How to Build Haze “The Demon” in Deadlock
If you want to shred fights as Haze — the OSIC operative whose whole gameplan is to sneak in and spray bullets — “The Demon” is one of the community’s most popular damage-focused builds. It runs 20 core items plus 18 situational options for a total listed build cost of 71,200, split across three clean phases: Early, Mid, and Late. The numbers and item list below are community-reported (via the build-stats site Deadlocked.gg) rather than an official Valve recommendation, so treat them as a strong starting template rather than gospel — the current patch always matters.
The core idea is simple: survive the first few levels with cheap stat items, then convert into a bullet-lifesteal and on-hit monster that never stops firing. Here is how to actually put it together.
Phase 01 — Early Game Core (8,800)
Your opening job is to stay alive and keep pressure through the laning phase, not to chase kills. Buy the six core items in roughly this order so you never sit on too much unspent gold:
- Rapid Rounds (800) and Extra Health (800) first — faster bullets plus a health cushion help you trade and farm safely.
- Extra Spirit (800) boosts your ability damage, which matters because your Sleep Dagger is your main setup tool.
- Swift Striker (1,600) then Active Reload (1,600) round out your early weapon feel.
- Surge of Power (3,200) is the phase capstone — the build imbues it into Sleep Dagger, adding extra burst to your initiation.
If you’re getting bullied in lane or expect an early skirmish, swap in the optional picks: Extra Regen (800), Rebuttal (800), High-Velocity Rounds (800), or Headshot Booster (800). These are cheap patches for a rough start, and you can skip them entirely if you’re winning your lane.
Phase 02 — Mid Game Core (20,800)
Mid game is where the build turns online. The core set is designed to make your sustained fire lethal and self-sustaining:
- Burst Fire (3,200) and Tesla Bullets (3,200) crank your bullet output and let you clear waves and chained targets.
- Bullet Lifesteal (1,600) plus Vampiric Burst (6,400) keep you topped up through extended trades — this is the heart of the “never stop shooting” playstyle.
- Fortitude (3,200) adds durability so you can commit to fights.
- Slowing Hex (1,600) helps you lock targets down after a Sleep Dagger.
- Duration Extender (1,600) is imbued into Bullet Dance, stretching the window of your ultimate so it lands more damage.
Common optional swaps here are Slowing Bullets (1,600), Warp Stone (3,200), Enduring Speed (1,600), Mystic Shot (1,600), Dispel Magic (3,200), Counterspell (3,200), and Spirit Resilience (3,200). Grab Dispel Magic or Counterspell specifically when the enemy has a debuff or a single scary ability you need to eat — otherwise lean into the raw damage options.
Phase 03 — Late Game Core (41,600)
Late game is the most expensive stretch and where the build becomes a genuine carry threat. The core set leans hard into on-hit effects and lockdown:
- Ricochet (6,400), Capacitor (6,400), and Crippling Headshot (6,400) make every bullet hurt more and spread the pain across grouped enemies.
- Superior Duration (3,200) extends your key effects even further.
- Silencer (6,400) and Cursed Relic (6,400) give you tools to shut down slippery or ability-reliant targets.
- Unstoppable (6,400) is your late-game “get out of jail” button so you can commit to Bullet Dance without being instantly locked down.
Optional late items include Juggernaut (6,400), Echo Shard (6,400, imbued into Sleep Dagger), Siphon Bullets (6,400), Diviner’s Kevlar (6,400), Armor Piercing Rounds (6,400), Inhibitor (6,400), and Spellbreaker (6,400). Echo Shard recharging your Sleep Dagger is a great pick when you need repeat initiations, while Armor Piercing Rounds and Inhibitor counter a tank-heavy enemy lineup.
Haze Skill Path — What to Level First
The community’s most popular skill order (read left to right) unlocks your kit, then spends ability points on tiers:
- Sleep Dagger — T1, T2
- Smoke Bomb — T1, T2, T3
- Fixation — T1, T2, T3
- Bullet Dance — T1, T2, T3
In the tier system, T1 is the first upgrade (+1 AP), T2 the second upgrade (+2 AP), and T3 the final upgrade (+5 AP). The takeaway is straightforward: max Smoke Bomb, Fixation, and Bullet Dance since they scale hardest for this damage build, while Sleep Dagger generally stops after T2 — you want it for the utility and setup, not as a damage dump.
Matchups: Best Partners and Hardest Counters
Win-rate data (community-reported, patch-dependent) shows where Haze thrives and where she struggles.
Strong with — pair well and win more together:
- Seven (58.3%)
- Graves (57.9%)
- Paige (56.7%)
- Victor (56.4%)
- Mo & Krill (55.0%)
Weak against — Haze tends to lose these matchups:
- Dynamo (46.6%)
- Vyper (46.9%)
- Seven (47.4%)
- Graves (47.4%)
- Victor (47.6%)
Notice that Seven, Graves, and Victor appear on both lists — that’s a reminder that these numbers swing heavily on team composition and player skill, not just champion choice. Use them as a directional hint: Haze wants partners who can hold or clump enemies so her Bullet Dance and Ricochet do maximum work, and she struggles against heroes who can burst her or disrupt her firing window.
For context on the wider roster, the same source tiers related heroes as Calico (A, 52.6%), Yamato (B, 51.1%), Lash (B, 51.0%), Pocket (C, 46.8%), and Mirage (D, 43.6%) — useful when you’re weighing which hero to lock next.
Where to Find Good Deadlock Builds
“The Demon” is just one option in a fast-moving meta. If you’re hunting for more Deadlock builds or trying to pin down the best Deadlock heroes for the current patch, the smartest habit is to check build aggregators that track live match data.
This build and its stats come from Deadlocked.gg — a community site offering “stats, builds, and tier lists for every Deadlock hero,” described as independent and synced to the current patch (not affiliated with Valve Corporation). Sites like it are the quickest route when you’re asking where to find builds that actually reflect what top players are running right now, rather than a stale list from an older patch.
A few practical tips for choosing between competing builds:
- Match the build to your role. A damage-carry build like The Demon works when you can free-fire; swap toward survivability items if you keep getting focused.
- Check the patch date. Item costs and stats change; an out-of-date guide can quietly tank your win rate.
- Treat win rates as directional, not destiny. Small percentage gaps are noisy — your execution and team comp matter more.
- Use the Optional slots. The Demon is built with flexibility in mind: the 18 optional items exist precisely so you can adapt to the enemy team instead of buying the same seven items every game.
Because all of these figures are community-sourced, verify them against the live patch before locking in your loadout. The Demon is a fantastic template for learning how Haze wants to play — sneak in, sleep a target, and let the bullets do the rest.