I did not expect to have THIS MUCH to say about them | TBSkyen reacts to Deadlock character designs

[@3BSkyen]

Not a word of a lie: I had NO IDEA I had been talking for THAT LONG. I was just having too much fun with them.

[@willowthywisp]

I don't blame you. I wished to see more since the leaks appeared. Even just the abilities

[@alejan3san]

Hello mister Skyen the Third, I would very much appreciate it if you could take a look at the trailer for the animated movie Look Back

[@bubbles0904]

if ur on a zipline u can look at the character from more angles

[@mocmeo4425]

You can ride one the yellow glowing line to look at their front btw, not sure if there are other ways but they are great

[@salihnu]

I find it fascinating that in a game that is not even out yet you have more fun and more to talk about in comparison to a polished game that is fully released and in the works for 8 years.

[@vulcanmemes9770]

The Reason Yamatos design feels out of place because the previous iteration of Deadlock was called Neon Prime, which had a cyberpunk feel to it, and her backstory was that shes an alien who became obsessed with Japanese culture so she larps as a samurai. (No im not making this up). She and a few more like Grey Talon and Haze will get entire visual redesigns to fit the games new artstyle as stated by the devs.

[@3BSkyen]

Oooooh! Well, that makes sense I guess!

[@smefgrimstae7845]

I largely like the look of Haze, so I'm a bit upset to hear that. But as long as they keep the mail-worker, government-agent button-up with the poofy sleeves, I'll be happy.

[@IoFoxdale]

@@smefgrimstae7845 I kinda expect they'll change her guns and maybe put her Fed agency logo on her somewhere.

[@ridori7376]

​​​@@smefgrimstae7845 I'm pretty sure Haze's will just be the one we see in the loading screen. So very similar to what we have now but with proper pants, more striking color contrast and with her smoke "hair" loose.

[@smefgrimstae7845]

@@ridori7376 I hope so :)

[@AnaatthiGozo]

"I don't think she really needs a head." -Skyen invoking his inner French Revolutionary

[@anonymouspotato3453]

That's one of those sentences you /really/ gotta keep in context

[@Qwampus75]

“You could make a religion out of tha- no, don’t.” -Bill Wurtz

[@ruzgar1372]

Infernus is very obviously meant to be a classy and cool black bartender dude from the 30's. I think his style perfectly encapsulates that.

[@armintor2826]

I can totally imagine Infernus playing a sax at a smooth jazz bar, his design is so, SO, peak. Everything about him is just so perfectly realized and well executed.

[@gerrimeister]

I love the (molotov)cocktail double meaning here

[@mononoaware8529]

Yes the boring pants and shoes makes sense when you consider all the spilled drinks

[@clavicol6875]

He and his friend owns a bar, so yeah 👍

[@rubedog961]

He is Grilby from Undertale

[@colbyboucher6391]

The candles on the minions' heads burn down as their HP decreases, which is pretty neat.

[@HienNguyen-cs1md]

Man I'm glad Valve realized that the cyberpunk 80 90's style is getting over saturated and boring. Every hero shooter is going for that kinda style recently. The new style with old 80's Chicago vibe goes hard with the magic/spirit aspect of the game. Now all we need is for them to cook up a collection of jazz.

[@Halford_Steel]

It's a 30s occult noir aesthetic

[@mygirlliddyusedtoalwayssmoke]

@@Halford_Steelyeah yeah 🤓 whatever u say man i still need some more of them curiosity shop type beats

[@thevannmann]

It's more of an early 1900s (20s or 30s) NYC vibe.

[@candlestone5397]

Its all 3 I think. Don't know where the game takes place exactly, timewise, but Abrams feels very 80s cop show vibes. the rest of it is very old school, but also in a strangely fallout sort of way? Like the supernatural basically was revealed 50 years before the game started, and culture stagnated for a good while in parts, because adapting to the supernatural was put before anything else for a while.

[@joshuadarrow]

​@@candlestone5397Ngl abrams is literally a film noir gumshoe. I'm not really getting any 80s vibes from him.

[@Spot_Faceless-Soldier]

bit of a war/weapons nerd here: ivy's gun is basically one of those silly ww1/ww2 sub-machine guns that had the mags attached sideways, ivy's gun is a little exaggerated by having *two* mags on both sides of the gun (atleast i THINK it's exaggerated, i've seen some weird prototypes from that era of weapon technology), and exaggerated even more by the fact that those 2 mags auto fill themselves (somehow) ivy is 100% my favourite, i love her

[@DarkZergkill]

I wonder if they did that to invoke the look of a cross with the gun, since she is a gargoyle (which are often on cathedrals) and the hispanic connection which often also comes with a healthy dose of catholic faith.

[@Edujs23]

I think those are Just spare mags

[@somerandomdude7785]

The sideways magazine SMG she uses is an actual gun. STEN, used by the British Army in WW2.

[@Spot_Faceless-Soldier]

@@somerandomdude7785 I know about the sten and other similar guns, but i didn't know it had 2 magazines?

[@omppusolttu5799]

@@Spot_Faceless-Soldier it doesn't.

[@cassandrapearsall4328]

I hope they never change Lash's background. Also it's worth noting that many of the characters have unique animations when using the ziplines that can add to the character, like Shiv hanging by his feet, Ivy using her tail, Pocket using a frog thing that comes out of the suitcase, stuff like that. Infernus rides in a relaxed pose while Abrams is tense, feet forward and ready to land.

[@cactuss33ds]

shoutout to mcginnis hanging by the ass loop 😂

[@avian1799]

I could imagine they do a Pyro thing with Lash, where voice lines and extended material imply a lot about his character, but the only thing known 100% for certain is *that he‘s an Asshole.*

[@404waffles]

wraith sticking her hands in her pockets while her robot arms ride the rail 😍😍😍😍😍 she's so fucking cool

[@Curly_Music]

abrams does pullups on the zipline too :)

[@egrassa1480]

​@@Curly_Music One armed pullups at that

[@KabertheBrulter]

From what i remember Grey Talon, Kelvin and Yamato are models taken from an earlier version of Deadlock where the setting was completely different. Kelvin's coat is a quick replacement for an astronaut suit he was originally supposed to wear. Also some character details are missing from their bio but you can get them from character interactions and intro monologues from the patron. Like Shiv having a family that got killed before he joined the monster hunter society, or Seven HATING Kelvin for some reason.

