Hello everyone! As we already know, in 2024 the latest global patch for Deadlock was released on December 6, and you probably noticed a lot of changes. This update touched items, weapons, and heroes, many mechanics were changed, item characteristics were changed, which opens up new, so to say, expanses for creating individual builds. And therefore the right build for a character can become that very "key" to victory. In this guide I will tell you what items and builds are in the game.
What is a build in Deadlock?
In the context of almost every online game, a Deadlock build for a character is a combination of skill leveling and item purchasing, which determine your playstyle and your efficiency. Here you can draw an analogy with a Lego constructor. It depends on which part you take and connect with another, what model will end up. Just like here: it depends on which "blocks" you choose, whether your hero will be a damage dealer or a powerful tank, and also what rank you will earn. Therefore builds are an adaptation of the hero to your unique playstyle, and this is what makes each game and fight unique. It is for such freedom of action that people love Dota 2, League of Legends, and other MOBA games.
Brief overview of Deadlock update from 06.12.24: changes
The December 6 patch brought many novelties that are worth considering when choosing builds:
- Weapon items: many changes in damage, firing rate, and weapon durability.
- Survivability items: updated green items that increase your survivability.
- Hero abilities: changed skills, some became stronger, and some – weaker.
- Character balance: some were buffed, some nerfed, to update the game meta and make the gameplay more competitive, remove overpowered skills and items.
Types of items in Deadlock
In Deadlock there are many items, each of which is important. The first items are 500 souls to start, others are 6000 for late, but their own ideal build is created from each of them. All items are divided into three categories: weapons, survivability, and spirit, and there are also active items separately. Deadlock heroes have 12 item slots, equally distributed among these categories, and an additional 4 Flex slots, which can be unlocked by gradually pushing the map.
Weapons.
The "weapons" category improves your basic weapon by adding bullets, increasing DPS, firing rate, or adding firing effects (damage modifiers for example). Here's what they give:
- Basic: increase weapon damage.
- Active bonuses: such as Fleetfoot or Shadow Weave, which give temporary bonuses, for example, speed boost, invisibility or long Dash Jump.
This category is designed for "sub-save", makes your hero so download "stronger" and more resilient. They increase base health and add active defensive buffs:
- Increase HP: allows to withstand more damage.
- Defensive buffs: such as shields (on % damage) or increased resistance to attacks.
The "spirit" category enhances the player's abilities and increases spirit energy:
- Increase the amount of spirit itself, which allows using skills more often.
- Enhanced abilities: for example, temporary invulnerability or damage reduction, armor (sturdiness) of enemies.
Provide temporary effects when you use them. A total of 4 slots are available, they can be used simultaneously (but don’t forget about the animation). Such items help to quickly react to a fight that has started, or to initiate and run away from opponents.
Types of builds in Deadlock
Now that it is clear what items are in the game, let's look at the main types of builds, which generally match the types of players:
Damage.
If you like to actively teamfight and deal a lot of damage, these builds are for you. They increase DPS, movement speed and reduce damage falloff from distance, allowing you to quickly kill enemies. Damage builds are suitable for Vindicta, Haze, Infernus, Seven. Usually such builds include weapon items that increase damage and shooting accuracy, for example, Berserker or Sharpshooter.
For defense play (tanks).
For those who prefer to tank in fights, help the team initiate, "defensive" builds are ideal. They increase bullet resistance, life steal percentage, as well as improve healing abilities, making your hero a strong tank. Tank builds are suitable for Abrams, Bibop, Dynamo, Kelvin, Warden, Lesh. This category includes survivability items, such as Divine Barrier or Metal Skin.
Support.
Such builds are needed to support the team with heals, buffs, skills and just for light characters that do not deal much damage in teamfights, because they restore allies' health, provide useful stats or weaken enemies. If you like to help and influence the outcome of the battle with your help, this way is for you. Support builds are suitable for Karma, Ivy, Mo and Krill. Builds include items like Healing Nova or Restorative Locket, which heal and strengthen allies.
Hybrid.
If your character can both deal a lot of damage and tank in skirmishes, then this type of builds is for you. Hybrid builds combine both styles, providing a balance between strength and endurance. Hybrid builds are suitable for Mac Ginnis, Shiva, Viscus, Yamato, Grey Claw, Lady Geist. Such builds can include both weapon and survivability items, for example, Heroic Aura, which increases firing rate and team protection.
Where to find builds for Deadlock?
Sometimes you want inspiration or to check how other players build their heroes. Here is where you can find good builds:
- The game itself. When you open the shop menu (The Curiosity Shop), in the top right corner there is a "Browse Builds" button or "Обзор сборок". And there you can choose a community build that you like. To do this, you need to click on the star next to it.
- You cant view this link please login.. I already talked about this service earlier in my article about Deadlock Tracker. It is a useful site, because there you can not only check your stats, mmr, win rate, but also find builds, top players, active matches and much more useful.
- You cant view this link please login.. The site supports Russian, including descriptions of skills and items. Also, the site has detailed statistics and match analytics. Each of these options is equally effective. Personally, I prefer to look for builds in the game itself, so as not to be distracted by transferring and purchasing from the screen, it is a bit inconvenient. However, not every build in the game is on the sites, just like the opposite. You can first look at the most "liked" builds on these services, and then compare them with builds in the game. You can combine them, get an effective combination and get a high rating in the game.
Conclusion
The December 6 patch opened new possibilities for creating powerful builds in Dedlock. Although one thing remains unchanged: it all depends only on you, who do you want to be? A tank, a healer, a damage dealer, a mage... Honestly, experimenting with different builds is part of the fun of the game.
