Deadlock has only officially existed for a short while now (although we all knew about it before—Valve just didn't want to admit it). But ever since Deadlock was made public less than a week ago, I've been enjoying everything that this Moba/shooter has to offer, even in its infancy.
Different studios tend to have different ideas of what constitutes various levels of done. One dev's early access could be another's finished game, and just because Deadlock is currently sitting in a closed beta, doesn't necessarily mean there's still a long road ahead.
When it comes to performance, Deadlock is in a pretty decent state right now, as you'd hope for with an online competitive multiplayer. I haven't really encountered any stuttering, and the only hiccup has been a result of my wifi randomly frying itself. So things look good in that respect.
One of the areas in Deadlock where the most work is yet to be done is with its roster of heroes. As it stands, there are 21 characters in Deadlock, but even in the last couple of days, we got word that a new hero is being added to the game.
There are only nine characters in TF2, so we're already well past that cut-off—but Deadlock's more MOBA than pure shooter. In comparison to Dota 2, which has 124 heroes, there's tons of room for new characters in Deadlock, and there's really no telling where Valve will choose to cut off hero production.
Tweaking and balancing the current heroes will likely be the next sensible step. Right now, there's nothing glaringly obvious that needs to be done, but that's probably because players are still learning the ropes. Once players figure out combos and master movement techniques, there's bound to be a couple of stand-out heroes who need adjusting.
Although I hate to admit it, Seven is one of those heroes who comes to mind. I wouldn't say he's my main right now, but I have been enjoying the games where I get to master his eldritch electricity. Currently, his lightning ball is probably one of his best abilities. Once fully upgraded, you get the benefit of 70 damage plus 40% movement slowing. This is handy when it comes to farming lots of souls simultaneously, taking on groups of enemies, or what I often use it for—zoning opponents or pushing them out from behind cover.
It's a frustrating ability to play against, but when Seven combos his static charge stun, the lightning ball, and his ultimate stormcloud, there's often not a lot that enemy players can do to avoid death apart from stunning him. Using three abilities at once is overkill, but if you're the only hero in your lane, flushing abilities to get a kill is well worth it—especially since Deadlock doesn't have a mana system like Dota 2 does.
Another hero who could be in a similar position is Bebop. I've only played as this character for a short while, but this scrap golem really packs a punch. His sticky bombs and upper cuts aren't outstanding, but they do a decent amount of damage. However, it's his hook and hyper beam you want to be wary of. I can't tell you the number of times I've managed to yank some poor soul back into the centre of my team, only for them to be jumped by four other players. Or hooked someone in before unleashing my ultimate on them—this purple laser can disintegrate players in seconds.
The first Deadlock patch even changed a couple of heroes already. Viscous' gun got redesigned, giving it a new alt-fire, which has limited range and cannot headshot but does do AOE damage. Ivy's ultimate airdrop also got updated. Allies getting airlifted now do 50% less damage, which means when she picks up Seven for an aerial ultimate it can no longer take out an entire enemy team.
Regardless of whenever Deadlock is finally released, we'll probably see more patches than you can shake a stick at. Constant balance changes are just part of a Moba's DNA. Looking at Dota 2 is proof enough of this—the metagame has changed dozens of times and still continues to change.
Another area that may need some polishing is the map, because it's pretty big and kinda empty right now. During my first few matches, I was so focused on my lane and the end objective that I saw little other than a straight line. But after getting chased through hallways and down staircases, I can see there's plenty of room for jukes.
Once you explore outside the lanes, you may encounter the jungle creeps—two-legged green little guys who give batches of souls. These are also surprisingly spread out, given they're meant to be a secondary source of cash for players as they rotate between lanes, or dip away from dangerous pushes. But these guys aren't everywhere. There's still a lot of empty space in the map, which may suggest either more or new NPCs are still yet to be added.
However, as players get to know the map more, the empty space may also be filled with skirmishes. In Deadlock's first patch, Valve added ropes to help players scale the tall buildings. There were already a couple of jump pads that could also do the trick, but these will just make things easier and provide a few more options to flow between lanes. You won't get steadily zapped to death on some rooftops, too, making them ripe arenas for new fights on the skyline.
There's really no telling how finished Deadlock is, only the developers know for sure, and even they may have to compromise on their ideal end product—and just like Dota 2, its map, mechanics, and heroes are bound to be in a constant state of flux. But if you're wondering whether Deadlock is currently in a good enough state to be played and enjoyed? I can safely say that it's well worth checking out now if only to get a headstart on practicing abilities and finding the best builds.
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