[@nazarenomilohanich4883]

Yup, for anyone that has access to the forum/discord you can even vote on the various concepts for the visual reworks of a bunch of the characters, pretty cool stuff in my opinion

[@kevs94]

I read somewhere that Lash has no eyes because, in the sci-fi game, he had a visor. They removed the visor but there was nothing underneath so... there he is. Same with Mo apparently.

[@boinqity4621]

@@nazarenomilohanich4883having been a fan of valve games for years its honestly really refreshing to see how much the devs are interacting with the community on discord

[@admiralpepper6933]

I really hope we get the old skins of them once the redesigns come out

[@LabRatz-Ivor]

Kel in is flying mammal man?

[@corruptdropbear]

The characters are on their first draft 3D model (some needing complete overhauls too) and people are already enamoured with them. Voice acting carries so much of these characters right now.

[@Tintelinus]

Valve always does a good job with the voice acting. TF2 and Dota both are great at it.

[@rauggie9971]

Lash main here! Upon first glance, I thought Lash's design was based heavily off of old pugilists (boxers) from the 1930's. But then I started realizing certain things about his model that imply more about his character beyond "old timey boxer". For one, he has a windlass with an anchor attached to his back; he has an ascot tie; he has an anchor tattoo; he (funny enough) has sausage links and a tin can with beans attached to his hip. Everything points to him being a sailor. I actually asked my fiancé about the sausage links and the can of beans since she's actually in the Navy, and she immediately laughed upon seeing it. She said that the sausage links is (possibly) a reference to "Chief's Meat"; that the bean can pair is a reference to "beanies and weanies" (a stereotypical meal of sausages and beans, typically associated with old sailors in the Navy). Plus he wears the colors of Navy; good old Navy blue. You gotta love it haha.

[@TruWill99]

The tin must be a reference to Popeye 😂 A can of spinach will solve all your problems lol

[@Rietto]

You can tell a design is great when someone completely unfamiliar with a character or game can take one look at 'get' the references.

[@greeblothegoblin]

I love the attention to detail Valve puts into their games, small things like this just go to show the effectiveness of their great character design.

[@avian1799]

So does his lore play into this Navy theme too?

[@atlopes1611]

"Jacob Lash is an asshole" is all we know about him so far​@@avian1799

[@pikadidi3279]

I think Bebop having a bit of murderbot in him makes a bit of sense tbh. His creator is called Ms. Shelly, so like, he's not just Pinocchio he's also Frankenstein's Monster

[@Jasonwolf1495]

Dur, cant believe i didnt notice that.

[@DrCaesarMD]

I think that would be more well sold if they leaned harder into the junkyard aesthetic. He doesn't really look "cobbled together" all THAT much, he's just a somewhat brutalist design. I think roughing up his design with rusty metal and less high-tech parts, along with simpler shape language on his face would best achieve what the backstory is going for.

[@screamingcactus1753]

@@DrCaesarMD Apparently the game used to be going for a more high-tech, cyberpunk aesthetic, and Bebop definitely seems like he was designed more for that. I wouldn't be surprised if he got a visual rework before release to bring him more in line with the new setting and art style.

[@SovietMarmalade]

@@DrCaesarMD His current model is a hold over from Neon Prime, when the game looked more like Overwatch. He's one of the characters that's getting a redesign to fit the game's new aesthetic.

[@candlestone5397]

@@DrCaesarMD His mom probably cares too much about him to build out of shit parts, or let him rust. Also, rust can be removed or painted over. In his case I think both is the case. Thinking on it, They could visually show that he added his weapons himself or something. maybe have some missing plating in places. that sorta thing.

[@pyromncer410]

Oh my god im obsessed with Viscous now. A little deep sea alien guy disguising himself as a human but the best he can do is Slime. I love him. Hes just a little guy!

[@colbyboucher6391]

His model feels very unfinished though. I think it's another Neon Prime carry-over, his shadow is a skeleton. It implies a human diver that turned into a slime monster rather than a terror from the deep.

[@pyromncer410]

@@colbyboucher6391 yeah, i read somewhere that its just Kelvins “body” with new “meat” added onto it, so it’s definitely gonna change. Im just enamored by the idea of him :P The voice acting definitely fits “psychic sea anemone” more than “dead guy that came back”, so I hope they’ll stick with it!

[@Nilon241]

His new design is literally a baby eldritch squid in a big goo mecha

[@thatshadowguy1005]

You GOTTA listen to Viscous's voice lines, they're incredible. "Sometimes, the best way to deal with your problems is to hide from them, and pretend they don't exist." he just like me frfr

[@pyromncer410]

@@thatshadowguy1005 viscous would do numbers on tumblr

[@zinfuldreams1709]

as someone who's currently playing deadlock, thought the concord designs lacked character, and was really enjoying the deadlock designs, i am LIVING through this series

[@boinqity4621]

crazy how untextured models with buggy clothing physics still look better than 90% of hero shooters today. good art design is good regardless of fidelity and polish

[@amas8825]

then designed tried to please everyone and ended up pleasing no one. deadlock gave every weeb, furry, emo gamerm etc representation

[@Martin-rh6bn]

the thing with concord is that in the animated trailers they put out the characters looked great, but in the weird realistic graphics that they decided to go with for the game the wacky designs just didn't work anymore. Some really odd decisions

[@StickmanStrozzi]

@@toyfan1769 bro has severe brain damage, spouting this type of crap

[@capnfungi7875]

Part of Valve's character design is having all the detail be in the top half of the character, where people are gonna be looking and aiming at during gameplay. You can see that in tf2, where most characters have dark pants and shoes with very little detail, while they've got brightly colored shirts with ammo and vests and symbols

[@Perdix64]

I’d say the most detail is Scout where we can see that his legs are far more exposed. Emphasizing that he’s a runner.

