Souls
Souls are a crucial element in Deadlock, serving both as currency and experience points (XP) for heroes. Players collect souls by various means, including shooting soul orbs released when certain entities die, last-hitting enemy Candles, taking Guardians/Walkers, killing enemy players, and finding unsecured souls in boxes or crates. Unsecured souls are added to your total immediately but can drop upon death for other players to collect.
Collecting Souls
Soul Distribution:
- Before 10 minutes, two players can share 100% of a Candle’s soul value, effectively doubling its worth.
- After 10 minutes, souls are divided evenly among nearby players.
- Souls from player kills are influenced by the team's overall soul count: teams with fewer souls gain more from kills.
Soul Orbs:
- Soul orbs are released by dying entities and can be shot to collect souls. If not collected, the orbs eventually expire, awarding the same amount of souls automatically.
- Shooting these orbs can also deny enemy players from receiving the souls.
Be aware that soul orbs can be missed from events like Spirit Urn turn-ins, Guardian destruction, or Sinner's Sacrifice Safes.
Leveling Up
Level ups are based on a hero's total collected souls. Level up rewards vary from level to level and are a mix of ability unlocks, ability points, and power increases. The first three ability unlocks can only be used on non-ultimate abilities. When the fourth ability unlock is obtained at 
3k it can be used to learn the hero's ultimate ability.
| Souls | Ability Unlock | Ability Point | Power Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0
|
Yes | ||
| 400
|
Yes | Yes | |
| 800
|
Yes | ||
| 1.2k
|
Yes | ||
| 1.5k
|
Yes | ||
| 2.2k
|
Yes | Yes | |
| 3k
|
Yes | ||
| 4.5k
|
Yes | Yes | |
| 6k
|
Yes | Yes | |
| 7.5k
|
Yes | Yes | |
| 9k
|
Yes | Yes | |
| 10.5k
|
Yes | Yes | |
| 12k
|
Yes | Yes | |
| 13k
|
Yes | ||
| 14k
|
Yes | Yes | |
| 15k
|
Yes | ||
| 16k
|
Yes | ||
| 18k
|
Yes | ||
| 20k
|
Yes |
Ability Points
Ability points are obtained in various ways but primarily as level up rewards. Each ability has three levels, requiring one, two, and then five ability points to unlock. It is possible to spend ability points in any order, including saving them to spend on an ultimate ability or for the final level of an ability costs five ability points to unlock. Fully leveling up all of a hero's abilities requires a total of thirty-two ability points.