Complete Guide to Playing Infernus in Deadlock

Infernus

This guide will help you master Deadlock's Infernus, a powerful hero with abilities designed for high damage output and enemy control. Infernus excels in close-range combat, dealing burn damage to enemies and quickly overpowering them in team fights. Here, you'll find recommendations for each stage of the game, essential items to boost his survivability and combat effectiveness, as well as tips on utilizing his abilities to counter enemies and support your team in intense battles.

If you’re aiming to set the battlefield ablaze and leave enemies scorched, Infernus is the hero for the job. With a skill set designed for quick, impactful engagements, he uses his abilities and his signature finger gun to spread relentless burns.

Infernus Weapon Stats

Infernus Vitality Stats

Deadlock Infernus Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths:

• Powerful area-of-effect (AoE) engage abilities.

• Excellent at pursuing and finishing off fleeing enemies.

• Quickly clears waves and neutral camps.

Weaknesses:

• Limited to close and mid-range; left-click is his only long-range option.

• Needs to maintain or surpass his enemies’ power level, or he risks being too fragile for engagements.

• Strong horizontal mobility but lacks vertical movement options.

Deadlock Infernus Abilities

Catalyst (1)

Unleash a burst of napalm, slowing enemies and increasing the damage they take from Infernus.

• Charges: 1

• Cooldown Between Charges: 6s

• Cooldown: 25s

• Range: 20m

• Damage: 50

• Movement Slow: 40%

• Damage Amplification: 20%

• Debuff Duration: 8s

• Slow Duration: 4s

Catalyst Upgrades

Maxing Catalyst enhances Infernus’s self-healing and weakens enemy healing, adding charges, Lifesteal, increased damage amplification, and reduced healing and regeneration on targets.

Tips for Catalyst

The range of Catalyst may take time to master, as it acts like a 20m cone extending from Infernus. Watch enemy itemization and focus on those with healing or regeneration effects when teamfights begin.

Flame Dash (2)

Dash forward at high speed, leaving a burning trail that damages enemies. Hold [LMC] to dash even faster.

• Max Dash Speed: 20 m/s

• Dash Speed: 12 m/s

• DPS: 40

• Cooldown: 40s

• Dash Time: 3s

• Trail Duration: 4s

Flame Dash Upgrades

Maxing Flame Dash reduces its cooldown, increases damage, and adds a Fire Rate Slow to enemies caught in the trail, making it ideal for AoE and quick wave-clearing builds.

Tips for Flame Dash

Flame Dash is excellent for early-game snowballing and keeping up the pressure. Use it to gank nearby lanes or clear neutral camps and waves fast, keeping an eye on opportunities for big plays.

Afterburn (3)

Infernus’s bullets gradually apply a burn effect to enemies, with each hit extending the burn duration. His bullets and abilities will refresh the burn.

• DPS: 15

• Burn Duration: 3s

• Buildup per Bullet: 10%

• Headshot Buildup: 16%

• Buildup Decay Time: 15s

Afterburn Upgrades

Maxing Afterburn increases its damage output on enemies you’re already targeting, making it a powerful tool for sustained engagements.

Tips for Afterburn

In the laning phase, focus on positioning for consistent shots rather than occasional bursts. It takes a few hits to fully apply the burn, so aim for steady firing to maximize your damage in trades.

Concussive Combustion (4)

Transform yourself into a living bomb, detonating after a brief delay and stunning all enemies in the blast radius.

• Range: 12m

• Damage: 160

• Cooldown: 127s

• Stun Duration: 1.25s

• Explosion Delay: 3s

Concussive Combustion Upgrades

Maxing Concussive Combustion reduces its cooldown, increases its stun duration and radius, boosts its damage, and adds healing from all enemies hit by the explosion.

Tips for Concussive Combustion

A classic strategy for Concussive Combustion is to activate it just before charging in with Flame Dash, but you can also time it creatively while on a Zip Line or using items like Warp Stone. Experiment with different setups to surprise enemies!