[@Lessen0]

It's especially pronounced in Dota 2 because Dota 2 is played from a top-down perspective so there's a bunch of characters with giant torsos and tiny legs because (I infer) that's what's readable/dramatic from the overhead view. TF2 is a better example since it's another shooter, I just wanted to mention Dota cuz it's funny/extreme.

[@jordanmcgraw3455]

This is a good point. Valve's Dota Style Guide document explicitly covers this topic. Characters have a gradient of saturation from top to bottom leading the eye to focus on higher character elements.

[@jeanmmckenzie]

can't believe jacob lash has more lore than shaco

[@ViktorBezK]

My wet towel has more lore than shaco

[@ACUTE-CONJUNCTIVITIS]

looking at the REALLY unfinished and unreleased characters at the game files you can see how the idea of a more sci-fi type of style was abandoned during the process of making this game, which Im glad it happened, and also explain why some models are quite weird like Grey Talons arm and bow or Bebop itself. im mad curious to see how some stuff will change in the future

[@jimmyjames634]

the way dynamo walks is adorable, hes my boy.

[@TheGuwrovsky]

He's a T H I C C boi ❤

[@wintersibrun768]

Agreed I love him so much 😍

[@fedweezy4976]

Just a fella, he's my favorite

[@mzed561]

the thing about Lady Geist is that in her voicelines she genuinely feels bad each time you get a kill

[@secretlyaslug2325]

"I paid the price, now die!" Is also one of my favorite lines.

[@dragirby]

Okay, my take on Pocket is that Pocket is the “My power is money.” character Except it’s more “My power is all the rare artifacts I stole from my parents after someone tried to kill me.”They’ve got random stuff he cobbled together that are all insane but pocket doesn’t understand how to meld them together yet. A super powerful poison suitcase, a sentient cloak, a hyper powerful shotgun. Things the average person has no access to that in the right hands would be absolutely deadly, but in theirs they need everything just to be comparable.

[@twigtwig3110]

It especially makes sense in the context of a world where magic is a normal thing. It feels out of place in our world for a "wizard" to exist, but in a world where magic and artifacts are a normal thing, it wouldn't be something special or unique to see someone using magic. What stands out to me about Pocket especially is how he doesn't use the magic itself so much as he just lets the items do their things. Every one of his skills is just him opening up the suitcase or throwing his coat, he's actually doing very little himself, just letting the stuff he has do whatever they do.

[@Nilon241]

​@@twigtwig3110that's such a good observation fuck. They're the magic equivalent of 'random bullshit go'

[@dragirby]

@@twigtwig3110 Ontop of just letting them 'Do their thing" they're voicelines are almost all "Okay, I need to do this, or this, please don't fuck up."

[@oldworldblues4953]

Sentient cursed artifacts? No wonder Pocket is always referred as they

[@AzusaQuispe]

Pocket in indeed a pun from the Puck hero (from dota) which has almost the same moveset

[@punkypony5165]

Regarding Bebops design. Before Deadlock took this sort of 1930's occult aesthetic and lore it was a scifi game. And Bebop, Grey Talon, and Yamato were ripped straight from that into this version of the game for testing.

[@fredmertz8191]

To be honest, I love bebop's design, and I think his voice acting carries him quite a lot, and there are some things that could be changed a little to make him a but more scrappy and less sci-fi

[@armintor2826]

I think Bebop's design can still work in Deadlock. I wouldnt be surprised if they made some tweaks to make him look more, maybe dieselpunk? But out of all the characters that survived the previous iteration of the game, he came out looking the best.

[@blushingralseiuwu2222]

Bebop can still work, but as a machine that given life by a patron. Kinda like Pinocchio

[@fredmertz8191]

@@blushingralseiuwu2222 he already has that lore tho, his current lore is completely fine, his model could just use some tweaks imo

[@DwWarWolf]

Bebob will probably stay largely the same. The only change will be his patch work samurai leg armor and beads on his foot which doesn't fit the noire tone.

[@kevs94]

While it won't change his simplicity, Warden's 3 ability definitely fits his aesthetic the most. When you use it on an enemy, there's this blaring alarm that plays and you hear the sounds of the cage rattling around the enemy if they don't get out of the curse area in time. And if you're the one being targeted, there's these tall holographic red walls that indicate where you're supposed to leave, so it does feel like you're getting arrested.

[@NekoBatyx]

Guess which character here has the most images on R34. That's right. It's Ivy.

[@jazzratoon]

I can see that. She is gorgeous.

[@SobiTheRobot]

I mean how often do we get cute gargoyles? I imagine there's also quite an overlap of fans of Disney's Gargoyles.

[@Ockto_]

scruffy, vaguely emo, goblin girl? yeah that tracks. (i know she's a gargoyle but her proportions scream "goblin" to me.")

[@Jaded_Jinx]

Concord video: Barely reached an hour Deadlock: 2+ hours Really says a lot, lol I genuinely hope this game succeeds, because it's actually got some style and even good humor

[@milkcarton7064]

barely under 3 hours

[@etheron1235]

Deadlock is what Concord wishes to be

[@chicken5038]

I mean deadlock has 100k players in a playtest. I have 80 hours and 35 hours in the last 2 weeks. I am loving it and its a breath of fresh air to play something like this in 2024. I have not played something like this in a long long time. Even overwatch was not this good and I have 2k hours in overwatch.

[@nicolasvillasecaali7662]

Time passes flying when you have fun, and it stagnates when Concord enters the room

[@LeuLeumas]

With 120k players this is game is safe

[@MaelraJade]

Oh I love the details on Infernus. A drink shaker and shot glasses on his belt instead of ammo, that is hella fun design.

[@ViashinoWizard]

His "reload" animation being shaking out his hand is maybe one of the best touches in the entire game I think

[@armintor2826]

The exaggerated swagger of an infernal bartender

[@boyxd3877]

I love the burning towel over his shoulder! Immediately made me think of molotov *cocktails*, so good.

