The designers at Riot Games have disclosed that they were inspired to create Deadlock, the newest member of the Valorant Agents, by the League of Legends champion Blitzcrank. Deadlock is the newest Agent to be added to Valorant. She brings a set of powers and playstyles that are all her own. The new Sentinel has a primarily reactive tool kit, and players will toss these tools at foes to either halt their progress or trap them so they can be easily killed.
The designers of the new Agent claim that they were motivated to create Deadlock’s kit by the champion Blitzcrank from League of Legends and other advocates who have “hook abilities.” “As a player who enjoys playing hook characters like Blitzcrank in any game, I took it as a personal challenge to explore ways to bring the thrill of a hook ability while also ensuring that it was tactical,” said Alexander Mistakidis, the designer of the Valorant video game. “As a player who loves playing hook characters like Blitzcrank in any game.”
The developers of Riot discuss the origins of the hooking ability in Deadlock
Mistakidis elucidated that the concept of incorporating a hook ability into the tactical shooter went through several versions before being able to function well within the Valorant gameplay system. This ability eventually evolved into Deadlock’s ultimate, known as Annihilation. The ability, which captures the first adversary it encounters, is a significant addition to Valorant. After that, the seized Agent will be encased in a cocoon and moved along a “nanowire path” to their demise if they are not released.
“I hope that the Annihilation ability we landed with offers the high-skill outplay opportunities to Deadlock players while still being engaging for everyone involved,” Mistakidis stated. Annihilation does not immediately snare foes and bring them to Deadlock like Blitzcrank’s hook and other hook abilities in League of Legends and Overwatch do. Once a player has been hooked by one of these powers, there is typically no way for them to escape, and they are required to complete the animation. On June 27, players of Valorant will have the opportunity to try out the new Agent and become familiar with her powers.
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