ValveDeadlock is Valve’s latest MOBA, and it’s got a wide cast of characters like you’d expect from the genre. Ranking the best characters in the game is quite challenging, but the meta has developed enough to pin down who stands out from the crowd.
With Deadlock being one of the most popular games on Steam despite having limited Alpha access, it’s already looking like a smash hit. But, with Valve shutting down stat tracking services and restricting access to win rate data, it can be hard to determine who the best heroes are.
Fortunately, we’ve got you covered and have placed Deadlock’s four newest characters on here to give you an idea of where they stand on release.
Here’s our full Deadlock tier list to help you determine which character you should play if you’ve got access to the Alpha.
Deadlock tier list: Best characters ranked & ordered
Our tier list explained
Here’s a full explanation of what qualifies each character for their respective placement on the Deadlock tier list:
- S: Best of the best, good in pretty much every scenario with diverse build paths and hard to counter
- A: Strong with the right build, although may be countered by certain items or strategies
- B: Either easily countered by items or niche in their usefulness
- C: Can be decent in certain scenarios, but there are better choices
Meta Analysis
In Deadlock, hero kits create problems and items sell you solutions. There are ways to counter everything. But, not every hero is created equal.
The strength of Deadlock‘s characters is determined by not only their individual power, but how easy they are to counter. Additionally, every character is viable. But S tier picks on the tier list will give you the absolute best chance of winning.
With the latest update at the time of writing, four new characters have been added, and they’re all pretty strong.
S-Tier
Yamato
Yamato is definitely one of the most unique characters on Deadlock’s roster. A heavy reliance on abilities, generally limited range, but with a ton of carry potential if she’s played properly, she’s not for the faint of heart. Learning how to properly use her primary fire and getting through lane phase is half the battle.
However, if you get out of lane with decent farm and know how to pick targets, Yamato feels unstoppable. Her ultimate making her immune to CC and even death itself makes the swordswoman incredibly hard to keep down. Without the support of her team, though, she gets cut down quickly once that duration is over.
Best Ability: Power Slash
While Yamato’s ult might be the first thing many remember about her kit considering she’s the only hero with straight-up death immunity, her (1) Power Slash is her true bread and butter. High damage, good range, and an extremely satisfying sound make it one of the most iconic abilities in Deadlock so far.
Pros:
- Strong gap close and high damage in melee range
- Very, very difficult to kill, especially if you build her tanky
- CC immunity on ult lets her bypass many counter items if played properly
Cons:
- Difficult early game reliant on knowing how to use her right clicks
- Limited range makes her easy to bully, especially if she’s trying to solo dive the backline
- Wholly lacks CC, meaning she doesn’t do much other than damage
If you’d like to learn how to play Yamato, you can check out our guide.
Paradox
In terms of survivability, Paradox is one of the best heroes in Deadlock. She’s got strong range with her charged 3, decent wave clear with her 1, and the combo of her 2 and ult makes her incredibly difficult to 1v1. Playing around Paradox’s 2 properly is the biggest difference between a good player and a great one, with it being her strongest ability despite being mostly utility-oriented.
However, once you get good at Paradox, you can easily one-shot combo people with little interaction if you land a charged-up snipe. Time wall’s silence combined with her ult having a low cooldown have made Paradox Deadlock’s early competitive mainstay, and she’s good on any team comp.
Best Ability: Time Wall
All of Paradox’s abilities have upsides and downsides, but (2) Time Wall is an incredible zoning and trading tool. Everything she does plays off of this wall, so make sure you’re properly placing it and working around it.
Pros:
- A ton of CC, Paradox is closer to a support character than not
- Long range poke and strong trading potential
- Extremely underrated early roamer
Cons:
- Lacks damage on objectives and doesn’t have much multi-target damage
- Her ultimate requires you to put yourself in danger more often than not
- Requires a lot of finesse to use properly, especially in the late game. She’s often not worth the effort for most players, though she’s quickly become a pro play darling
If you’re interested in giving Paradox a shot and want a challenge, check out our guide.
Pocket is easily the most annoying Assassin/close range DPS character to deal with. Killing them is an absolute pain. Between their (2) Flying Cloak teleporting them out of danger and (3) Enchanter’s Satchel giving them a couple seconds of immunity, locking Pocket down is hard.
Buying an early Debuff Reducer/Debuff Remover against someone with a Slowing Hex or heavy CC will make life much easier for Pocket. And, even if they end up getting Rooted and locked down, their primary fire and ultimate are so strong that they’ll still have a lasting effect on teamfights.
