Deadlock is set in a version of New York where the supernatural is real, and everyone knows it. This page explains the big picture. For the places and the people, see the Cursed Apple, the Patrons and the factions of the city. Every hero guide also has a Lore section with that hero’s backstory.
Spoiler level: light. Deadlock’s story is still being written, and Valve keeps many details vague on purpose. Where the game hasn’t confirmed something, we say so.
When it’s set
The timeline is deliberately fuzzy. The world uses “before the ritual” as its reference point rather than calendar years, but its cars, clothes, buildings and news stories place it roughly in the 1930s or 1940s. It’s an alternate history: real events like Houdini’s death happened, but so did plenty that never did.
The first Maelstrom
Around the late 1800s, about fifty years before the game, an eclipse triggered an event called the Maelstrom. It changed the world:
- Astral Gates that had been dormant burst open across the Earth, including one in Central Park.
- Spirits flooded back into the world. Vindicta, killed during the Salem witch trials, returned as a ghost.
- The public learned that magic and monsters are real.
That last point is a matter of perspective. Some characters, like Warden’s family, believe the supernatural was always here, shaping folklore for centuries, and the Maelstrom simply made it impossible to ignore.
What the gates let in
The best-known world beyond the gates is Ixia, a beautiful and war-torn plane. Its people, the Ixians, often have horns, tails and red, blue or black skin, and some can control fire. Many moved to Earth after the Maelstrom. South Ixia has since become the 52nd US state, while North Ixia stays independent and unstable. Apollo is an Ixian prince sent to New York for his safety, and Abrams speaks the Ixian language.
Fifty years of magic
In the half century between Maelstroms, society adapted:
- Governments built agencies like the OSIC to deal with supernatural threats.
- Monster hunters like the Baxter Society organised.
- Industry turned magic into products and weapons. Fairfax Industries sells spirit weaponry.
- Crime found new tools, and new places to hide.
You can read about each of these in factions of the city.
The second Maelstrom and the ritual
The game takes place during the second Maelstrom, fifty years after the first. For a short window, somewhere between twenty minutes and two hours, mystic energy is at its peak, and that’s the only time the Patrons can be summoned.
The Patrons are two rival beings from beyond our plane: the Hidden King and the Archmother. Each wants to cross into our world, and each promises a wish to anyone who helps.
That’s what a match is. Two teams fight through the streets of New York, each trying to destroy the other side’s Patron so their own can be summoned. Destroying the enemy Patron completes the ritual. The OSIC warned New Yorkers to stay indoors while it happens.
Why do the heroes fight? Most of them want their wish. Some want to stop the Patrons altogether. Warden’s family, for one, believes the Patrons would end humanity if left unchecked. More on both sides in the Patrons.
Where the lore comes from
Valve tells the story in fragments:
| Source | Where to find it |
|---|---|
| Hero backstories | The book icon on the hero select screen. Our hero guides summarise each one. |
| Voice lines | Heroes talk to and about each other constantly, especially at the start of a match and on kills. The Hideout has a dialogue terminal where you can browse them. |
| The map | Billboards, posters, statues, shop signs and the buildings themselves. See the Cursed Apple. |
| Visual novels | Planned as the main storytelling format. Lady Geist’s The Binding of Oathkeeper, and stories for Ivy and Holliday, have been released or referenced, with more planned. |
The game is still in development, and its lore has been rewritten before. Deadlock’s world grew out of an earlier version of the project, and characters and names have changed along the way. Treat anything unconfirmed as subject to change.
Frequently asked questions
What is the story of Deadlock?
About fifty years before the game, an eclipse caused the Maelstrom, which opened gates to other planes and revealed the supernatural to the world. Now a second Maelstrom has arrived, and two rival Patrons, the Hidden King and the Archmother, want to cross into our world. Each match is a ritual battle in New York to summon one of them, and the Patrons promise a wish to anyone who helps.
When is Deadlock set?
Valve keeps it deliberately vague. Clues in the world point to roughly the 1930s or 1940s, in an alternate New York where magic has been public knowledge for about fifty years.
What does a Deadlock match represent in the story?
The ritual. Two teams fight through the city during the second Maelstrom, each trying to destroy the other side's Patron so their own can be summoned. Destroying the enemy Patron completes the ritual.
Where can I read Deadlock lore in the game?
Each hero has a backstory behind the book icon on the hero select screen. Voice lines, billboards, posters and the map itself fill in the rest. Valve has also planned visual novels for individual heroes.
Numbers on this page are checked against the game and the community-run Deadlock Wiki. Spotted something a patch changed? Tell us in #site-feedback on our Discord.