Best Deadlock Infernus build: Abilities & Items

Deadlock isn’t exactly an easy game to learn. However, if you’ve just gotten access to the Alpha and are looking for a character to start with, Infernus is a great choice.

Valve’s latest multiplayer game has almost immediately become a smash hit, and it’s come a long way since it was reportedly just a Half-Life spin-off game.

From last-hitting minions to trading in lane, even the simplest concepts in Deadlock take some time to learn. There are a lot of mechanics, and it can feel a bit overwhelming at first. Fortunately, Infernus is one of the easiest characters to play, and that ease of use doesn’t make him weak.

However, if you’re a bit more of an experienced player looking for some extra tips, there’s a ton of stuff that’ll be useful here as well in terms of counter-building and putting together the best items to close out games.

Here’s the best build for Infernus in Deadlock, as well as what order you should build items in and how you should level his abilities.

Infernus best abilities in Deadlock

Here are both the starting and max orders for his abilities. There’s some leeway here like, for instance, if you wanted to get an extra point in Concussive Combustion to get a lower cooldown, but this is a great path to follow if you’re just getting started.

• Ability Starting path: 3>1>2
  • Note: Against heroes with gap close like Abrams or Bebop, you may want to grab 2 second or even first. If you feel like you’re in danger of dying, this is fine.
• Ability Max path: 3>2>4>1
  • There is some deviation here. If you’d like to get an extra point in your 1 for bonus charge or an extra point in your ult for the cooldown, that’s fine. However, following this max path will get you the most success.

Deadlock

The biggest mistake new Infernus players make is underestimating the damage and utility on Flame Dash. Late game, this ability will do upwards of 100 damage per tick. If you run through a lane with this ability on during a teamfight and you’ve got enough lifesteal, you’re going to be very hard to kill.

It’s worth noting that, in maxing Afterburn, you’ll want to keep shooting at the same target until they go down. Keeping that DoT refreshed is essential, and your abilities will take care of the AoE damage for you. As long as you’re focusing down enemies one at a time with your primary fire, you’ll be fine.

Deadlock Infernus abilities explained

If you’re not familiar with Infernus’ abilities, here’s a rundown:

Ability Icon	Ability Name	Description	Levels
	Catalyst	Spew napalm that slows enemy movement and amplifies damage Infernus does to them.	Level 1: +1 Charge Level 2: Infernus gains 20% Lifesteal against victims Level 3: +10% damage amp and -40% heal/regen
	Flame Dash	Move forward at high speed and leave a flame trail that burns enemies.	Level 1: +30% fire rate slow for 7 seconds Level 2: +45 DPS Level 3: -20 second cooldown
	Afterburn	Your bullets build up to apply a burning effect on enemies. Infernus’ bullets and abilities refresh the duration.	Level 1: Victims deal -30% spirit damage. Level 2: +1 second burn duration Level 3: +30 DPS
	Concussive Combustion	Turns you into a living bomb that explodes after a short delay, stunning all enemies in its radius.	Level 1: -40 second cooldown Level 2: +0.5 second stun duration and +4 meter radius Level 3: +115 damage and 100% lifesteal from enemy heroes hit

Best build on Infernus: Deadlock items explained

For the sake of clarity, items will be divided into four sections: Early game, mid game, late game, and situational items.

The first three sections are pretty straightforward, though you shouldn’t be afraid to cross lines and perhaps buy a late game item early on if you’re fed or if you’re out of flex slots and need other options.

Bear in mind that there’s no objectively correct build for any character in Deadlock. Every game is different, and the needs of both you and your team change depending on several factors. You’ll have to learn what each item does and when to build it eventually to do well in high-level matches. However, this guide will get you on the right track and give you room to learn.

Here’s the rundown of what you should be buying at each point in the game:

Early Game items

Weapon Items:

• Monster Rounds: Helps learn how laning works and get a lane advantage.
• Rapid Rounds: This Item increases your fire rate speed by by 9% and sprint speed by +1m/s.
• Basic Magazine: This is a nice-to-have you can upgrade later.

Vitality Items:

• Healing Rite: With this Item, you get 370 points of Regen and 2m/s Sprint Speed.
• Enduring Spirit: You get 75 Bonus Health plus other Spirit-related advantages.
• Sprint Boots: This Item is great for rotating early.

Mystic Items:

• Infuser: Make sure you use it with your 2 and run through a wave. That extra lifesteal could save you.
• Ammo Scavenger: This Item will help you snowball lanes,

Mid Game items

Vitality Items:

• Spirit Lifesteal: Gives you a ton of sustain.
• Bullet Armor: Infernus is at his best when he’s got some bulk to him, and this is one of the Items that can help in that department.
• Spirit Armor: Again, continues to build up Infernus’ tankiness.
• Healing Booster: This Item increases the effectiveness of your healing.
• Leech: Counters anti-heal items by giving you even more bullet and spirit lifesteal while reducing the effectiveness of anti-heal.
• Unstoppable: With Unstoppable, Infernus is able to get into fights to carry.

