Deadlock characters tier list: Who are the best heroes to use in 2026?

Valve’s Deadlock brings the studio’s distinctive flair to the hero shooter genre, essentially making a hybrid with MOBA mechanics. It is an entirely unique game, from its mechanical blend to its vibrant art style, and while some elements will be familiar to players of MOBAs such as League of Legends and Dota 2, it is ultimately a third-person shooter with some very interesting character designs.

So, let’s have a look at these characters, with our Deadlock tier list analysing the best performing heroes based on pick-rates (which are skewed with the new heroes as part of the Old God, New Blood update), win-rates, and community reputation to determine which are the best to get you to win more games. Note that Deadlock is still in its closed beta, so major changes to the game are still likely.

Presenting Esports Insider’s definitive ranking of the Deadlock hero tier list in 2026. 

Our Deadlock heroes ranking is based on personal testing conducted during the current closed beta and on publicly available data from Steam. Deadlock is a complex MOBA, so when choosing a character to start mastering, it’s also essential to have a connection with them: to perform at the highest levels, you’re going to need to know cooldown timings, synergies, builds and strategies, so consider carefully which hero to study.   

To create this Deadlock heroes tier list, we’re using the tried-and-true SABC tier system, so defining an S-Tier character and what makes it so is essential.

In summary, the best Deadlock heroes in 2026 are Seven, Haze, Victor, and newcomer, Graves. They have consistently high win rates, and their kits always make a significant impact for your team.

All of our A-Tier picks are almost as valuable because of how well balanced this game is, so do not shy away from them as almost every hero type (tanks, glass cannon, melee) is covered. This tier will contain most of the cast, as many heroes can carry when played to their strengths.

Victor is more than just a Frankenstein reference, having a claim to being the best in the game. At the very least, he’s one of the top characters in Deadlock, being a tanky, late-game carry. His durability and high damage output make him the danger man in teamfights, especially because of his sustain and mobility. When he gets to the late game, and he has all the items he needs, he is a juggernaut.

Seven has arguably the best farming potential in Deadlock and is a highly efficient damage dealer, with high burst and strong AOE. He’s incredible for ganks with dangerous crowd control, which makes him very strong at securing or setting up kills. Even with Seven’s relative lack of mobility, it’s tough to get away from him or match his farming potential.

Outside the newest batch of characters, Haze is the most-played Deadlock hero, with a 41% pick rate according to tracklock.gg, and has been one of the most-played heroes since the game’s introduction. This is because of her incredible mobility, with Fixation, her primary fire, stacking damage. This makes her kit addictively fun, but also means she excels at taking isolated targets down. If you’re ever alone on the map, watch your back for Haze.

Graves is one of the new additions to Deadlock’s roster and is likely the most powerful of the group. Her ultimate makes her lane-pushing capabilities near second to none. Her AOE and area denial are incredibly tough to deal with. She can be extremely oppressive in lane, and while she needs some crafty positioning to get in close, she is a deadly threat, even after the recent nerfs.

Abrams has a strong argument as Deadlock’s poster boy, built to be a tanky bruiser with a relatively straightforward approach. His simple gameplan of using his Shoulder Charge on a priority target and wailing on them with punches still works at practically any level, thanks to his durability with his lifesteal and defensive passive. His ultimate also gives him an easy out if he isn’t looking for a team-wide stun.

Paige is a top-tier support, with incredible versatility. Her utility, which includes damage buffs coming with shields and strong CC, make her effective in almost any scenario. Pair this with a global ultimate that can heal allies and damage foes, and Paige can have influence even if she isn’t nearby. She is specifically great at shielding carries, like Victor.

Ivy is one of the best Deadlock characters when it comes to versatility. She is capable of filling multiple roles, able to heal, deal damage, push objectives, lay down some crowd control, and is weirdly highly mobile. This makes her very tough to take down, and this versatility means she’s always a good choice. Sure, Ivy can be weak to anti-heal, but this hero’s kit is incredible.

Then, there are Lash and Warden, both tough, close-ranged brawlers, and both able to life-steal. Despite being on opposite sides of the law, Lash and Warden’s durability are both assets, with Lash’s strong CC and burst making him deadly in fights, while Warden’s effective wave clear makes him a great laning option. Lash, in particular, can be outpoked, but if you’re looking for a bruiser getting up close and personal, these two are mighty.

Drifter would be the best at hunting isolated targets, were it not for Haze, but don’t let that fool you. If you’re isolated, Drifter is not a face you want to see coming. His high damage and ability to punish isolated foes let Drifter snowball to get ahead of the curve early.

Wraith will struggle in the early game, but as long as you make it out of this period relatively unscathed, she can use her great 1v1 duelling to turn the tables. Strong mobility makes engaging in these duels easier, and this also helps Wraith chase down those who attempt to leave the fight in a losing position.

