Your First 10 Deadlock Matches: A Beginner's Roadmap

Deadlock throws a lot at new players: a gun, four abilities, a shop with more than 150 items, a soul economy and a map full of objectives. Trying to learn it all at once is how people quit after two games.

Instead, focus on one new skill per match or two. Here’s a ten-match plan that builds up from the basics.

Pick one hero and stick with them for all ten matches. You’ll learn the game faster when the hero isn’t another new thing to learn. Good options: Abrams, McGinnis or Haze.

Matches 1–2: Learn to farm souls

Your only goal: get as many souls as possible from your lane.

• Shoot troopers to kill them. When one dies, shoot the floating soul orb above it to secure the other half of its souls.
• Try to finish troopers off with a melee hit (Q). A melee kill gives you the souls instantly, with no orb to shoot.
• Shoot enemy orbs too. That’s called a deny, and it starves your lane opponent.

Ignore kills for now. If an enemy fights you, back off towards your Guardian (the big statue in your lane).

Matches 3–4: Learn the shop

Now add buying items.

• Press B at a shop. Your first purchases should be cheap 800-soul items.
• Follow the item build in our hero guide, or pick a popular community build from the in-game build browser.
• Learn the three colours: orange = Weapon, green = Vitality, purple = Spirit.
• Buy a defensive item early. One cheap Vitality item such as Extra Health or Extra Regen stops a lot of early deaths.

Spend your souls. Unspent souls do nothing. Go back to a shop whenever you have enough for something.

Matches 5–6: Learn your abilities

• Spend ability points as soon as you get them: hold Left Alt and press the ability’s number.
• Follow the ability order in your hero’s guide. Most heroes max one key ability first.
• Your ultimate unlocks at 3,800 souls. Remember to unlock it!
• Learn each ability’s cooldown so you know when you can fight.

Matches 7–8: Learn the map and objectives

Now look beyond your lane.

• Check the minimap every few seconds. If enemies are missing from their lane, they may be coming for you.
• Learn the objective order: Guardian → Walker → Base Guardians → Shrines → Patron.
• After your lane’s Guardian falls, ride the zipline to help a teammate in another lane.
• The Soul Urn spawns at 10:00. Grab it and bring it to the delivery point when your team is nearby to protect you.

Matches 9–10: Learn to fight as a team

• Stay with your team after about 15 minutes. Lone players get picked off.
• Focus the same target. Six players shooting six different enemies win nothing.
• Use the ping wheel to call out targets and missing enemies. You don’t need voice chat.
• Before a fight, ask: do we have more players here than they do? If not, don’t take it.

After match 10

You now know enough to enjoy the game, and to start learning from mistakes. Next steps:

1. Read the 20 most common beginner mistakes.
2. Learn your hero’s matchups in their hero guide.
3. Try a second hero with a different role.
4. Try Street Brawl. Its short 4v4 rounds are great practice for fighting.

Quick checklist for every match

• Secure your own soul orbs and deny the enemy’s
• Spend souls every time you go back to a shop
• Spend ability points as soon as you get them
• Unlock your ultimate at 3,800 souls
• Check the minimap every few seconds
• Group up with your team in the mid and late game