How to play Deadlock in Valorant: Abilities, tips & tricks

Deadlock is the latest Sentinel added to the Agent roster in Valorant. Here’s a handy guide to help you master the Norwegian and all her abilities, strategies, tips, and tricks.

Deadlock is one of the latest additions to Valorant along with a New Frontier skinline, Team Deathmatch mode, new Progression System.

With her introduction, the Sentinel count rose to five in Episode 7 Act 1. Her abilities are such that players will find her to be distinctive in game. She can turn you into a cocoon, which has left some players concerned about this “instant win” ability of her.

With that said, here’s a handy Deadlock guide with her abilities, tips, and tricks listed down to master the Sentinel in Valorant.

Contents

• Deadlock abilities
• How to play Deadlock in Valorant
  • Best ways to attack using Deadlock
  • Best ways to defend using Deadlock

Deadlock abilities in Valorant

Deadlock falls in the Sentinels category, meaning she excels at holding sites during Defense, as well as using her abilities efficiently to watch flanks during Attack.

Here’s what her abilities look like along with the cost of each:

• Signature Ability (E) – Barrier Mesh (Free): EQUIP a Barrier Mesh disc. FIRE to throw forward. Upon landing, the disc generates barriers from the origin point that block character movement.
• Ability 1 (Q) – Sonic Sensor (200 Credits): EQUIP a Sonic Sensor. FIRE to deploy. The sensor monitors an area for enemies making sounds. It concusses that area if footsteps, weapons fire, or significant noise are detected.
• Ability 2 (C) – GravNet (200 Credits): EQUIP a GravNet grenade. FIRE to throw. ALT FIRE to lob the grenade underhand. The GravNet detonates upon landing, forcing any enemies caught within to crouch and move slowly.
• Ultimate Ability (X) – Annihilation (7 Ult Points): EQUIP a Nanowire Accelerator. FIRE to unleash a pulse of nanowires that captures the first enemy contacted. The cocooned enemy is pulled along a nanowire path and will die if they reach the end unless they are freed. The nanowire cocoon is destructible.

Barrier Mesh prevents character movement (both allies and enemies), but allows bullets to pass through easily. If you want to move past the barrier, you’ll either need to break the bulbs to create space or wait 40 seconds for it to go down. You can purchase two Sonic Sensors, which can detect enemy movement within its range. Opponents will either get concussed (if trapped) or break it to move ahead, you’ll get the cue anyway.

The GravNet bounces off vertical surfaces and can be ideal for catching enemies off-guard at times. And lastly, her ultimate ability, Annihilation, is a potential deathtrap, especially during 1v1 situations.

How to play Deadlock in Valorant?

Playing Deadlock effectively will require you to have a different approach toward games. She is not a traditional Sentinel as her abilities are unique. You can combine Deadlock’s abilities with other agents for optimal results.

For example, you may combine her Barrier Mesh with Raze’s Paint Shells (cluster grenades) to clear off enemies hiding in a corner. Since she is new, innovative gameplay from her end is yet to be discovered by the community.

However, that doesn’t mean we can’t experiment with her abilities. So, here are some of the best ways to play Deadlock in Valorant:

Best ways to attack using Deadlock

Annihilation can be deadly during 1v1s.

1. While attacking, make sure you place Deadlock’s Sonic Sensors to keep flankers at bay. It has a range and if enemies either break it or get trapped by it, you will be notified, providing the exact intel to your teammates.
2. If your team likes to play aggressively, you can combine abilities like the Barrier Mesh and GravNet with another Duelist like Raze, to clear off enemies hiding in corners. On the other hand, you may put the Barrier Mesh to best use during post-plant scenarios, blocking or delaying the opponents from taking control. This would give you adequate time to relocate to an advantageous position. For instance, Ascent can be a great map for Deadlock.
3. Her ultimate, Annihilation, can be a nightmare for opponents during 1v1 situations, especially after post-plants. Since it bounces off a surface, you can take a better position and angle it to the spike’s position, without exposing yourself. If they’re caught, it’s game over for them. I they try to dodge the Ult, you’ll delay the time to defuse the spike, which can cause them to panic.

Best ways to defend using Deadlock

The Sonic Sensors detect sound (footsteps, weapons fire) from a range.

1. While defending, the best way to use Deadlock’s abilities is by delaying enemies from pushing into a site. The Barrier Mesh will come in very handy as it requires more than 20 bullets to destroy it completely. Consider it as a transparent Sage’s wall.
2. A combination of Deadlock’s GravNet and Sonic Sensors can be useful when a couple of enemies are trying to attack you aggressively. Both abilities will concuss and slow them down, giving you the upper hand in getting that extra kill.
3. You can use Annihilation while defending to drag a particular attacker into it. This will cause the rest of the opposition to continuously shoot it down to free their teammate, allowing an Operator user from your team to bag easy kills.

At the end of the day, it all depends on how creative you are with Deadlock. You may pull something out of your hat at times to surprise the opposition, which can be crucial in securing an important round to your team’s advantage.

So there you have it — that’s our Deadlock guide to mastering the Norwegian Sentinel in Valorant! Looking to dominate with each member of Future Earth’s fighting force? Check out our other Agent guides:

Astra | Breach | Brimstone | Chamber | Cypher | Fade | Gekko | Harbor | Jett | KAY/O | Killjoy | Neon | Omen | Phoenix | Raze | Reyna | Sage | Skye | Sova | Viper | Yoru