Deadlock: Best Mirage Build Guide

Mirage is a dynamic new hero in Deadlock, equipped with the ability to teleport directly to visible allies or enemies, transforming the battlefield with strategic positioning. He wields a unique single-fire weapon that not only hits hard but also debuffs enemies, setting them up for significant damage upon reaching a damage threshold.

Navigating Mirage’s capabilities can be challenging for newcomers due to his complex skill set. However, mastering his abilities and optimizing your item build can dramatically enhance your effectiveness in the game.

In this guide, we’ll delve into the optimal build for Mirage in Deadlock, ensuring you can maximize your impact in every match. Let’s dive in and explore how to leverage Mirage’s full potential.

Deadlock Mirage Overview & Ability Details

Mirage, the latest hero to enter the arena in Deadlock, is steeped in Egyptian mythology, wielding sand and scarabs against his foes. He marks the 22nd hero in the game’s lineup. Mirage boasts typical stats for ammo capacity, damage per second, and mobility. His primary weapon, reminiscent of Haze’s but firing only single shots, is unique among the roster.

Mirage comes equipped with three primary abilities and one ultimate, each contributing to his strategic flexibility on the battlefield:

Ability Breakdown:

• Tornado: Transform into a forward-moving tornado that damages and elevates enemies. Emerging grants you temporary bullet evasion.
• Damage: 70 (0.7x based on Spirit)
• Lift Duration: 1.2 seconds
• Bullet Evasion Chance: 25%
• Bullet Evasion Duration: 3.5 seconds
• Tornado Radius: 3.5 meters
• Tornado Duration: 0.75 seconds
• Cooldown: 32 seconds
• Upgrades: Increase duration, reduce cooldown, enhance bullet evasion chance
• Fire Scarabs: Deploy fire scarabs that steal health and reduce bullet resistance. Scarabs are limited to one per enemy and provide enhanced healing when striking heroes.
• Health Steal: 90 (0.9x based on Spirit)
• Max Scarabs: 4
• Bullet Resist Reduction: -10%
• Launch Window: 5 seconds
• Debuff Duration: 14 seconds
• Cooldown: 32 seconds
• Upgrades: Reduce cooldown, increase bullet resist reduction, enhance health steal
• Djinn’s Mark (Passive): Shots increase a damage multiplier on targets. When the multiplier expires or reaches its max, it triggers spirit damage and reveals the target briefly.
• Base Damage: 16 (0.4x based on Spirit)
• Max Multiplier: 8x
• Multiplier Duration: 4.5 seconds
• Reveal Duration: 2 seconds
• Upgrades: Apply slow, increase multiplier duration and base damage, reduce cooldown
• Traveler: Channel to teleport to a visible ally or enemy on the minimap, gaining increased movement speed and fire rate post-teleport.
• Channel Duration: 2.5 seconds
• Move Speed Bonus: +2m/s
• Fire Rate Bonus: +20%
• Move Speed Duration: 4 seconds
• Cooldown: 130 seconds
• Upgrades: Reduce cooldown, increase movement speed, boost fire rate

Mirage’s abilities combine tactical mobility with crowd control, making him a formidable hero in both offensive and defensive plays.

Mirage Build Guide (Ability Order & Item Progression) in Deadlock

Mirage’s toolkit allows him to adapt to various roles on the battlefield, from disruption and control to high-intensity ganking and damage dealing. In this guide, we’ll concentrate on enhancing his damage output, maximizing the potential of his DPS-centric abilities for effective engagement and eliminations. Here’s an optimized approach to building Mirage with a focus on DPS:

Ability and Item Build Strategy

1. Primary Focus: Djinn’s Mark (Passive) - Start by maximizing Mirage’s third ability, Djinn’s Mark. This passive is crucial as it increases damage output significantly by applying multipliers that amplify the longer you engage a target. Prioritizing upgrades in this ability enhances base damage and the duration of the multipliers, allowing you to scale effectively into late game.
2. Secondary Focus: Tornado - Next, focus on developing Mirage’s Tornado ability. This ability not only serves as a damage dealer but also as a strategic tool for crowd control. Lifting enemies and gaining bullet evasion can turn the tide of battle, making it easier to land subsequent attacks without retaliation.
3. Utility and Mobility: Traveler - Mirage’s ultimate, Traveler, is your go-to for enhancing mobility and engaging or disengaging effectively. Upgrading this ability reduces its cooldown and improves movement speed and fire rate bonuses after teleportation, crucial for both chasing down targets and escaping tight situations.
4. Supportive Ability: Fire Scarabs - While not the primary focus, don’t neglect Fire Scarabs. This ability steals health and reduces bullet resistance, which can be pivotal in prolonged fights. Use this tactically to weaken tougher opponents or regain health during skirmishes.

