Deadlock: Paradox Guide

Deadlock: Paradox Guide

As a seasoned gamer who’s spent countless hours in the realm of this game, I must say that mastering Paradox is quite the thrill! In the mid-game, it’s all about seizing those opportune moments to snatch items that can turn the tide of battle. Warp Stone for a quick escape, Pristine Emblem for a stronger initiation, Enduring Speed or Superior Stamina for mobility, Improved Cooldown for timely abilities, and utility items like Return Fire, Decay, Healbane, or Debuff Reducer to suit the flow of the match.


Paradox is a skilled thief who manipulates time and targets specific enemies. Using his Kinetic Carbine, he attacks enemies, creating favorable battles with his Time Wall and Pulse Grenade. He also moves enemies out of position with his Paradoxical Swap ability. Although Paradox’s effectiveness in one-on-one fights may decrease as the game progresses, his power to swap an enemy into your team remains a significant threat throughout the entire game.

Deadlock is a fresh game created by Valve, combining the fast-action third-person shooting found in games such as Gears of War and Fortnite with strategic RPG aspects reminiscent of MOBAs like DotA 2 and League of Legends. At present, it’s still in its early stages, meaning that at this moment, only selected testers can play it. To become one of these testers, you need to receive a direct invitation from someone who is already testing the game.

Currently, the game titled “Deadlock” is still in its fledgling stages, offering an innovative gaming experience that’s prone to frequent updates and adjustments based on experiments.

Deadlock Paradox Overview

Deadlock: Paradox Guide

With Paradox’s equipment, they can specifically focus on single opponents using strong control mechanisms and impactful attacks that work effectively from almost any distance. Although teaming up with a fellow lane partner enhances Paradox’s abilities by providing additional follow-up support, they demonstrate remarkable independence and can handle solo lanes quite competently too.

Paradox’s abilities include:

Ability Name Ability Effects
Pulse Grenade (1) Toss out an explosive bomb that releases multiple waves of spirit damage in a moderate area of effect. These waves apply a 30% slow for two seconds and increase the amount of damage Paradox deals to targets hit by 5% for eight seconds, stacking with each hit of the grenade. Further levels increase the number of waves, reduce the cooldown, and increase the damage of Pulse Grenade.
Time Wall (2) Project a small wall directly in front of Paradox, stopping projectiles that contact the wall for one second before allowing them to continue on their trajectory. Enemies that come into contact with the wall will damage them for 10% of their maximum health and slow them by 80% for one second. Additional levels of Time Wall increase its size, allow for a second charge of Time Wall to be stored, and apply a three-second silence to enemies hit.
Kinetic Carbine (3) Charge Paradox’s weapon for up to 2.5 seconds to unleash an empowered shot, granting Paradox bonus movement speed while fully charged, dealing heavy spirit damage, and applying a brief time stop to the target hit. While charging, using the right mouse button to aim while in mid-air will cause Paradox to float, slowing their descent. Despite dealing with spirit damage, Kinetic Carbine applies a multiplier to Paradox’s weapon damage, meaning players will want to build items that increase weapon damage to get the most out of this ability. Further levels of Kinetic Carbine lengthen the time stop effect, decrease the cooldown, increase the amount of time a charge can be held, and strengthen the damage amplification effect.
Paradoxical Swap (4) Launch a fast-moving projectile that swaps places with the enemy hero hit. While swapping, the target takes spirit damage over time while Paradox gains 100% spell lifesteal, healing themselves for the damage dealt.

Deadlock Paradox Build Guide

Deadlock: Paradox Guide

For players of Paradox, focusing on an initial offensive strategy is key, with the priority being the acquisition of Kinetic Carbine early on to deal damage and create opportunities for kills. Additionally, investing in weapon damage will maximize the impact of Kinetic Carbine’s weapon damage amplification. Establishing an effective offense during both the early and mid-game phases will help Paradox accumulate a soul advantage, which can be crucial for maintaining relevance in the later stages of the game when team fights become more chaotic and picking off individual targets becomes challenging.