Weapon Items:

• Soul Shredder Bullets: Give you even more sustain.
• Ricochet: Makes Infernus’ primary fire apply his 3 to everything

Mystic Items:

• Duration Extender: This Item is an absolute must to get the most out of your 3 ability.
• Mystic Vulnerability: Reduces the target’s Spirit Resist when they take Spirit Damage.
• Suppressor: Slows down enemies’ fire rate when you deal Spirit Damage.
• Improved Spirit: Makes sure you’ve got an extra supply of Spirit.
• Escalating Exposure: Drastically increases your damage in extended fights.

Late Game/Luxury

Weapon Items:

• Spiritual Overflow: This is the perfect Infernus item considering it gives him bonus spirit and bullet damage.
• Ricochet: With this Item, your bullets ricochet on enemies near your target.

Vitality Items:

• Leech: Infernus gets +35% Spirit Lifesteal and Bullet Lifesteal, as well as 175 bonus health.
• Unstoppable: With this Item, you can suppress negative status effects and become immune to them.
• Inhibitor: This Item is great for trading since it weakens your opponent.
• Colossus: This is a strong option if you’re looking to stay alive longer in fights.

Mystic Items:

• Boundless Spirit: With this Item, Infernus gets extra spirit power, bonus health, health regen, weapon damage, and sprint speed.
• Diviner’s Kevlar: Infernus gets a temporary Bullet Shield, Spirit Shield, and Spirit Power every time you cast an ultimate.
• Escalating Exposure: Dealing Spirit Damage applies a stacking Spirit Amp that increases your Spirit Damage to the target.

Situational items

Since these items are situational, we’ll be breaking them down 1 by 1:

Vitality Items:

• Extra Stamina: Infernus doesn’t need stamina as much as other characters due to how low a cooldown his 2 has later on, but it can still be handy in certain matchups.
• Enduring Speed: You’ll want to upgrade to these from your normal boots no matter what, but buy them sooner rather than later if you’re rotating a lot.
• Divine Barrier: If you’re extremely behind, this is your lifeline. The active will save your life against heavy burst. Buy this and focus on damage items if you get shut down early so you can have impact.

Weapon Items:

• Toxic Bullets: Buy against healing. This item synergizes best with Infernus due to the bleed, but Healbane and Decay are also options.
• Warp Stone: This is great for blinking in with a charged ult. Use against mobile characters to catch them off guard.

Mystic Items:

• Slowing Hex: Airborne enemies give Infernus a hard time. Use this to ground them by disabling all their movement. Useful against Vindicta, Lash, Pocket, Shiv, and other mobile menaces.
• Mystic Slow: Great if you need to keep your team from getting dived, using this with your 2’s flame trail is a great counter-engage tool.
• Ethereal Shift: If you’re getting heavily focused, this is the item for you. Ethereal Shift will buy you some time to try and make a difference in fights.
• Curse: This is a huge investment, but sometimes necessary. If the enemy team has one fed hypercarry, this’ll shut them down. Especially useful if you’re struggling against someone like Seven who has a lethal channel ability.

Pros and Cons of Infernus

Infernus is the fiery powerhouse of Deadlock, with some seriously awesome strengths, but as with all characters, he’s got his pros and cons.

• Pros:
  • He dominates area-of-effect damage, making minion waves and jungle camps his personal playground.
  • His abilities let him chase down fleeing enemies, and his damage-over-time effects can steadily whittle down health bars.
  • By the late game, he’s a formidable brawler, especially against tanky foes
  • He can farm efficiently without needing fancy items.
• Cons:
  • His range is a problem; he thrives in close to mid-range, so if you’re not in the action, you’re not at your best.
  • If he falls behind in levels or items, he turns into a squishy target that can’t hold his own.
  • He’s quick on the ground, he lacks vertical mobility. His early game damage is weak, needing upgrades to become a real threat, and he tends to focus on one target at a time, which limits his effectiveness in team fights.

Where does Infernus sit in the meta?

If you want a reliable all-rounder who’s easy to play and has major carry potential, Infernus is your guy. He’s an A-tier character in the current Deadlock meta.

His AoE damage is kind of a snooze until you level up his Flame Dash, but once you do, watch out – his Afterburn can shred even the toughest enemies. Sure, he packs a punch in team fights, but getting up close for his big hits like Concussive Combustion is a risky game. That need for personal space keeps him from hitting S-Tier, but don’t sleep on him; he’s still a solid choice.

That’s how you should build and play Infernus in Deadlock! If you want to see how he stacks up to the rest of the cast, check out our tier list.