[@Weremole]

I think the reason for Geists hair is that we're playing as these characters from over their right shoulders so a big pink shock of hair would make the visual very uninteresting. I think this is also the teason for Kelvins fur sleeve. He punches with his left arm so they probably wanted it to read better in motion during gameplay.

[@gaybee7217]

Something interesting with Pocket's design is their relying on curses and evil power to survive might parallel the abuses of power their family's company commits and so there's a dramatic irony on how despite their efforts to forge a separate identity they're falling for the same trap

[@Steleaf]

god i didn't notice this YOU'RE SO RIGHT hope they develop pocket, i fell in love with em

[@TapdotWater]

The first character I saw when the playtest was made public was OW Streamer Flats playing as Abrams, and I misunderstood the in-game Patron's voice audio for being the owner of Abrams' book. While I was later disappointed to realize it was just the in-game announcer, it made me DESPERATELY want to play a Call of Cthulhu detective who has found a Necronomicon, tied it to [murder/investigation/plot device] and has begun to lose himself to it. More Harry du Bois energy than the "by the book" design of Abrams in my mind, and I have to thank Deadlock for scratching that part of my brain

[@PotionSmeller]

If you haven't yet, I recommend checking out the video of the leaked Lady Geist visual novel. It contains the branching story mode of Lady Geist and ties into Abrams' book. Seems relatively complete, with great voice acting and art.

[@Nilon241]

Granted, in-game Every Patron is promising each hero something in return for their help. It's a great way of rationalising why they'd all be together.

[@felixrowan646]

I adore Ivy's design. So many charming little details.

[@Nilon241]

It's hard to see in game, but her wings have cathedral stained glass style patterns on them that are visible in the light. Also she has two thumbs on both sides of each hand! It only looks like she has normal hands because of her grip.

[@Nilon241]

Even her not having a shirt makes sense! Her wings would get in the way.

[@cia4u401]

little goblin making me act up

[@felixrowan646]

@@Nilon241 I completely missed those. Thanks for pointing them out.

[@thelastcrow5660]

I know, right? I've only seen a few seconds of gameplay, yet I love her already.

[@HORDEFTW141]

36:00 I think with the designs of Dota a lot of the heroes are simple and bare because a huge part of the game and community is the cosmetics, where league you have to change an entire skin, Dota each hero has individuals pieces of sets you can equip and mix and match including items that change the model, gender, personality and themeing of the hero entirely.

[@xolotltolox7626]

Also because Dota was a mod for WC3, so a lot of heroes were repurposed assets from base WC3, so what was initialyl designed to be a basic unit, is now a hero

[@SpaceBear1987]

A few of the characters are getting their models completely redesigned, so you may need to make a sequel to this!

[@xolotltolox7626]

Seems warden especially, his voicelines, abilities and lore is an entirely different character from the model, i assume warden's model was probably an early concept for Abrams that got repurposed

[@RichardLofty]

Please use all the abilities on dummies before saying "I'm not getting that from design". Animations and voice lines ARE PART of the DESIGN! Please don't skip on them.

[@kailler9217]

really highlighted that point with bebop, talking about personality and whatnot. his animations and voicelines REALLY highlight his personality. sad that it took until grey talon to start going ingame. i find it a bit strange that they skipped over him being a *scrap* golem, aka built from random parts, also the tangent about pinocchio? Bebop is very clearly not innocent whatsoever, he has a giant laser beam arm, and his story even makes a reference that he does nefarious stuff at night.

[@PotatoPatatoVonSpudsworth]

@@kailler9217| No, the Pinocchio line was because he's described as "the son (s)he could never have," just like Pinocchio.

[@kailler9217]

like the disney pinocchio sure. but my comment about calling him innocent was direct, he straight up called bebop innocent.

[@FateBringsMe2U]

@@kailler9217He is frankenstein's monster (ms shelley

[@weeirrdcat]

Oh man the comment about Lady Geist's accent not being a transatlantic accent really makes me wish they take that into consideration since its such a good fit and a rare/fun accent to have in a game (especially as its also time period appropriate (?))

[@Halford_Steel]

It's sill very early access

[@d33pblu3]

There’s a newsstand near the base which spits out lore in a trans atlantic accent, you can find all of his lines on KZbin

[@chris12412345123]

No witches at the Salem witch trials were burned, all those intentionally executed were via hanging, one man died refusing to enter a plea and was crushed by stones during the torture to force a plea and the rest who died died from disease in prison. So unless you want to give Vindicta a broken neck I don't think you could really represent that.

[@Perdix64]

I feel like her having a broken neck or a sickly appearance could work.

[@PotatoPatatoVonSpudsworth]

Honestly? A crooked neck WOULD be badass.

[@Pixelcat607]

Valve Employees watching this video “write that down, WRITE THAT DOWN!”

[@NormalGayBro]

They fuckin better be

[@trubaddie]

They better do

[@totallycarbon2106]

As long as they dont take Skyen's notes for Ivy - she's perfect :p

[@mr.killwolf6667]

I hope so

[@cloudynguyen6527]

Take Skyen's opinion with a grain of salt though. His take is based on how a character look tell a story. Meanwhile Valve's character design is a mixed of both story and gameplay. This is why Skyen has mixed view on DOTA 2 characters because most of them are port from Warcraft and they have to make up their look to match with their abilities while avoiding looking too similar to Warcraft. Imagine Skyen look at TF2 characters design. I can tell you the mercs look very barebone and Valve's intention is to make them distinguish as much as possible. Same to L4D2, they look very barebone but easily distinguishable in gameplay. One thing I love about Deadlock is how each character has their own unique caricature . Ofc some design is lacking but in game, you mostly want to know who you are fighting anyway. Similar to TF2, you want to know who are you looking at, not how beautiful they are.

[@hangman4011]

I feel like Lady Geist's backstory could be marginally improved if she was an actress. A sort of Marilyn Monroe inspiration.