Between their ult’s DoT lasting for what feels like an eternity and having (arguably) the best shotgun in the game, Pocket is an absolute menace that brings damage and utility to the table in spades, but only with the right build. Fortunately, our Pocket guide will fill you in on what you’ll need.
Best Ability: Flying Cloak
(2) Flying Cloak does it all. Poke, mobility, a big ol circle of damage that’s really hard to avoid. It does enough damage to proc Mystic Burst, instantly gets lowered cooldown if you level it. The threat of a Pocket player teleporting onto their cloak is enough to stop a teamfight from happening.
Pros:
- Extremely high burst damage that’s hard to avoid with their 2 > 3 combo
- Strong primary with solid laning, does well with a variety of items and has a smooth road from early game to late
- Mobile, versatile, hard to kill, irritating. A fed Pocket isn’t fun to play into
Cons:
- Heavily countered by the right items. Silence Glyph can make Pocket obsolete. Debuff Remover entirely cleanses their ult, making it so 1 item basically negates Pocket’s longest cooldown ability. Counterbuilding Pocket is the only way to take them down.
- Limited range
Dynamo
If you’re looking for a support character with the potential to completely flip a match on its head, Dynamo is the pick for you.
Whether it be the knockup and damage boost on his (1) Kinetic Pulse, the immunity frames on (2) Quantum Entanglement that can immune game-changing ults with the right timing, (3) Rejuvenating Aurora being one of Deadlock’s best heals, and (Ult) Singularity locking entire teams in place for several seconds, Dynamo has a ton of impact on the game regardless of how much income he has.
He’s got some weaknesses, sure, but they’re vastly outweighed by his strengths. If you’re looking for a character that fills that supportive role, he’s your best bet and an obvious S tier on the Deadlock tier list despite being nerfed a few times.
Best Ability: Singularity
If you’re playing Dynamo, it’s probably for this ability you’re picking him for. With Duration Extender and Refresher, you’ll be able to keep a team locked in place long enough for them to die of old age.
Pros:
- Solid primary fire that does way more damage than you’d expect. Dynamo doesn’t want for damage despite being a supportive character
- A ton of support tools between CC, healing, and other utility
- Always useful if used properly, even if you get shut down early
Cons:
- Sorely lacks solo carry potential. You can win the game for your team, but only if they’re present enough to follow up on your setup and finish the job
- Takes some time to get rolling, needs a few items and abilities leveled to reach his full potential
There are a couple things you’ll need to know to get the most out of Dynamo and make him a true S tier pick. Check out our guide to learn what makes him so good.
Ivy
Ivy is yet another support option, though she’s a bit more offensively oriented than Dynamo. She’s entirely designed around bullying people out of lane due to her primary having fast fire rate, projectile speed, and reload. Combined with the area denial on (1) Kudzu Bomb, farming against Ivy is a nightmare.
Additionally, (2) Watcher’s Convenant’s bonus fire rate and healing for herself and allies makes her a boon in teamfights, her (3) Stone Form makes her impossible to kill, and (Ult) Air Drop is a great escape tool at worst, and a method of dragging a fed Seven around the map or easily securing urn at best. She’s a shoo-in for S tier on the Deadlock tier list.
Best Ability: Air Drop
Ivy’s real best ability is her primary fire considering how good her gun is, but her ability to ult and secure Urn with it makes Ivy a guaranteed S-tier in pretty much any Deadlock patch until that interaction gets removed from the game.
Pros:
- Deadlock’s best gun. Fast reload, high fire rate, extremely accurate. Laning against a good Ivy is not fun
- Strong supportive tools without missing out on carry potential
- Useful at every stage of the game, and both from behind or ahead
Cons:
- (Ult) Air Drop is kind of finnicky and situational. It’s pretty easy to accidentally troll your teammate
- Lacks high burst damage and an x-factor ability that can just end the game instantly. Requires extended engagements to be useful
There’s never a time that you wouldn’t want Ivy on your team, especially since she can hold her own as both a damage dealer and a support. Give our guide a look to see how you can do both with her.
Vyper
Though Vyper’s gun damage and burst has been significantly reduced from when they were initially introduced to the hero lab, this character’s high damage and versatility keep them in S-tier. The gun damage nerfs have forced Vyper to bias toward a spirit build, one that specializes in taking out enemies who are at low health.
However, because that stacking spirit damage is guaranteed on any target you can shoot, Vyper is arguably the most consistent assassin in the game. Lump in their ability to slide around like no other hero can and you’ve got a top-tier assassin.
Best Ability: Lethal Venom
While Vyper’s slide is integral to playing the character properly, Lethal Venom is where all your damage will come from. Once you max this ability and start stacking it with your bullets, it’s curtains for your enemy. At a certain point, this becomes a straight-up execute and lets you run through teams without much trouble.
