Players of Valorant can expect Deadlock to weave a deadly web of traps for their opponents, giving a spin on the defense-oriented Sentinel with a kit that provides opponents with a false sense of security. Equipped with slows, concusses, barriers, and even an instant-kill ability, Deadlock’s anti-aggression toolkit may shake up the speed-oriented meta of Valorant, needing teams to be more in sync than ever should they hope to get away from her traps.
However, before players build their gag concept of a five-man Sentinel team, they should look into the more technical nature of Deadlock’s abilities and how they could be used once she finally arrives in Version 7.0. How exactly should players capitalize on Deadlock’s kit?
Deadlock: A Quick Background
Deadlock, whose Agent icon is seen touting a Phantom rifle, originates from Norway, primarily as an operative for the Briar Team of Ståljeger, which roughly translates to Steel Hunter. In her introductory cinematic, Deadlock and her team must bring a Kingdom scientist to a facility in Svalbard and prepare a Radiant bear inside it for transport to Los Angeles. Unfortunately, they discover the bear has broken out of its enclosure and has begun killing the entire team.
Only Deadlock and the scientist remain, with the agent putting up a fierce fight against the beast. While Deadlock manages to lure it to a chamber and trap it, the bear bites down on the agent’s left arm. When the dying scientist uses his last breath to shoot the bear as a distraction, Deadlock triggers an energy surge to take the animal out - losing her arm. At the end of the cinematic, Valorant operative Sova discovers Deadlock after getting her distress beacon.
GravNet (C): Taking It Slow
Being the first among her Basic Abilities, GravNet will have Deadlock equip the eponymous grenade and throw it at a distance. This molly detonates once it lands and affects a certain radius. All enemies within the area must crouch and move slowly for the Valorant skill's duration.
GravNet as a Basic Ability immediately sets up Deadlock’s kit as an anti-aggressor. She can throw this molly when she hears enemies rush, with the slow force giving her team an opening to reposition or jump in for the kill. Depending on the use, the slowed enemy movement should secure a few seconds of precious time pre- and post-plant.
Suggested Strategy: Ill-Advised Aggression
At a glance, being forced into a crouch should benefit some players as some weapons improve accuracy when aimed from this position. However, the forced slow also means missing a shot leaves crouched players wide open for a counter-attack. Unfortunately for GravNet affectors, spread inaccuracy won’t do much against a slowed opponent who’s technically a sitting duck.
From a tactical FPS perspective, a well-aimed GravNet can stop a team from initiating a rush from chokepoints. Like the Sonic Sensor, the GravNet can work in critical corners such as Longs and Sites to slow enemies down while the rest of the team swoops in for the kill. Deadlock hitting a crucial corner with the GravNet while her team’s Duelist dashes for a clear is a potential combo.
Sonic Sensor (Q): Noise Means Concussion
The other half of Deadlock’s Basic Abilities is her Sonic Sensor. Acting as a more passive version of the GravNet, the Sonic Sensor is a deployable sensor that monitors sound in a location. When the sensor hears a significant noise such as weapons fire and footsteps, the sensor detonates as a Concussive blast in the radius.
While its ability is the equivalent of a slow-on-trigger, the more debilitating Concussion element makes planting in a clear Site still dangerous for trigger-happy enemies. This ability’s sound focus is reminiscent of Rainbow Six Siege gameplay, where players determine much of their action based on the movement in a particular area.
Suggested Strategy: Initiate A Counter-Rush
Considering the noise requirement for the Sonic Sensor to detonate, some enemies may think simply crouch-walking to the Site should be enough to avoid detection. This works to Deadlock’s advantage, as this maneuver makes enemies much too slow that they risk Deadlock’s team catching them on the flank in any Valorant map. Moreover, the deliberately-loud noise of Duelists such as Neon is exactly the kind of prey Sonic Sensor watches out for.
A more enjoyable moment here happens when an opponent is caught off-guard and is forced to make a run for their location, triggering the Sound Sensor with enough of an opening for Deadlock to follow up with GravNet as soon as they recover. Even if enemies successfully plant on Site, unless they find the Sonic Sensor, they risk triggering it while hugging positions to protect. Finding and destroying the Sensor may take too long for Deadlock’s Valorant team to swoop in for the retake.
Barrier Mesh (E): Revolving Doors
Deadlock’s Signature Valorant Ability comes in the form of Barrier Mesh. When equipped, Deadlock uses a disk-like device that she can throw forward. Upon landing, the disk generates a cross-shaped barrier from its origin point. This disk will block character movement throughout its duration while still allowing projectiles to come through.
This ability resembles the Dome of Protection skill of Gibraltar from Apex Legends in that it’s a see-through barrier though it works the opposite way, in that players can pass, but bullets don’t. Players coming from Apex Legends may initially find it tricky to work around Barrier Mesh in this regard. In the context of Valorant gameplay, the Barrier Mesh gives Deadlock walling capabilities but on a smaller scale.
Suggested Strategy: Stuck In A Rut
Through Barrier Mesh, Deadlock can fulfill the role of a Sentinel who needs a situational wall without the responsibility of sealing entire sections of a map like prime defender Sage. As though the antithesis of a Duelist wall sealing open areas for entry, Deadlock can defend a Site by blocking locations available for a flank. Meanwhile, Deadlock on the offensive may also use Barrier Mesh to protect her while planting or stop the Spike post-plant.
The cube-like nature of the Barrier Mesh makes it suitable for sealing specific flanking points or potential rat spots in a Valorant map such as Shorts, Cubbies, or even the exit of Teleporters. This caveat allows Deadlock to force opponents to enter a Site from a specific opening, allowing the rest of the team to focus on the defense instead of worrying about flankers.
Annihilation (X): Cocoon Death
Serving as quite the contested Valorant ability since its reveal is Deadlock’s Ultimate, Annihilation. This is the crux of her spider-like motif, wherein her cybernetic arm releases a Nanowire Accelerator that launches a nanowire pulse. When this hits a Valorant Agent among the enemies, they are trapped in a cocoon and are dragged along a nanowire path. Unless freed, the trapped Agent dies when it reaches the pulse’s starting point.
While the cocoon is destructible, this forces the enemy’s allies to focus fire on it instead of Deadlock. In a firefight, this forces enemies to consider whether it’s worth sacrificing the Agent trapped in the cocoon or risk having more teammates dead just because they want to try freeing the trapped ally.
Suggested Strategy: Angular Momentum Is Key
The mind game Annihilation offers opponents is precisely what can set an opponent off-track from their goals, be it an entry or a retake. Deadlock should hit angles when using Annihilation to lengthen the path of the cocoon, giving her teammates time to kill supporting enemies in a rush to protect their comrades. Likewise, launching the pulse upwards can trap opponents high in the air. While this won’t bring them to the cocoon’s starting position (as of now), the enemy falls and dies on the spot.
At its core, Annihilation makes for an exciting ability to use in 1v1 fights as aiming this right can guarantee a frustrating win. However, Valorant Agents may find it more creative to use Annihilation as a threat in intense firefights, although this does make Deadlock a prime target.
Deadlock arrives in Valorant on June 27, 2023. The game is available on the PC.