[@strangething77]

Sunset Boulevard vibes.

[@mateuszsosnowski5876]

I think that a glowing demon arm would be difficult to hide as an actress

[@hangman4011]

@@mateuszsosnowski5876 I'm not saying she got the arm and continued being an actress. I'm saying the reason she could be vain and wanting to preserve her looks is an obsession with staying young and beautiful due to being an actress formerly.

[@eiriksundby]

I love the way Haze looks in the more up-to-date art, with the billowing smoke hair

[@conrad3066]

Valve knows how important silhouettes are, they're valve.

[@TheStef1309]

Regarding the fur on Kelvin: The Nansen Expedition was actually using seal pelt coats which had the fur on the outside (I assume because it's waterproof?) as well as wolf fur collars and hoods. So it's not completely uncommon. However, a notable difference in the approaches of Nansen (and Amundsen if I recall correctly) is that they paid a lot more attention to how the indigenous cultures around the arctic were surviving as opposed to the British who kind of just thought they knew better. Keep in mind that I'm not an expert though, I've just read Nansen's expedition diaries.

[@MaimedFern]

Absolutely this. Kelvins whole thing looks like a simplified take on traditional inuit parkas. (if his rune thing is supposed to be carved whale bone I see it even more) The key difference between the western and eastern arctic regions is the humidity. The cold isn't really the thing that gets you here, its the wind. On a calm sunny day even -35c can be completely comfortable with minimal coverage and insulation. Add a 50km/hr wind in to what is effectively a frozen desert though, and all the moisture in your skin gets ripped out in seconds, flash freezing flesh in a similar way to what liquid nitrogen does. Because of this, the fur collars and trim on all of the seams of the outfits are actually vitally important design elements, designed not to insulate or layer warmth, but to wick moisture away from the face and extremities!

[@TheStef1309]

@@MaimedFern Thanks for the context! That makes a lot of sense.

[@Whysoshort]

Burning had been outlawed by the time the Salem Witch trials happened, They were mostly hung, with one person being pressed to death under rocks.

[@andrewgreeb916]

Apparently that dude literally asked them to add more rocks to be crushed faster, as long as he didn't confess to witch craft they couldn't see his stuff

[@DarkRoot13]

Giles Corey! Last words: “More weight.”

[@meatballsyes3854]

The lore of each character gets explained so much more by actually playing the game. So many voice lines

[@ViashinoWizard]

The "crossbar" on Ivy's gun seems to actually be a pair of ammo magazines

[@NoshuHyena]

Yep, this. It's meant to evoke the whole gothic crossbow thing in appearance, and function like a gun to fit the gameplay and setting. Quite smart imo.

[@Victorsculptor]

Viscous is supposed to get a new model , for now he is using Kelvins model, that is why it seems off. The new one is more alien like.

[@jamescook5783]

Does Viscous go by he/him?

[@noradi123]

​@@jamescook5783 yeah

[@Nilon241]

He's supposed to be a cute little squid guy piloting a slime mech with a fucking dad bod. Its amazing.

[@DrNiradino]

​@@jamescook5783Slime/goo.

[@admiralpepper6933]

​@@Nilon241 Ngl that's both silly and dope lol

[@Partypoopersgroup]

Something i think thats really noteworthy with Ivy i feel is the fact shes like. The most popular character in the community. People fucking love this spanish gargoyle girl, and so do I. For me, it kinda makes me look over at league and its community and what they tend to like, and it really does make them look shallow.

[@nicovonpizza]

Haze is also getting a new design as the other characters, likely the one on the loading screen with the wavier hair-smoke and the dual tommy guns.

[@d0ttxt]

Of the TFT style you say? The League rot consumes all

[@jeph7434]

*technically* the last t could still be 2 but yeah lmao the league influence goes hard

[@thatguythere6161]

I mean. I guess it’s still technically correct. “T”eam “F”ortress “T”wo

[@williamthesloth]

TF 2 = TFT FeelsWeirdMan

[@vitakulaa]

@@jeph7434 its dot bro not lol and ice frog is working on it so its more dota2

[@jeph7434]

@vitakulaa uhm what What we mean is that skyen plays and has made multiple videos on league that he shortens tf2 to tft What are you on about?

[@waterbears9874]

i kinda love warden's design, the fact he is just that generic grunt type character makes him stand out more among the more special magical characters and makes him feel a bit more relatable as a normal grunt. Though i do wish his actual backstory played more into the generic grunt bit and not the "family lineage of monster hunters" thing, he looks too standardized and uniform for that his disdain for the perfect grunt design bothers me, i love generic grunts so much especially when they clash with more wacky characters

[@ProjectSudoku]

That’s TBSkyen for you, he really seems to value novelty and lighthearted charm over whether a design actually executes its original idea well.

[@nunyabiznes7446]

It's interesting to see where Deadlock expands its lore through voicelines so you only get insight by playing the character. Why does Pocket have a random magic suitcase when their background is all about their parents? The suitcase was a weapon made or found by their dad, making their discomfort with it a physical embodiment of their discomfort with their parent's legacy and inheritance. Seven also gets a lot of depth from voicelines. He's not just a cackling villain that's going to Ult New York, he's a fairly serious guy who plans to "remake" it afterward and has some class themes going on as well, presenting himself as an impoverished person punished for seeking power and knowledge, now going to press 4 on the seat of institutional power.

[@PotionSmeller]

Yeah going by his backstory you'd expect Seven to be either a vengeful screaming revenant or a megalomaniacal lich, but he's pretty calm if ominous.

[@Nilon241]

​@@PotionSmellerhe's calm so long as your name isn't kelvin lmao

[@yuyukooyunda7476]

"That man hates me! And he barely knows me!"

[@crescent9984]

I really like Ivy's design! I feel like its so rare to see female monster characters that are actually allowed to look monsterous. In a lesser game they would have given her tits and a generic hourglass figure. She alone has sold me on deadlock, def maining her when I get a chance to play it.

[@NoshuHyena]

Flat queen!

