Headshots, damage falloff and crits in Deadlock

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 much damage does a headshot do?

A headshot deals 1.65x weapon damage. In Deadlock a headshot is the only crit, and it applies to bullets, not to most ability damage.

It was 1.8x until the November 21, 2025 patch, which cut it to 1.65x and raised base gun damage by 10% to make up for it, so older guides that say 1.8x are out of date. The hit numbers flash yellow when you land one.

What counts as a headshot

Heroes, troopers and neutral creeps all have a head hitbox that takes the crit, so aim high when you last-hit too. Shotguns get it per pellet. On Calico the centre pellet counts as the main one for headshots, so keep the middle of the spread on the head.

Headshot items are pickier. Headshot Booster and Headhunter only proc against enemy heroes, while Weakening Headshot and Crippling Headshot have worked against NPCs too since May 2026.

Heroes with weaker or stronger headshots

A few heroes have their own crit bonus, almost always lower than normal. The Doorman's crit scaling sits at -30% after the July 9, 2026 patch, Kelvin's is -25%, and Vyper's was reduced in 2025. On these heroes a missed head costs you less, so don't swap a sure body shot for a risky flick.

Seven is the defensive version: he has had 55% crit reduction since the May 22, 2026 patch, so headshots on him add much less than usual. Against Seven, track the body and keep your damage steady.

1. 01Check the hero page before you lane. Gun stats and recent patch changes are listed there.

How damage falloff works

Every gun has a falloff range with a start and an end. Inside the start you deal full damage, between the two it drops in a straight line, and at the end and beyond most guns deal just 10% of their damage. That 90% loss is why a shotgun does nothing across a lane.

Plenty of heroes use the default 20m to 57.5m, but a lot run shorter, and Valve has been shortening them all year. Some current values from patch notes: Abrams 17m to 40m, Silver 17m to 42m, Lady Geist 17m to 48m, Lash 16m to 48m, Venator and Warden 18m to 47m. At the long end, Sinclair runs 20m to 60m and Celeste 22m to 60m.

A few gun-related abilities skip falloff on purpose. Holliday's Crackshot bonus damage, for one, ignores it.

Headshots at range

The crit applies on top of whatever falloff leaves you. At the end of your range a headshot is 1.65x of 10%, still only about a sixth of a point-blank body shot. Step inside your falloff start and plain body shots will out-damage long-range headshots.

Items that change falloff and headshots

Long Range (1,600 souls) adds 8% falloff range and +40% weapon damage against targets more than 15m away. Sharpshooter (3,200) adds 20% falloff range, +10% weapon damage beyond 15m and 25% weapon zoom. These are what let a mid-range gun fight from further back.

Close Quarters (800) and Point Blank (3,200) are the close-range pair. Both give bonus weapon damage within 15m, so you can play right inside your falloff start.

For headshots, Headshot Booster (800) adds 45 bonus damage to your next hero headshot every 9 seconds, and Headhunter (3,200) adds 75 and heals you. Weakening Headshot and Crippling Headshot lower the target's resistances when you hit the head, so the rest of your team's damage hits harder. Lucky Shot's bonus damage can't crit, so headshots don't multiply it.

1. 01Buy Long Range only if you actually fight beyond 15m. On a brawler it's wasted.
2. 02Stack headshot items only if you hit heads consistently. Check your headshot rate after a match before you build around it.

How to land more headshots

Most missed headshots aren't bad flicks. Your crosshair was in the wrong place before the enemy appeared. Keep it at head height as you move, especially around corners and up ramps, and most fights start with it already where it needs to be.

Learn where the heads sit on the hitboxes you fight most. Small, fast heroes are hard to track, so aim for the body while they're dashing and go back to the head when they stop to shoot. Lane is the best place to practise, because troopers walk in straight lines and every headshot on them helps you secure souls.

Rules of thumb

1. 01Learn your gun's falloff start and keep trades inside it.
2. 02Make short-range heroes fight you at long range. Back up and you halve their damage before you lose any.
3. 03Last-hit troopers with headshots. The extra damage secures orbs your opponent would have denied.