Graves

0:00 Graves is a Deadlock spirit hero, a necromancer who latches onto enemies with a tether gun that steals their weapon damage and spirit resist, throws Jar of Dead to summon Deadheads, raises a wall of Grasping Hands and, with her ultimate Borrowed Decree, plants a gravestone that raises Ghouls. Valve added her on Jan 29, 2026, the second of the six heroes of the Old Gods, New Blood update, with the tagline "Death is coming." She wins more than any of Deadlock's 44 Heroes: deadlock-api measured a 57.56% win rate from Oct 15 to 26, 2026, in 44.2% of matches.

Quick facts

Source: the game files on deadlock-api (Oct 26, 2026); Valve's May 22 and Sep 16, 2026 updates; deadlock-api's measured hero stats.

Abilities

Source: the game files on deadlock-api, Oct 26, 2026, which match Valve's Jul 9, 2026 update.

0:26 Jar of Dead turns every death nearby into an army. Troopers, neutrals and heroes dying within 40 m fill its charges, and the Deadheads attack whatever her tether is on. Valve has trimmed it several times, last on Jun 11, 2026, when damage fell from 17 to 16 and collection slowed 20%. Its upgrades in the game files are T1 a small heal per death collected, T2 a 24% slow on hit, and T3 +2 Deadheads and +4s.

3:43 Grasping Hands is her area denial. Anyone crossing the wall is rooted, and since May 22, 2026 it also summons a Ghoul. Its T1 is +2s, T2 +90 damage and +10 m length, and T3 +1 Ghoul, -14s cooldown and +0.75s immobilize (game files).

2:45 Essence Theft is why her gun matters. The longer she holds the tether on an enemy, the more weapon damage and spirit resist she takes from them; since Jul 9, 2026 melee hits steal too. Its T1 adds 5% spirit resist stolen, T2 +20 weapon damage stolen, and T3 a fourth target and theft from all her summons (game files).

6:14 Borrowed Decree holds ground in a team fight. The gravestone has 100 health and can be destroyed, and enemies near it stack lost spirit resist and slow. Its T1 is -15s cooldown and +25% Ghoul speed, T2 +10s and faster Ghouls, and T3 Ghouls that deal 5% of the target's current health when they die (game files).

How to play

Graves is played as an area-control spirit hero who wins fights around objectives. Mobalytics' Graves guide calls her "Super easy to pick-up and play", with an auto-aiming gun "very forgiving with securing souls", and strong at the Mid-Boss and the Soul Urn. Her weaknesses, it says, are a very weak laning phase, low stats and low mobility; she has only 2 stamina (game files).

1:05 In lane, her tether farms troopers easily, and Jar of Dead charges fill as the waves die.

4:03 Her power grows in fights. Place Grasping Hands across the enemy's path, throw Deadheads at the target she is draining, and drop Borrowed Decree where the enemy must stand, such as the Mid-Boss pit.

Builds

Outlets build Graves for spirit damage and many cooldowns. Mobalytics' Hydration build (updated Oct 13, 2026) is "centered around dealing massive AoE damage and Area Denial" (Mobalytics):

Source: Mobalytics (Hydration), Oct 13, 2026.

Her tether hits many times a second, and Mobalytics' guide calls her good with multi-hit items such as Split Shot and Toxic Bullets; deadlock-api measured Restorative Shot in 85% of Graves games, Extra Stamina in 81% and Toxic Bullets in 62%; Escalating Exposure, bought in 34%, won 62.0% of those games (Oct 15 to 26, 2026). The items are in Spirit Items, Weapon Items and Vitality Items; the shop in Items and Shop.

Counters and matchups

Focus and long range counter Graves. Mobalytics' guide says to focus her in fights because she needs time and setup, and to zone her in lane from range, naming Haze, Vindicta and Grey Talon as heroes that "especially excel against her". It adds that Jar of Dead's skulls die to a quick melee and drop souls, and that her gravestone cannot move, so walking away from it works. Mobalytics' Street Brawl guide suggests Disarming Hex against her (Mobalytics, Aug 27, 2026); more in Counter Items.

Few heroes beat her in the measurements. deadlock-api's matchup measurement (Oct 15 to 26, 2026) puts her worst matchups at Paige (49.9%), Rat King (50.0%), Seven (52.1%), Victor (52.4%) and Baba (53.2%), all near or above even, and her best at Silver (63.6%), Mina (63.2%), Pocket (63.0%), Shiv (62.9%) and Mirage (62.7%). Shiv and The Doorman win only about 37% against her.

