Deadlock: How To Unlock Flex Slots

Valve’s latest venture, Deadlock, masterfully merges the dynamics of Hero Shooters with the strategic depth of MOBAs, offering an exhilarating challenge to fans of both genres. One of the key features that might stump newcomers is the game’s flex slots system. Each match allows players to unlock up to four flex slots, which are crucial for gaining buffs and strategic advantages against opponents. This fusion of upgradeable item mechanics, a common element in MOBAs, might seem unusual to those more familiar with Hero Shooters. In this guide, we’ll demystify the flex slots and show you exactly how to unlock them for a competitive edge.

Flex Slots In Deadlock Explained

In Deadlock, managing Item Progression is crucial for success. Throughout the match, players collect souls to unlock items across three categories: Weapons, Vitality, and Spirit. These items come in various tiers, each designed to enhance player capabilities during different stages of the game—early, mid, and late.

However, there’s a cap on how many items you can hold at once—only four per category. In the later stages of a match, players often accumulate excess souls with no slots left to fill, which is where flex slots become game-changers.

Flex slots provide four additional item slots, allowing players to expand their arsenal with choices from any category, increasing their total capacity from 12 to 16 items. This strategic expansion enables players to fine-tune their loadouts and fully utilize their resources, ensuring no soul goes to waste.

How To Unlock All Four Flex Slots In Deadlock

In Deadlock, flex slots are critical enhancements available to players, enabling the use of additional items from any category to strategically bolster their hero’s capabilities. A total of four flex slots can be unlocked during a match, which becomes increasingly vital as the game progresses into mid and late stages for maintaining competitiveness and securing advantages.

To unlock each flex slot, players must meet specific in-game objectives, encouraging teamwork and strategic planning:

1. First Flex Slot: This slot becomes available once your team has successfully destroyed all enemy Guardians.
2. Second Flex Slot: Unlocking this requires the destruction of an enemy Shrine.
3. Third Flex Slot: This slot is unlocked once your team destroys an enemy Walker, offering a strategic advantage earlier in the game.
4. Fourth Flex Slot: Achieved after destroying all enemy Walkers, this slot is critical for late-game fortification.

These objectives necessitate coordinated team efforts. Once a teammate achieves a required objective, the corresponding flex slot becomes available to everyone on the team. Strategically targeting these objectives, especially focusing on an enemy Walker early on, can provide significant tactical benefits, setting the stage for dominance as the match progresses.

Conclusion

Mastering the game’s mechanics extends beyond simple combat; understanding how to unlock and utilize flex slots is crucial for gaining a competitive edge. These slots allow players to adapt their strategies by adding additional items tailored to their needs, making strategic team play and objective control more important than ever. By effectively destroying enemy objectives such as Guardians, Shrines, and Walkers, players can unlock these powerful options, enhancing their ability to succeed in both mid and late-game scenarios. Whether you’re new to the game or looking to refine your strategy, unlocking flex slots is a vital skill that can help turn the tide of battle in your favor.