Deadlock Glossary: Every Term a New Player Needs (2026)
Deadlock Glossary: Every Term a New Player Needs (2026)
Last updated: June 3, 2026
Deadlock throws a lot of jargon at you — souls, securing, flex slots, the Patron — and most of it comes from MOBAs. This glossary defines every term you’ll hit in your first games, the way the Deadlock community uses them in 2026, with Dota 2 equivalents where they help.
Deadlock.ioQuick answer: The terms that matter most early: Souls (your gold XP), Secure/Deny (claiming or stealing the soul orb a dying trooper drops), and the objective chain Guardian → Walker → Shrine → Patron.
The glossary
| Term | What it means | Dota 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Souls | The core resource — both your currency and your XP. | Gold XP fused |
| Secure | Shoot/melee your soul orb to bank the souls. | Last-hit |
| Deny | Shoot the enemy’s orb first to steal it. | Deny (but you profit) |
| Trooper | Lane minions that drop soul orbs. | Creeps |
| Denizen | Neutral jungle camp monsters. | Neutral creeps |
| Guardian / Walker | Lane defenses you destroy (Walker is the big one). | Towers |
| Shrine / Patron | Base structures, then the final boss you kill to win. | Barracks / the Ancient |
| Mid-Boss / Rejuvenator | Neutral boss; its drop gives the team revives. | Roshan / Aegis |
| Soul Urn | A carry-and-deposit objective for a big soul payout. | — |
| Flex Slot | An item slot (from killing Walkers) that holds any category. | — |
| Spirit Power | The ability-power stat. | Spell amp |
| Weapon / Vitality / Spirit | The three item categories (gun / tank / abilities). | Item types |
| Ability Points | Points earned by leveling to upgrade your 4 abilities. | Skill points |
| Zipline | The fast-travel rails along each lane. | — |
| Skill Rating / Obscurus | Your hidden MMR rank; Obscurus = unrated/placement. | MMR / uncalibrated |
Bookmark this and the early games stop feeling like a foreign language fast.