Pros:
- Extremely mobile and can slide in ways other heroes can’t
- Excellent 1v1 potential with great sidelaning
- Very easy to play, a great beginner hero to help you learn game mechanics
Cons:
- Limited range
- Really relies on getting Lethal Venom maxed out, making them relatively weak early on
Mirage
ValveMirage is bar none Deadlock’s best solo laner. His ability to rotate quickly and keep himself sustained makes him difficult to kill. Even if he doesn’t win lane, he rarely uses.
Sure, he doesn’t have great AoE damage or burst. Sure, he doesn’t have a big win button like some other heroes in Deadlock. However, his abilities give him some unique strengths and items make up for most of his downsides. He’s got a learning curve and seems unassuming before you learn him, but he’s a real monster in the right hands.
Best Ability: Djinn’s Mark
Yes, even with Mirage’s ult being such a strong and defining part of his kit, his (3), Djinn’s Mark, is his best ability. It’s his main source of damage, it easily procs spirit damage items and ability activation items like Quicksilver Reload, and it heavily slows a target if you’ve got good aim. Plus, if you know how to use it (or just get Ricochet), you can do a lot of damage in fights by hitting multiple targets.
Pros:
- Unrivaled rotation power
- A ton of CC
- Does well as a tanky frontliner and lives for a long time in fights.
Cons:
- Doesn’t have a “big button”, an easy to press ability that turns a teamfight. You’ll have to plan everything
- Ult has limited use in teamfights, does poorly when you’re caught out of position
If you’re looking to give Mirage a try, you can check out our guide.
A-Tier
Infernus
If you’re looking for a reliable, consistent all-rounder that’s easy to play and has tons of carry potential, Infernus is your best bet. His AoE damage is pretty underwhelming until you get points in his (2) Flame Dash, but the sheer amount of mixed DPS he does when an enemy is ignited by his (3) Afterburn shreds even the tankiest of targets.
Infernus does have a ton of damage under his belt in teamfights as long as you’re willing to get up close, but getting close enough for his (Ult) Concussive Combustion and Flame Dash to be effective is a risky proposition.
The fact that Infernus has to get so close to reach his full damage potential while being easy to lock down keep him out of S-Tier on the Deadlock tier list, but he’s a strong pick nonetheless.
Best Ability: Flame Dash
Even after its nerfs, (2) Flame Dash is Infernus’ best ability. Yes, (3) Afterburn gives him a ton of damage, and you’ll often want to max it first. However, Flame Dash is just too good. It gives you a ton of camp clear, area denial, escape, wave clear. People never expect just how much damage this ability does.
Pros:
- High, single-target hybrid damage that’s hard to itemize against
- Can build pretty much anything and succeed whether you want to tank or carry. Very versatile
- Infernus is a farm machine, clears waves and camps without needing to itemize for it
Cons:
- Has to take fights one target at a time to be the most effective
- Great ult on paper, but it’s easy to counter in practice due to the delay
- Has to get up close to get the most out of him
If you’re looking to pick up Infernus, check out our guide to get started.
Mo & Krill
Mo & Krill wasn’t typically regarded as a top-tier character through most of Deadlock’s Alpha. He’s got decent sustain and utility, but limited range, an ultimate that locks him in place and only CCs a single target, and a hitbox the size of an 18-wheeler that makes them easy to poke out of lane.
However, the key to Mo & Krill lies with maxing their 2. Once you get out of the lane phase and get a couple items under your belt, this duo can roam around, gank lanes, and clear camps faster than almost any other character in Deadlock. As long as your laners don’t suffer too much for you not being around, Mo & Krill can gain a massive lead simply by farming camps when they spawn and controlling the map.
If you’re looking for an extremely effective roamer who can snowball the entire map while building a farm lead, Mo & Krill is the duo you’ll perform best with.
Best Ability: Burrow
While (Ult) Combo is what you probably know Mo & Krill for if you’ve only ever played against him, this single-target CC lock ability isn’t what’ll win you games; it’s (2) Burrow. This ability gives him lightning-fast rotations, damage reduction, some of the best camp clear in the game, and massive AoE CC in teamfights.
Pros:
- One of Deadlock’s highest DPS primary weapons, good for both camp clear and laning
- A ton of AoE damage, much of which comes with high CC
- An ultimate that’s great at making one person in particular have a very bad time
Cons:
- Their ult locking them in place can lead to Mo & Krill getting quickly bursted down
- A huge hitbox. This sounds like a small gripe, but playing as this hero in lane is very difficult, you’re one big punching bag
- Very reliant on cooldowns, and many of their cooldowns are long
If you’d like to give Mo & Krill a shot for yourself, our guide will tell you everything you need to know.
