Best Graves Build in Deadlock: Pro Tier Items & Skills (March 2026) Full Guide

Updated by Sunny Kaushik
February 3, 2026
Gaming

If you are looking to absolutely shred through the enemy team in Deadlock, playing the shotgun archetype is the way to go. In this Graves build Deadlock guide, I am going to break down exactly how to maximize your burst damage, sustain in lane, and teamfight like a pro. Whether you are new to the game or looking to climb the competitive ladder, understanding the nuances of this character’s kit is essential for securing those souls.

Playing a shotgun-wielding brawler in Deadlock requires a unique mix of aggression and positioning. You want to get up close and personal to deal maximum damage, but you lack the raw durability of a pure tank. That’s where the right build comes in. In the table below, I’ve provided a quick snapshot of what we will cover in this guide so you can jump to the section you need most.

Graves Build Overview

Component	Recommendation
Role	Bruiser / Close-Range DPS
Primary Stat	Weapon Damage / Vitality
Playstyle	Aggressive Laner / Skirmisher
Core Item	Close Quarters
Difficulty	Medium

Graves in Deadlock: Understanding the Archetype

In the current meta of Deadlock, the “Graves” archetype refers to the high-mobility, shotgun-focused heroes (like Abrams) who rely on burst damage rather than sustained DPS. Unlike sniper heroes who poke from afar, this build demands that you close the distance instantly and delete key targets.

When I talk about the Graves build Deadlock, I am focusing on optimizing a specific playstyle: the Shotgun Bruiser. This involves stacking weapon damage while maintaining enough health (Vitality) to survive the dive. The beauty of this build lies in the “Close Quarters” mechanic, where your damage increases the closer you are to the enemy.

Why Choose This Build?

High Burst Potential: You can eliminate squishy targets (Supports/Spirit users) in seconds.
Strong Laning: Your cone attacks allow you to farm souls efficiently and harass enemies simultaneously.
Mobility: With the right ability build, you can dash in and out of fights, making you slippery to catch.

Best Abilities for Graves Build Deadlock

To succeed with this build, you need to understand the synergy between your weapon attacks and your active abilities. While Deadlock features various heroes, the “Graves” playstyle prioritizes abilities that enhance mobility, reload speed, and burst potential.

Ability Prioritization

When leveling up, you generally want to prioritize your damage output first, followed by your mobility. Here is how I recommend allocating your ability points:

Primary (1): Buckshot / Blast – This is your main wave clear and harass tool. It fires a spread of bullets that deal massive damage at close range. Max this first.
Mobility (2): Dash / Quickdraw – Essential for engaging and disengaging. It often provides a burst of movement speed and reloads your weapons. Level this second.
Utility (3): Smoke Screen / Zone Control – This ability obscures enemy vision and slows enemies. It is perfect for setting up ambushes or escaping ganks. Level this third.
Ultimate (4): Collateral Damage / Execute – A massive high-damage shot that knocks you back. Use this to finish off low-health enemies or reposition yourself. Max whenever available.

Ability Breakdown & Tips

Reload Cancelling: A pro tip for this build is to animation cancel your reload with your Dash ability. Since Dash often reloads your weapons instantly or speeds up the process, you can fire, Dash, and fire again immediately for an unexpected burst.
Wall Bouncing: In Deadlock, map verticality is key. Use your Ultimate to knock yourself over walls to safety or to chase down a target who thinks they are safe behind terrain.

Top Item Builds for Graves in Deadlock

Items in Deadlock are categorized into Weapon, Vitality, and Spirit. For a Graves build, you will be heavily investing in Weapon items to scale your damage, with a mix of Vitality to stay alive.

Early Game: Farming & First Blood

The early game is all about securing Souls (gold) and winning your lane.

Extra Stamina: Starting with this allows you to use your mobility abilities more often, helping you dodge enemy skill shots.
Healing Rite: Provides sustain in lane. Since you will be trading hits frequently, the passive health regen is crucial.
Close Quarters: (CORE ITEM) This is the most important item for this build. It significantly increases bullet damage based on how close you are to the enemy. It essentially defines the Graves playstyle.

Mid Game: Power Spike

By the mid-game, teamfights start breaking out around the shrines and walker bosses.

Headshot: Critical hits are devastating. This item adds a chance for your first shot to deal massive damage. Since you have to reload frequently (short magazine), every shot counts.
Bullet Lifesteal: Essential for survivability in extended fights. Dealing damage heals you, allowing you to tanky up through damage output.
Sprint Boots: You need to be fast. These boots help you rotate between lanes and catch up to fleeing enemies.

Late Game: The Carry Build

This is where you become a raid boss. The enemy team will fear you.

Crippling Headshot: An upgrade to the standard Headshot, this applies a slow on critical hits. It makes it nearly impossible for enemies to kite you.
Debuff Remover: Deadlock has heavy crowd control. This item purges debuffs, preventing you from being stunned and blown up.
Sharpshooter: If you can afford it, this increases your weapon damage based on the damage you have already dealt in a fight, leading to exponential scaling.
Titanic Vanguard: (Vitality Item) If the enemy team has high burst, this provides a massive health pool and a damage reduction buff when you dive in.

