Deadlock already has cheaters and fans are worried VAC won’t help

Deadlock, Valve’s upcoming MOBA, which is in closed Alpha, has already been infiltrated by cheaters, prompting the studio to respond.

Per the game’s Steam page, access is “currently limited to friend invite” by existing playtesters. However, the relatively small player pool hasn’t prevented unsavory types from ruining the experience for others.

In a message posted in the Deadlock Discord, the developer encouraged users to “report in-game cheaters”, which would then be reviewed by a “group of community cheat moderators.” This procedure is in place while the team works on “larger anti-cheat systems,” the post continued.

Valve is no stranger to the struggle to stay on top of cheaters. Rulebreakers have affected all its flagship competitive titles, Counter-Strike, its sequel, and Dota 2.

As with all of the above, Deadlock will use Valve Anti-Cheat (VAC), prompting early adopters to voice their concerns over its effectiveness.

“The main issue will be that hacks that work in CS2 will also be effective in Deadlock, at least WH and aimbots,” one user claimed on the game’s subreddit. “The advantage for Valve is that both games will share the same defense mechanism, but the fight against cheaters will be hard,” they continued.

“So no one will get banned? Just like in CS2?” Another chimed in. Meanwhile, others voiced their hope that Deadlock will become Valve’s new “golden goose,” and therefore, they reasoned, prompt it to “actually try a little bit with VAC.”

Outside community worries over cheating, reception from elsewhere has been positive. In his stream on August 25, Shroud concluded: “This game is gonna easily, and I mean easily, take over when it comes out.”

Valve hasn’t indicated when Deadlock will leave closed Alpha or if a Beta will follow this initial test period. Already have access? Check out our tier list breaking down and ranking every character available in-game.