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 37 of its 38 heroes into 4 classes — Marksman (12), Assassin (9), Brawler (8) and Mystic (8). 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	12	49.4%	5.4M
Assassin	9	50.0%	3.9M
Brawler	8	50.4%	3.6M
Mystic	8	51.2%	2.9M

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
Graves	55.7%	37.3%	730
Ivy	53.9%	31.3%	755
Vindicta	51.5%	33.6%	755
Wraith	50.7%	40.9%	730
Celeste	50.6%	37.5%	690
Infernus	49.3%	46.8%	830
Holliday	48.1%	23.6%	780
Grey Talon	47.4%	16.5%	780
Paradox	46.7%	30.1%	730
Venator	45.5%	39.5%	820
Silver	45.3%	24.7%	830
Mina	45.0%	35.3%	660

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
Lash	52.0%	46.1%	780
Haze	51.3%	44.3%	730
Calico	51.2%	26.8%	730
Drifter	51.2%	51.0%	755
Apollo	50.1%	26.7%	770
Vyper	49.0%	17.1%	780
Yamato	48.9%	27.8%	730
Pocket	46.1%	26.5%	780
Mirage	45.5%	20.3%	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
Victor	55.8%	32.4%	800
Kelvin	54.0%	18.6%	880
Mo & Krill	51.7%	31.3%	930
Abrams	50.8%	34.2%	800
Warden	50.7%	23.2%	805
Billy	49.5%	41.0%	820
Shiv	47.9%	35.0%	830
Bebop	46.8%	49.5%	880

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
Seven	55.0%	38.5%	730
Paige	53.9%	32.4%	680
McGinnis	53.1%	22.3%	780
Dynamo	51.9%	30.2%	880
Lady Geist	50.1%	31.4%	880
Viscous	47.9%	25.3%	780
The Doorman	46.8%	19.2%	755
Sinclair	44.9%	16.1%	730

Unclassified

Rem carries no role in the game files. Rather than filing them under a guess, they are listed here — the game will say eventually.

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.