Apollo, Silver, and Rem are three of the new faces, and all are extremely dangerous. Apollo is probably the strongest of the trio, with an ultimate that is amazing at finishing kills. He’s also incredibly quick, hard to pin down, and his movement means that, while he’s a melee character, that range doesn’t really stop him. With great damage too, Apollo isn’t too far off being an S-Tier.

Silver and Rem aren’t quite as strong, although Silver was a massive problem on release, suffering nerfs. With a bit of help, Silver can be a pivotal carry, with a high skill ceiling that makes her a massive threat as a game goes on. Rem has become a fan-favourite with his charm and cuteness, but with amazing macro control, survivability, and utility, don’t confuse cuteness with incompetence. Rem is powerful.

B-Tiers are where Deadlock characters’ weaknesses start becoming obvious and easy to exploit, even if they still have overt strengths. Calico is a good example, being slippery and hard to nail down, but can be easily outranged. Vyper is brilliant at engaging, and if a Vyper can storm in, then it’ll be a great time. Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot Vyper can do against CC and lockdown. 

Some Deadlock characters suffer from being weak at certain times, but very effective at others. McGinnis and Bebop are stronger earlier on, with Bebop specifically benefiting from the laning phase, but weak when the game opens up.

Mina and Billy are very effective at what they do, but built-in weaknesses keep them from being A or S-Tier in most hands. Billy’s CC-heavy kit and durability make him a mighty bruiser, but he can find himself easily kited. Mina hits hard and is tough to pin down, but if she does get pinned down, it can be lights out, given her low health, positioning her as a glass cannon.

Pocket can be incredibly annoying for an enemy team to deal with, being slippery with a hit-and-run playstyle. The problem for Pocket is that the skill floor is high, unaided by a lack of range. If you don’t know what you’re doing, Pocket’s kit isn’t going to help.

Dynamo is easy to play and a great option for beginners and veterans alike, with versatility and high damage, although nothing about Dynamo’s kit is mind-blowing. Grey Talon is an amazing frontrunner, and can snowball an early start into an early win. When behind, he can be a bit of a liability, but his kit and range don’t make him completely useless.

Celeste and Venator round out the new faces in Deadlock and are effective, although they come with distinct weaknesses. Celeste is incredibly mobile and excels specifically in the mid-game, but can tail off as a game drags on. If you aren’t moving and are grounded with Celeste, it can be easy to get caught out, while Venator’s high weapon damage and scaling come with a weak neutral game and low mobility.

Finally, there’s Infernus, who doesn’t necessarily have anything wrong in their kit or stats. Instead, when compared to other carries, Infernus just falls short, and while a good Infernus player is still dangerous, Victor does a similar role better.

With a game as bombastic as Deadlock, many C-Tier characters can still be effective in the right hands and situations, but in other circumstances, their weaknesses can be exposed, thus outweighing their strengths. The Doorman and Paradox are good examples of this, both being effective with a coordinating team, but both are immobile while not being the toughest. This can be taken advantage of quite easily in The Doorman’s case, given how squishy he is.

Some become a liability when behind, with the likes of Vindicta not being great if you’re trying to mount a comeback. Yamato is somewhat similar, since it takes a while to get going, and if an enemy team starts snowballing, it won’t be a good time for Yamato players.

Others just aren’t versatile enough, with Lady Geist and Yamato, again, being great as duelists, but Lady Geist is weak to mobile foes who don’t engage and run rings around her. Some just feel a bit strange and clunky to play, probably needing some further refinement before a full release, as is the case with Holliday and Sinclair.

Kelvin is highly mobile and has great AOE, but an inability to deal with poke doesn’t bode well. Conversely, Shiv is great at poking and wave clearing, but there are better options, given Shiv’s lack of hard CC. Finally, there’s the enigma that is Mirage, whose kit should be strong, based on how it reads, and yet it doesn’t translate well in-game, leading to Mirage being weak when behind in a match.

The Deadlock beta is still invite-only, so the easiest way to get in is to know someone who’s playing and ask for an invite. If you don’t know anybody in the closed beta, you can head to the Deadlock Invites Megathread on Reddit, where moderators and players often post their Steam friend codes so that someone can invite them.

If you’re looking to join the crowd and use some of the most played heroes in Deadlock, look new further than the squad added by the Old Gods, New Blood update, being:

As they are the new characters, they will be popular for some time before the pick rates finally relax. All are great options, but the very best are Seven, Haze, Victor, and newcomer, Graves. New players could look at simpler characters, like Dynamo. 

Just because a character is S-Tier, it doesn’t mean you have to use them. Use whoever you feel comfortable with and note that, with Deadlock still being in closed beta, change is not just likely, but game-changing.