Deadlock – Early Look at VALORANT’s Newest Agent

VALORANT’s upcoming agent, Deadlock, brings unique abilities to the game as the newest Sentinel

Norwegian descendent Deadlock is VALORANT’s upcoming Sentinel Agent, and through various leaks until now, we have a brief idea of her abilities. The Agent will be in the game with the release of Episode 7 on June 27, and you can have a proper look at her at the Masters Tokyo show match during the day of the Grand Final. Here is everything we know so far about Deadlock –

TLDR of Deadlock’s Abilities

• GravNet Grenade (C) – Forces enemies caught within its range to crouch and move slowly
• Sonic Sensor (Q) – Deployable sensor that concusses enemies when they make a sound
• Barrier Mesh (E) – Creates a barrier that blocks character movement 
• Annihilation (X) – A Nanowire Accelerator that captures the first enemy it sees and pulls the enemy into a cocoon, and kills them at the end of the nanowire path unless saved by their teammates

Deadlock Abilities – GravNet Grenade (C)

Credit: Riot Games

Deadlock’s C ability is her GravNet Grenade. When deployed, it will slow the enemies caught in its radius, forcing them to crouch-walk. Enemies can remove the net by pressing F, the same as removing a Cypher’s Spycam dart. 

This ability can be excellent at slowing down Agents rushing to a site, making Deadlock a decent choice as a Sentinel.

Deadlock Abilities – Sonic Sensor (Q)

Credit: Riot Games

The Sentinel’s Q ability, Sonic Sensor, can be fired at a wall as a trap. It can be triggered by the sound made by enemies, which will prompt the sensor to detonate, concussing everything in the radius, most likely both enemies and teammates. This utility is hidden until detonated, and we are unsure whether enemies can break it or not.

Again, this ability is excellent at stopping rushes to a site but may not be strong when the oppositions are making a silent contact play, where Agents like Cypher and Killjoy have the upper hand at acquiring information.

Deadlock Abilities – Barrier Mesh (E)

Credit: Riot Games

Deadlock's primary ability (E) is called Barrier Mesh, and it creates an X-shaped barrier that blocks Agents’ movement through the barrier, creating a see-through wall that cannot be passed. However, abilities can still go through. It is breakable if the enemies shoot it in the middle. 

This ability can slow down pushes and retakes and may even be used to defuse Spikes. However, we need to know how many bullets it can take before breaking to understand whether it is as good as Harbour’s Cove (Q). 

Deadlock Abilities – Annihilation (X)

Credit: Riot Games

The Agent’s ultimate ability shoots a path made of nanowires in front and can bounce through walls. It catches the first enemy in its way and captures them in a cocoon, taking them through the nanowire paths. Unless the enemy’s teammates save them by breaking the cocoon, the captured Agent will die after reaching the end of the trail. 

Showed in the trailer, this ability can be used in post-plant situations and can also be bait for killing the teammates of the captured victim. 

Final Thoughts

Credit: Riot Games

So far, Deadlock’s abilities look unique with a nanowire-themed Sentinel. From a sneak peek, the Agent does not appear stronger than existing Sentinels in the game. However, we need to see her gameplay to be a better judge.