How to Avoid Feeding in Deadlock

If you have been playing Deadlock for a while then I am pretty sure that you have seen the term “Feeding” getting tossed every now and then. Veteran players have a decent idea about it. But if you are new to the game then allow me to explain what it is and why you should avoid it.

What is Feeding?

Since Deadlock is a MOBA, you carve your build by purchasing suitable items as you play the game. Buying items in a Deadlock match requires Souls. Souls, similar to Gold in Dota 2, are a core mechanic of Deadlock. The fate of your match completely depends on the amount of Souls you gather. And how do you get Souls? You get them by farming different sources that are spread out throughout the map, or you eliminate your opponents and get Souls from them.

This brings me to “Feeding”. When people say you are feeding, it means you are getting eliminated too often and distributing your Souls to your opponents. Basically, you are feeding currency, eliminations, and xp to your opponents, and making them powerful by allowing them to purchase more items. If you don’t know how your souls get distributed, if a single player eliminates you, they get a whopping 125% of your total Souls. This percentage lowers if there are multiple opponents nearby. Here is the distribution rate:

Soul Distribution Rate

125% if single opponent

57% if 2 opponents

28% if 3 opponents

17% if 4 opponents

11% if 5 opponents

8% if 6 opponents

How to Avoid Feeding?

You need to start getting conscious of your feeding right from the laning phase. As soon as the match starts, and you are on your way to your lane, check which heroes you are about to face. If you notice a hero that might be a bit hard for you to tackle, ask somebody else to swap lanes with you. For example, if I am playing Graves, and I see a Vindicta on the opposite side, I immediately request for a swap due to my weapon having limited range, my character having very less Stamina, and my Ultimate being a strictly ground ability. As I won’t be able to do much, and I will most likely get sniped very often, feeding in the process.

Golden Rule

I have a golden rule for myself. If I get eliminated thrice in lane, it means I have fed my opponents enough for early game. In that case, I go to a different lane and help my teammates or go farm to strengthen my build. It doesn’t really matter if you are getting a ton of eliminations or not. As long as you are not getting eliminated a million times and not feeding your opponents, you are good. You can dominate an entire match without getting a single elimination if you can master the art of not feeding.