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Deadlockblends many elements of popular hero-shooters and team-based games. However, at its heart, it’s a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) that functions on popular mechanics that make the genre so enjoyable. Lanes are arguably one of the most important elements of a MOBA, and Deadlock is no different.
There are four different lanes to choose from in the game. Even though they serve a somewhat similar function in the game, it’s important to know which lane you want to push and which ones you want to stay away from. Having map and lane awareness are rewarding skills in Deadlock.
Deadlock is in alpha, so everything in this guide is subject to change in the future.
What Are Lanes?
If it’s your first time trying out the game, take a quick look at the mini-map. Notice those four distinct lines of different colors? These areYellow, Orange, Blue, and Purple(also marked by Y, O, B, and P, respectively).
Regardless of when you play the game, the map and its lanes will stay the same. you may move your hero through any lane you like, and there’s no strict rule regarding which lane you should be following.
Lanes serve a simple purpose - theyspawn minions every 30 secondsand give players a path to push or defend. For instance, you can choose to stay in the Yellow lane and eliminate enemy minions. But you can also choose to move to a different one. Here’s where things get interesting.
Even if you’re focused on pushing or protecting a certain lane, it’s always tactical to keep an eye on the mini-map to know where your enemies may be. Accordingly, decide which lane(s) needs your attention the most.
Transit Lines
Every lane has a transit line. With a cool animation, your hero will quickly jump into a transit line at the beginning of the match and proceed forward in a lane at the beginning of a match or whenever they respawn. Transit lines are your best friends when it comes tomoving across a lane as quickly as possible.
When you’re at the spawn point, you’re able to move your camera and look at which transit line you wish to use. You’ll also get an option to “boost” your movement so you can get further in a lane as fast as possible.
This is not always available andhas a long cooldown timeafter you use it once. Feel free touse a transit linetoget away from daunting enemy heroesif that’s what you need to do.
Even if you’re in the middle of a battle or somewhere else on the map far from the spawn point,you can take the transit lines again. This can help yougo back along a lane or back to the spawn point,where you can heal up and use the Curiosity Shop. Mastering this can help you build proficiency with Deadlock’s overall movement system.
Only use the boost feature when you need to get to your teammates as soon as possible or when an enemy team is starting to push a lane you’re supposed to protect.
How To Push Or Defend A Lane
If you’re someone who enjoys playing Deadlock solo, it can be a little tricky to choose a lane. You can either be alone, guarding your minions and farming souls, or you can join a random ally and help them push a lane. Just make sure that there’sat least one hero in a lane(refer to your map).
If there’s a lane without a hero, it’s your responsibility to push that one.
You push a lane bykilling as many enemy minions as possibleand eliminating mini-bosses when the time is right. There’s a lot to learn in the gameas a beginner, but the more you practice this, the easier it becomes to push a lane.
Some heroes like Kelvin and Viscous are great for pushing lanes. Others are better at supporting their teammates when farming souls or pushing a lane together.
Do keep in mind that you may use the map to your advantage when switching between lanes. Simplylook for passages and pathways that lead to other lanes. This is highly efficient if you want tostart jungling in Deadlock, as map awareness and lane-switching are great skills to have for a good jungler.
On the contrary, you can defend a lane by making sure no enemy player destroys the mini-bosses guarding your Patron. Do this by taking a look at the map and noticing if an enemy hero is getting too close to your home base.Call for backup if you need to. You can do this by clicking on the mini-map so it notifies others.
