Deadlock Beginner Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Deadlock rewards patient play more than fast aim. Most early losses come from a short list of habits, and all of them are fixable. Here are the common mistakes and what to do instead.

1. Leaving your lane

Rotating across the map during the laning phase earns you no souls and hands the enemy free damage on your Guardian. A lane left alone for even 20 seconds can be pushed far enough to matter.

Fix: only leave when your wave is dead or safely pushed, when an ally really can be saved, or when you can grab a nearby soul urn or buff on the way.

2. Fighting instead of farming

Souls are both your currency and your experience, so last hits are the core of the early game. Every trade costs time you could spend farming. A deny, which means finishing off an enemy trooper before they can, is worth about half a last hit. A trooper nobody collects is gone for good.

Fix: put last hits and denies first. Trade only when it clearly wins a last hit, a deny or a kill. A duel you win while taking most of your health can still be a loss if you have to leave and miss the next wave.

3. Buying only damage

An all-damage build feels strong until you die in the first fight, which gives the enemy a bounty and costs you farming time. Saving every soul for one expensive item makes it worse.

Fix:

• Buy one cheap sustain item early, such as Healing Rite, so you can stay in lane through pokes.
• Add health and resists as the game opens up, matching them to the threat. Use bullet resist against bullet-heavy carries and spirit resist against spirit burst.
• Remember that you have 4 Weapon, 4 Vitality, 4 Spirit and 4 flex slots, so a balanced build is easy to fit. See the best items for current ratings.

4. Ignoring objectives

Kills do not end games. Guardians, Walkers and the Patron do. A fight that gets you kills but no building push is wasted.

• Early: farm your lane, deny, and chip your Guardian when it is safe.
• Mid: as lanes collapse, group with allies, keep farming between fights and turn won fights into Walkers.
• Late: take the Patron. Do not chase one more kill into the enemy base, because long respawns let them take your structures.

5. Playing without a map

Check the minimap every few seconds. If no enemies are visible, they may be setting up a gank. Positioning matters as well. Many heroes have stuns and crowd control, so spread out against them and stay near cover.

What changed in City Never Sleeps

The update renamed the lanes (Broadway, Greenwich and York) and replaced camps with Haunts. Fundamentals do not change: farm, deny, and push objectives. Our City Never Sleeps summary lists the map and hero changes.

Picking a hero that forgives mistakes

If you are learning, a hero with solid numbers and clear tools is easier. Our hero tier list ranks by win rate, and the beginner guide explains the roles. Haze, Paige and Rat King are all in S tier at the time of writing.