Ability Point Order

How to Counter Infernus

• Avoid prolonged trades during the laning phase, as his damage-over-time abilities will give him the advantage.

• Infernus excels in horizontal mobility but lacks vertical movement, so leverage positioning to keep fights in your favor.

• Given his strong neutral camp-clearing ability, coordinate an ambush with teammates as he’ll likely use his Flame Dash to clear camps, leaving him vulnerable.

	Item	Cost
	Toxic Bullets	3,000
	Debuff Remover	4,250
	Healbane	1,250
	Decay	1,250

Deadlock Infernus Build

Infernus is a versatile hero with numerous tools for mobility and high damage output, thanks to his passive abilities and wide-range AoE stun. His hit-and-run burn tactics can wear down opponents quickly, and with added tank items and lifesteal, he becomes a formidable presence in teamfights, sustaining through intense battles and taking control of the game.

Early Game

The primary goal is to apply Infernus’s passive on opponents to push them out of the lane and gain control. Once the passive is applied, it’s essential to refresh it by dashing over the enemy or landing additional shots. Headshots apply the passive faster, so aim for those whenever possible.

Ammo Scavenger has become very powerful due to recent buffs and is especially effective on jungle camps, providing benefits like increased Spirit and Magazine Size.

To sustain in the lane, follow up your initial purchases with effective tanky items.

	Item	Cost
	Ammo Scavenger	500 souls
	Extra Regen	500 souls
	Monster Rounds	500 souls
	Restorative Shot	500 souls
	Extra Spirit	500 souls
	Extra Stamina	500 souls
	Enduring Spirit	500 souls
	Infuser	500 souls

Mid Game

Start with Duration Extender to increase the uptime of both your passive ability and Flame Dash.

Tesla Bullets should be your first main purchase, as it synergizes well with the newly buffed Leech and Spiritual Overflow, enabling you to clear jungle camps and minion waves quickly and boost your farming speed.

Next, get Toxic Bullets to enhance your damage-over-time playstyle and make it easier to clear heavy camps and scale up effectively.

Since most of Infernus’s damage comes from his passive and Toxic Bullets, continue investing in cost-effective defensive and utility items like Suppressor.

	Item	Cost
	Duration Extender	1,250 souls
	Mystic Vulnerability	1,250 souls
	Soul Shredder Bullets	1,250 souls
	Quicksilver Reload	1,250 souls
	Spirit Lifesteal	1,250 souls
	Spirit Armor	1,250 souls
	Enduring Speed	1,750 souls
	Tesla Bullets	3,000 souls
	Toxic Bullets	3,000 souls

Late Game

Ricochet and Inhibitor are now essential defensive items, stacking with the reduced spirit damage talent on Afterburn for added durability.

Leech is the optimal choice for maximizing sustain, providing both spirit and substantial lifesteal. This works perfectly with Healing Booster, giving you 54% spirit lifesteal and 44% bullet lifesteal!

At this stage, remember to sell your 500 items to make space for more powerful gear.

With recent buffs, Ricochet has become the best-scaling late-game item for maximizing your damage output.

	Item	Cost
	Ricochet	6,200 souls
	Inhibitor	6,200 souls
	Improved Spirit Armor	4,250 souls
	Leech	6,200 souls

Situational + Luxury Items

Soul Shredder Bullets, Boundless Spirit, and Ricochet offer excellent synergy and make great luxury choices, ideal for filling slots later if resources allow.

As always, consider Debuff Reducer and Debuff Remover to manage damage over time effects or crowd control abilities like Pocket Ult, Seven’s Stun, Bebop Bomb, and Vindicta's Tether/Crow.

	Item	Cost
	Ethereal Shift	3,000 souls
	Debuff Remover	4,250 souls
	Slowing Hex	1,250 souls
	Improved Bullet Armor	4,250 souls
	Warp Stone	3,000 souls
	Spiritual Overflow	6,200 souls
	Healing Booster	1,250 souls
	Escalating Exposure	7,450 souls
	Superior Stamina	3,500 souls
	Colossus	6,200 souls