Item Progression:

• Early Game: Focus on acquiring items that boost Spirit and Cooldown Reduction. These will help you cast Djinn’s Mark more frequently and increase the damage multiplier faster.
• Mid Game: Invest in items that provide movement speed and durability. This will allow you to maneuver around battles more effectively and sustain longer in fights, making the most of your DPS capabilities.
• Late Game: Round off your build with high-end DPS items that further amplify your damage output and reduce the cooldowns of your abilities. Look for items that offer burst potential or enhance your critical strike capabilities.

By tailoring your build to focus on Mirage’s DPS strengths and ensuring his abilities synergize with your chosen items, you can make him a formidable opponent in any Deadlock match. This approach allows you to flexibly adapt to various in-game situations, whether you’re leading assaults or supporting your team in crucial fights.

Mirage Ability Order

To maximize DPS with Mirage, begin by unlocking Djinn’s Mark. This ability is essential for amplifying your damage output right from the start. Each successful hit increases the damage multiplier, making even the initial stages of the game impactful in your lane.

Next, prioritize Fire Scarabs, followed by Tornado. These abilities offer additional damage and control, supporting your aggressive playstyle. As soon as Traveler is available, ensure it’s unlocked to enhance your mobility and strategic positioning.

Focus your Ability Points (AP) initially on fully leveling Djinn’s Mark. This maximizes its effectiveness by increasing the number of stacks and reducing the cooldown between multipliers, which is crucial for sustaining high damage output. Once Djinn’s Mark is maximized, allocate two APs to Tornado to decrease its cooldown, enhancing your crowd control capabilities.

Invest the next available point into Traveler to improve its utility. Subsequently, concentrate on maxing out Fire Scarabs for increased sustainability and damage mitigation. After enhancing Fire Scarabs, divert your remaining APs back to Tornado, bringing it to full potential.

Finish your ability upgrades by fully investing in Traveler, maximizing its utility to ensure you can maneuver effectively across the battlefield. This strategic distribution of AP enhances both your offensive capabilities and survivability, making you a formidable DPS in any team composition.

Mirage Item Progression

Mirage boasts substantial initial weapon damage, making him a formidable DPS from the onset. To maximize his offensive potential, it’s crucial to select items that enhance both his weapon damage and Spirit Power, leveraging the significant spirit scaling of his abilities.

Throughout your game with Mirage, focus on assembling a mix of gear tailored to boost his attack capabilities and magical prowess. This approach ensures that each of Mirage’s abilities hits harder and more effectively, enhancing both your direct combat effectiveness and your ability to control the battlefield.

Begin by selecting items that offer a strong base of weapon damage, then gradually incorporate gear that amplifies his Spirit Power. This strategic balance will allow you to capitalize on Mirage’s dual strength in physical attacks and ability-based damage, making him a versatile threat in various combat scenarios.

As you progress through the game, continuously adapt your item build based on the evolving needs of your team and the challenges posed by your opponents. Prioritize items that offer synergistic benefits, enhancing Mirage’s core attributes and ensuring that each engagement can be met with maximum firepower and strategic advantage.

Early Game

For early game effectiveness, Mirage should equip the following items to ensure a strong laning phase:

• Hollow Point Ward: This item boosts Mirage’s damage output, making each attack hit harder against lane opponents.
• Restorative Shot: Essential for sustain, this item helps Mirage maintain his health while engaging in trades or receiving enemy poke.
• Mystic Burst & Extra Spirit: These items are crucial for amplifying Mirage’s Spirit Damage, enhancing his ability effectiveness during skirmishes.
• Sprint Boots: Mobility is key for positioning and escaping potential ganks, making Sprint Boots a vital addition to Mirage’s early arsenal.
• Healing Rite (Situational): Opt for this if you find yourself frequently low on health due to consistent enemy harassment.
• Monster Rounds (Situational): Consider this item if you need to counter heavy lane pushing by your opponent or anticipate extended fights near your turret.

Start with Hollow Point Ward and Restorative Shot to balance offense and defense. As the match progresses, assess whether you need additional healing or increased spirit damage, choosing Mystic Burst and Extra Spirit accordingly. Mobility and situational awareness should guide your choice of Sprint Boots and potential situational items like Healing Rite or Monster Rounds, depending on the dynamics of your laning phase.

Mid Game

As Mirage transitions into the mid-game, prioritizing items that boost Spirit Damage and survivability becomes essential. Here’s a strategic approach to mid-game itemization:

• Soul Shredder Bullets: This item is critical for increasing Mirage’s Spirit Damage potential, complemented by Spirit Lifesteal for sustained engagements.
• Enchanter’s Barrier and Spirit Lifesteal: Equip these to bolster Mirage’s defensive capabilities, ensuring he can withstand enemy assaults while healing from the damage dealt.
• Improved Burst, Surge of Power, and Improved Spirit: These purple-tier items are key to enhancing Mirage’s burst potential, significantly boosting his offensive spells.

