Deadlock continues to be one of the most played games on Steam, despite it still being in closed alpha. The game has a satisfying mix of MOBA and shooter mechanics that continues to make it popular with every new update. But, due to its MOBA nature, winning in Deadlock can be very challenging for newcomers. I constantly come across queries from new players on how to stop losing games in Deadlock.
Many are hard stuck in lower ranks, even after spending hundreds of hours, leading to eventual burnout. As I have faced similar troubles in the past and have painstakingly made my way to Ascendant from Seeker, here are five strategies to stop losing and start winning in Deadlock.
Take Smart Fights
One of the most essential tactics to stop losing your games in Deadlock is simply taking smart fights. Now, when or where to take proper fights deserves an entire article by itself because of how complex it can get in a MOBA. However, most of it boils down to taking fights that favor you over the enemies.
Before you plan to gank or take a head-on fight, always ask yourself a question: “Can I win it, or even if I lose, will I get any benefit out of it?” The general idea is to avoid taking direct 1v1 fights against characters who are considerably ahead of you in souls. But that doesn’t mean you don’t take fights with them for the entire game; it only means to create the situation in your favor.
This can be done by correctly combining your team skills or buying specific items that can bridge the soul gap in fights. For example, when fighting against a ‘Dash Infernus’ who is way ahead on souls, buying a Silence Wave or pairing with a character that can stun the enemy for a brief moment can completely turn the fight in your favor. So, farm towards items or rotate with allies correctly, to create favorable fights that you can win.
Other than that, you can always punish opponents with bad positioning. For example, if someone is near your walker alone, you can gank them with an ally to quickly defeat them. The same goes for enemies trying to steal your jungle (creeps between lanes). But make sure to also fight with allies when ganking, if you are still weak with fewer souls, primarily with characters who are better off in soul numbers than others in your team.
Lost Lane Guardian? Don’t Abandon Yet
The game has only started, and within 5 minutes, you have lost your lane Guardian already.
Does this situation sound familiar? Almost all of us have gone through something like this, and oftentimes, you may already consider it ‘Game Over’ when this happens. But that’s not the ground reality, as your laning phase in Deadlock has a very minor impact on the overall match, due to the strong comeback mechanic. The only reason you are losing your games straight up after losing your lane early is that you are not putting pressure.
A big mistake I often see many new or low-ranked players make is abandoning their lane and going straight to adjacent lanes after losing their Guardian. Instead, keep your lanes pushed even after losing them. You do not need to be aggressive for the Guardian in a losing lane, but simply keeping the lane pushed will prevent your lane opponent from leaving and ganking elsewhere.
This way, your allies can still win their lanes without getting interfered with early on. If your opponent does leave the lane to gank, you have the perfect opportunity to head in and take the Guardian as the lane is already pushed. That way, you can punish your opponent’s decisions and get an edge over them.
Similarly, when your opponent ganks other lanes in the first few minutes, instead of heading to that lane to help out, you can prioritize taking the Guardian in your lane first. This simple change can greatly affect your early game situation, letting you make a comeback after going behind on souls.
Now, ganking in other lanes is also a good strategy, but only if you can execute it quickly. The idea behind it is that when you are losing a lane, you can run to an ally lane that is already pushed. This way, you can quickly help them secure the guardian, even though you are losing your own.
However, the problem arises when you head to another lane, but fail to take the Guardian swiftly. This leads to fewer souls for everyone in that lane, while your opponents are earning more. And no souls means no win.
No Souls, No Win
Souls are everything in Deadlock. They increase your character level, unlock ability points, and allow you to buy stronger items. To keep it short, the more souls you have, the stronger you are going to be in the game. This is why it is very important to get souls fast and efficiently. Now, this doesn’t mean I’m asking you to farm all the time.
All I’m asking from you is not to fall behind your opponents in a major way. ‘Carries’, which are characters who have more serious damage as the match enters the late game (like Haze, Victor, or Lady Geist), must scale with, or more than, the opponent’s carry, while others must stay on a similar level to make the fights competitive.
Now, the most common way you will end up with a terrible soul difference is by feeding your enemy, or dying too much. This also ties up to the first point. Many players often take unfavorable fights, and dying only gives more souls to enemies, while taking away their ability to farm for a limited time. This creates a steep slope that becomes incredibly difficult to climb as the game progresses.
Another way to quickly lose out on souls is bunching up together in one lane. Soulsplitting prevents multiple players from bunching together in one lane. It literally leads to ‘soul loss’ for every character there. Now, this doesn’t mean you cannot bunch up during a fight; it only means that when you want to fight, you should quickly get together and then head to separate lanes.
Oftentimes, when you face opponents with 10 or 20k soul difference, it is mainly because they solo clear lanes, while you spend time fighting bunched up for no reason. Manage your souls, and you will soon see yourself soaring up the Deadlock ranks by winning games.
Always Buy Green Items and Vitality
The biggest mistake I often see low-ranked players make is not buying Vitality or Green items. The Vitality items directly scale your HP, making you much tankier in fights. Those who do not buy green items will often find themselves getting one-shot against burst damage characters or team fights.
Every character in Deadlock, whether they are primarily a tank, support, or damage dealer, must spend 4.8k on Green items every game. Getting the 4.8k Vitality spike can massively increase your character’s health and actually make them useful in team fights.
There are a variety of Vitality items to choose from, perfect for every type of character. As I often see gun carriers running around without their veggies, I suggest going for items like Battle Vest, Bullet Lifesteal, or Fury Trance to hit the 4.8k spike. Other than these, some items that work for all characters are Warp Stone, Enduring Speed, Shields, Healbane, Diviner’s Kevlar, and Guardian Ward.
If you are still dying to heavy Spirit burst damage, opting for Spirit Resilience or Spell Breaker can be vital to win fights. Similarly, getting Metal Skin, Return Fire, or straight-up Bullet Resistance against gun characters is an effective way to shut them off.
Anti-Heal is King
Abrams keeps regenerating all the damage you deal? Or maybe the Infernus dash is the one giving you trouble? No, no, it has to be Victor that does this, right?
Almost every character in Deadlock can be unkillable if they have a high enough soul advantage. The biggest cause of this is life-steal, which allows them to continue fighting and stay full health. Most characters, especially frontliners and damage dealers, will build lifesteal in Deadlock. That’s why you should always build anti-heal every game.
Anti-Heal is the most fundamental item that 2-3 characters in your team must buy in every match, and that too early. If you wait for your enemies to get fed (get a soul lead) and then decide to get anti-heal in the end game, it’s just going to be a lost cause. What Anti-Heal does is it cuts the enemy’s life steal. So, a character who was simply staying alive through healing can now be killed, even if you take a casualty or two. On death, fed characters have increased respawn time, which allows your team to recover and get back into the game.
Although the same type of Anti-Heal doesn’t stack, those from multiple sources do stack. So, if you have Healbane, then your gun teammate can buy toxic bullets. Other great items for Anti-Heal late game are Inhibitor, Crippling Headshots, and Spirit Burn. Your team must have at least a couple of these items in the late game. Otherwise, every team fight would feel like hitting a brick wall. These items are not just for Anti-Heal; they provide much more. For example, Healbane also gives burst healing after killing an enemy, while Inhibitor reduces enemy damage.
So, these are five essential tips that can help you stop losing on Deadlock. Losing is part of the game, and some matches are simply unwinnable. But you can greatly turn the favor of every match to you if you follow the simple tips I have given above. Remember, every game is winnable if you communicate properly and execute it clearly.
Have more questions? Ask us in the comments section below, and I will try to help you out.
