Deadlock is Valve's 6v6 hero shooter, still in development, with three lanes. You win by destroying the enemy Patron. To play well as a beginner, focus on souls: last-hit troopers, shoot soul orbs, deny the enemy's, and spend souls on items. Stay in your lane early, take Guardians with your team and avoid dying, which costs the most souls.
This guide covers how a match works, how souls and items work, what to do in lane and which objectives matter, plus a plan for your first ten matches. It is current as of October 2026, during Beta Season 1 of ranked. Once you have played a few games, look yourself up on the RankSurge Deadlock stats page.
How do you win a game of Deadlock?
Two teams of six fight across a map with three lanes. There is no role queue, so your team decides who goes where. Only destroying the enemy Patron ends the game, per SteamDB. On the way you push through these objectives in each lane:
- Guardians: the first tower in each lane. Breaking one pays souls to your whole team.
- Walkers: the large lane bosses behind the Guardians.
- Base Guardians and Shrines: the defenses in front of the enemy base.
- The Patron: the final objective, fought in two phases.
Guardians, Walkers and a Shrine also unlock flex slots, which add four item slots to your 12 base slots, per SteamDB. That makes early objectives worth more than kills.
How do souls work in Deadlock?
Souls are the only resource. They work as both gold and experience: you spend them on items and they level up your abilities, with no separate XP bar, per SteamDB.
| Soul source | How it works |
|---|---|
| Last hits | Only the killing blow on a trooper claims its bounty. |
| Soul orbs | When a trooper dies, most of its souls go to your team automatically and the rest float as an orb; shoot it to secure it. |
| Denies | Shoot the enemy's orbs so they do not get those souls. |
| Neutral camps and crates | Extra souls around the map; they take a few seconds to bank, so dying right after clearing wastes them. |
| Objectives and the Soul Urn | Guardians pay the whole team; the Soul Urn is one of the biggest single bounties in the game. |
Our Deadlock souls guide goes deeper. On RankSurge, souls per minute is one of the key numbers on your profile because it shows how well you farm.
What should you do in the laning phase?
- Last-hit every trooper you can: it is your main income early.
- Shoot orbs: secure your own and deny theirs. Small gains each wave add up.
- Trade carefully: poke the enemy when they go for last hits, then step back behind your troopers.
- Do not chase deep: dying sends you back and the enemy keeps farming your lane.
- Help take your Guardian: when your lane wins, push with your teammates for the team bounty.
How do items and the shop work?
The shop has three columns, Weapon, Vitality and Spirit, across four tiers that cost 800, 1,600, 3,200 and 6,400 souls, per SteamDB. Weapon items strengthen your gun, Vitality items keep you alive and Spirit items power your abilities.
- Buy small early: cheap items you can afford after one trip back help more than saving for one big item.
- Match your hero: gun heroes lean on Weapon items, ability heroes on Spirit, and everyone needs some Vitality.
- Adapt: if the enemy heals a lot or stuns a lot, look for items that counter it instead of following the same build every game.
Which objectives and power-ups matter most?
Killing the Mid-Boss in the center drops the Rejuvenator, a team buff that lasts four minutes, cuts respawn timers and lets you revive fallen allies, per SteamDB. It is often the moment a game turns. The Soul Urn is a courier objective that pays a large bounty when delivered; it was reworked in a June 30, 2026 patch, so check current patch notes for its exact rules.
Ziplines run along every lane and around the edge of the map, so you can get back to lane fast. You are exposed while riding, so jump off before you reach a fight.
Which numbers should a beginner watch?
You do not need every stat at once. Three numbers tell you most of what matters early on:
- Souls per minute: how well you farm. If it rises week to week, your laning and farming are improving.
- Deaths per game: every death costs souls, lane pressure and time. Cut this first.
- Last hits: the clearest sign of laning skill, and easy to practice.
Win rate matters too, but it moves slowly and depends on your team, so judge yourself on habits you control.
What should you do in your first ten matches?
- Pick one easy hero: our best heroes for beginners lists forgiving picks.
- Play the same lane role: learn one matchup at a time.
- Count last hits: try to beat your own number each game.
- Die less than last game: deaths cost souls and lane pressure.
- Join objective pushes: Guardians and the Mid-Boss win games.
When you are ready for ranked, read Deadlock ranks explained and how to rank up in Deadlock. Beta Season 1 is due to end on November 5, 2026, when Season 2 begins, per Esports Tales; check Valve's patch notes for the reset rules.
Ask RankSurge AI about your profile. Paste your Steam profile into the Deadlock stats page and ask our AI what to fix first, from your own souls per minute, KDA and win rate. Then read Deadlock stats explained or compare yourself with a friend in AI Profile Pick.
Frequently asked questions
How do you get access to Deadlock?
Valve still describes Deadlock as being in early development. When we checked its Steam store page in October 2026, it said access is limited to friend invites from playtesters, so you need an invite from someone who already plays. Because it is still in development, heroes, items and the map change often between patches. Once you can play, RankSurge reads your public Deadlock match data from your Steam profile link for free.
How many players are on a Deadlock team?
Each team has six players, and the map has three lanes with troopers. There is no role queue, so your team agrees who plays each lane and when to group up. Most games start with players spread across lanes, then teams gather for objectives like Guardians, Walkers and the Mid-Boss as the match goes on.
How do you get souls in Deadlock?
Souls come from last-hitting troopers, shooting the soul orbs that float up when troopers die, killing neutral camps and breaking crates, taking objectives and delivering the Soul Urn. Denying the enemy's orbs keeps souls away from them. Souls work as both money and experience, so they buy items and level up your abilities. Dying right after clearing a camp can waste souls that have not banked yet.
What is the Rejuvenator in Deadlock?
The Rejuvenator drops when a team kills the Mid-Boss in the center of the map. It is a team buff that lasts four minutes, reduces respawn timers and lets you revive fallen allies, per SteamDB's 2026 guide. Because it makes your team far harder to beat for a while, taking the Mid-Boss is often the moment a game swings, so watch the enemy's position before you start it.
What should a beginner buy first in Deadlock?
Start with cheap items you can afford after one trip back to the shop, matched to your hero: Weapon items for gun-focused heroes, Spirit items for ability-focused heroes, and some Vitality for everyone. The shop's tiers cost 800, 1,600, 3,200 and 6,400 souls. As you learn, change your build to counter the enemy, for example items that cut healing against heroes who heal a lot.
How can I see my Deadlock stats?
Paste your Steam profile link or SteamID64 into the RankSurge Deadlock stats page. It shows your rank, win rate, KDA, souls per minute, last hits and recent matches, plus a 0 to 100 Performance Score and Ask AI questions answered from your own numbers. It is free and read-only. Your Steam profile and Deadlock match data must be public for the stats to load.
