Deadlock
Valve
Deadlock is a third-person PvP game that combines elements of the hero shooter and MOBA genres. It is currently in the closed alpha, with players with access being able to invite their friends.
Deadlock is the upcoming game coming from Valve that combines two insanely popular genres: team hero shooter and MOBA.
Out of nowhere Valve began playtesting Deadlock in 2023 and players with secret access had the ability to invite their friends to join. However, it was only recently officially announced earlier in August 2024 that Valve has been doing it’s best to limit the leaks and even banned a journalist from The Verge from the matchmaking service after they wrote a preview of the game. Just to make it clear that Deadlock is still in Early Access, no information has been released yet about Deadlock’s narrative story and it’s unknown when it will be releasing.
We’re certain that Valve is set to publish a replacement for Team Fortress 2 and Deadlock could be the answer. To separate itself from other titles Valve has combined team hero shooters and the MOBA genre. Deadlock is set in an alternate version of New York City called “Cursed Apple” that blends in some occult and prohibition themes. The visual designs so far seem similar to the BioShock franchise and Team Fortress 2 character designs.
Deadlock is a 6v6 third-person shooter with typical MOBA gameplay. Players need to destroy the enemy team’s stationary defences with the help of NPCs that march down the lanes. Once the defences have been destroyed, this reveals the “Patron” which is an animated golem that needs to be defeated to win the game. There’s also a Tower Defence element here too. Players can build defence structures to protect their lanes and slow down the advancement of enemy forces.
Pros
Developed by Valve (Steam)
Many playable heroes
Unique hero skill trees
Cons
Early access
1 map (so far)
Access only from existing player
Every hero seems to have unique skills and abilities to unlock, which allows players to slightly customise their character as they progress. Each hero fills a specific battlefield role which is to be expected on a MOBA. Character skills and traits can be upgraded by spending experience points earned from matches. Each hero can be branched into new builds which offers more flexibility.
After 50 hours of trialling each character, its been a thrilling journey so far to run through each hero discovering their strengths and weakness. Valve even tells you which characters are great for new starters. I’ve found my favourite heroes are Kelvin and McGinnis both similar to tank heroes but with the skill to take on multiple enemy heroes.
Personally I love how Valve has soft released Deadlock, where word of mouth has been their marketing and only existing players can invite new ones creating a spiderweb of players. So many games are releasing half-developed and flop after launch so its great to see Valve, backed with the power of Steam platform create a game that won’t disappear after a few months.
If you need an invite to Deadlock please join our Discord community servers where we regularly host Deadlock event weekends.
