Build Crafting

A comprehensive guide to creating effective builds in Deadlock.

Build Philosophy

Before opening the build crafting screen, define a goal for your build. Build archetypes vary drastically by character. Focus on making one or two aspects of your character extremely strong rather than spreading thin.

Build Archetypes

• Spirit Damage: Scale abilities with spirit power for burst or sustained damage
• Gun Build: Focus on weapon damage, fire rate, and bullet procs
• Melee Build: Scale melee damage and lifesteal for close-quarters combat
• Support/Utility: Focus on healing, crowd control, and team buffs
• Hybrid: Balance multiple damage types (common on characters like Lady Geist, Mirage)

Build Structure

Organize builds into categories that follow your game progression:

Mark situational categories as “optional” - items here won’t be included in auto-queue.

The 4.8k Investment System

Reaching 4.8k souls spent in any item category provides significant stat bonuses:

Key insight: Even on gun-focused builds, getting 4.8k investment in spirit is often worth it for the free +19 spirit power on scaling abilities. Most optimal builds reach 4.8k investment in all three categories.

Early Game Itemization

Lane Sustain

Choose one healing item based on your build type:

Gun Item for Spirit Builds

Always include at least one gun item, even in spirit builds. Your gun should never be “absolutely worthless.”

Monster Rounds (500 souls) is ideal for spirit builds:

• Massive damage bonus vs NPCs (creeps, jungle, objectives)
• Cheap, meant to be sold later
• Helps farm and take objectives faster

Early Power Spikes

For spirit builds:

• Extra Spirit - Universal must-have for scaling
• Mystic Burst - Significant bonus damage on abilities

For gun builds:

• Rapid Rounds / Active Reload - Fire rate is king
• Headshot Booster / Close Quarters - Situational damage boosts

Mobility

Choose based on build needs:

Movement meta shift: With stamina and movement speed nerfs, Stamina Mastery has become essential on many characters. Sideways air dashes (jump + immediate sideways dash) are now the fastest movement method.

Cooldown Reduction

For ability-focused builds:

• Compressed Cooldown (1,250) - Imbue onto your primary ability
• Superior Cooldown (3,000) - Often worth rushing as first T3 item

Mid Game Itemization

Toxic Bullets Meta

Toxic Bullets (3,200) is currently the strongest gun item in the game for most characters with reasonable fire rate. It:

• Applies % max health bleed damage
• Applies healing reduction
• Synergizes with ricochet builds

Works on: Most gun users, Infernus, Warden, Mina, McGinnis, Seven, and anyone shooting reasonably fast.

Key Build Core Items by Archetype

Spirit Nukers:

• Surge of Power (imbued on primary ability)
• Tankbuster
• Greater Expansion
• Warp Stone (for gap closing)

Gun Carries:

• Toxic Bullets
• Kinetic Dash
• Burst Fire / Swift Striker
• Vampiric Burst / Bullet Lifesteal

Tanks/Bruisers:

• Colossus (15% base health bonus, resists, enemy slow)
• Majestic Leap (initiation + barrier)
• Fortitude / Spirit Lifesteal

Supports:

• Guardian Ward (barrier for allies)
• Heroic Aura (15% bullet resist for team)
• Rescue Beam
• Echo Shard (if cube/save ability based)

Item Upgrade Decisions

Not all items need upgrading. Consider:

• Duration Extender → Superior Duration: Only 6% more duration for 1,600 souls. Often not worth it if only one ability benefits.
• Mystic Expansion → Greater Expansion: Usually worth it for range-dependent abilities.
• Spirit Lifesteal → Infuser: Worth it on spirit builds in extended fights.

Late Game Itemization

Flex Slot Management

You only unlock flex slots through guardian/walker kills. Plan your build around available slots:

• Don’t add too many distinct items - you won’t have slots
• Selling cheap early items (Monster Rounds, Extra Regen) frees slots
• Upgrading existing items doesn’t consume new slots

Late Game Power Items

Spirit:

• Boundless Spirit - High scaling, hidden tech on some characters (Abrams)
• Mystic Reverb - Imbue for slow + AoE damage echo
• Phantom Strike - Teleport to enemy, pull down, disarm

Gun:

• Ricochet + Silencer + Inhibitor combo (Mirage, Haze)
• Glass Cannon (stacking fire rate on kills)
• Armor Piercing Rounds (counter high bullet resist)

Survivability:

• Diviner’s Kevlar (+1000 HP during ult)
• Divine Barrier (remove debuffs, barrier, movespeed)
• Ethereal Shift (invulnerability for squishy carries)

Situational Items

Always Consider

Anti-Healing

Vs Gun-Heavy Comps

• Suppressor - Reduce fire rate when dealing spirit damage
• Return Fire - Discourage enemies from shooting you
• Bullet Resilience / Escalating Resilience - Stack bullet resist

Vs Spirit-Heavy Comps

• Spirit Resilience - Below % health spirit resist
• Spirit Shielding - Auto-barrier vs spirit burst
• Counter Spell - Parry protects from ability damage/effects

Dead Items

Avoid these currently underperforming items:

• Siphon Bullets - Over-nerfed, worst item in the game. If you need healing, get Fury Trance or Vampiric Burst. If you need damage, anything else is better.

Imbued Abilities

Items with imbued abilities must be assigned to specific abilities. Always annotate which ability gets the imbue in your build to avoid mistakes later.

Common imbue targets:

• Compressed Cooldown: Primary damage/utility ability
• Duration Extender: Abilities with meaningful duration (ults, buffs)
• Surge of Power: Primary damage ability for move speed maintenance
• Quicksilver Reload: Abilities that benefit from fire rate on use

Ability Upgrade System

Point Costs

Each ability has 3 upgrade tiers that must be purchased in order:

Total to max one ability: 8 points (1+2+5)

Point Availability

• Total points available: ~29 points through normal leveling
• Bonus points: +1 per Spirit Urn delivery (carrier only)
• Full max: 32 points (4 abilities × 8 points) - impossible without urn deliveries

Since you can’t max all abilities, prioritize wisely. Most builds max 2-3 abilities and leave one at T1 or T2.

Ability Unlock Progression

You don’t start with all 4 abilities. Base abilities unlock at specific levels:

After level 6, you earn ability points to spend on upgrades.

Upgrade Priority Guidelines

1. Get T1 in your primary ability first (essential cooldown/effect)
2. Get T1 in secondary abilities for baseline utility
3. Rush key T2 upgrades (especially ult T2 if it grants unstoppable/immunity)
4. Save T3 (5 points) for abilities with high-impact upgrades
5. Don’t waste points on weak upgrades just to “max” an ability

Adapting Your Build

Builds are guidelines, not rigid rules:

• Scout enemy builds early and often
• Break from build order when situation demands it
• Buy items not in your build if immediately needed (Reactive Barrier vs early CC)
• Don’t be afraid to sell cheap early items to make room for late game power

The best players adapt their build order based on:

• Enemy team composition
• Current game state (ahead/behind)
• Which enemies are fed
• Objective timings

Sources

• Metro’s “Best Build for Every Hero” (2026 Update)
• Andrew Chicken’s “Ultimate New Player Build Crafting Guide”