Additionally, focusing on utility and multi-target effects will maximize Mirage’s effectiveness in team fights:

• Ricochet: Essential for exploiting Mirage’s Djinn’s Mark, as it allows bullets to bounce between targets, applying multiple stacks and increasing area control.
• Enduring Speed: Upgrade from Sprint Boots to enhance mobility further, crucial for dodging enemy abilities and repositioning.

Depending on the game’s flow and the opposing team’s composition, consider these situational items:

• Debuff Reducer: Useful against teams with heavy crowd control, helping Mirage maintain his effectiveness in fights.
• Metal Skin: Offers additional resistance against physical attacks, crucial when facing high DPS adversaries.
• Knockdown: An inexpensive utility item that provides extra crowd control, allowing Mirage to disrupt enemy positioning and escape routes.

Selecting the right mix of these items will ensure Mirage remains a formidable force in mid-game skirmishes, balancing between dealing high damage and maintaining resilience against enemy tactics.

Late Game

Entering the late-game, the focus shifts to maximizing Mirage’s tactical flexibility and damage output. Here’s a robust setup for this stage:

• Warp Stone: Indispensable for any hero, this item’s teleportation utility is crucial for Mirage, facilitating strategic positioning and quick escapes. Secure this as your primary late-game acquisition.
• Superior Duration: Enhance the effectiveness of Mirage’s Tornado with this item, extending its duration for greater control and disruption in team fights.
• Siphon Bullets or Leech: Choose one based on your playstyle. Both offer vital sustain, but prioritizing one allows for more specialized build optimization.
• Boundless Spirit and Spiritual Overflow: These are critical for bolstering Mirage’s late-game damage potential, ensuring he can continue to scale effectively into the end of the match.

For situational adjustments, consider these options:

• Mystic Reverb: Opt for this if additional Spirit Damage is required, enhancing Mirage’s ability to burst down opponents.
• Debuff Remover: Particularly useful against opponents like Pocket who impose numerous debuffs, helping keep Mirage combat-ready.
• Unstoppable: An excellent defensive item against heavy crowd control compositions, providing crucial immunity that allows Mirage to maintain his offensive momentum.

This item progression strategy ensures Mirage is equipped to handle various combat scenarios, maintaining efficacy in both offensive engagements and defensive retreats, thus securing his role as a formidable contender in the late game.

How to Play Mirage in Deadlock

Mirage thrives as a solo laner, where his abilities can dominate one-on-one exchanges, particularly leveraging his Djinn’s Mark. While initially, the damage from this passive may seem modest, it’s crucial to apply it consistently to amplify its threat. A fully stacked Djinn’s Mark can decisively turn fights in your favor.

Mirage’s responsive attack animations and swift projectile speed aid in efficiently collecting souls, making him adept at farming. Begin your lane phase focused on amassing last hits, simultaneously harassing your opponent with shots to accumulate Djinn’s Mark stacks. As your skill set rounds out and you equip more items, shift to a more confrontational stance. Utilize Tornado for engagement, combining it with Fire Scarabs to siphon health and destabilize your adversaries.

Upon acquiring his ultimate, Mirage hits a significant power spike. This ability can be a game-changer, enabling aggressive plays to support your team or providing a swift escape mechanism to safety by teleporting to allies. In team conflicts, maintain a position towards the rear. Mirage’s extensive attack range allows him to inflict consistent damage from afar without suffering much drop-off. While primarily using Life Scarabs for long-range healing, keep Tornado reserved for emergency disengagements.

Given his rapid mobility upon enemy detection, Mirage excels when pressing the advantage in item and soul lead scenarios. Maintain constant pressure and capitalize on any visible enemy movement by seizing kill opportunities whenever your cooldowns permit.

As a distinctive hero in Deadlock, Mirage’s playstyle offers both complexity and high reward. As you adapt to the evolving game dynamics and meta, experiment with this guide to discover the most effective strategies for Mirage. Share your experiences and adjustments to help refine the approach for all aspiring Mirage players.

Conclusion

Mastering Mirage in Deadlock hinges on understanding his unique abilities and effectively integrating them into your gameplay. This guide provides a solid foundation for utilizing Mirage, focusing on amplifying his DPS potential through strategic ability upgrades and item selections. As you practice and adapt to Mirage’s playstyle, you’ll find him to be a versatile and powerful hero capable of turning the tides of battle. Whether you’re using his abilities to dominate lane fights or to make impactful plays in team skirmishes, Mirage offers a dynamic and rewarding experience. Keep experimenting with different strategies and builds to fully harness his capabilities and enhance your performance in Deadlock.