[@narcozero8410]

And it did not refrain anyone to get weird very quickly about her.

[@blankiecat9302]

@@narcozero8410I am in this comment (I love ivy)

[@Oscar97o]

I think female monsters are pretty common in DotA, actually.

[@jamescook5783]

Video Index: 1:04 Abrams 3:59: Bebop 11:05 Dynamo 14:58 Grey Talon 22:44 Haze 27:47 Infernus 35:15 Ivy 47:57 Kelvin 57:36 Lady Geist 1:09:13 Lash 1:14:43 McGinnis 1:24:57 Mo + Krill 1:33:57 Paradox 1:42:52 Pocket 1:52:47 Seven 1:56:46 Shiv 2:03:49 Vindicta 2:12:48 Viscous 2:18:43 Warden (that's just a Boobby!) 2:24:20 Wraith 2:29:35 Yamato 2:45:45 Playtesting Abrams 2:48:50 Playtesting Dynamo

[@demogaming8895]

A lot of designs seem out of place because they're leftovers from a time when the game had a completely different aesthetic, a cyberpunk futuristic kinda thing called, Neon Prime. For example Bebop's design is straight out of Neon Prime and may be the reason why it doesn't match his current backstory. I suspect the affected characters will get complete overhauls, so it'd be a good idea to do a retake on this video once the game is officially released

[@GarnetDust24]

THEY ARE MAKING A CRAZY CAT LADY TOO! The character design in this game goes so hard

[@DrNiradino]

Also Mark Zuckerberg is one of the characters in there. He's aussie for some reason though.

[@felixrowan646]

Regarding Mo & Krill, the pair gave me Goon and Franky (from the comic series The Goon) vibes. The series subverts the usual dynamic of "big dumb, little smart" veering more into a Slow, Methodical/Hyperactive, Chaotic balance.

[@emmas1366]

the what 🤨

[@toddoverholt4556]

TFW A Latina gargoyle has more pieces of fan art than the peak player count of Concord

[@EmperorSigismund]

Him: "He's just a Bobby." Me: "Shit! I get to play as a Bobby!"

[@fillosof66689]

I know, right? For me Warden's design is plenty cool as it is, even if I have to agree that it doesn't gel well with his backstory of an alchemist monster hunter. Wish he had an ability to CC the enemy based on their lack of 'loicense' and get some work done with his night stick.

[@EmperorSigismund]

@@fillosof66689 Almost anything is on the table to be changed this early so Warden's backstory will probably change as well.

[@Perdix64]

I honestly think it would’ve been better if he was just a supernatural police officer.

[@xolotltolox7626]

​@@EmperorSigismundi think his design is more up to change rather than his kit and backstory, considering those two actually fit together, whereas the model just seems like a previous draft of Abrams

[@waterbears9874]

i honestly love warden's grunt design, just wish his backstory played more into the uniform grunt thing

[@jhkgyg098]

Me screaming when he doesnt notices the drink shakers and shot glasses on Infernus belt!! Its my favorite part, hes legit my fave character so far. Valve really knows how to make characters. I mean look at tf2 that shit was pretty much red abd blue in soilder attire with some funny cosmatic here and there. They can really make a charater stand out. Also it doesnt help that it looks like its set in a futuristic Roaring 20s or 50s. Both some of my fave time periods to kinda twist and play with. I can't wait to see where this game goes even tho im most likely never gonna play it.

[@thosebloodybadgers8499]

When I looked at Grey Talon, the first thing that came to my mind that would really help highlight the contrast between tech and tradition - he should have his actual draw arm be organic while his left, bow arm is gonna be full on tech. And I don't just mean a human arm-looking prosthetic, have it be something that's fully designed to integrate with the bow to the point where both are completely inseparable and maybe also make it bulky and lacking the sleekness that's typically associated with archery aesthetics. Not only would it give him a very distinctive feature (if done properly), I think it would also help accentuate his narrative. That arm would be, effectively, the representation of this past that he once abandoned - a purely utilitarian tool built for war, for hunting, for bringing death, that he laid down when he found happiness in living a simple, family life. Maybe he lived his mundanity without any kind of prosthetic at all (while I have no disability myself, much less so one of that sort, I have heard that plenty of people treat their prosthetics in a similar way and just don't tend to use them a lot or much at all because it feels like a tool - not a comfortable, natural part of themselves) and that could further show that he's, effectively, now been forced to go back to the way he used to be - that this is less of choice and more of a regression which feels like a betrayal to who he truly wishes he could continue being on the inside. I think Ivy's gun is meant to imply a crossbow silhouette, yes, but it's also just a straight up gun, taking inspiration from real world gun models that had their magazines feed in horizontally, like a Sten gun. I believe it's sorta doing that but also making two magazines to give it that crossbow bow shape, which I think is pretty fun and creative. Really do love how she very effectively implies that working class, found family, immigrant background. She'd 100% be part of a union, with some ethical arson on the side.

[@thosebloodybadgers8499]

Also, Skyen transitioning from absolute trashing Warden to praising Wraith What have we learned, kids? ACAB(d) - All Cops Are Badly Designed

[@thosebloodybadgers8499]

Also, if anybody else can corroborate or dispute, but Yamato doesn't seem to have a typical Japanese accent, does she? At least, not like any Japanese accent I've ever heard. Potentially very interesting character building detail, if so. Or it could be unintentional too.

[@ambralemon]

I was shaking in anticpation for Lash's background reveal while you theorized about him lmao

[@the_cosine4353]

Bebop looks like an amalgamation of every Overwatch character. It's overwhelming, but it somehow works.

[@rygornspectre7142]

Overwatch 2. Overwatch 1 designs were more simple.

[@bld9826]

​@rygornspectre7142 Not sure where the idea that OW2's designs are more complex comes from, they're still pretty simple designs.

[@rygornspectre7142]

@@bld9826 not complex, unnecessarily overwhelming.

