Best Deadlock Abrams build guide

The Deadlock Abrams build should be built around tanking damage and increasing overall gun damage. Thanks to his ability kit, this character performs best in a close-quarter combat scenario. Players can obtain points and charge ahead with these powers, creating space for the rest of the squad to wipe out the opposing team. However, it is best to call for support before diving past the massive towers and taking heaps of damage.

These abilities help players sustain a lot of incoming damage and make it easier to create a powerful Deadlock Abrams build to topple the enemy team. The game has different phases, each requiring a better build to consistently upgrade the damage numbers.

This article will provide the most effective Deadlock Abrams build guide that players can take advantage of.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the author’s opinion. This guide is updated till October 7, 2024 patch.

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How to play Abrams in Deadlock? Explained

Deadlock Abrams build guide (Image via Valve)

Abrams is a close-range fighter who can mitigate some of the incoming damage with the help of his abilities. It is best to select a lane and collect souls as quickly as possible while denying the opponents their share of the farm. While doing so, players can select a lane with a teammate to consistently poke the opponents and drive them back to the towers.

After collecting the first few items, begin rotating around the map and farm other neutral mob units for some quick upgrades. It is best to rotate around after a bit and try to assist other lanes while potentially setting up a few kills to push them as well.

Although Abrams can hold his own during most fights, it is always great having your backs covered to dominate lanes in the mid-game and eliminate the first towers in every possible area. This will help your team maneuver freely and create much-needed space for map control.

During team fights, prioritize targets and use your charging ability and ultimate to draw enemy gunfire. This will provide your squad with the breathing room needed to take down the entirety of the enemy team.

Also read: Best Deadlock Yamato build

Abrams' strengths and weakness in Deadlock

Before diving deeper into the builds for Abrams in Deadlock, here is a quick overview of the pros and cons of playing this hero:

Strengths

Abrams is easy to play and good for beginners.
A dedicated item build can be created to increase the overall health pool with ease.
Offers higher health regeneration and early-game damage to poke enemies during the laning phase.
Abrams has one of the best crowd-control abilities that can have a massive impact on team fights.

Weaknesses

Abrams falls short while attacking against experienced players as they can quickly be parried.
The hero is quite defenseless and fails to perform against long-range heroes like Vindicta.
The overall pace for Abrams is linear and requires players to jump to the frontlines. This makes him vulnerable and the center of conflict.

Also read: All Deadlock characters and their abilities

All Abrams abilities in Deadlock

Here is a list of Abrams' abilities in Deadlock:

Siphon Life
Shoulder Charge
Infernal Resilience
Seismic Impact

Infernal Resilience ability is a passive skill that boosts health regeneration and increases the total health pool. This is a great ability and should be upgraded as quickly as possible, as it makes Abrams difficult to kill.

Shoulder Charge is the second ability that should be unlocked and leveled up alongside Siphon Life. The Shoulder Charge is a crucial ability in Abrams’ kit as it can quickly close the gap between players and opponents. Since this character fails to perform in longer ranges, it is important to have the charge ready before initiating fights.

The ultimate ability, Seismic Impact, should be upgraded when available. This is a big ability that can affect a certain area around the impact point which stuns and damages opponents. It is the perfect crowd control ability to utilize during team fights.

Also read: Best Deadlock Viscous build

Best Deadlock Abrams item build

Abrams is capable of sustaining himself during the early lane phase and early game. If you manage to secure a lot of souls in this time, you can upgrade through a list of items and establish a snowball victory with the help of your team. That's why it is crucial to score as many eliminations as possible with Abrams’s abilities.

That said, here is a Deadlock Abrams build you can equip and make the most out of:

Best Abrams early-game items

Here are all the items you can get for Deadlock Abrams build in the early game:

Basic Magazine: Increases ammo by 24% and weapon damage by 15%.
Extra Health: Increases health by 160 points and weapon damage by 5%.
Close Quarters: Provides 85 bullet shield health and does increased weapon damage when near. Increases weapon damage conditionally by 25% and limits close range at a 15-meter radius.
Extra Regen: Health regeneration increases by 2.8 and provides 8% armor alongside 25 bonus Health Points (HP).

Best Abrams mid-game items

Here is a list of all the items for Deadlock Abrams build after farming up the early game and lane phase:

Kinetic Dash: Provides 100 Bonus Health, 1.5 Health Regen. Comes with a passive for every 10 seconds where stamina is not consumed for dash jump and increases fire rate for eight seconds.
Cold Front: This is an active item that provides 10% spirit resistance. It can be activated to slow down and damage a small area around the player for three seconds. It also increases spirit damage.
Healing Booster: This item is primarily for a quick reset after any gunfight as it increases health regeneration.
Slowing Hex: Slows target and deals spirit damage. It silences any movement-based items in the target’s inventory.
Enduring Speed: Reduces the effect of movement debuffs and increases base movement speed.
Duration Extender: Provides an extra 100 HP and increases ability and item duration by 16%.
Fleetfoot: This is another active item that can provide more movement speed and ammo when activated (lasts for four seconds). It provides more slide distance, 75 bonus HP, and passively removes movement penalty while shooting.

Best Abrams late-game items

Here are all the end-game items required to make the best out of the Deadlock Abrams build guide:

Hunter's Aura: Provides 150 HP and debuffs enemies with lesser bullet resistance and fire rate in a 15-meter range.
Point Blank: Increases bullet resistance by 15%, passively increases weapon damage while putting a movement slow debuff on enemies, and has a 15-meter close range limit.
Vampiric Burst: Active item that can be used to activate life steal, gain bonus movement speed, higher fire rate, and more ammo.
Improved Bullet Armor: Increases bullet resistance by 45% and weapon damage by 10%.
Improved Spirit Armor: Increases spirit resistance by 45% and increases 8 points of spirit power.

Note that depending on the enemy team composition, you would need to buy items like Healbane and Debuff Remover. Such items can be incorporated into Deadlock Abrams build in the later stages to combat teams with a lot of crowd control spells, knockdowns, or hexes.

Also read: Deadlock Sinner's Sacrifice machine.

Best Tips to remember while playing Abrams

Abrams is one of the most straightforward heroes to play in Deadlock. That said, here are a few healthy habits you can adopt to rake in more match wins with your Deadlock Abrams build:

Abrams is a strong early-game laning hero and players should take advantage of this to take up space and map control. Players should also make use of this to find additional farms and secure a few kills without overextending.
It is best to take fights against close or medium-range heroes instead of dueling sniper users like Vindicta and Grey Talon. Abrams fails to deliver when targeted by snipers or flanked by the enemy team.
Players can take advantage of abilities like Shoulder Charge to chase down enemies. It can also be used as a means to escape from dangerous situations so it is best to not waste one of the mobility abilities from Abrams’ kit.
The hero’s ultimate, Seismic Impact, is crucial in team fights and can turn the tides of the entire match. Prioritize striking down high-damage opponents and use this opportunity to close in on them for a 1v1. Abrams's superior health regeneration ability makes it easier to eliminate such enemies with ease.
It is generally good to group up with the squad before initiating big fights. This ensures that the team can at least trade you out and secure a few kills without participating in a snowballing loss.

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