Viscous
Out of every hero on the Deadlock roster, Viscous is definitely the most awkward to use. His abilities are unwieldy at the best of times, especially considering how easily their 3 clips on geometry and flies out in a direction you weren’t expecting. That, and their 2 simultaneously being a strong heal and a way to accidentally troll your teammates.
However, Viscous has one of the best ults in the game, an ult that easily makes him the tankiest character in the game for a short while. Once you hit late game and have free use of your abilities in ult, you become a hard carry.
Additionally, Viscous is a favorite for high level players, with them being a consistent target for buffs and nerfs. Be aware that this hero has received several balance changes in a short time, and that, if you decide to play them, you’ll have to keep up with patch notes as they come. Viscous is A tier in the right hands.
Best Ability: Goo Ball
Viscous’ (Ult) Goo Ball is what makes him worth playing. Sure, (3) Puddle Punch is a great poke tool and what you’ll get hit by the most from game to game, but Goo Ball’s max upgrade lets every other ability be used during the ult, allowing Viscous players to punch themselves around and play pinball with their opponents. Good Viscous players will know how to make the most of this unorthodox ultimate.
Pros:
- Oppressive poke with (3) Puddle Punch and (1) Splatter
- A ton of utility and CC
- One of the hardest Deadlock characters to kill
Cons:
- High mobility, but dependent on properly using their abilities and bouncing themselves around with (3) Puddle Punch
- Has a lot of potential to accidentally troll teammates between (3) Puddle Punch bouncing people around and (2) The Cube being used at the wrong time
- Generally weak early damage, has to get to mid game with a few items in order to get rolling. Literally.
It’s worth noting that Viscous is already a favored hero amongst pro players, and you can read our guide for some direction on what you’ll need to do to succeed with this difficult hero.
Warden
Warden is one of Deadlock’s biggest bullies. He’s difficult to 1v1, has strong scaling for both spirit and weapon damage, very strong 1v1 potential, and his (Ult) Last Stand has enough damage to hard-carry a teamfight. If he’s able to channel it, Warden can rip through an entire team on his own.
However, he’s very much so the scrub hero of Deadlock. If you don’t know how to counter his pressure, he rips through a team. If you don’t let him take 1v1s and zone him out, he’s easily corralled early and shut out of the game. If he’s behind, he’s borderline useless. But he’s such a strong solo laner that he’s high tier regardless.
Best Ability: Binding Word
Warden wants to play around his (3) Binding Word however he can. Slowing Hex early is recommended, and locking someone into his cage is basically a death mark. There are few things scarier in Deadlock than a fed Warden running you down.
Pros:
- Terrifying in 1v1s and can turn small mistakes into easy kills
- Great poke with (1) Alchemical Flask once you get the hang of throwing it at longer ranges
- Can legit 1v6 if he gets a big enough lead, is extremely tanky and does a ton of damage
Cons:
- His ult’s channel time is a real hinderance and requires some planning to use properly
- (3) Binding Word gets harder and harder to catch people with as the game goes on, Warden has to build his lead early
- Flounders against higher level players, his 1v1-focused playstyle makes him one-dimensional
There are few characters as sturdy and effective as Warden, and it’s hard to argue he’s anything but an S-Tier pick. You can read up on how to build and play him here.
Abrams
In terms of survivability, Abrams is the tankiest character you can possibly pick. What he lacks in range, he makes up for in gap close, sustain, a huge amount of melee damage, and some strong CC. His (1) Siphon Life has a ton of healing, his (2) Shoulder Charge slams enemies right into walls, and his (Ult) Seismic Impact is a very strong engage tool that only gets better as it gets leveled.
He struggles a bit against characters who can zone him and keep him at a distance, but once Abrams is up close, he dishes a ton of punishment. If you don’t counter-build him and cut down on his healing, he’ll be impossible to kill as well.
However, well-timed parries can stun Abrams and leave him open to getting bursted down, and building anti-heal will cut down his survivability immensely. Also, September 12’s Melee Charge nerfs hit this hero pretty hard. Abrams is good, but he’s not quite S tier. He’s got enough counters to land in A tier on the Deadlock tier list.
Best Ability: Siphon Life
In terms of survivability, (1) Siphon Life is Abrams’ bread and butter. Pop this, get into melee range, and live forever. It’s really that simple, Abrams doesn’t have a complex game plan.
Pros:
- Simple and straightforward
- Excels at close range, dishing a ton of damage while being a massive drain tank
- Strong at every point in the game if you can get up close
Cons:
- Simple and straightforward
- Gets harder and harder as you play against better players, countered heavily by parries and anti-heal
- Has no ranged tools or poke
If you’d like to know how you can counter-build people trying to shut you down, give our Abrams guide a look.