Patch history

• Sep 16, 2026: health per boon 33 to 35.
• Jul 9, 2026: Grasping Hands immobilize 1.25s to 1s and T3 cooldown -10s to -14s; Essence Theft procs from melee and T3 adds a fourth target; Borrowed Decree's Ghoul speed moved to T1 and T2 made Ghouls spawn 0.3s faster; Jar of Dead fills faster from neutral creeps.
• Jun 11, 2026: Jar of Dead damage 17 + 0.27 to 16 + 0.25, collection 20% slower, bounty raised; Grasping Hands T3 immobilize +1s to +0.75s.
• May 31, 2026: Jar of Dead damage 20 + 0.31 to 17 + 0.27; Ghoul damage -15% and Ghoul bounty raised.
• May 22, 2026: sprint 1.6 to 2.2; Grasping Hands summons a Ghoul; many Deadhead fixes; bullet damage and growth -10%.
• Mar 6 to Mar 21, 2026: Grasping Hands cooldown 38s to 34s; Borrowed Decree summons 2 Ghouls on cast.

Lore

20:50 Graves is Darcy Graves, daughter of high-powered defense attorneys, who found the dead better listeners than her parents until a woman's voice in the cemetery began to answer, the game's own hero text says (deadlock-api). In Valve's reveal, a severed lich hand from the cemetery lets her "latch onto her enemies and steal their power", and Borrowed Decree "will summon the dead to fight alongside her". More in Lore and Setting.

Frequently asked questions

Is Graves good in Deadlock? Graves has Deadlock's best measured win rate, 57.56% from Oct 15 to 26, 2026 per deadlock-api, and Dexerto puts her in S (Oct 9, 2026), though Mobalytics' expert ranks her C (Oct 22, 2026). See Hero Tier List.

Why is Graves so strong in Deadlock? Graves wins most in Deadlock's lower ranks: deadlock-api measured 57.56% across all ranks but 53.78% at Phantom and above (Oct 15 to 26, 2026). Mobalytics credits an auto-aiming gun and summons that are strong at objectives.

When was Graves added to Deadlock? Valve added Graves to Deadlock on Jan 29, 2026, the second hero of the Old Gods, New Blood update.

What is the best Graves build in Deadlock? Deadlock's Graves builds go spirit and cooldowns: Restorative Shot, Extra Stamina and Mystic Shot early, then Superior Cooldown, Echo Shard and Refresher, then Transcendent Cooldown and Boundless Spirit, per Mobalytics' Oct 13, 2026 build.

How do you counter Graves in Deadlock? To counter Graves in Deadlock, focus her in fights, poke her in lane with long-range heroes such as Haze, Vindicta or Grey Talon, melee her Jar of Dead skulls, and walk away from her gravestone, per Mobalytics.

Does Graves' gun auto-aim in Deadlock? Yes, Graves' gun in Deadlock, The Teacher, is a tether that locks onto a target within 20 m in a 7-degree cone, per the game files (Oct 26, 2026).

Sources

• Graves Prefers The Dead, Valve (Steam), Jan 29, 2026
• Gameplay Update - 03-06-2026, Valve (Steam), Mar 6, 2026 (with the Mar 21, 2026 patch)
• Gameplay Update - 05-22-2026, Valve (Steam), May 22, 2026
• Minor Update - 05-31-2026, Valve (Steam), May 31, 2026
• Minor Update - 06-11-2026, Valve (Steam), Jun 12, 2026
• Minor Update - 07-09-2026, Valve (Steam), Jul 9, 2026
• Minor Update - 09-16-2026, Valve (Steam), Sep 16, 2026
• Assets API: heroes and items, deadlock-api (game files), read Oct 26, 2026
• Hero stats, Oct 15 to 26, 2026, Phantom and above, matchups and Graves item stats, deadlock-api (measured), read Oct 26, 2026
• Deadlock Graves Guide - Abilities, Overview & More, Mobalytics, undated, read Oct 26, 2026
• Graves by Hydration, Mobalytics (Hydration), Oct 13, 2026
• Deadlock Street Brawl Mode Explained, Mobalytics (dxvis), Aug 27, 2026
• Expert Deadlock Tier List, Mobalytics (RinaVX), Oct 22, 2026
• Deadlock Tier List: Best characters to pick in the 2026 meta, Dexerto, Oct 9, 2026
• The ONLY Graves Guide you NEED in Deadlock, zwordz, Feb 6, 2026 (video)
• The Complete Lore Of Valve's Next Game | Deadlock Story Explained, OhHeckItsTristan, Mar 28, 2026 (video)