ll recommend five to eight heroes here, each with a one-line reason (simple kit, forgiving, clear role). Picks are based on our own games on the current patch plus public win-rate data, with the source and patch named.

§10Your first 10 matches: a checklist#

1. Set up your graphics and controls first — settings guide.
2. Pick one hero and stick with them for several games.
3. Matches 1–3: focus only on collecting souls and staying alive in lane.
4. Matches 4–5: practise moving between lanes with zip lines.
5. Matches 6–7: buy one item from each category and notice what each changes.
6. Matches 8–9: try parrying an enemy melee hit at least once a game.
7. Match 10: watch which objective your team takes after a won fight — and push for it.

Practice-mode and bot availability is being confirmed in the current build. Pending in-game verification

§11Common beginner mistakes#

• Chasing kills instead of objectives. A won fight is worth most when it turns into a destroyed structure.
• Sitting on souls. Shop when you’re near a shop.
• Buying only damage. One survival item early often matters more than another damage item.
• Counter-buying everything. One or two counters to the real threat beat six reactive purchases.
• Ignoring the map. If enemies are missing from your lane, they are somewhere else.

§12FAQ#