Holliday
Holliday is Deadlock’s first sharpshooter. Sure, Vindicta’s snipe is already an iconic part of the game, but Holliday is all about pinpoint accuracy and trickshots. She’s really got that wild west vibe going for her, and, fortunately, she’s strong enough that you’ll be properly rewarded for good aim.
She’s got long cooldowns and a high skill ceiling, being forced to pull off some trickshots to do her best Powder Keg combos and maximize her damage. However, if she can do that and get a headshot or two in, Holliday is extremely good. She’s not for the faint of heart, but she deserves her top tier spot.
Best Ability: Powder Keg
Trickshotting with this move is Holliday’s bread and butter. Whether you’re tossing it out to clear a wave, bouncing it off her jump pad to hit targets in the air, or tossing it right before you put out your Lasso and dragging an enemy into it, all of her best combos have this ability in them.
Pros:
- High burst damage at all ranges
- Has a ton of utility and every tool you’d need to win
- Strong late game scaler that can close out games
Cons:
- Generally bad early game and long cooldowns without items
- Requires precision to succeed
Lady Geist
With Deadlock’s meta heading toward Spirit builds after some substantial gun damage nerfs, Lady Geist has become a whole lot stronger. If you can’t aim and want to throw bombs with a hitbox the size of a barn, she’s for you.
(1) Essence Bomb’s wave clear combined with the strong silence on (2) Life Drain and the turnaround potential on (Ult) Soul Exchange make Geist a force of nature for both sidelaning and teamfighting, and someone who knows how to use her can easily find ways to carry.
If you get too close to Lady Geist, she steals all your health. If you’re too far away? She pokes you down. It’s very difficult to get the leg up against this character, and that makes her an S tier pick on the Deadlock tier list.
Best Ability: Essence Bomb
Lady Geist is, in essence, an artillery mage. Her (1) Essence Bomb has so much poke, area denial, and raw damage that it makes her very difficult to fight. Even if she gets put behind early, a few items and levels into this ability will get you right back into the game.
Pros:
- Impossible to miss big AoE damage
- Hard to kill and can turn fights instantly
- Strong anti-siege, she makes it very difficult to close out games
Cons:
- Horrendous primary weapon, one of Deadlock’s worst. It’s very hard to secure souls and play out the early game with Lady Geist
- Has to get up close to use her ult, leaving her vulnerable. Missing your timing slightly will get you killed
Read up on Lady Geist in our guide if you’re trying to get the hang of her, but you’re having a hard time itemizing and building a lead.
B-Tier
Haze
Haze is one of Deadlock’s few roam-dedicated characters, someone who has generally weak lane pressure and feels a lot better when they get to run around the map and sow the seeds of chaos in other lanes. And, from ahead, Haze is definitely a threat.
From behind, though? Not so much. Haze really needs to get a snowball going to get useful, especially considering her only reliable AoE teamfight damage is on her ultimate. Outside of the single target sleep on her 1, she doesn’t offer any utility. And, while she’s good for picking off single targets, her teamfighting is inconsistent since her ult is easy to walk right out of and can be countered by items like Steel Skin, Curse, or general CC.
Haze can be strong, but she doesn’t belong anywhere near the top of the Deadlock tier list.
Best Ability: Fixation
(3) Fixation is Haze’s most innocuous ability considering it’s just a passive, but this is where all her damage comes from. Hitting the same target repeatedly to gain bonus weapon damage is the main way Haze bursts down targets. Playing around this and stacking it on a target is essential.
Pros:
- Strong single-target damage
- Great roaming and gank potential
- One of the best ultimates in the game (sometimes)
Cons:
- Relies heavily upon her ultimate for multi-target damage
- Easily countered by Metal Skin and CC
- Requires a lot of items to succeed and does nothing from behind
- Also needs items to clear camps efficiently, putting her behind someone like Mo & Krill as a roamer
If you want to learn how to play Haze, check out our guide.
Vindicta
Vindicta would be in C-Tier if it weren’t for one thing: Her ultimate. Her base kit is just ok, with her 1 being a generally strong CC tool and her 2 giving her a higher vantage point at the cost of her being exposed and out in the open. She’s very, very easy to kill, and gets obliterated by Slowing Hex.
But Vindicta’s ultimate, when maxed first, gives her 850 souls per kill on top of what she’d already gain for netting a kill in the first place. If a fight goes well for her, she can get a swing of thousands of souls in her favor, allowing her to get all the items she needs to hard carry.
