Why bother with finesse when you can simply crush your opponents into submission? This is the mindset when playing as Abrams, as raw power reigns supreme for this formidable warrior. Here are the key tactics you need to dominate in Deadlock with this character.
Typically, Detective characters in literature are not depicted as physically intimidating; instead, they are often portrayed as cerebral strategists or skilled marksmen. However, this does not apply to Abrams, whose abilities are enhanced by a mystical tome called The Tome, granting him the ability to drain the life force from his adversaries.
As a player of Abrams, your objective is to immerse yourself in combat and utilize your unique abilities to Stun your enemies. Furthermore, you have access to powers that can restore your health and reduce the impact of attacks from your foes. These powers have been enhanced in the most recent Deadlock update.
This is Abram’s top build for Deadlock, detailing the recommended abilities to level up, the items to purchase, and helpful tips for maximizing his kit’s potential.
Recommended abilities for Abrams
If you have yet to play as Abrams or desire a more comprehensive understanding of his statistics and unique abilities, below is a complete list of his powers and their functions:
- 1: Siphon Life
- Drains health from enemies in front of you.
- This ability creates an AoE around you that takes health from enemies and gives them to you. Improving this skill increases the duration and amount of health taken/received.
- Level 1: -20s Cooldown
- Level 2: +2s
- Level 3: +40 damage per second
- 2: Shoulder Charge
- Charge into the fray, dragging enemies along with you.
- This attack causes Abrams to rush forward. If you manage to hit an enemy Hero and push them into a wall, they’ll be stunned for one second. At max level, you’ll deal increased damage for 8 seconds after the stun.
- Level 1: -20s Cooldown
- Level 2: +0.5s Duration
- Level 3: +5.5 Weapon Damage for 8s after colliding with an enemy
- 3: Infernal Resiliance
- Regenerate some of the damage you receive.
- This is a passive effect that regenerates a portion of damage over 16 seconds. As you improve this skill, your max health and regenerative capabilities will increase.
- Level 1: +1.5 Health Regen
- Level 2: +150 Health
- Level 3: +9% Damage Regenerated
- 4: Seismic Impact
- Smash into enemies from above, stunning them
- Abrams leaps into the air, and you aim at a spot where you’ll crash land, dealing damage and stunning enemies in a 9m radius around the impact zone. Improving this skill makes it harder to debuff Abrams after cast.
- Level 1: -40s Cooldown
- Level 2: Gain 100 Max HP and 15% Fire Rate per hero hit. Lasts 25s
- Level 3: On cast, become immune to Stun, Sleep, Silence, Root, and Disarm. Expires 3s after landing.
Abrams’s playstyle centers around utilizing a short-range shotgun, emphasizing the importance of engaging in close combat and combining melee attacks with gunshots. In the beginning of the game, the focus is on staying alive rather than dealing heavy damage, and it’s best to wait for the perfect moment to strike. If you manage to sneak up behind an opponent and stun them against a wall, it becomes effortless to eliminate them. Keep an eye out for openings and act swiftly when they arise.
The complete initial and maximum path for Abram’s abilities in Deadlock are provided below:
Boosting your Infernal Resilience is crucial for surviving the early stages of the game. Once that is accomplished, prioritize upgrading Siphon Life and Shoulder Charge to have powerful abilities at your disposal when battling against other heroes.
As you near the end game, prioritize Seismic Impact as it is your powerful AoE Ultimate attack that will be crucial in countering enemy heroes who are using their strongest abilities. Once that is done, you can resume using Infernal Resilience to give yourself an extra boost of protection and survivability during the final stages of the match.
Best Build on Abrams: Deadlock Items Explained
Items will be categorized into four sections: early game, mid-game, late game/luxury, and situational items.
With Abrams’ clear focus in mind, it is important to prioritize equipping items that enhance close-range buffs, improve health, increase movement speed, and aid in regeneration. These items will strengthen your abilities as a rushdown player, allowing you to engage in close combat with enemies.
It is important to note that there is no one perfect build that applies to every game. To excel in high-level matches, you must familiarize yourself with the purpose and appropriate timing for purchasing each item. With this knowledge, you will have a strong foundation to begin with.
Early Game Items
It is important to prioritize Close Quarters and Headshot Booster at the beginning of the game. Close Quarters will increase your shield and damage when in close proximity to enemies, and Headshot Booster will provide you with 45 extra damage. This will give you an advantage in close combat situations, allowing for easier headshot infliction.
The Melee Charge ability not only boosts your weapon damage and regen rate, but also allows for instant reloading when executing a melee attack. This makes it a perfect complement for Abrams, who is constantly at the forefront of combat.
Melee Lifesteal enhances your melee attacks, increases your health, and enables you to recover some of your health with each melee strike. This skill perfectly complements Abrams’ aggressive playstyle and assists him in managing damage received during the early stages of the game.
The use of Sprint Boots can enhance your sprinting speed and regeneration, which is advantageous in aiding Abrams to rotate early and gain an advantage. However, if you are struggling in lane, it is recommended to opt for Extra Stamina as it provides a stronger rush.