Paradox Ability Build

While the order of ability upgrades can be somewhat flexible, the above upgrade order of 3-1-3-2-3-4-4-4-4-2-2-2-3-1-1-1 prioritizes Paradox’s ability to secure kills and build and early advantage by focusing on Kinetic Carbine early, before shifting completely to maxing out Paradoxical Swap and Time Wall to maximize the potential of the Time Wall and Swap combo. Since the damage and slow of Time Wall doesn’t increase with ability level, it can be comfortably kept without deep investment until after Paradoxical Swap later in the match, where the silence effect can play a greater impact.

Paradox Item Progression

In Deadlock, the adaptability of item progression is notable, as numerous items bring distinct benefits that can fluctuate in potency based on the heroes participating in the game and its ongoing development. To maximize success, it’s crucial to familiarize yourself with each item’s function and select those that will counteract the opposing team effectively. Here are some suggestions for strong choices:

At the start of the game, general damage boosting items will aid Paradox in dominating his lane and capturing souls more efficiently, leading to potential kills. The Standard Ammo Supply extends Paradox’s pursuit of targets before needing to reload and simplifies the acquisition and denial of souls. High-Speed Magazine can enhance players’ accuracy, including their Kinetic Carbine. Mystic Shot and Mystic Burst are also beneficial additions to Paradox’s arsenal due to the flat spirit damage they inflict, which is valuable in the early game when percentage-based damage increases don’t have significant base values. Active items like Slowing Curse or Icy Gale can assist players in securing kills by impeding enemies from escaping an encounter. For defensive purposes, Additional Health and Sprint Shoes are solid choices as they boost weapon damage, but Extra Stamina is also widely preferred due to the extra stamina bar it offers.

Deadlock: Paradox Guide

As the game moves into its mid-phase, Paradox might want to grab items that enhance her killing potential, given she now possesses the Paradoxical Swap ability. The Warp Stone is a smart choice for escaping tricky situations following a swap, while the Pristine Emblem boosts her capacity to initiate attacks on healthy opponents. Enhancing Sprint Boots into Enduring Speed or Extra Stamina into Superior Stamina allows Paradox to explore the map in search of opponents playing out-of-position or pursue weaker enemies. Improved Cooldown ensures that crucial abilities are ready for any confrontation. As the match unfolds, additional utility items can be picked up to complement the build, such as Return Fire for added damage against focused opponents during a swap, Decay or Healbane to counter heavy healing teams, and Debuff Reducer if crowd control is hampering Paradox’s effectiveness.

As the game progresses, Paradox might find it necessary to bolster its defensive strategies, especially when employing the aggressive Paradoxical Swap. The tactic known as Siphon Bullets could be an excellent choice for boosting one’s health reserves without compromising damage output. Meanwhile, the previously mentioned Debuff Reducer and its upgrade, Debuff Remover, can help minimize the impact of unfavorable conditions excluding stuns and sleeps. Fortitude could serve as a beneficial offensive selection, granting additional damage and movement speed when health exceeds 75%, and enhancing Paradox’s resilience with a robust health restoration effect.

How to Play Paradox

Deadlock: Paradox Guide

In the early stages of gameplay, Paradox primarily focuses on Kinetic Carbine. The extra movement speed while it’s fully charged allows for position adjustments and pursuit of opponents. Additionally, a charged shot is used to inflict significant damage and set up additional harm. When placed in challenging lane positions, Paradox can still harass and contest the lane using Pulse Grenade. However, they must be cautious to prevent enemy creep kills from denying souls without retribution. Upon unlocking Time Wall, Paradox can take a more aggressive approach, approaching enemies before setting up a Time Wall above them. Then, by moving back and forth between the wall’s sides, they can dodge incoming attacks.

1. While traversing the map, whether it’s for an ambush on another lane or returning to base, firing up Kinetic Carbine will boost Paradox’s movement speed, including when ziplining, and allows them to fire an immediately charged shot upon arrival at their destination. Utilizing a Pulse Grenade to swiftly eliminate creep waves is also an effective method for collecting extra souls, especially when traveling between lanes or when pushing a lane poses a risk.

Following the acquisition of Paradoxical Swap, Paradox amplifies its power significantly, enabling them to force opponents into Time Wall by strategically positioning a barrier and then teleporting an adversary through it. Although the Paradoxical Swap is a projectile that needs precise aiming, landing a shot from a Kinetic Carbine can effectively pin down enemies, facilitating a more successful swap.

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2024-08-28 15:04