Mirage is the newest hero introduced in Deadlock, showcasing his capabilities as a lethal drain tank with impressive rotation power. However, it requires substantial game knowledge and the right build to maximize his effectiveness. There is a lot to learn if you want to secure victories while playing him.
For all his strengths, Mirage carries a significant drawback. He excels in crowd control, sustain, and mobility but suffers from poor jungle clearing, a situational ultimate ability, and a subpar weapon that complicates his laning phase. If you manage to transition from the laning phase to impactful team fights at the right time, he can be a formidable hero. However, if you fall behind early, your performance may deteriorate.
Thankfully, we have compiled the optimal build to help this hero excel — possibly even to conquer Wisconsin? Sure, Valve, whatever floats your boat.
Below, you’ll find the best build for Mirage in Deadlock, featuring essential items to compensate for his weaknesses and the optimal ability progression path.
Is Mirage good in Deadlock?
Mirage presents a mixed experience, ultimately landing him in B-Tier on the Deadlock tier list. Unlike many other heroes, he significantly relies on team support to thrive. His weak early game and poor clearing ability make him susceptible in the initial stages, but he can make up for it during the mid-game with strategic rotations around the map.
Although he has a steep learning curve, skilled players can unleash his potential. It is advisable to avoid solo queueing with him; teaming up with friends will greatly enhance the effectiveness of his abilities.
Mirage abilities explained: What should you max?
| Ability | Description | Upgrades |
|---|---|---|
| Tornado | Transform into a tornado that travels forward, damaging and lifting enemies into the air. After the tornado, you gain bullet evasion. | +1: +0.5 lift duration +2: -14 second cooldown +5: +20% bullet evasion (total 50% with base 30%) |
| Fire Scarabs | Launch fire scarabs individually, stealing maximum health from enemies and reducing their bullet resistance. Health gain from heroes is 3x more effective. | +1: -15 second cooldown +2: -15% bullet resist +5: +70 max health steal |
| Djinn’s Mark | Passive: Your shots apply an increasing damage multiplier on a target. When it expires or maxes out, it’s consumed, dealing Spirit damage and revealing the target. Active: Consume the multiplier for immediate damage. | +1: 80% slow for 0.5 seconds +2: +4 second multiplier duration +10 base damage +5: +4 max multiplier (total 12) |
| Traveler | Channel to teleport to a designated ally or visible enemy hero, gaining increased movement speed and fire rate post-teleport. | +1: -20 second cooldown +2: +2 m/s movespeed +5: +20% fire rate |
Djinn’s Mark is central to Mirage’s kit, and prioritizing its maxing is crucial for maximizing its effectiveness. While it may not deliver immediate burst damage, the significant slow effect and ease of application make it essential for controlling battles. Mastering this ability is vital for success as Mirage.
Therefore, prioritize leveling Djinn’s Mark first, followed by Fire Scarabs for healing and protection shred, and finally the ultimate ability to enhance his effectiveness during rotations. The Tornado ability is solid enough at its base level, so you need not invest additional points into it.
Best items to build on Mirage
The suggested items are categorized into four sections: Early game, mid-game, late-game/luxury items for when you’re ahead, and situational items you can purchase depending on match requirements.
Early Game items
Weapon Items:
- Basic Magazine: Increase magazine size to enhance bullet availability.
- High-Velocity Mag: A great all-around item that provides useful early bullet shielding.
- Headshot Booster: Given the slowing effect of Mirage’s ability, landing headshots becomes simpler, leading to added value.
Vitality Items:
- Extra Health: Increases survivability; since Mirage has inherent sustain, raw HP is a wise choice. It can be swapped for Healing Rite if you struggle in the lane.
- Sprint Boots: Essential for heavy rotations; upgrade these in the mid-game.
- Note: You may opt for Stamina, but given Mirage’s mobility from his Tornado ability and limited Vitality slots, Sprint Boots are generally preferred.
Spirit Items:
- Mystic Burst: While Mirage lacks burst damage, this enhances his ability to deal damage during crucial moments.
- Quicksilver Reload: Perfect for quick reloading after using abilities on cooldown.
Mid Game items
Weapon Items:
- Berserker: Ideal for extended fights, enabling Mirage to reap the benefits of prolonged battles.
- Headhunter: Further enhances the advantages provided by the Headshot Booster.
- Titanic Magazine: Acquire this earlier than most heroes due to Mirage’s dire need for more ammunition, even with Quicksilver Reload.
Vitality Items:
- Combat Barrier: Essential for a rotation-heavy hero like Mirage, providing crucial shields and a weapon damage boost. Remember, every Vitality item increases max health without sacrificing much.
- Healbane: With long-lasting damage potential, this item synergizes excellently with Mirage’s abilities and counters healing effectively.
- Veil Walker: Great for roaming; it aids in quick lane re-engagement and damage absorption when facing pressure.
Spirit Items:
- Torment Pulse: This grants a viable jungle clearing option while offering bonus damage and synergizing with spirit items upon ability activation.
- Suppressor: Excellent for trading and preparing for Mystic Slow later.
- Improved Burst: By this stage, you should have your ability maxed for maximum damage potential.
Late Game Items
Weapon Items:
- Pristine Emblem: Excellent for initiating fights; it also provides additional tank stats.
- Ricochet: A crucial item for enhancing your toolkit. If you have 6200 souls early on, snag this for a considerable power increase.
- Spiritual Overflow: Adding damage to your abilities can pay off significantly, though it’s less critical than the other weapon options.
Vitality Items:
- Leech: The most valuable sustain item; it reduces anti-heal effectiveness against your scarabs.
- Siphon Bullets: Though this change was a nerf for several characters, it fits Mirage perfectly, especially when short on flexibility in items.
Spirit Items:
- Mystic Slow: Enhances your already potent slow effect, making you a formidable opponent in fights.
- Escalating Exposure: Pair this with your scarab for a substantial burst of damage. It also works well with Torment Pulse.
- Diviner’s Kevlar: Provides a shield when you teleport into battle, allowing for advantageous positioning.
Situational Items
Weapon Items:
- Warp Stone: A viable choice for mobility; however, its necessity may be debated considering Mirage’s weapon requirements.
- Lucky Shot: If you’re seeking more late-game impact, consider this item.
- Toxic Bullets: Use this alternative if Healbane is insufficient for countering healing.
Vitality Items:
- Improved Bullet Armor/Spirit Armor: Both are worthy purchases when tankiness is essential early in the game; swap these in for shield items like Veil Walker and Combat Barrier as needed.
- Enchanter’s Barrier: While not as effective as the weapon damage bonus on Combat Barrier, it can be beneficial against heavy spirit damage.
Spirit Items:
- Withering Whip: Controls attack speed, making it harder for carries; pairs excellently with Suppressor.
- Boundless Spirit: A luxury item suited for late games when additional movement speed/Spirit Damage is desirable.
- Surge of Power: A surprisingly effective option to pair with your ability for chasing down targets.
Mirage is certainly the type of character one would expect in an Alpha release, possessing a kit filled with strengths, weaknesses, and very little in between. His shortcomings can be substantial, but his strengths are incredibly advantageous.
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