Why I love Deadlock's map, which has brought me back to the world of MOBAs long after I swore I'd quit
In Why I Love, PC Gamer writers pick an aspect of PC gaming that they love and write about why it's brilliant. This week, Harvey waxes lyrical about Deadlock's great map design.
MOBAs are an unassailable genre at the best of times—they require not just a high level of mechanical skill, but they also have a massive knowledge floor, demanding you keep track of a dozen dozen variables or die in ways that ruin it for everybody. And Deadlock is no exception.
Actually, it might be even worse than the rule. Deadlock doesn't just demand you wrap your head around the interplay between heroes, items, map control, and so on. It also happens to be a third-person shooter, and one with just as much complex movement tech as any of Valve's finest.
Bumbling about with WASD won't get you where you need to go, no—if you want to really get good at Deadlock, you need to master sliding, dash-jumping, wall jumping, dash-jump-sliding, mantle sliding, zip-dashing, and don't get me started on air strafing, an old Source-engine trick that basically requires a crash course in imaginary physics just to begin practicing.
This means that, unlike your standard MOBA, you can pretty much juke your way out of any situation.
Getting ganked in a game like Dota 2 is a frustrating experience, a stun or two triggering an unskippable cutscene where you slowly try and click your way to safety and, most likely, die. Getting ganked in Deadlock has me playing Baby Driver tunes in my head, because there are just so many avenues for escape.
I have, more than once, gotten out of certain-death scenarios by just having a good understanding of the basics and a solid sense of direction. Scrambling up the side of buildings, ducking into hidden tunnels or walkways, wall-jumping as soon as I'm around a corner to quite literally bounce over my pursuer's head as I loop 'em like the Road Runner. It's a downright thrill.
And that's to say nothing of when it's actually time to buckle up and fight.
The intentionally vertical nature of Deadlock's maps mean you can do a lot more than just hiding in designated under brushes. Point to a spot on the Cursed Apple, and I'll give you three to four engagement routes that all have their advantages and disadvantages.
The "midboss" arena really hammers this home. You can drop in from the box room at the ceiling (my personal means of ingress when I'm trying to steal the rejuvenator), or rappel down a rope to access not one, but two different elevations protected by veils.
You can slide down the long staircases, accessible from the nearby lanes or, if you're a character who can access them, dip in through the tunnel network like the filthy little sewer rat you know you are.
Every spot in Valve's masterwork is like this—and it lets you feel oh-so-clever. The more you learn about how the map and its mechanics work, the more you feel like an utter genius when you pull off some sneaky nonsense. And while I've fallen out of love with other MOBAs, Deadlock's got its hooks in me and keeps pulling me back in for more.
2026 games: All the upcoming games
Best PC games: Our all-time favorites
Free PC games: Freebie fest
Best FPS games: Finest gunplay
Best RPGs: Grand adventures
Best co-op games: Better together