Deadlock cheating gets worse as players plead with Valve for a fix

Joe Pring
Three Deadlock characters standing posing with weapons in front of a grey background.

Following in the footsteps of every popular competitive game, Deadlock has already attracted cheaters to its shores and players are hopeful Valve can stay on top of one of its worst offenders.

Complaints relating to rage quitting, cheating, and general toxicity from participants in the ongoing Closed Alpha have become more commonplace as more and more players get access. Adding to those woes is the emergence of a video on September 4 appearing to show the use of aimbot software.

The 40-second clip shows sniper-wielding Vindicta engaging in several skirmishes with a near-perfect, mechanical aim, snapping to the head of multiple minions with precision.

The footage originated from a Reddit user, who stated that they had encountered the Vindicta in question, “even at a low number of total games.”

While there could be more, the only matchmaking rating (MMR) known to be used in Deadlock currently is hero-based. Valve confirmed previously that it was in the process of a “full rewrite” of the system as the existing version “doesn’t work very well”.

Ideally, cheaters wouldn’t be present at any skill level, with players hopeful the issue will be resolved or at least lessened soon. “Sad seeing how many cheaters are showing up but not entirely surprising given Counter-Strike 2 and Team Fortress 2’s issues,” came one reply, adding, “Hopefully Valve can put solid work into their anti-cheat.”

“Valve has big issues with cheaters in their games. Their next priority should be a good anti-cheat in all their games”, said another.

Not convinced that Deadlock wouldn’t face the same fate as other competitive titles, another claimed: “This game will be infested with cheaters like Counter-Strike matchmaking, that’s for sure. So sad, but it will happen.”

For now, it’s recommended you report anyone suspected of cheating on Deadlock’s official Discord server, accessible in-game. For in-depth resources on the current meta, check out our tier list ranking every available hero.

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