What Is Deadlock? A Complete Guide to Valve's Hero Shooter MOBA

Deadlock is a 6v6 competitive game from Valve that combines the lane structure of a MOBA with the mechanical feel of a third-person hero shooter. You pick a hero, you push a lane, you fight teamfights over objectives, and you try to destroy the other team's Patron before they destroy yours. Matches typically run 30 to 45 minutes.

If you're coming from Dota or League, think of Deadlock as a MOBA where every fight is a third-person shootout instead of a targeted click-cast. If you're coming from a shooter like Overwatch or Valorant, think of Deadlock as a shooter where the map has four lanes, a growing item build, and a 40-minute arc. It pulls real ideas from both sides and welds them together in a way that mostly works.

The Objective

Every match is 6 vs 6. Two teams start at opposite ends of a symmetric map, separated into two factions: Amber Hand (yellow) and Sapphire Flame (blue). Each team defends a chain of towers across four parallel lanes, all leading back to a central base that houses the Patron.

To win, you destroy the enemy Patron. That's it. Everything else in the game exists to get you to that point:

• Kill enemy heroes so they can't defend.
• Push minion waves into enemy towers.
• Take Guardians (the outer towers), then Walkers (the second wave), then Base Guardians, then the Patron itself.
• Fight over neutral objectives that make the above easier.

A match has a clear arc. Early game is lane farming. Mid game is rotations and teamfights over the middle of the map. Late game is coordinated pushes and Patron fights.

The Map

The Deadlock map is a symmetric city built on a 2x2 grid of lanes, with a ringed middle section. Four parallel lanes connect the two bases, and the middle zone contains shops, jungle camps, and a central objective called Mid Boss.

Key features:

• Lanes. Four of them, numbered 1 to 4. Minion waves march down each lane every 30 seconds. Heroes farm minions, push towers, and fight skirmishes in these lanes during the laning phase.
• Towers. Each lane has a Guardian near the center and a Walker closer to each base. Behind those sit Base Guardians that defend the Patron. Destroying a tower awards souls to the entire team.
• Zip lines. Every lane and most map corridors have zip lines overhead. You mantle onto them for fast traversal. Using zip lines well is genuinely a mechanical skill.
• Mid Boss. A powerful neutral boss in the center of the map. Killing Mid Boss spawns the Rejuvenator, a buff that massively empowers your minion waves. Mid Boss fights often decide matches.
• Soul Urn. A timed objective that spawns in the middle. A team that grabs the Urn and runs it back to their base earns a large soul reward.
• Vaults and jungle camps. Scattered throughout the map, these give farm outside of lane and reward map awareness.

The shop is central and shared, so everyone teleports back to the same spot to buy.

Souls (The Economy)

Souls are Deadlock's version of gold. You earn them by:

• Last-hitting minions.
• Denying your own minions (shooting them before they die to the enemy, which cuts their soul reward in half).
• Killing enemy heroes.
• Destroying towers.
• Taking neutral objectives.

Souls buy items, which are the other half of your power curve alongside ability levels. Early lane fundamentals (secure last hits, deny when possible, poke without dying) set up the rest of the game. A laning phase where you win souls by a clear margin usually wins the mid game.

Items

Items in Deadlock come from a shared in-game shop and fall into three categories:

1. Weapon. Increases your gun's effectiveness. Damage, fire rate, reload speed, headshot damage, bullet velocity.
2. Vitality. Increases your durability. Health, armor, health regen, sustain on hit.
3. Spirit. Increases your ability power. Ability damage, cooldown reduction, duration, spirit resistance.

Items scale in cost: 500-souls, 1250-souls, 3000-souls, and 6200-souls tiers. Higher tiers grant active abilities alongside stats. Some items combine multiple categories for a cheaper total than their parts.

Build order is the thing. A hero that's Spirit-scaling wants different items than a hero that's Weapon-scaling, and most heroes can flex between the two depending on how the match is going.

Heroes and Abilities

Every hero has four abilities (one basic, two active, one ultimate) plus a gun. Each ability has three upgrade tiers, and you spend ability points at set soul thresholds to upgrade them. Ultimates unlock at a higher threshold and are typically the biggest swing in a teamfight.

