Deadlock Soul Denies & Secures Guide

Why Soul Secures and Denies Decide Lanes

Deadlock is a shooter, but laning is still an economy game. Your first 8–12 minutes are about building a lead in power progression—and Souls are the fastest, most reliable way to do that. The secure/deny mechanic adds a second layer: it’s not enough to kill Troopers; you must also convert those kills into Souls while preventing your opponent from doing the same.

Here’s why it matters so much:

Item timing is everything. A small Souls lead turns into earlier damage, earlier survivability, earlier mobility—and that turns into more lane control, which turns into more Souls.
Denies are a double win. When you deny, you don’t only gain—your opponent loses what they expected to get.
It’s the most repeatable advantage in the game. You can secure/deny every wave. That’s constant, controllable value—unlike hoping for random fights.

Most players focus on duels and trades. Strong laners focus on one question:

Did I get my Souls, and did I stop you from getting yours?

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The 2026 Soul Orb System in Lane (Flying vs Ground)

Deadlock’s economy has been adjusted heavily, and modern laning uses a hybrid Trooper-bounty system:

A portion of Trooper Souls becomes a flying orb that can be secured or denied (the contested part).
The remaining portion becomes a ground orb that must be picked up by proximity (the safer part) and cannot be denied by the enemy.

In the current system, the contested part is smaller than it used to be, which changes how you should play: you still must contest the flying orb, but you also must physically step in (safely) to collect the ground portion. This is exactly why modern laning has more “micro skirmishes” near waves—players are fighting for access to pickups and for clean orb hits, not only for kills.

Key takeaway:

Laning now rewards players who can do two things at once—hit the flying orb consistently and step in at the right moments to claim the ground orb without taking losing damage.

Soul Secure vs Soul Deny: Simple Definitions That Actually Help

Let’s make the language clear:

Last hit: You get the Trooper kill. This triggers Soul drops (orbs).
Secure: You successfully claim the value from your team’s Soul orb (usually by shooting or melee-hitting the orb). If nobody touches the orb, it typically resolves to the original killer after a short delay.
Deny: You hit the enemy team’s Soul orb before they secure it, removing that value from them.

This is the part many players miss:

A last hit is not the same as income. Income happens when the Soul value is secured/picked up.

So if you kill 10 Troopers but you only secure half the contested orbs (and you miss ground pickups because you’re pushed off the wave), you can be “winning trades” while losing economy.

The Timing Window Most Players Don’t Respect

Soul orbs are not “free money” the instant a Trooper dies. They have a short contest window where a secure or deny can happen.

In practical terms, you need to know three things:

There’s a short delay before the orb is reliably hittable.
If you shoot the moment it appears, it can feel like it “should” count, but it may not register consistently—especially online.
If nobody interacts with the orb, it typically resolves to the original killer after roughly a few seconds.
That means you can’t assume “it will auto-secure” if your opponent is nearby.
Network conditions affect consistency.
If your ping is higher, the “feel” of the timing can be different. That’s why good players develop habits that work regardless of ping: crosshair placement, deliberate rhythm, and melee confirms when safe.

Your goal as a beginner is not perfect science. It’s a repeatable rhythm:

Last hit → instant crosshair snap → secure (or deny) → reposition.

What Denies Are Really Worth (And Why They Snowball)

Even after changes reduced the share of Trooper bounty that is deniable, denies still matter because they impact:

First item timing: the player who finishes their first meaningful purchase sooner usually gains lane control.
Sustain and tempo: earlier durability items or sustain tools let you stay in lane longer, which means more waves collected.
Pressure: if you can deny consistently, the enemy has to play closer (riskier) to protect their orbs—making them easier to punish.

Think of denies as “taxing” the enemy every wave. If you deny a few contested orbs each minute, the enemy is forced into one of two bad options:

play safer and lose lane control, or
play closer and risk being punished.

Either way, you’re shaping the lane.

The Two Types of Lane Income You Must Master

To win lane economy, you need to master two income actions:

Contested income (flying orb): secured/denied with a shot or melee hit.
Pickup income (ground orb): collected by stepping within range so it travels to you; this portion can’t be denied, but you can lose it by being forced away or arriving late.

That means a “perfect” lane wave is not just last hits. It’s:

you last-hit Troopers (or at least get your share through team play),
you secure your contested orbs,
you deny theirs when safe,
you step in to claim ground pickups at the right moment,
and you do it without taking so much damage that you miss the next wave.