However, you have to get these kills with her ult for them to count, making Vindicta’s ability to snowball entirely dependent on being in the right place at the right time and securing the kill. And, as of the September 12 update, she shares those souls with teammates to get her whole team ahead. As a result, it’s hard to justify any placement higher than B on the Deadlock tier list.
Best Ability: Assassinate
Vindicta’s ultimate, outside of being a high-damage single shot that chunks at every stage of the game, is one of Deadlock’s best snowball tools. This ultimate is her win condition in most cases, and getting those bonus souls out of it is a must.
Pros:
- Long range and some of the best poke in Deadlock
- Keeps enemies out of reach by flying or using Stake to stuck them to the ground
- Extremely high snowball potential
Cons:
- Very easy to kill, especially if someone buys Slowing Hex early
- Needs defense items to survive in most cases, requiring her to spend her hard-earned souls on things like Ethereal Shift and Ward Stone
- Doesn’t do well at close range and lacks stamina
If you want to give Vindicta a try, check out our guide to get the most out of her.
The Magnificent Sinclair
Sinclair arguably has the highest skill cap in Deadlock. Playing this hero to his highest potential is difficult, perhaps even impossible. But, if you can, he’s incredibly difficult to kill while being able to shut down some of the best ults in the game. Or perhaps even steal them for himself.
There is no objectively correct max path on this hero. Sometimes, you’ll want to max (1) Vexing Bolt for bonus damage with your (2) Spectral Assistant. Others, you’ll want to get the AoE as early as possible on (3) Rabbit Hex to CC multiple targets at once. Or maybe there’s an ult on the enemy team you really, really want to steal and have in its upgraded form.
However, because he’s so difficult to use and has a terrible primary weapon, he’s confined to low tiers for now. There’s a chance he gets much better as people learn him.
Best Ability: Audience Participation
The Magnificent Sinclair’s high damage potential is great and all, but the ability to steal any ultimate in the game and use it for yourself is the main selling point of playing him.
Pros:
- Boundless potential, can do a ton of damage and completely change the game by taking the right ult
- Hard to kill due to his Hex and being able to swap around with his clone
- Fantastic split push, can use his Assistant to kill objectives in record time
Cons:
- Horrible primary fire and terrible laning as a result
- Assistant is hard to use and aim with, generally unwieldy
- Currently feels impossible to play properly, so high skill cap that it’s a genuine con
Calico
Calico is one of Deadlock’s coolest characters. She has a very distinct vibe about her as a short-range assassin with cat-like reflexes and a kit to match, even allowing her to turn into a cat and roam around the map.
Unfortunately, despite her being fun to play, she has a lot of shortcomings. She’s not quite C-tier, but she has much less precision and burst than other assassins in Deadlock, particularly Vyper. You really have to be in spitting distance to do damage with her bombs, but her damaging dash also has a set range, making it hard to use and easy to over or undershoot your intended target.
Best Ability: Gloom Bombs
This ability is Calico’s bread and butter. Getting in close and sticking someone with every bomb will do a ton of damage, though you have to be within spitting distance to consistently land your bombs. It’s worth noting that she doesn’t have that problem when clearing objectives, making her a solid sidelaner.
Pros:
- Fantastic rotational power and map presence
- Strong burst up close
- Decent primary fire that lets her hold her own in lane
Cons:
- Inconsistent burst damage that’s hard to land
- She basically loses an ability in combat for her ability to rotate
- Awkward targeter on her dash that makes it easy to miss at close range
Lash
Lash is an absolute 1-trick magnet. He’s got a unique playstyle with the high mobility on his 2, a ton of burst damage on his 1, and an ult that can be an absolute game-changer if he manages to grab the right targets and pull them into his team. Lash is one of few characters in Deadlock who’s got a 1-shot combo between grabbing someone with your ult and getting max slam damage on them.
However, he’s also kind of awkward to play. Getting into the air and staying there is easier said than done, and a stray Knockdown will immediately ground him. Additionally, playing Lash in small rooms is almost impossible, and he needs wide open space to operate.
In ideal scenarios, Lash can be at or near an S-Tier level. However, the skill required to use him properly combined with him needing a lot of setup and momentum to work land him in A tier on the Deadlock tier list. Good in the right hands, but requires a bit of finesse.
Best ability: Ground Strike
Lash’s kit is very combo based, but (1) Ground Strike is always what comes at the end. Whether it’s just one quick (2) Grapple into it or a (Ult) Death Slam into hitting their entire team for over 1k damage late, Ground Strike is what makes Lash worth playing. It’s his greatest strength, but also a weakness.