The Healing Rite is an activatable item that provides a 60-second increase in regen and sprint speed. However, it will be dispelled if you take any damage, making it a useful tool for catching up in lane. It can also be utilized while clearing jungle camps, but be aware that only damage from enemy heroes can interrupt its effects.
The Infuser is a highly beneficial activatable item that provides both spirit power and spirit lifesteal. It has a short 35 second cooldown, making it a necessary item for any player looking to engage aggressively with their lane opponent. Alternatively, Spirit Strike is another option, but compared to the other two melee items currently available, it is the least advantageous.
Mid Game Items
Berserker enhances your damage output as you take damage. This is particularly beneficial for Abrams, who excels in close combat situations.
Point Blank enhances your damage and allows you to apply the Movement Slow condition within a limited range. This is particularly useful in stopping opponents from retreating to safety while you aggressively close in on them.
As Pristine Emblem increases your damage against enemies with over 50% health, it is particularly beneficial since you are typically the first to engage with enemies. Abrams is also a skilled roamer, making it a valuable early investment for frequent ganking situations.
Spirit Lifesteal and Spirit Armor are essential upgrades that can be utilized in various scenarios, as they focus on enhancing your Spirit damage and defense abilities.
Torment Pulse is a useful ability for characters who excel in close combat, as it constantly inflicts Spirit Damage on 2 nearby enemies.
Bullet Resist Shredder is an effective choice for builds utilizing Abrams’ AoE damage, as it decreases an enemy’s Bullet Resist once they have been hit with Spirit Damage. Similarly, Suppressor is a beneficial option for these builds as it will cause a Fire Rate Slow in the same situation.
Late Game and Luxury
Crippling Headshot decreases both Bullet and Spirit Resistance, making it a top priority for close-range characters.
Frenzy will increase your Fire Rate, Movement Speed, and Spirit Resist when your health is at or below 40%. Since you will likely be sustaining significant damage, this ability will prove highly beneficial.
The use of Lifestrike increases your melee attack and simultaneously returns 55% of the damage to Abrams. This also results in a Movement Slow debuff, allowing you to remain within range for subsequent attacks. Alternatively, Inhibitor has a comparable impact, but with a ranged weapon. If you are struggling to trade and close the distance on a carry, opt for Inhibitor instead.
Enhanced Bullet Armor and Enhanced Spirit Armor are easily understood and will aid in your survival. Additionally, Leech provides significant lifesteal and counters the effects of anti-heal, ultimately increasing your resilience.
With Superior Cooldown, the cooldown time for your powers is decreased. This is particularly beneficial when upgrading Seismic Impact, as its base cooldown is 150 seconds. Additionally, choosing Mystic Slow means that enemies hit with Spirit damage will experience reduced Movement Speed and Fire Rate.
Situational Items
These items, as the name suggests, are meant to be bought only when necessary. They encompass:
- With Warp Stone, you can quickly teleport up to 13m and gain Bullet Resist, enabling you to swiftly navigate through enemy territories or surprise them by infiltrating their frontlines.
- Hunter’s Aura will have the ability to lower the enemy’s Bullet Resist and Fire Rate. When facing a team with multiple frontline heroes, this effect is amplified threefold, making it a valuable tool in battle.
- In addition to enlarging your character model, Colossus also enhances your health, melee damage, weapon damage, resistance to both bullets and spirits, and has a slowing effect on nearby enemies.
- Unstoppable grants immunity to Stun, Silence, Sleep, Root, and Disarm for 60 seconds. Keep in mind that a fully upgraded Seismic Impact also provides this advantage.
- Debuff Remover eliminates any effects that have been applied, with the exception of Stun and Sleep, as it is not usable while you are under their influence.
- When triggered, Metal Skin grants immunity to both bullets and melee attacks for a duration of 3.5 seconds. It is important to use it strategically.
- If you are affected by movement lock, stun, chains, immobilization, or sleep, Reactive Barrier will provide additional Bullet and Spirit Shields. This ability is particularly beneficial against heroes with status effects.
- When used, Divine Barrier provides Bullet Shield, Spirit Shield, and Movement Speed, but it can only be cast for a brief period of time.
- Slowing Hex inflicts Spirit Damage and reduces the movement and dash speed of its targets. It also disables movement-based items and abilities, making it a valuable tool against heroes who heavily rely on their specials. This spell is especially effective when used against enemies in close proximity.
- Knockdown has a 2-second delay, but it will still stun an enemy. This ability is particularly useful as it interrupts enemy actions, and it can even be used to disrupt powerful ultimates such as Seven’s channel.
- The Silence Glyph is effective in silencing enemies and preventing them from using most of their abilities. This makes it particularly useful against elusive characters such as Pocket, who rely on their abilities to avoid confrontation.
- For an added boost to Seismic Impact, consider obtaining Diviner’s Kevlar, which provides a significant increase in Bullet and Spirit Shield as well as Spirit Power after its usage.
Just like every other character in the game, mastering his strategies will require effort, but the payoff is worth the time investment.
However, if you give Abrams a chance and find that he’s not a good fit for you, our Deadlock character tier list is available for you to explore alternative options.
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