If you’re missing one of these steps, you are leaking Souls.

The #1 Laning Habit: Crosshair Placement on Orb Spawn

Most players miss secures/denies for a simple reason: their crosshair is still tracking Trooper bodies when the orb appears. You want the opposite habit:

As a Trooper approaches last-hit health, move your crosshair to where the orb will appear.
Kill with a minimal burst (or last-hit shot), then immediately click the orb.

This habit does two things:

It makes secures feel instant.
It makes denies possible, because you’re already staring at the contested space.

A beginner-friendly rule:

When a Trooper is about to die, your crosshair should be “thinking about the orb,” not the Trooper.

The “Two-Action” Technique That Fixes 80% of Missed Secures

If you want a simple mechanical routine that works on almost every hero:

Use the smallest possible burst to finish the Trooper.
Immediately fire one deliberate shot at the Soul orb.

Why this works:

You keep ammo stable.
You reduce recoil and panic spraying.
You build a consistent rhythm.

Most missed secures happen because players do the opposite:

they over-spray the Trooper,
they reload at the wrong moment,
they swing wide into open space,
then they try to flick the orb while being shot.

Clean inputs beat frantic inputs.

Melee Confirm: The Safest Way to “Guarantee” Value

One of the most practical laning tricks is using melee to secure value when it’s safe to step up.

Why melee is strong:

It reduces the number of actions you must take under pressure.
It’s less sensitive to projectile travel and “orb hit timing feel.”
It often lets you deny the enemy chance to contest the orb by ending the interaction quickly.

When to melee confirm:

when the wave is on your side of lane,
when the enemy is reloading or using cooldowns,
when you have cover and an escape route,
when your health is high enough that a short step forward won’t force you to back.

When not to melee confirm:

when stepping up means eating a full free trade,
when you are low HP,
when enemies are missing and you risk a sudden collapse.

Melee confirms are not “always.” They’re a tool. Use them as your reliable option in safe moments, not as a habit that gets you killed.

Denying Without Throwing Your Lane

A deny is only good if it doesn’t cost you more than it gains. This is the most common mistake: players chase denies and lose their own wave, their health, or their position.

Use this deny priority:

Priority 1: Secure your own contested orb.
If you miss your secure to chase a deny, you often break even at best.
Priority 2: Deny when it’s free.
“Free” means you’re already in position and it doesn’t pull you into danger.
Priority 3: Deny when it creates a bigger win.
A deny is huge when it forces the enemy to back (because they can’t afford to stay), or when it breaks their next item timing.

Don’t deny like it’s a mini-game. Deny like it’s strategy.

Positioning: Where You Stand Determines Who Gets the Orbs

The secure/deny system is not just aim—it’s positioning. You win or lose access based on where you stand relative to:

cover,
wave location,
enemy firing angles,
and your retreat path.

Here are the positioning principles that make secures easier:

Own the “safe triangle.” Stand where you can see the wave, see the orb space, and retreat behind cover quickly.
Don’t stand in the open to “prove you’re confident.” If you’re in open space, the enemy can punish you every time you step in for a ground pickup.
Let your Troopers be your shield. Use wave bodies to break line of sight when you reposition for pickups.
Play the side that gives you an exit route. If you step forward to claim ground pickups, you should already know where you retreat to.

A great laning position feels boring. That’s the point. Boring positions print Souls.

Wave Control: The Hidden Part of Secures and Denies

If you can shape the wave location, you can make orb contests much easier.

Simple wave control ideas that help secures:

Holding the wave closer to your side makes it safer to step in for ground pickups and harder for the enemy to contest denies without overextending.
Pushing the wave forces the enemy to deal with Troopers under pressure, and it can make them late to orb contests—especially if they’re clearing with abilities.
Bouncing the wave (push then let it return) creates windows where you can rotate or shop without losing your entire lane economy.

Beginner wave rule that supports denies:

If you want to deny more, keep the wave closer to you. If you want to rotate, push first.

The Lag and “Hit Too Early” Problem (And How to Stop Feeling Robbed)

A lot of players complain that they “heard the hit sound” but didn’t secure, or they shot an orb instantly and it didn’t count. Whether it’s timing, server validation, or a short activation window, the practical fix is the same: change your rhythm so you’re not gambling.