Pros:
- High burst and mobility, giving Lash great roam and gank potential
- Hard to hit and can hide on rooftops
- Game-changing ultimate with strong late-game scaling
Cons:
- One of Deadlock’s worse primary weapons, not great at securing souls or poking
- Needs height to do damage. One knockdown will curb all his damage
- Very awkward to use in tight, enclosed spaces
If you’d like to give Lash a shot, check out our guide. Just know he’s got a steep learning curve.
Shiv
Shiv is one of the few characters added to Deadlock’s Alpha since testing began, and he was released in a monstrous state. From his bleed knives being pinpoint accurate and faster than most bullets to his high mobility, strong primary fire, damage mitigation, and execute mechanics, Shiv is pretty much everything you’d want in an assassin.
If this character gets rolling, he’s really hard to stop, especially at later points in the game where his 3 will keep him alive far after the point most characters would be dead. However, if Shiv’s behind, he doesn’t offer much. This character has to snowball to be useful.
And, with the gun damage nerfs, he’s much harder to play than he was in the past. But, our guide will give you what you need to get ahead with Shiv, including some movement tech that only he has.
Best Ability: Bloodletting
Shiv’s kit is almost solely based around single-target damage and mobility, but his strongest ability is genuinely his (3) Bloodletting. The ability to mitigate so much damage without building any tank items enables the rest of his kit and makes him nigh impossible to kill. He wouldn’t function without this ability.
Pros:
- Mobile with high single-target damage
- Great poke with his (1) Serrated Knives
- Tanky without building tank stats
- One of Deadlock’s best weapons with a very strong right click
Cons:
- Severely lacks AoE damage
- Does next to nothing from behind
- Has a very all-in playstyle and requires you to commit heavily to engagements
- Heavily nerfed by gun damage changes
Kelvin
Kelvin is one of few support characters in Deadlock, with a focus on CCing and zoning enemies. He was one of the best heroes in the game in its early days, but he’s had a bit of a fall from grace due to one big nerf: His 3’s slow beam used to disarm, but now it’s just a slow.
The beam build was strong enough to make him a must-pick hero for a few months, but he’s been nerfed enough to bat him down to the support role. He’s less of a 1v1er and more of a support hero focused on keeping his teammates alive. He fills that role well, but he’s terrible in solo queue. You really need comms to do anything with this hero.
Best Ability: Arctic Beam
Kelvin’s (3) Arctic Beam is one of the most annoying abilities in Deadlock. It slows, it secures souls, it bounces between targets; this ability does pretty much anything you’d want it to and doesn’t require much skill to use.
Pros:
- Easy to play with abilities that are hard to miss
- A ton of CC and the ability to deny space
- Hard to kill, especially if he’s got his ult up
Cons:
- Generally low DPS
- Can potentially throw games with a poorly placed ultimate
- Bad for solo queue due to supportive playstyle that lacks carry potential
Kelvin’s a great starter character, and you can check out our guide if you’d like to see what it’ll take to make him shine.
C-Tier
McGinnis
For a character who’s, on the surface, built around placing turrets and playing around them, McGinnis’ turrets aren’t that great unless you heavily invest in Spirit. This makes her 1 and stationary heal on her 2 a bit redundant unless she gets enough setup time to toss a bunch of turrets down, and her ultimate is kind of awkward to use.
This leaves McGinnis with a wall and a gun, which, to be fair, can be pretty effective. However, the gun damage nerfs hit her especially hard, and various balance changes in the months since Deadlock came out make her a much worse split pusher than before. As a result, support is her only viable role, and she’s not even great at that. This hero is in a rough spot.
Best Ability: Spectral Wall
While turrets are probably the first thing you’re thinking of with McGinnis, her (3) Spectral Wall is her best ability by a mile. Locking people into a bad situation is the only reason you should pick her outside of lane pressure and split push.
Pros:
- Only needs a few items to do well
- Very difficult to 1v1
- Strong lane pressure early
Cons:
- Severely lacks engage and burst damage
- Her ult is one of the most awkward abilities in Deadlock
- Has almost no gap close, mobility, or CC without items
Grey Talon
If you’re looking for a good sniper in Deadlock, Grey Talon isn’t a bad choice. He’s got a ton of range, oppressive DPS that outpaces most other characters in the category, and some incredibly hard to deal with traps. Laning against Talon is an absolute pain if you don’t have sustain, and it’s hard to feel safe when he’s on the map.
While he does have the same pitfall as other fragile DPS characters in his severe lack of self peel, his damage is overwhelmingly strong if he’s left alone. However, the August 29 patch made his skillshots harder to hit and significantly nerfed his traps, bumping him down to B on the Deadlock tier list.
