DEADLOCKHow to play Deadlock
Six players a side, three lanes, and a Patron at the end. Souls are both money and experience. You start with 600. Access is still an invite, which the download page explains in one place so this page can stay on the match.
The community wiki describes a Basic Tutorial at the Hideout Learn to Play terminal, also accessible to new players through the Play terminal. The first-match route below follows the wiki and official notes; menus can move between updates.
A first-match order
Get into the playtest first. Then learn one lane rather than all three. York, Broadway and Greenwich are the lane names. Shoot soul orbs to secure or deny their value. An orb not denied may still settle automatically when an eligible teammate is nearby; it is not automatically lost simply because you did not shoot it.
Items sit in Weapon, Spirit and Vitality. Street Brawl is a different 4v4 mode with no soul shop, so do not learn the economy there.
- Confirm you have app 1422450 installed.
- Spend time in the Hideout practice range before a live queue.
- Last-hit the soul orb. Starting souls are 600.
- Break the Guardian before you worry about the Patron.
- Read the mechanics page for parry and slide once the lane makes sense.
Questions
What am I trying to destroy?
The enemy Patron, after Guardians, Walkers, base guardians and shrines.
What is a soul?
Currency and experience. You get them from troopers’ soul orbs, objectives, kills, and Haunted Souls in boxes.
Where do I practice?
The Hideout is the menu and social hub. The Atrium is the practice range, and a portal leads to Sandbox.
Sources
Checked 2026-10-24. Volatile numbers are labelled as estimates when they come from a tracker rather than Valve.