The world of Valorant is set to be electrified with the arrival of a new agent, Deadlock, in Episode Seven, Act One. As players gear up to welcome this new character, the question that looms large is – should you unlock Deadlock early? Let’s delve deeper into this matter and arm you with all the information you need to make this decision.
Deadlock, the first agent to be introduced after the revamp of Valorant’s progression system, brings with her a limited-time recruitment event following her official release. In this 28-day window, players can choose to unlock her instantly by using Valorant Points (VP) or accumulate hundreds of thousands of experience points (XP). The XP route is roughly equivalent to reaching level five of an agent contract in terms of time investment. Post this event, Deadlock can only be unlocked for free using Kingdom Credits. An additional perk for Xbox Game Pass subscribers is immediate access to Deadlock, given their subscription is active​​.
However, the question remains – is unlocking Deadlock early worth it? When it comes to new agents, it’s challenging to predict if they will redefine the meta, underperform, or merely be satisfactory. Based on preliminary impressions, Deadlock appears to be a fun, niche pick, akin to Gekko. The ultimate decision, however, depends on your individual priorities. The aim here is to break down the agent and provide you with the information you need to make the most informed decision​​.
Deadlock’s Annihilation ultimate ability has already sparked discussions within the community. It manifests as a superhero movie-like hostage scenario, demanding precision to land successfully. Thus, it wouldn’t be surprising to find players typing “Roza” or “nt” every time a Deadlock ultimate is deployed​.
Deadlock’s abilities put a fresh spin on the defensive role. According to Riot’s agent lead, John Goscicki, and game designer, Alexander Mistakidis, Deadlock is designed to be a sentinel that demands less pre-round setup and rewards players for quick reactions. By giving up some of the intel-gathering and flank-covering abilities of agents like Cypher or Killjoy, Deadlock offers nimble abilities that can potentially be capitalized upon more effectively. The trade-off, however, is that players will need to rely more on teammate-generated information and be more prepared to use her abilities defensively​.
For new players, Deadlock bears a resemblance to Sage. She isn’t as effective in guarding the flank on offense but could be a better option for those looking to play aggressively on-site, thanks to her ability to use utility on the go. However, at higher levels of play, Deadlock’s limitations could mirror those of Gekko. She might be harder to incorporate as a solo sentinel pick in team compositions, and her chaotic kit could be easier to counteract​.
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