Best Ability: Charged Shot
Oppressive poke is the best thing about Grey Talon’s kit, and it’s the reason you should play him. (1) Charged Shot doesn’t have the same dump truck-sized hitbox it had on launch, but it’s still a strong ability.
Pros:
- One of the most oppressive laners in Deadlock
- Long range and strong wave clear with poke that’s really difficult to miss
- Excellent split pusher
Cons:
- Generally weak in teamfights if not protected
- Lacks engage potential and chase, with CC that relies on enemies diving you first
- Easily dived and countered with items like Slowing Hex
If you want to learn how to play him for yourself, you can check out our guide.
Seven
Seven is one of the easiest and most straightforward casters in Deadlock, with his abilities being very difficult to miss. His (1) Lightning Ball has a ton of range and a big hitbox, his (2) Static Charge is a guaranteed (albeit delayed) stun, and his (3) Power Surge’s damage amp and arc lightning only makes things easier.
But Seven’s ult is really where it’s at. If you fully spec into his ultimate and get enough farm under your belt, Seven can act as an unstoppable force of nature. However, it takes entirely too much time for him to get there, making Seven very all-or-nothing on using Unstoppable with his ult.
Best Ability: Storm Cloud
Storm Cloud is useless if you don’t itemize to enhance it and fully invest in amping it, but it’s one of Deadlock’s best zoning tools when you optimize for it. If you’re playing him, play for ult and hope the enemy team doesn’t know how to counterplay it.
Pros:
- Easily confirmable damage. It’s really hard to miss with Seven
- Massive area denial with a genuinely game-changing ultimate
- Great laning and wave clear, good at pretty much any range
Cons:
- His ult has to be fully committed to in order to be effective, and it’s currently his best build
- Significant nerfs have made Seven a genuine ult bot who needs several items to be effective
- Everything he does is either telegraphed or delayed, making Seven easy to play around for seasoned players
If you’d like to know what items you need to make Seven a one-man carry, check out our guide.
Wraith
As a starter character, Wraith is great. She’s fairly safe, has a good primary fire that makes it easy to secure souls in lane, some pretty decent burst damage from her (1) Card Trick, a teleport, and an ult that dooms its target if they don’t have items to counter it. On paper, she should be an S-Tier. However, she’s had some serious nerfs as of late.
Wraith’s ult got buffed, but at the cost of her cards getting nerfed and gun damage getting toned down overall. She was once one of Deadlock’s most lethal carries, but nerfs have knocked her down near the bottom.
If you still want to play her, though, you can check out our guide.
Best Ability: Telekinesis
Wraith has gone through significant changes since Deadlock went public, getting multiple reworks. Now it lifts enemies up and slams them into the ground, making it a better 1v1 tool on its own that doesn’t rely on just laying into someone with gun damage. However, its amp only goes to 1 additional target at level 5, making her much weaker than when it was a huge AoE.
Pros:
- High capacity mag and great scaling with weapon damage on her primary
- Can easily reposition with her teleport, making her much safer than other carries
- Great 1v1 potential with (Ult) Telekinesis
Cons:
- (Ult) Telekinesis is slow and telegraphed, giving enemies time to counter it
- Very item dependent, and the items she depends on got heavily nerfed
- Her cards also got nerfed, making her spirit build a lot weaker than before
Bebop
Bebop exists to make laning a nightmare. His absolute strongest point in the game is when he can pull enemies under tower and pick them off early on, snowballing lanes in his favor and making life easy for his lane partner. Additionally, Bebop’s primary fire shreds minions and secures souls with ease.
The character is entirely built around this pull and his ult, however, making his playstyle a bit one-dimensional in most cases. Win lane, win game. But, if Bebop doesn’t gain an advantage for him and his lane partner, you’ve got a much lower chance of pulling out a W due to how many items and characters counter Bebop.
Best Ability: Hook
Though Echo Shard (2) Sticky Bombing someone is a great strategy, Bebop’s (3) Hook is why you’re picking him. Whether it be to pull an enemy into your tower or pull an ally out of danger, Bebop’s Hook is one of the highest impact abilities in the game.
Pros:
- Strong lane presence
- High pick potential and good early rotations
- Some of Deadlock’s highest burst damage with the right build
Cons:
- Heavily item/combo dependent, does very poorly from behind
- Reliant on landing pulls on the right targets, very all-or-nothing
- Easily overwhelmed
- Gun damage build is much worse than before, making him one-dimensional
If you’d like to know more about how to play Bebop, you can check out our guide.
That’s our Deadlock tier list! For more on the game, check out our guides for the best PC & Steam Deck settings, how to play early, the best keyboard & mouse settings, the best Deadlock crosshairs, and how to find and use Runes.
