Valve-backed shooter Deadlock expanded its hero roster with Graves, a necromancer-style controller introduced in the Old Gods, New Blood update. Graves brings summon pressure, area denial, and stat-stealing mechanics that reshape how teamfights and objectives play out.
Graves Brings Summons and Stat Steal Into Core Gameplay
Graves uses an auto-targeting weapon tied to her passive ability, Essence Theft, which drains weapon damage and spirit resistance from enemies and transfers those stats to herself. This design allows her to scale directly off enemy strength, especially during extended fights.
Her kit focuses on battlefield control rather than burst damage. Players can pressure lanes, delay enemy pushes, and dominate objective zones by layering abilities instead of relying on raw aim.
Core Playstyle Overview
Graves plays as a spirit-leaning control DPS with hybrid weapon scaling.
In every fight, you want to:
- Set up the battlefield before enemies engage
- Drain enemy stats through sustained pressure
- Force enemies to react to summons and zoning
- Win fights by outlasting and out-positioning opponents
You are strongest when enemies cannot freely move or disengage.
Graves Build Progression (Early / Mid / Late Game)
| Game Stage | Core Focus | What You Should Build | Why This Works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early Game | Survival and setup | Sustain items, ammo support, light stamina | Graves is vulnerable early. These items keep you alive while you collect Jar of Dead charges and avoid forced duels. |
| Mid Game | Control and pressure | Spirit damage, summon duration, on-hit effects | This is Graves’ strongest window. Your Deadheads, ghouls, and Essence Theft overwhelm grouped enemies. |
| Late Game | Area denial | High-tier spirit scaling, cooldown reduction | You win by locking down space, draining carries, and forcing enemies away from objectives. |
Ability Purpose Overview
| Ability | Primary Role | How It Helps You Win Fights |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon – The Teacher | Reliable pressure | Auto-lock ensures constant debuff application and steady Essence Theft stacks without precision aiming. |
| Jar of Dead | Summon damage | Clears waves, harasses gun heroes, and applies stat drain once upgraded. |
| Grasping Hands | Zoning and control | Blocks paths, punishes movement, and protects your ultimate placement. |
| Essence Theft | Scaling power | Steals weapon damage and spirit resist, turning long fights in your favor. |
| Borrowed Decree | Objective pressure | Forces reactions by spawning ghouls that threaten heroes, lanes, and structures. |
Ability Explanations and Usage
Weapon – The Teacher
Graves’ weapon locks onto targets near your reticle. You lose headshots but gain consistency.
Use it to:
- Apply Essence Theft reliably
- Maintain pressure during extended fights
- Focus on positioning rather than mechanical aim
Every hit strengthens you and weakens the enemy.
Ability 1 – Jar of Dead
You collect death charges whenever units die near you. Each cast consumes a charge and summons Deadheads.
Jar of Dead works best when:
- Clearing waves safely
- Harassing low-mobility heroes
- Applying passive stat drain after upgrades
Throw it early in fights to start pressure before committing.
Ability 2 – Grasping Hands
Grasping Hands creates a delayed line that immobilizes enemies who cross it.
Use this ability to:
- Cut off escape routes
- Block choke points
- Protect Borrowed Decree
- Control entrances during objective fights
Place it where enemies want to move, not where they already stand.
Ability 3 – Essence Theft (Passive)
Essence Theft defines Graves’ scaling.
Your weapon:
- Steals weapon damage
- Steals spirit resistance
- Transfers those stats to you
Focus frontliners or fed carries first. The longer the fight lasts, the more the balance shifts in your favor.
Ability 4 – Borrowed Decree
Borrowed Decree summons a tombstone that spawns ghouls over time.
These ghouls:
- Push lanes automatically
- Explode on heroes or objectives
- Apply slows and percent health damage with upgrades
Place the tombstone behind cover or terrain. Protect it with Grasping Hands. Force enemies to retreat or waste time destroying it.
Item Decision Logic (What to Build and When)
Instead of blindly following a fixed item list, make decisions based on match flow.
- Build spirit scaling first when fights last longer than a few seconds
- Prioritize duration and cooldown reduction if enemies disengage often
- Add survivability only when Borrowed Decree keeps getting destroyed early
- Lean into on-hit effects when enemies stack together or frontline heavily
This approach keeps Graves effective even when matches do not follow ideal pacing.
Phase-Based Playstyle Summary
| Match Phase | How You Should Play | Key Objective |
|---|---|---|
| Laning Phase | Defensive and patient | Farm safely, collect death charges, avoid extended duels. |
| Mid Game | Structured aggression | Control choke points, fight around objectives, set up Borrowed Decree before engagements. |
| Late Game | Anchor and deny space | Lock down areas, weaken enemy carries, and force bad engagements through zoning. |
Graves does not succeed through raw damage numbers alone. She succeeds by forcing enemies to fight on unfavorable terms.
Her zoning tools punish reckless movement. She summons demand attention. Her passive ensures that enemies lose power the longer they stay nearby. When played correctly, Graves controls the pace of the match rather than reacting to it.
