Valorant players react to Deadlock reveal: “This cannot be the same game”

Declan Mclaughlin
Deadlock holding a Phantom in Valorant's Fracture map

Riot Games has revealed the newest Valorant Agent to mixed reception from the community and its player base.

The newest Valorant Agent, Deadlock, has been revealed by Riot Games. Deadlock is a Sentinel from Norway with abilities meant to stall pushes and trap enemies.

The Valorant community had a mixed initial reaction, with many players commenting on her potential to disrupt the meta and how her mechanics bring new elements to the game.

Early reactions seem to center around Annihilation, her ultimate ability, as fans believe it will lead to free round wins in one-on-one clutches.

“Imagine bro is planting the spike and you just kidnap him with the bomb,” one player said.

The Guard player Ian ‘tex’ Botsch is also wondering whether Deadlock isn’t a bit too strong in 1v1 situations when her ultimate is available.

“How do you beat Deadlock ult in a 1v1? Just save or what?” he wrote.

Some other professional players also expressed their dismay at the Agent’s abilities and how they might impact the level of play.

“This cannot be the same game we’ve been playing for the last three years,” TSM player Johann ‘seven’ Hernandez said.

“What’s happening, man?” Karmine Corp star Adil ‘ScreaM’ Benrlitom asked.

Team Liquid’s Dom ‘soulcas’ Sulcas also weighed in on Deadlock and the recent design of some of the newer Agents in the game.

“Starting to hate these ults where the game just unplugs your keyboard and you just have to sit there and accept death most of the time,” he said.

Many of the reactions have centered around Deadlock’s ultimate ability. When it comes to the rest of her tool kit, some players have found the new Agent “a bit underwhelming”.

“Usually, everyone thinks the new agent is op,” one user wrote on Reddit. “This is the first time in a while a new agent has looked underwhelming.”

Valorant players react to Deadlock reveal

With such an international cast of characters, Riot Games is bound to hit home with some fans with new Agent releases. This time around, Norway got some love, and many players from this country welcomed her with open arms.

“Finally an agent from my home country,” Norwegian Valorant content creator Jonas ‘AverageJonas’ Navarsete said.

However, one Norwegian player, in particular, found her accent to be a little off.

“She sounds everything but Norwegian,” Giants pro player Emir ‘rhyme’ Muminovic said.

Fans will get to play with Deadlock and form their opinion about how she feels in Valorant when the Agent becomes playable on June 27.

About The Author

Based in Indiana, Declan McLaughlin is an esports reporter for Dexerto Esports covering Valorant, LoL and anything else that pops up. Previously an editor and reporter at Upcomer, Declan is often found reading investigative stories or trying to do investigations himself. He has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Indiana University. You can contact him at declan.mclaughlin@dexerto.com.