Use these habits:

Don’t shoot the orb on the first possible frame.
Instead, make your secure a deliberate click after the orb is clearly active.
Pre-aim the orb spawn location.
If your crosshair is already there, you don’t need a panic flick that increases timing errors.
Use melee confirms when the lane state allows it.
If you’re worried about projectile feel or ping, melee is your “clean conversion” option.
If your ping is high, be early with crosshair placement, not early with trigger spam.
Spamming shots early can make you reload at the exact moment the real orb contest happens.

This is also why practice tools matter: you can build the timing feel until it becomes automatic, even on bad days.

Ammo Discipline: Why You Miss Orbs Right When It Matters

In Deadlock laning, missed secures often happen right after one of these:

you sprayed a Trooper wave,
you tried to trade and missed shots,
you reloaded at the wrong time,
you had low ammo and couldn’t take the extra shot for the orb.

The fix is not “aim better.” The fix is ammo planning.

Try this:

When Troopers are about to hit last-hit health, stop spraying.
Keep enough bullets in the magazine to do the two-action technique (kill + orb shot).
If you’re low ammo, step back behind cover and reload before the wave reaches last-hit thresholds.

Ammo discipline feels slow at first—but it increases your Souls per minute because you stop missing the contested value.

Items That Reward Secures and Denies (And Why They’re Strong Early)

Some early items become dramatically better when you consistently secure/deny because they convert lane skill into stats.

A key example is Ammo Scavenger, which is built around secure/deny triggers:

it returns ammo when you secure or deny a Soul,
and it grants stacking power tied to those actions.

Why this matters in lane:

You can sustain pressure longer without running dry.
You get rewarded for doing the right laning skill repeatedly.
It makes your wave clear and orb contest more consistent.

How to use this idea even if you don’t buy that specific item:

Choose early purchases that help you stay present in lane (ammo stability, sustain, survivability).
Anything that keeps you in lane for one extra wave often pays for itself.

The deeper truth:

Secures and denies are a mechanical skill, but itemization decides how easy it is to repeat the skill under pressure.

The 60-Second Lane Loop for Consistent Secures

If you want a repeatable plan that works in real matches, use this loop:

Wave arrives: position near cover with line of sight to the last-hit zone.
Last-hit phase: reduce spray, shift crosshair to orb spawn.
Secure your contested orbs immediately.
Deny theirs if it’s safe.
Step in for ground pickups during safe windows (enemy reload, enemy behind cover, your HP advantage, your Troopers shielding).
Reset behind cover.
Shop only when the wave is pushed or stabilized. Don’t shop at the moment orbs are contestable.

Do this every minute and you’ll feel the lane transform. Your income becomes stable. Your items arrive earlier. You stop feeling like the enemy is magically richer.

How to Win Orb Contests Without Fighting Constantly

Many players think they need to “fight” to win denies. In reality, you can win orb contests with small advantages:

Angle advantage: hold a position where you see the orb zone and the enemy has to peek wide to contest.
Health advantage: if you’re healthier, the enemy can’t step forward to contest ground pickups without risking death.
Cooldown advantage: if they used key abilities to clear, they often can’t punish you stepping in for pickups.
Wave advantage: a bigger friendly wave blocks shots and punishes enemies who overstep.

This is why good laning feels controlled: you create conditions where the enemy cannot contest without losing.

Common Secure/Deny Mistakes (And the Fix That Works)

Mistake: You last-hit but forget to secure.

Fix: Build the two-action habit: last hit → instant orb shot.

Mistake: You chase denies and lose your own wave value.

Fix: Secure first, deny second, and never sacrifice your own contested orbs to “win the mini-game.”

Mistake: You step in for ground pickups at the worst time and take massive damage.

Fix: Only step in when you have cover, HP, or enemy downtime. Pickups are “timing,” not courage.

Mistake: You reload during orb windows.

Fix: Reload earlier. Treat orb windows like a scheduled event you must have ammo for.

Mistake: You try to secure/deny from too far away.

Fix: Improve positioning before trying to improve aim. If you’re at max range, everything is harder.

Mistake: You shoot orbs the instant they appear and feel robbed.

Fix: Add a tiny rhythm delay so you’re hitting the orb when it’s active, not during the earliest frame window.

Advanced: Turning Deny Wins Into Lane Wins

Secures and denies are not the finish line. They’re the tool that buys you the right to do bigger things.

