Valve releases Graves in Deadlock: See how the necromancer drains enemies

Valve surprised **Deadlock** players in early February 2026 with the official release of Graves. The new heroine arrives with a stylish necromancer look and mechanics that strongly resemble Undying from Dota 2. Unlike other classic summoners, she focuses on long-duration fights and the progressive weakening of opponents while draining life to stay alive on the battlefield.

Graves’ primary weapon is a severed lich hand that fires a short-range beam with native lifesteal. Meanwhile, the Essence Theft ability enhances this attack, allowing her to steal up to 25% of weapon damage and 10% of the target’s spirit resistance after four seconds of contact. Because of this, she becomes an unstoppable threat in prolonged engagements, especially if you equip items like Split Shot to hit multiple targets simultaneously.

## Graves’ Abilities in Deadlock

– **Beam Weapon:** Short-range shot that drains life and has slight target tracking.
– **Essence Theft:** Steals up to 25% weapon damage and 10% spirit resistance (scales with spirit).
– **Jar of Dead:** Collects souls from the ground to summon four ‘Deadheads’ (floating skulls) that attack the target.
– **Grasping Hands:** Creates a wall that immobilizes and damages enemies who pass through it.
– **Borrowed Decree (Ultimate):** Places a tombstone that generates explosive Ghouls. Each explosion deals 150 damage (1.5x spirit scaling) and 80% slow.

For those who enjoy summons, Jar of Dead allows Graves to collect souls across the map to create Deadheads. These small floating skulls chase and strike enemies repeatedly, causing constant spirit damage. Additionally, the heroine features Grasping Hands, an excellent tactical wall for cutting off narrow lanes and preventing victims from escaping while their strength is drained.

The highlight of the kit is Borrowed Decree, her ultimate ability. Graves places a giant tombstone that continuously generates Ghouls to attack adversaries. However, players need to be careful, as enemies can destroy the tombstone with just two heavy melee attacks. Thus, the correct positioning of the structure determines whether Graves will dominate the fight or lose her greatest asset quickly.