[@Quadrilli0n]

I feel like it's a bit much

[@deddrz2549]

There are also confirmed changes in design for characters such as Bebop, who will look overall similar but will be more of an automaton made of scrap and have less of the techno elements, having one eye instead of the several and probably ditching the samurai pants, and will have a different face. For Yamato, they have been playing around with different designs that will take away the futuristic elements and instead have either a samurai mobster look, a school/college uniform, or be possessed by a demon.

[@nazarenomilohanich4883]

yesss was waiting for this, btw never forget; Jacob Lash is an asshole

[@SuperMaster000X]

who

[@CeilingFloor122]

​@@SuperMaster000XJacob Lash, he's an asshole.

[@shades3660]

Very important info

[@userlaiss1409]

@@SuperMaster000X jacob lash

[@Perdix64]

Weirdly fitting that Ivy’s support. Despite how they’re depicted, Gargoyles are actually guardians, protecting demons from people. It’s why a lot of Gothic churches have them, it’s to protect people.

[@RatComedenti]

Something about Lash you find from in-game quotes is that Bebop "took his uppercut" A god chunk of the lore is from quotes currently

[@RatComedenti]

Also some of the more sci-fi ish stuff like grey talons outfit and bow are from a old sci-fi version of deadlock back whgen i t was called neon prime

[@RatComedenti]

Oh also a big theme of the game is "making deals" Pockets quotes imply he found the suitcase and that kept him alive. Every match is you trying to kill an opposing wish granting patron so your wish granting patron gives you a wish. Lash wants his "glory" back. Paradox seems to want to "prove" the worthiness of the organisation Infront of the patron (implied from the patrons quotes towards her). I hope in the future the in-game quotes become easier to find in lobby

[@Antonim54]

1:58:00 Funny thing about Elvis, he's actually a major influence for greaser subculture. Greasers LOVED rock n' roll in the 50s and 60s, so who better to emulate than the King of Rock himself? If the game is taking place in 1970s New York, then Shiv is more likely a take on the greaser revival scene.

[@Lightscribe225]

Given the ads and the art nouveu architecture I'm getting more of a 40s vibe. Could be shiv isn't bringing back the King, but maybe in this version of New York he IS the King...

[@Perdix64]

@@Lightscribe225that’s an awesome take.

[@samueloakley4254]

The carved whalebone things are called Scrimshaw

[@pepicolamaster]

I don't know if you noticed but the little candle minions, when you hurt them, the lower their health is the more melte their head becomes ! Such a cool little detail

[@mononoaware8529]

my jaw dropped when Warden started speaking with an American accent lool

[@mononoaware8529]

and yeah some of these are great but then a lot of them are like, two people playing a game where they design a character and one writes the story and one draws the dude but they aren't allowed to communicate at all lol

[@ViashinoWizard]

at least some of these guns are definitely placeholder assets: Viscous and Kelvin's are the same model with different colors, for one. EDIT: speaking of those two, I wonder if Viscous' model is just a retextured version of Kelvin's original astronaut spacesuit

[@InferusIcornix]

Yes, it is. Valve will change his model in the future.

[@noxlotl_]

I'm SO happy they didnt go with the futuristic route (ngl im sick of it lol)... I heard a previous version(?) or smth of it was cyberpunk themed and I'm so happy they went the other way~ Steampunk , magic , ghosts in random rooms ., fricking love it~

[@Wabinator]

Man I wish you saw Shiv's rail grab animation.

[@jsj0520]

Ever since I got access on Tuesday I have been HOOKED. Not only are the character designs amazing (which of course that’s what this entire video is about). but as a game designer myself, valve has once again displayed their sheer masterclass understanding of game design, with all of the mechanics in this game and how they flow so well together. I have over 2000 hours on TF2 and valve has once again got their hooks in my brain…

[@Nilon241]

1:45:35 I imagine Pocket having a suitcase in their design represents them being on the run, they are being pushed out of their parent's legacy by force.

[@Nilon241]

The corruption from the case also explains why they have an in game damage vulnerability to magic.

[@Rev_Boneman]

So, if you notice - Fairfax is also the company McGinnis works for. From what I understand, it's essentially a magical weapons company - hence why a soul-processing machine drew their eyes and why Pocket has a bunch of enchanting stuff. Pocket is, essentially, the heir to a massive PMC/Enchanter's guild combo. Them being so uncomfortable using the suitcase as a weapon and the fact that their ult is non-lethal kind of paint the picture of an heir who was ousted for not agreeing with the military industrial complex that surrounds Fairfax.

[@Biabebia]

The theory I thought of is that the lore suggests that the game takes place in the 50s, 5 years after the end of the Second World War. Perhaps Fairfox industries were very involved in weapons used in war and Pocket, seeing the evil and the number of innocent people who were killed, was against the production of weapons. It is worth remembering that 1947 was the beginning of the Cold War, in which we had the arms race and many tensions of a possible new war. There's no way of knowing whether Valve will use historical contexts for Deadlock's Lore, but I think it's worth thinking about them

[@ufuk5872]

You can spawn bots of heroes to get a better look at them.

[@3BSkyen]

OH. D'oh, of course! I shoulda thought of that

[@MartyMailbox]

For Vindicta, her skill1 is where she uses her stakes, she thorws one a it stick the enemy to the ground. It's even actually called, Stake.

[@VerbalLearning]

Jacob Lash's lore is perfect and should not be changed. If they ever do, the only acceptable change is "Jacob Lash is still an asshole".

[@kassandranna]

Infernus having the napalm stored in a shaker cause he is a bartender feels like such an awesome detail I think his socks could be bright red as well, maybe either change the shoes according to your insight or the socks. Maybe you could do both. P.S. I feel like Kelvin should be Irish and tell his allies to call him if they ever need help, thus getting a nickname and becoming "call me" Kelvin. Sorry, i read his name as Kevin first

[@KolTheKobold]

Hot tip. Viscous is a placeholder model. if you pay attention, its actually kelvin's model with cosmetics removed and texture/material changed. also, if you ever plan on doing an update video for any new models/updated models, you can spawn them in in sandbox mode so you can get a better view of their front, its in the testing tools at the bottom right.

