What are the roles in Deadlock?

Deadlock assigns every hero one of four classes in its own game files: marksman, assassin, brawler and mystic. Unlike most hero shooters the game does not enforce team composition, so a role describes how a hero is built rather than a slot you must fill.

Does Deadlock have a role queue?

No. Any team can pick any combination of heroes, and the roles in the game files are descriptive rather than a matchmaking constraint.

Which role is best for beginners?

Brawlers are the most forgiving because their health pools absorb positioning mistakes, while assassins punish them hardest. Hero complexity is listed on every hero page and is a better guide than role alone.

Deadlock roles

Every hero by the class Valve assigns them

Deadlock sorts 41 of its 41 heroes into 4 classes — Marksman (10), Assassin (9), Brawler (10) and Mystic (12). These are read from the game files rather than assigned by us, and Deadlock has no role queue: the class describes how a hero is built, not a slot your team has to fill.

Heroes per role

Read from hero_type in the game files.

Win rate by role

Role	Heroes	Win rate	Matches
Marksman	10	48.4%	5.1M
Assassin	9	50.0%	4.7M
Brawler	10	50.4%	5.3M
Mystic	12	51.0%	5.6M

Weighted by matches played, not averaged across heroes — otherwise a rarely-picked hero would move a whole role's number as much as the most popular one. Role win rates sit close together because every match has one winner and one loser regardless of composition.

Marksman

Built around sustained weapon damage. These heroes convert souls into gun DPS and want range and uptime rather than burst trades.

Hero	Win rate	Pick rate	Health
Ivy	52.9%	26.4%	755
Wraith	50.3%	33.4%	730
Vindicta	50.3%	32.7%	755
Infernus	48.9%	43.1%	830
Holliday	48.0%	22.9%	780
Grey Talon	47.3%	16.9%	780
Venator	46.6%	45.3%	820
Mina	46.5%	42.3%	660
Paradox	46.0%	30.2%	730
Deadman Danny	36.0%	0.9%	680

Assassin

Built around picking off single targets. High burst and mobility, and the most punished by mistakes — they need a window rather than a fight.

Hero	Win rate	Pick rate	Health
Haze	54.1%	52.7%	730
Lash	51.1%	43.0%	780
Drifter	50.1%	43.4%	755
Apollo	49.9%	27.9%	770
Calico	49.8%	22.7%	730
Vyper	48.5%	17.6%	780
Yamato	48.4%	27.8%	730
Pocket	45.4%	23.8%	780
Mirage	44.4%	15.0%	730

Brawler

Built to hold the front. Larger health pools and sustain, and the heroes that most want to be inside a fight rather than reaching into it.

Hero	Win rate	Pick rate	Health
Rat King	57.8%	45.1%	800
Victor	54.6%	31.1%	800
Kelvin	53.9%	17.3%	880
Abrams	51.2%	30.7%	800
Mo & Krill	51.1%	28.3%	930
Billy	47.7%	32.3%	820
Warden	47.7%	15.8%	805
Bebop	47.2%	43.1%	880
Silver	46.1%	30.9%	830
Shiv	45.0%	32.1%	830

Mystic

Built around ability damage and control rather than the gun. Their scaling comes from spirit rather than weapon items.

Hero	Win rate	Pick rate	Health
Graves	56.5%	41.9%	730
Paige	56.4%	38.3%	680
Seven	55.1%	35.1%	730
Dynamo	52.5%	27.9%	880
Lady Geist	50.9%	28.0%	880
Celeste	49.1%	31.3%	690
McGinnis	48.2%	14.5%	780
Rem	47.1%	39.9%	680
Viscous	46.0%	17.0%	780
The Doorman	45.9%	19.7%	755
Sinclair	45.8%	17.5%	730
Solomon	44.6%	14.1%	780

Common questions

What are the roles in Deadlock?: Deadlock assigns every hero one of four classes in its own game files: marksman, assassin, brawler and mystic. Unlike most hero shooters the game does not enforce team composition, so a role describes how a hero is built rather than a slot you must fill.
Does Deadlock have a role queue?: No. Any team can pick any combination of heroes, and the roles in the game files are descriptive rather than a matchmaking constraint.
Which role is best for beginners?: Brawlers are the most forgiving because their health pools absorb positioning mistakes, while assassins punish them hardest. Hero complexity is listed on every hero page and is a better guide than role alone.