Deadlock guides

What the game actually is, how you win, and the five habits that matter more than aim.

Last-hits, denies, trading around the Guardian and when to leave lane.

How the four tiers work, why 800-soul items win early, and how to read a build.

Lanes, structures, Mid-Boss, Soul Urn and Unstable Rift — and when each one matters.

Every hero has the same movement kit, and practising it is the one upgrade that costs no souls.

Who goes in, who stays back, and the three questions to ask before every fight.

Small habits that add up, from shooting soul orbs to reading the scoreboard.

The small edges that turn an even lane into a 3,000-soul lead by minute ten.

Control where the troopers meet and you control the lane, the jungle and the map.

Where the souls are when you’re not in lane — and how not to over-farm.

Weapon vs spirit damage, headshots, falloff, every type of CC and what counters it.

How to plan a build, read the enemy’s, and know when to sell.

How each structure fights back, when to start it, and how to finish the game.

Brawler, Assassin, Marksman and Mystic — and how Support, Initiator, Frontline, Carry and Pick heroes win fights.

What actually moves your rank — and what doesn’t.

The easiest Deadlock heroes to learn, what makes each one forgiving, and which heroes to leave until you know the map.

Which Deadlock video settings to turn down for FPS, how to set up DLSS or FSR, and the options that make enemies easier to see in a fight.

Every Deadlock Reticle setting explained, how to copy and paste crosshair codes, the console commands, and three crosshair setups to start from.

How to open the Deadlock console, the commands worth knowing for FPS, network, crosshair and practice, and how to set up an autoexec.cfg.

Default Deadlock keybinds worth changing, Instant Cast vs Quick Cast vs Confirm Cast, alt-cast and self-cast options, and layouts you can copy.

Find out whether it’s your PC, your network or the server: turn on the Telemetry HUD, read it, and fix what you can control.

Valve hasn’t published Deadlock specs yet. Here’s what’s official, what players report on Steam Deck and Linux, and the settings that help.

Where Deadlock mods go, the one gameinfo.gi line that makes them load, how to turn them off, and which mods could get your account in trouble.

All 11 Deadlock ranks in order, Initiate to Eternus, plus subranks, Rank Points, loss protection and how the top ranks work in Ranked Season 1.

To play Ranked you need 60 Standard wins and three heroes with 15 wins each. Here's what counts, the solo and duo rules, and how to get there fast.

How Deadlock's hero bans and the Ranked pre-game swap work, what to ban, and how to use your one swap to fix your team's composition.

How Deadlock matchmaking works, what Valve has said about MMR, when you can leave a game safely, and how abandon penalties and low priority work.

There are three flex slots, one for each enemy Walker your team destroys. The current rules, what changed, and how to build around them.

When the Soul Urn spawns, who should carry it, how to deliver it before its bounty drains, and how to knock it out of the runner's hands.

What the four bridge buffs do, when they spawn, who should take each one, and how the permanent buffs from breakables work.

Headshots deal 1.65x weapon damage, and bullets lose up to 90% at range. The numbers, the heroes that break the rules, and the items that change them.

How ability unlocks and points work, what each upgrade tier costs, and how to decide what to put your points into on any hero.

How to use the Sandbox, bots and console to check your DPS, drill parries and last hits, plus a 20-minute routine to run before you queue.

How Street Brawl works after the latest patches: rounds, item drafts, overtime and Walkers, plus how to draft and fight to win best-of-five.

Every healing-reduction item in Deadlock with its numbers, which one fits your build, when to buy it and when to save the souls.