Recommended Item Loadout

Slot	Item Name	Type	Purpose
1	Close Quarters	Weapon	Core close-range damage scaling
2	Bullet Lifesteal	Weapon	Sustain through fights
3	Headshot	Weapon	Burst damage potential
4	Sprint Boots	Mobility	Map rotation & chase
5	Debuff Remover	Utility	Surviving CC / Focus
6	Metal Skin	Vitality	Countering enemy weapon carries

Playstyle Strategy: From Lane to Late Game

Playing the Graves build Deadlock effectively requires more than just buying the right items; you need to master the rhythm of the game.

Laning Phase (Minutes 1-10)

Your goal in the early game is to bully the enemy laner.

Farm Souls: Use your basic attacks (Q) to kill creeps and secure the last-hit bonus.
Harass: Whenever the enemy comes close to farm, fire your spread shot. You will hit them even if you miss a few creeps.
Deny: In Deadlock, you can deny your own creeps to prevent the enemy from getting souls. Do this aggressively to starve your opponent.
Watch the Map: Ganks happen frequently. Keep an eye on the ziplines and be ready to smoke screen or dash away if a jungler approaches.

Mid Game (Minutes 10-20)

This is where you start looking for kills.

Rotate: Push your lane, then use the ziplines to rotate to another lane where a fight is happening.
Target Priority: You want to target the enemy Spirit users (mages) first. They are usually squishy and can be killed in one blast + dash combo.
Secure Objectives: The walker boss provides a massive team buff. Your high single-target damage makes you excellent at securing the last hit on the Walker.

Late Game (Minutes 20+)

One teamfight can end the game here.

Don’t Initiate First: You are strong, but you aren’t a tank. Let your initiator go in, then follow up with your dash and burst.
Flush Enemies Out: Use your Ultimate or area abilities to flush enemies out of cover, then melt them with Close Quarters.
Macro Play: If you are ahead, split push to force enemies to come to you. If you are behind, stick with your team and peel for your carry.

Advanced Pro Tips & Tricks

I’ve played dozens of matches with this archetype in Deadlock, and these are the nuances that separate the good players from the great ones.

The “Double Tap” Reload: The reload mechanic on shotgun heroes is unique. Don’t just reload whenever. Try to fire your clip until it is empty or the enemy retreats, then reload. Use your mobility ability to instantly refresh and catch them off guard while they think you are reloading.
Verticality is King: Deadlock’s maps are full of height. Shotgun spread is wider at range, but damage is higher at point-blank. Use the high ground to drop onto enemies. The psychological impact of a player dropping on top of them often causes them to panic and miss their shots.
Spirit Power vs. Weapon Damage: While this build focuses on Weapons, don’t ignore Spirit Power entirely. Your abilities scale with Spirit. Buying a cheap Spirit item early on (like Restorative Shot) can make your harass much more potent.
Melee Denying: Don’t forget your melee attack! It deals bonus damage to creeps and is instant. Use it to secure denies or last hits under the tower safely without drawing tower aggro.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Even experienced players make these errors when playing the Graves build. Avoid these to keep your MMR climbing:

Over-committing: It is easy to get greedy and chase a kill into the enemy tower. Remember, without your Dash, you have no escape. If your mobility is on cooldown, play safe.
Wasting Smoke Screen: Don’t just drop smoke randomly. Use it to deny vision when you are being chased, or to zone an enemy off a zipline during a teamfight.
Ignoring Bullet Armor: If the enemy team buys Metal Skin or Extra HP, your damage will drop off. You need to buy Slowing Bullets or Armor Piercing items late game to counter their tankiness.
Poor Economy Management: Dying repeatedly costs you Souls. It is better to miss a few creeps and stay alive than to die and give the enemy a bounty.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best lane for Graves in Deadlock?

While you can play him in any lane, I recommend the Solo Lane. You need the experience and solo farm to get your items online as fast as possible. A 1v1 matchup allows you to abuse your close-range burst to dominate the opponent.

How do I counter a Graves build?

Countering this build requires kiting and crowd control. Heroes with slows or stuns can keep you at range where your damage is low. Additionally, items like Metal Skin (high bullet armor) are hard counters to this build.

Is this build viable for high-skill players?

Absolutely. In fact, this build scales incredibly well with skill. A player who can perfectly execute reload cancels and movement techs will carry games even against organized teams.

What do I do if I fall behind?

If you are behind in Souls, stop trying to fight the enemy directly. Focus on farming the jungle camps and clearing creep waves from safety. Buy Healing Rite to stay in lane longer. Once you have 2-3 core items, you can look for picks again.

Does this work on all maps?

Yes, the shotgun archetype is effective on most Deadlock maps. However, on maps with long sightlines, you must be careful of sniper heroes. Use the terrain and corners to close the gap without getting sniped.

Conclusion

The Graves build Deadlock is all about aggression, mobility, and raw power. By focusing on items like Close Quarters and Headshot, and mastering your ability rotation, you become one of the most feared duelists in the game. Remember to farm efficiently in the early game, and don’t be afraid to get up close and personal when the fights start.

Deadlock is a complex game, but this playstyle offers a straightforward path to victory: Get close, shoot first, and don’t let them escape. Good luck on the battlefield, and I’ll see you in the lanes.