The setting#
Deadlock is set in New York, about fifty years after an event called the Maelstrom. Near the end of the 19th century an eclipse triggered the Maelstrom and opened Astral Gates across the Earth. Before it, the supernatural existed but was treated as myth; afterwards, people had to accept it was real.
The Ritual and the Patrons#
Two otherworldly Patrons — the Hidden King and the Archmother — want to enter our plane. They promise to grant the wish of anyone who helps complete their ritual. Every match is a round of that ritual: two teams fight through the streets, each trying to summon its own Patron and stop the other. The Patron at each base is what you destroy to win.
The Cursed Apple#
The Cursed Apple is the city where the Ritual takes place — the game’s map. The City Never Sleeps update rebuilt it with New York names: the Broadway, Greenwich and York lanes and the Theater, Chinatown, Haunted Lot and Plaza districts. Beyond the Astral Gates lies Ixia, currently split into north and south.
Factions#
| Group | What it is | Linked heroes |
|---|---|---|
| OSIC | A secretive government occult-security commission | Haze |
| The Baxter Society | Monster hunters | Shiv |
| Fairfax Industries | Leader of the occult industrial complex | |
| The Mendoza Syndicate | A crime syndicate | Ivy helped dismantle it |
| The Tunnel Rats | New York’s criminal underground | |
| Municipal Coven | Caretakers of the city | |
| Seventh Moon | A Japanese crime family | |
| Paradox Organization | Time thieves | Paradox |
| Friends of Humanity | Xenophobic extremists |
Hero lore index#
Each hero’s backstory can be read in game from the hero select screen. Our hero guides include each hero’s one-line description.
Speculation vs fact
Datamined content — such as unreleased visual novels — isn’t official until Valve releases it. We label speculation clearly and don’t present datamines as confirmed lore.