Deadlock does not lock you into a role. A hero can theoretically play any lane, but in practice picks tend to settle into a few archetypes: solo laners who farm efficiently, duo laners who set up kills, flex heroes who roam and gank, and burst damage dealers who enter teamfights late.

The roster has been growing steadily through the game's early access period. Current heroes span ranged carries, spirit casters, close-range brawlers, tanky frontliners, and everything in between. Expect the hero list and balance to keep shifting until a full 1.0 release.

The Phases of a Match

Most Deadlock matches follow a recognizable arc:

Laning phase (~10 minutes)

Everyone farms their assigned lane. Fights are small and skirmishy. The goal is to win souls, take the first Guardian, and set up your team with strong item starts.

Mid game (~10 to 25 minutes)

Lanes open up. Heroes roam, gank, push towers, and contest the first Mid Boss. Item builds start taking shape. Teamfights become larger and more consequential.

Late game (~25 minutes and beyond)

Teams commit fully to pushes and objectives. Mid Boss + Rejuvenator fights can swing the map. A single lost teamfight can cost the Patron.

Matches with a clear soul lead usually close out. Matches where the lead keeps swinging are the most entertaining ones to watch.

Why Deadlock Is Made for Competitive Play

A few structural things make Deadlock a better broadcast and competitive product than most modern hero games:

1. Six-player teams. Big enough for role variety, small enough to follow individual players on stream.
2. A clear arc. Thirty-plus minute matches have genuine narrative shape. Lane phase builds tension, mid game introduces swings, late game pays off.
3. Mechanical skill matters. Aim, movement, and zip line routing are real inputs. Top players look visibly better than ordinary ones.
4. Team coordination matters equally. Objective timings, rotations, and ability combos reward practiced rosters over one-person carries.
5. Every stat overlays well on a broadcast. Soul leads, objective timers, and item completions are easy to put on a ticker. Individual plays still read like a shooter highlight.

This is the whole reason we built the Deadlock Collegiate Series. The game rewards structured competition.

How to Get Into Deadlock

Deadlock has been in a Valve-run invite/early-access phase for a while. If you don't have access yet, a friend who already plays can usually invite you through the in-game social tab. Installing is free through Steam.

Once you're in:

• Play a few bot games to get used to the controls and zip lines.
• Queue ranked or casual matches. Don't worry about winning your first dozen games.
• Pick one or two heroes you like and learn their ability thresholds and item builds.
• Watch your own replays or a pro match to see what last-hitting and denying look like at a higher level.

How to Follow Deadlock Competitively

Collegiate competition is the most consistent live Deadlock on the calendar right now. If you want to watch high-level play every week:

• College Deadlock streams DCS matches live on Twitch with casters, overlays, and a two-minute delay.
• Our schedule shows every upcoming match this week.
• YouTube archives every broadcast the day after.
• Liquipedia's Deadlock portal aggregates community tournaments, flash cups, and notable exhibitions.

Valve hasn't launched a formal pro circuit yet, so the collegiate and community tiers are where the scene is organized.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Deadlock free to play?

Yes, while it's in Valve's early access period. The game installs free through Steam once you've been invited.

How long is a Deadlock match?

Most matches run 30 to 45 minutes. Surrender votes are possible but rare; decisive soul leads usually close out matches in the late 20s.

Is Deadlock a MOBA or a shooter?

Both, on purpose. It has a MOBA's lane structure, map, item shop, and objective. It has a shooter's aim-based combat, movement skill, and third-person camera. Pick whichever framing helps you learn it faster.

How many players per team?

Six. Each team fields six heroes in a standard match.

Do I need MOBA experience to play Deadlock?

No, but it helps. Shooter players pick up the aim and movement immediately and then learn the macro over time. MOBA players pick up the map and item flow immediately and then learn the aim over time. Both paths work.

When is the Deadlock 1.0 release?

Valve has not announced a date. The game is still pre-1.0 and balance, heroes, and systems continue to change.

What is Mid Boss?

A powerful neutral boss in the middle of the map. Killing it spawns the Rejuvenator, a buff that makes your minion waves significantly stronger. Mid Boss fights often decide late-game matches.

If you're a college player who wants to compete, see the current season or watch for Season 3 registration opening this fall.