Deadlock Debate: Was the four-lane map actually better?

Valve’s Deadlock is unlike anything else. The competitive game is a bold hybrid of third-person hero shooting and the complexities of a MOBA. What truly set it apart at launch was its unconventional four-lane map, a departure from the standard seen in most games in the genre.

Deadlock tasked players with navigating its four-lane cityscape using ziplines, rooftops, and alleyways. But in February 2025, Valve removed the extra lane and seemingly has no plan to revert the change. The controversial decision was praised and scorned, but regardless of the outcry, the rework is here to stay. Did Valve have the right idea with the overhaul, or did they strike gold the first time?

Valve’s Deadlock burst into early playtest access in 2024, peaking at 171,000 players in September 2024. The hybrid of a third-person hero shooter and MOBA, along with the decades of experience from Valve’s successful competitive titles, created a complex and innovative game. 

Deadlock featured an uncommon four-lane map that was a departure from the standard three-lane map in MOBAs like Dota 2 and League of Legends. During the laning phase, the six players were split into duos in the two inner lanes and then one solo player each on the side lanes. The game, with all its heroes and objectives, was balanced with the unconventional four-lane map layout in mind.

That all changed on February 26, 2025, when Valve unleashed a sweeping map rework update that fundamentally changed Deadlock from the ground up. The four lanes were consolidated into three, with a complete restructuring of structures, terrain, paths, and objectives. The removal of solo lanes made every lane a 2v2 matchup, aligning Deadlock with more conventional MOBAs.

Valve has compensated the soul economy to match this new map. One of the impactful changes is that troopers no longer need to be last hit by a player to generate souls. This change, along with the mechanic that lane partners equally share souls, encourages aggressive laning as soon as the game begins.

But the update went far deeper than lanes. Valve overhauled neutral camps, redistributing jungle spawns to fill terrain previously occupied by the fourth lane. The mid‑boss was relocated to an underground arena beneath the central lane; skybridges, air vents, and ziplines were rearranged, and buffs were elevated to high bridges. Even atmospheric and art design received attention: reconstructed building layouts, enhanced visual polish, remodelled breakable props, and additional juke spots refreshed the cityscape.

Simultaneously, Valve rolled out massive hero balance updates. All together, February’s update represents Deadlock’s most significant rework to date, with most of these changes made because of the transition into three lanes.

The community’s response to these changes is mixed, with many compelling arguments on both sides to keep the change permanent or revert it to its original state. Let’s examine the common talking points to see praise and criticism in equal measure.

The solo lane is the most contentious issue with the switch to three lanes in Deadlock. For many players, it was frustrating to play the solo lane because it was often decided by the match-up and not player skill. 

Playing a hero with a weak early game like Shiv would get mercilessly zoned out against by lane dominators such as Mo and Krill, Mirage, and Lady Gheist. These would often result in a boring laning stage where the better match-up would freeze the lane while the weaker hero waits for a gank.

But like top laners in LoL or mid players in Dota 2, some love the challenge of an isolated fair 1v1. It was also practical for solo queue players since they had complete control over the outcome of the lane. Players should think about whether they dislike the entire concept of the solo lanes, or whether they dislike that they can be unfortunately assigned there with a weaker hero. If Deadlock were released with a proper drafting phase, solo lanes would be much more favourable.

The newer map layout makes the laning phase three isolated 2v2s. In four lanes, rotations started in the laning phase because duos had more agency to rotate to the sides, creating this dynamic flow that made the game much more active. The older layout was about working as a team of six to stabilise the whole team, while the rework emphasises a longer laning phase, where duos have to outskill their match-up.

Once the first wave of walkers falls and mid‑game kicks in, players leave their assigned lanes and begin to play the wider map. In the old four‑lane layout, macro gameplay thrived on constant movement and frequent small skirmishes. More waves and more lanes to manage meant teams were always split-pushing uncontested lanes. Oftentimes, they play around this expectation to gank an overextending defender. 

The abundance of ziplines and the shorter distances between lanes meant that fights usually took place in the lanes, and teammates could quickly rotate to respond. As there were fewer neutral camps, this meant that players needed to find their farm against waves, providing vision and information in a game without wards.

By contrast, the new three‑lane map, with its larger jungle and wider spacing, encourages a different style. After laning, teams are much more incentivised to efficiently farm their jungle, now with more neutral camps. Permanent buffs gained from boxes, vaults, and golden statues also encouraged players to spend the mid-game farming up.

While there are more opportunities to sneak deep into enemy territory, actively searching for picks is risky and often results in a waste of time. Huge teamfights usually converge on Soul Urns and Walkers, but the mid-game is dull apart from these climactic derbies. Players could easily catch up on souls because of all the space they can use.

This shift is by design: Valve intended to transition focus from individuals split-pushing to objective‑centric teamplay. Lone wolves are punished for shoving down lanes, when there was more leeway for those plays in the old map. Games end quicker with three lanes because team wipes happen more often, but it feels stale and glacial without any objectives to contest.

Deadlock’s original four-lane layout defined its identity, presenting something refreshing in the MOBA landscape. Playing it felt novel: duos in inner lanes, solos on sides, ziplines, and rooftop paths allowed players to influence other lanes early. Frequent ganks were prevalent, but it was part of the game.

The map design felt purposeful and exhilarating, not just another MOBA but one that demanded spatial awareness. Losing the extra lane hurt Deadlock’s uniqueness, but that wasn’t the real core of Deadlock’s novelty. It was the game’s advanced movement, rich occult-noir setting, and its new perspective on a complete MOBA.

When the map was retooled into three lanes, navigation got a serious overhaul. Rotations felt strange at first: travel routes were retrofitted into a map built for four, making some lanes feel simultaneously cramped and overly distant from each other. The increased verticality added more ways to move around the map, but it took more time to respond to other lanes.

Character viability noticeably shifted to accommodate the new map. Heroes with good mobility, especially vertical boosts like Lash, rose in power. Heroes who could effortlessly move around and farm camps like Infernus were able to rack up a sizeable soul lead. Meanwhile, immobile heroes, and especially those with slow farming, were punished for overextending and lacked the clear speed to catch up.

Finally, the new format brought better accessibility. The elimination of solo lanes in favor of three uniform 2v2 lanes reduced match pressure on newer or mechanically weak players. It smoothed out early-game variance and simplified macro decisions. Gameplay became more cohesive and more formulaic: push wave, clear jungle, wait for the next objective.

Deadlock was designed for four lanes, and it shows, but the shift to three lanes was a breath of fresh air. The problem is that the new map was retrofitted and rushed; it needs more time to iron out the flaws specific to this layout. Three lanes mean more teamfights and more time-contested objectives, but Valve needs to shrink the map to get these rats out of the jungle.

If solo lanes aren’t coming back, is there a way that players can get the active early game that went away with it? Regardless, the community should remember that Deadlock is still in playtesting, and any change, no matter how drastic, can easily be reverted.