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InDeadlock, Infernus is a blazing speedster with an arsenal of damage-over-time abilities to whittle away at his opponent’s health bar. In the right hands and the right team setup, the hero has the potential to solo carry the entire game. However, the first step to that is to learn the right build to get the most out of the hero.
Deadlockis an extremely dynamic game where you may play a single hero in multiple ways. This build guide for Infernus utilizes his skills to their fullest and turns him into one of the strongest duelers in the game.
Deadlock Infernus Overview & Ability Details
Infernusspecializes in dealing damage-over-time effectswith his abilities. His primary weapon fires quick projectiles from his fingertips that build up burn stacks on the target. His base movement speed isn’t the highest, but his Flame Dash ability allows him toquickly chase down enemiesor disengage when things turn south.
Infernus has two active abilities, one passive, and an ultimate that unlocks at 3k Souls. Here’s how his abilities work in the game:
Upgrades
Catalyst (1)
Spew napalm that slows enemy movement and amplifies the damage Infernus does to them.
5 AP:+15% Damage Amplification and -40% Heal/Regen.
Flame Dash (2)
Move forward at high speed and leave a flame trail that burns enemies. Infernus gains 30% slow resistance for the duration. Hold the Left Mouse Button to dash faster.
5 AP:-20s Cooldown
Afterburn (Passive)
Your bullets build up to apply a burning effect on enemies. Infernus’s bullets and abilities will refresh the duration.
5 AP:+30 DPS
Concussive Combustion (4)
Turns you into a living bomb that explodes after a short delay, stunning all enemies in its radius.
2 AP:+0.5s Stun Duration and +4m Radius
5 AP:+115 Damage and 100% Lifesteal from enemy heroes hit.
Infernus Build Guide (Ability & Item Progression) In Deadlock
InDeadlock, Infernus often ends up beingthe highest damage dealeron the scoreboard once the game ends. In theearly game, he takes on the role of ganker, moving from one lane to the next to hunt for kills. As the game progresses, he transitions more into a DPS role, picking upitems that buff up his survivability and damage output.
Infernus Ability Build
With Infernus, you’ll first want tounlock your passive ability, Afterburn. After that, unlock Catalyst and Flame Dash, and pick up the ultimate Concussive Combustion when it becomes available. You’ll want tounlock all three upgrades for Afterburnbefore investing your AP anywhere else. Your next 8 APs will go into Flame Dash, maxing it out. Put 3 AP into Catalyst next to get it to level 2. Once that’s done, you get to put points into your ultimate, getting it up to the maximum level. When your Concussive Combustion is maxed out, put one more point into Catalyst to unlock the final upgrade.
Infernus Item Progression
Infernus mostlyfocuses on getting Vitality items to buff up his health and Lifestealwhile adding Spirit power to boost his damage from Afterburner. During the laning phase, his damage is pretty mediocre. However, once you start filling up your inventory slots with the right items, it becomes extremely difficult to fight this hero one-on-one.
Here are the items that you want to build on Infernus as the game progresses inDeadlock:
Early Game:
Headshot Booster is an absolute muston this hero and should be your first purchase from theCuriosity Shopduring the laning stage. This one pickup will significantly boost your damage output and harass potential — if you manage to land those headshots. Basic Magazine will help add some extra damage and ammo to your weapon, while Infuser gives you some Lifesteal and extra Spirit Power to beef up the damage from your Afterburn.
Enduring Spirit is another essential pickup to further increase your Spirit LIfesteal. After that, you’ll need tosave up 1,250 Soulsto get the Soul Shredder Bullets. This item applies astacking debuff on the target, allowing you to deal more Spirit Damage and gain more Spirit Lifesteal on hits. Finally, pick up the Sprint Boots since Infernus always benefits from that extra bit of movement speed.
Pick up theHealing Rite to heal your heroif your lane opponent keeps harassing you.
Mid-Game:
The first item you’ll want to pick up after the laning stage isQuicksilver Reload. This one pickup will severely amp up your damage. You’ll want to bind it with your Catalyst ability so that when you use it on an enemy, your weapon reloads immediately, allowing you to keep building up those Afterburn stacks.
After that,Spirit Lifestealwill further enhance your Lifesteal amount, adding to your sustain.Toxic Bullets is the bread and butter of all Infernus builds. It applies a non-lethal bleed effect on an enemy target, continuously draining their health. Combined with the constant burn damage from Afterburn, this item helps Infernus deal massive damage over time on a single target.
Mystic VulnerabilityandDuration Extenderare both excellent Spirit items that you’ll want to pick up to enhance your abilities. Finally, you’ll need to choose betweenBullet ArmorandSpirit Armor,depending on the type of damage the enemy team deals the most.
Suppressor can be a decent alternative to Quicksilver Reload if the enemy team has too manyweapon damage heroes like Vindictaor Wraith.
Late Game
As the game goes late, your item choices with Infernus become a lot more situational. You’ve already got your core items. In the late game, apart from a few essential items,you’ll need to consider the damage type and playstyle of the enemy teamto fill up your inventory slots.
Make sure you pick up bothLeachandHealing Boosteras your first two items. Combined with all the other Lifesteal items you’ve picked up so far, this will make sure you don’t lose any trades with any enemy on the map. Upgrade your Sprint Boots and Basic Magazine to Enduring Speed and Titanic Magazine, respectively. Also, upgrade your armor to the next tier.Fleetfootis an excellent item that you’re able to pick up at this point. Sell Headshot Booster to replace it.
After doing all that, you’ll have to go for some situational items.Shadow Weave is an excellent choice if you’re playing as a ganker, ambushing enemies and moving around the map, creating chaos. Inhibitor is a superb item against high-mobility heroes because of its passive effect, which reduces the target’s movement speed and outgoing damage.
Pick up Unstoppable if you’re having trouble playing around theenemy team’s crowd control abilities. Ricochet makes your bullets bounce to two other nearby targets and also lets you apply your passive effects on them. Get it only if the enemy team stays clumped up during team fights. Finally,Crippling Headshot is a solid late-game choiceto replace Headshot Booster or Fleetfoot if you want some extra damage.
Ideally, you’ll want touse your Flex Slotsto fill up on extra Vitality items on Infernus.
How To Play Infernus Effectively In Deadlock
Playing Infernus is all about building up his Afterburn stacks to keep up the damage over time effect on the enemy target. He doesn’t have the greatestburst damage in the game like Bebop; however, he can whittle away at theenemy health bar quickly, both from a distance and from up close.
That being said, when you get to your lane, you’ll want tofocus on your farm to get your first item, Headshot Booster. Once you have that item, you’ll be able to switch between getting last hits and poking your lane opponents to build up stacks.
The hero isn’t the best at getting kills on his own early on. You’ll want tocoordinate with your friendor lane partner if you want to take down your lane opponents.
Infernus starts becoming a real threat on the map once the laning stage ends, and he gets his core items. The combo is simple enough to execute; you poke at a target from a distance, run in withFlame Dash, and applyCatalystmid-dash. Keep firing afterward to rack up the damage and use your ultimate to stun or secure the kill.
Using Catalyst when imbued withQuicksilver Reloadreloads all your ammo, making it a great pickup on Infernus.
In the late game, Infernus becomes an exceptional brawler because of all the Lifesteal items you’ve picked up. The ability to deliver steady, consistent damage to an enemy target makes him extremely strong against tanky heroes inDeadlock.
