As a Dota 2 Player with 10k Hours, I Think Deadlock Has that Secret Sauce

We indeed live in some weird times where a game that wanted a lot of attention got none and the one that wanted to stay a secret got all of it. The latter is our focus today, and we must admit there are multiple reasons why it is getting so much attention. We are talking about Valve’s Deadlock, the latest hidden MOBA shooter that made my inner Divine rank from Dota 2 make a return. So, as a Dota 2 player with more than 10,000 hours in the game, how did my past 10+ hours of Deadlock go? Well, let me explain why I think Valve’s new game Deadlock might be the next popular eSports game.

Deadlock is MOBA First, Hero Shooter Second

Before you even begin to play and call Deadlock a hero shooter, remember that 70 percent of the game works in a, well, MOBA format. Once you boot up, you will find four lanes guarded by Guardians, Walkers, and Shrines. Your minions lead you toward the objective as enemy minions try to counter yours. Your primary objective is to destroy the Patron along with your team of five, which is possible if you keep your soul collection high. To do so, you can kill minions, take objectives, clear jungles, or kill enemy heroes.

Soul collection not only helps you level up, but it also allows you to buy items from shops. Another aspect that makes Deadlock more MOBA-like. Just like in any MOBA, you get a shop where you can buy power-ups and abilities for your heroes. The souls you collect are the currency used here.

Moreover, just like in Dota 2, denying minions plays a massive part in the game. You not only deny enemies from collecting souls, but you increase yours while doing so. Luckily, all heroes in Deadlock can perform melee attacks. So, you can secure a soul by last hitting minions from a close range.

Overall, Deadlock takes you on a battle arena shooter experience. Although we have seen plenty of them in the past like Smite or Paragon, nothing has felt as fluent due to the lack of clarity of what they want to achieve. Smite has always felt like a third-person Dota 2, which doesn’t add anything unique at all. However, Deadlock manages to break that barrier.

There is No MOBA Barrier in Deadlock

MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) is a popular video game genre dominated by two major industry giants. While League of Legends has a more global appeal, the Dota 2 community feels like a closeted bunch. The reason why gamers see no appeal in playing MOBA games casually is the time investment and the hard first few days spent learning the mechanics. Well, Deadlock solves that for you by simply being a shooter.

Yes, instead of thinking about the MOBA aspect on your first attempt, you can just play Deadlock as a shooter like Overwatch. That’s what I suggested to my Editor, with 2500+ hours in Apex Legends, to do, and it’s perfectly fine. He’s been an FPS player for a long time, so the MOBA learning curve is tangibly higher for him, like many others out there.

Once he was comfortable with a couple of heroes, I introduced him to the Shop and Builds in Deadlock last night. Like him, to start with, you can follow premade builds, upgrade abilities and shoot enemies. This will allow you to grow your knowledge of the MOBA aspect of Deadlock while you enjoy the shooter side. Although the games will go on for hours after you start getting harder lobbies (we had a 1+ hour game last night), the shooting aspect of the game, farming the minions, and pushing objectives will always feel rewarding.

Some elements of the shooter combine greatly with abilities. Sliding, crouching, dodge roll, or double jump are a perfect fit in the game with some escape abilities. These allow you to run away from enemies or ambush them out of nowhere. This unique combination makes Deadlock a unique experience for both MOBA and shooter gamers.

Theorycrafting With Deadlock is Therapy

Okay with the technical aspects out of the way, what is truly fun about Deadlock as a game? No, it is not about how you pew pew enemies. It is how you build and grow your pew pew abilities. Unlike in any game, Deadlock lets you upgrade your abilities for greater damage. Too easy? You can buy shop items to enhance them more.

Whether you want bullet lifesteal so that you get health back from shooting, or spirit lifesteal to get health back from casting abilities, Deadlock shops are open-for-all and have ample choices to have you stare at the screen for hours on end.

So, the exciting part about Deadlock is figuring out the hero you play for hours and crafting an ideal build for them. I spent almost 10 hours playing as the hero “Seven” and changed my build multiple times. Well, not all of them worked as well but the best thing is figuring out which one does. Because once your build works in your favor, you will notice it in the damage you deal, and your fun meter will increase.

This is a massive part of the MOBA experience, but Valve adds a side of shooter goodness to make things exciting for long hours of gameplay. With time, I feel like people will start to see Deadlock as an adventure shooter game where you need to collect items and upgrade your weapons.

This part of Deadlock is the best part for players who slowly start investing more time in the game. Although I’ve been a Dota 2 grinder for most of my gaming life, I also have tons of shooter gaming experience (read about my recent Spectre Divide hands-on), so combining the mechanics and plays in Deadlock felt exciting.

In-Development Game Performs Better Than Full Release Ones

Okay, take this with a pinch of salt if you are a fan of other hero shooters but Deadlock is a game that’s in early development, and it performs better than several fully released games. As a Dota 2 player, I have always been a fan of how optimized the game was. I always prefer frames over the visual quality so it was easier for me to run Dota 2 on any system.

However, with Deadlock being a shooter, I was skeptical if it would deliver. Well, it indeed did. I tried almost all the settings from the graphics menu and the game had decent frames in each one, which is just great. I will still prefer the lowest visuals as the game still looks cleaner than most shooters even without high graphics.

Another balance that Valve strikes with their new game is the UI and the abilities. Being a Dota 2 veteran, I could recognize the abilities of other Dota 2 heroes but all of them had their unique touch optimized for a third-person POV. The UI also looks clean and is easy to understand even if you are new to the genre.

In the first few games, you might feel lost but the tips on screen will guide you flawlessly. Now, that brings me to the question — should you try Deadlock?

Players of Both MOBA and Shooter Origins Must Try Deadlock

Well, if it was just another MOBA, I’d say you must pick it if you like slow-paced games. However, Deadlock is more than that. You get to do all the MOBA stuff throughout the game but the gameplay feels faster. Especially with a zipline to help you travel around the lanes and teleporters to switch locations, Deadlock has far better mobility than other shooters or MOBAs.

Despite being a Dota 2 nerd for years, I still feel there is plenty to learn. This will be the same case with Deadlock too. You will keep learning new things about the game every day and that discovery will feel rewarding. As a fan of live-service shooters, I have never seen any of them providing such a huge purpose (or incentive) to keep coming back into the game.

So, if you are a player who loves shooters or MOBA or both, you must try out Valve’s (not so) secret game Deadlock. If you are trying to get into the playtest, we can help you with a Deadlock invite. So, head to the linked guide, leave your Steam Friend code in the comments, and accept our request for us to be able to share an invite. Have you already tried Deadlock? Share your thoughts on the game in the comments below.