While most recent hero shooters struggle to find that spark for original characters, Valve’s upcoming Deadlock continues to ignite. From behind a slow-roasting closed beta, fans have already taken to the depression era-inspired, magically imbued cast. Its latest addition resembles one of those mysterious old guys playing chess at Union Square. So it goes without saying that folks are ravenous. With some immaculate attention to detail, players are already crowning newcomer Solomon royalty.
Set in an alternative mid-century New York, Deadlock follows two deities vying to control the city so nice they named it twice. After a catastrophic ‘Maelstrom’ ushered in all kinds of fantasy beasts to the urban streets, skilled heroes have aligned themselves with the rival gods, hoping to have their wishes granted.
Floating in a lotus position like Zenyatta before him, Solomon is a chess grandmaster introduced alongside five other heroes in the recent “City Never Sleeps” update. Alongside an illustrious witch of folklore and The Nutcracker’s sewer loving antagonist, Solomon has garnered the most attention. His chess-reared skills go beyond being a patient strategist. The hero doesn’t just flick pieces off his board, but can conjure giant replicas of them on the battlefield, commanding them to move as their miniature counterparts would.
All variations of Solomon’s chessboard!
After reloading, the pieces on the new character’s board rearrange into a new layout based on his remaining ammo count. Every position is taken from an actual historical game.
8: Maurice Ashley vs. Josh Waitzkin (1999)
9: Nakamura vs. Van… pic.twitter.com/OVe3VhMYgx— Deadlock News (@deadlockesport) October 10, 2026
Fans have taken to Solomon’s dynamic presentation. The most eagle-eyed among them even picked up an uncanny attention to detail, as every time Solomon reloads the pieces on his board, they take to a configuration referencing history’s most famous match ups. This includes the 1851 “immortal game” between Adolf Anderssen and Lionel Kieseritzky, or the time the Deep Blue computer bested Garry Kasparov in 1996. It does not include that 2022 player accused of using an anal vibrator to cheat, but the game is still in beta.
As players turn against live-service games, Deadlock’s increasing hype is no anomaly. A crowded genre, Valve seems to be putting a lot of care and creativity into the world and oddballs they’re asking players to occupy. A sharp contrast between itself and Concord, which felt composed of Guardians of the Galaxy background actors. It also hasn’t resorted to Marvel Rival’s playbook of established superheroes and flattering swimwear.
