Greetings, fellow gamers! Librarian Husky here, bringing you the latest scoop on Valve’s upcoming game—Deadlock. As the creators of the Steam Marketplace and legendary titles like CS:GO 2, Dota 2, and Team Fortress 2 (and yes, we know, they *still* haven’t made a third installment for many of their franchises), Valve is now working on something fresh. Deadlock is a 6v6 third-person shooter that merges the intense action of shooters with the strategic depth of a MOBA. Intrigued? Let’s dive in!

MOBA Influence and Personal Experience

I have a strong dislike for MOBAs. I’ve invested significant effort into understanding games like League of Legends and Dota 2, putting only minimal effort into Smite and Heroes of the Storm. Then, I ramped up my enthusiasm to the max for Pokémon Unite, but despite my efforts, it still didn’t captivate me. If Pokémon couldn’t engage me, can Deadlock?

Third-Person Perspective

Like Smite, Deadlock is played from a third-person perspective, unlike the isometric view typical of League and Dota. However, Deadlock goes beyond the perspective shift by integrating the movement and combat mechanics of a traditional third-person shooter game.

Heroes and Abilities

Each hero in Deadlock comes equipped with one primary weapon and four special abilities, which can be unlocked and upgraded during the match. Most of these abilities are active, but some heroes, such as Abrams, Hay, and Inferus, have a passive third ability.

Combat Mechanics

Deadlock features reloading, active reloading, and headshots that deal extra damage. There are also purchasable skills focused on improving your shooting accuracy. The movement system includes dodging in any direction, sliding, parrying incoming attacks, jumping, double-jumping, air dashing, and even climbing ledges.

Final Impressions

After having played it, I must say that Deadlock brings an interesting twist to the third-person shooter genre, offering a unique blend of MOBA-inspired mechanics and traditional shooter elements. Whether it will win over MOBA skeptics like me remains to be seen.

Renewed Hope for MOBA Fans

I have a renewed sense of hope that I can finally be like one of those cool MOBA players. But let’s take a step back and discuss Deadlock’s core gameplay loop to provide a clearer picture of the game as a whole.

Core Gameplay and Objective

In Deadlock, players have the ultimate goal of destroying the enemy team’s base. To achieve this, players must fight their way down lanes on the map, taking down enemy players and automated lane defenses. Typically, MOBAs feature three lanes, but Deadlock’s map splits into four, each with its own unique color.

NPC Troopers and Lane Combat

When a match begins, you and your team spawn alongside four NPC Troopers per lane. These Troopers respawn in waves every 30 seconds, with one special Trooper in each wave providing healing. Troopers advance down the lane, battling enemy Troopers, player-controlled heroes, and large lane guardians.

Collecting Souls and Progression

Your main task is to join the combat, collect souls, and push towards the enemy base. Souls serve as Deadlock’s currency and experience points. You’ll need plenty of them to strengthen your hero, though Deadlock differs from traditional MOBAs by lacking a persistent leveling system or skill tree that follows you from match to match.

Progression and Leveling in Deadlock

In Deadlock, every new match requires you to work your way back up from zero—a common feature of the genre that I’m not particularly fond of. Leveling up happens automatically as you collect Souls, granting perks like increased damage, more base health, and unlocking all four abilities once you’ve reached 3,000 Souls.

Collecting Souls and Special Orbs

After a kill, an orb will float out of the enemy’s body, giving you a chance to score extra Souls. However, this orb can be denied if the opposing team shoots it first. Orbs from your own kills appear green, while orbs that can be stolen from enemies appear orangish-red.

Managing Souls and Leveling

Souls act as both experience points and currency, but spending them doesn’t affect your level. For instance, if you spend 2,000 of your 3,000 Souls, your inventory will show fewer Souls, but your level will reflect the total amount collected throughout the match.

The Item Shop and Builds

All spending happens in the item shop, which can feel overwhelming at first. Fortunately, Deadlock offers useful suggestions based on your current number of Souls and the stage of the match. Additionally, popular community character builds are available in the shop, making it easy to copy builds that work best for your hero.

The Current Meta and Item Shop in Deadlock

One of the great things about the item shop in Deadlock is that you can browse each item outside of a match. This allows players to study and strategize without wasting valuable match time. You can load in, kill enemies for Souls, retreat to purchase skills, and head back out to continue pushing the lanes. This cycle repeats until either you destroy the enemy base or they overrun you.

Core Gameplay Similarities

This loop feels familiar, as it mirrors other games in the genre, with slight differences in terminology, such as Troopers instead of creeps and Guardians instead of towers. All the core gameplay elements that previously deterred me from MOBAs are present here, but Deadlock adds unique third-person shooter mechanics that set it apart.

Third-Person Shooter Mechanics

Deadlock’s third-person shooter mechanics bring verticality to the game in a way other MOBAs can’t match. You’re not restricted to a single plane of attack—you can launch yourself into the air, attack from above, or get behind the enemy for a surprise strike. Zip lines allow horizontal and vertical movement, adding dynamic combat opportunities.

Special Abilities and Vertical Combat

A sharpshooter like Vcta doesn’t need to camp on rooftops with her rifle because she can fly and hover in one spot while sniping enemies from above. The vertical combat options bring a fresh layer to Deadlock, making it stand out in a crowded genre.

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