[@SrVerataro]

There's a few characters that are absolutely leftovers from before Deadlock from when it was Neon Prime the space shooter y'see

[@9000beastboy]

For McGinnis and the makeup comments. As someone who interacts with a lot of blue collar workers who come.in all greasy. Normally they tend to have eyeliner and light makeup, so I don't really see an issue with the makeup, as it reflects a lot of the working class women I've personally interacted with.

[@DoctorWhoBlue]

Yeah, I work at a food packaging plant, and most of the women honestly have pretty heavy makeup - it's just expected of women in general, really. I do agree with Skyen that McGinnis probably doesn't really need it, though. I'd like to see some bushier eyebrows on a lady!

[@acksawblack]

Main issue mcguiness is why does she sound like a latino women from 2024 lol

[@marethyuplays544]

The first thing that comes my mind when I first saw pocket is Harry Houdini, which I think is their intention, with the similar hair style and clothes, That’s why I got magician from their design

[@PotatoPatatoVonSpudsworth]

Lady Geist holds her arm is the same way someone with late-stage Parkinson's does.

[@Pandaxtor]

"Too far" is a very good anti cheese mechanic. There was another game that didn't have this and it was the most miserable experience trying to defend your towers against backdoor attacks from assassins. That game is super monday night combat.

[@toddoverholt4556]

We don't want this to be dota where ranged characters like Sniper can outrange towers

[@Oscar97o]

Also keep in mind that this only affects structures. Vindincta's ultimate has infinite range against players (or creeps, I guess).

[@Lessen0]

I love Ivy, and I love the multiple seconds of dead silence at 35:15 before "Is that literally just like a gremlin??"

[@abomaboi1088]

I have a little bit to add to your analysis of Pocket. I agree that the magic part of them feels out of place based on just the background story, but their voicelines and other characters backgrounds add to it a lot. A lot of Pocket's voice lines are about them being afraid of their father using the power of the suitcase. McGinnis' background read that she was recruited to work for Fairfax when she started creating occult weapons ie. the souls thing. To me it gives the impression of Fairfax industries being a megacorporation that is trying to harness occult weapons and Pocket takes it upon themselves to steal the case from their father so that he can't use it's power. Pocket seems to be torn between hiding and creating a separate entity away from their father which to me explains why they aren't wearing a mask and still dress stylishly even though they're on the run. They can't quite shake off the part of them created by their upbringing. That's my thoughts on the character, I've been really loving the game and this was a very fun video to watch!

[@cloudson3886]

I think the part of Lady Geist is that she lives mostly cause of her beauty in a way, cannonically she was married to a WW2 general during WW2, so her beauty is the way she gets her power and she knows the value of it more than no other.

[@MichaelOfCainhurst]

I hope they never change Lash's background.

[@kaelthas06]

38:34 yes that is indeed spanish, she said "Creen que estan ganando?" which translates to "Do you think you're winning?"

[@maddinar6727]

I do like a non-conventional female character like Ivy. :D

[@TheOneStooge]

I don't really see why there has to be a "twist" or "subversion of the archetype"? Sometimes Archetypes are fine as they are, that's why they exist! :D

[@oxybe]

37:20 the crossbar on Ivy's machine gun looks like 2 extended magazine, sort of like you would see on something like the Sten, but the reload doesn't have her interact with them at all: they do... something while she's reloading, they flip up and move back a bit until the reload animation ends and they go back to their sideways position in the front, but don't seem to really do anything with regard to the ammunition. Her gun also has what clearly looks to be an outside charging handle, but again, she doesn't interact with this part. What she does interact with kind of a looks like she's reloading the gun from the bottom, like you would a shotgun and flips some part to snap the magazine/ammo into place followed by a shotgun like pump animation that clicks it all into place. It's a nonsensical weapon used by cool hispanic gargoyle. I'll live.

[@candlestone5397]

What caught my eye on the Warden was the Keys he has on his belt. Those are OLD keys, like ancient. What do they keep locked away? What is he the Warden of?

[@Greyinkling276]

There's definitely some inspiration from the hellboy universe in the setting and it's super obvious with Abrams who is sometimes jokingly called the Pepsi hellboy. Even Thematically they're punchy and reluctantly carry a burden they'd rather be rid of, hellboy's key and Abram's book.

[@swordcrab3181]

For Pocket's magic suitcase and coat, given that the character is a trust fund baby it might be intentional to have their power come from their possessions? Like they literally bought their magic?

[@GeorgeNoiseless]

So it's pretty common knowledge now that Deadlock had to go through an emergency re-design from "Neon Prime" a while back, a process so rough it's not even finished yet... But how long back did that re-design start? Valve registered the "Neon Prime" trademark back in October 2022, so that was probably when the expanded playtest started -- the one that brought feedback that required this change. "Deadlock" started closed alpha testing somewhere around 3-4 months ago, it seems. Pretty good turnaround time, all things considered.

[@duketired]

the way he says tf2 is siphoning the blood from my veins

[@gexianhen]

Warden lore make no sense really. We know by electric ghost guy that there are magic laws and magic crime, so logically there must be a Magic police. he look the part, he carry handcuff and magic talismans... Just need a different backstory. Give that backstory to a monster hunter character better

[@strangething77]

I wonder if Warden's hand is a hand of glory. Those were supposedly made from a hand taken from an hanged man. Fits with the magic cop idea.

[@Mordrevious]

I don’t necessarily love Deadlock’s art style, but they definitely nailed every character having a distinct color palette and silhouette, and some of the concepts are genuinely fun ideas.

[@rpglover101]

Takes me back to early TF2. It’s so refreshing.

[@NoshuHyena]

Almost guaranteed the art style will get a huge facelift before release. Aside from the neat posters everywhere, the environment looks like default assets from 15 years ago. No way that'll fly as a 1.0 release in this day and age.

[@Nienmamnicku20]

Mo is the big one because he's a MOle rat, Krill is the small one because KRILL are tiny sea bugs.