When you’re consistently winning orb value, convert it like this:

Spend your lead: shop earlier so the lead becomes stats.
Take space: with better items, you can hold forward positions safely.
Pressure structure windows: when the enemy is forced to back (low HP or late item timing), shove the wave and hit objectives.
Rotate on your terms: once your lane is stable and pushed, you can rotate to help another lane without missing your own wave income.

A deny advantage that sits in your wallet is fragile. A deny advantage spent on items becomes permanent pressure.

Practice Drills to Build Secure/Deny Skill Fast

You don’t need to “play 200 matches” to get good at this. You need targeted practice.

Here are drills that work:

Drill 1: Two-action rhythm (5 minutes).
In a practice environment, repeat: last-hit Trooper → immediate orb shot. Focus on clean timing, not speed.
Drill 2: Crosshair placement (5 minutes).
Before the Trooper dies, place crosshair where the orb appears. The goal is zero flicking.
Drill 3: Deny reaction (5 minutes).
Spawn or simulate enemy orbs and practice denying only after you’ve secured your own. This builds the correct priority.
Drill 4: Step-in timing (5 minutes).
Practice taking ground pickups while using cover: step forward → pickup → step back. Train the motion so it feels safe.
Drill 5: “Under pressure” lane (10 minutes).
Add enemy harassment (or a friend) and practice keeping the same secure rhythm while taking minimal damage.

If Deadlock’s current practice space includes a Soul orb training tool, use it. The goal is to make your secure timing automatic so it holds up when real players shoot back.

Practical Rules (Print This in Your Head)

Secure is your paycheck. Deny is your bonus. Don’t miss your paycheck.
Treat every wave like a scheduled orb contest—have ammo ready.
Crosshair on orb spawn before the Trooper dies.
Minimal burst to last-hit, then one clean shot for the orb.
Step in for ground pickups only on safe timings (cover, HP, enemy downtime).
Deny only when it’s free or when it creates a bigger win.
If the game feels “laggy,” stop shooting instantly on spawn—use a deliberate rhythm.
If you’re getting bullied off pickups, buy survivability earlier and keep collecting waves.
When you win the orb game, spend the lead and pressure objectives.

BoostRoom: Fix Your Laning Economy in a Few Sessions

If you want faster progress, the biggest jump usually comes from correcting a handful of repeated laning mistakes: missing specific orb windows, reloading at the wrong time, stepping forward without cover, or chasing denies that cost more than they gain. BoostRoom focuses on those practical fixes—because once your Souls per minute stabilizes, everything else (teamfights, objectives, late-game power) becomes easier.

What BoostRoom-style improvement targets for this topic:

A simple secure/deny routine you can follow every wave
Positioning adjustments that reduce damage taken while collecting pickups
Timing rules for when to step up, when to hold, and when to reset
Item choices that make orb contests easier for your hero and playstyle
Clear conversions: how to turn a deny lead into structure pressure and win conditions

If you’re tired of feeling like the enemy “always hits items first,” mastering secures/denies is the most direct fix—and the fastest way to make lane feel under your control.

FAQ

Do I have to deny Souls to win lane?

Not always, but you do have to secure your own consistently. Denies are what turn a stable lane into a winning lane. If you can secure reliably and deny when it’s safe, you’ll win more lanes without needing kills.

Why do I feel like I’m last-hitting but still behind?

Because last-hits don’t automatically equal full income. If you miss contested orb secures, arrive late to ground pickups, or get bullied off the wave, your real Souls per minute drops.

How long do I have to secure an orb if nobody shoots it?

In most cases, it resolves to the killer after a short delay (commonly around a few seconds). But you should not rely on that if the enemy is nearby—treat every orb as contestable.

Is melee better than shooting for secures?

Melee can be more consistent in safe moments because it reduces timing and projectile issues. But it’s not always safe to step up, so the best approach is: shoot by default, melee confirm when you have a safe window.

Why does it sometimes feel like my orb shot didn’t count?

There can be a short activation/timing window, plus online consistency issues. The practical solution is to stop “panic clicking” at the first frame and use a deliberate rhythm with strong crosshair placement.

What should I do if the enemy is denying everything?

Hold the wave closer to your side, play tighter to cover, prioritize securing your own orbs first, and buy survivability or lane-stability items earlier so you can stay present and contest.

Should I risk damage to grab ground pickups?

Only if the timing is safe. The ground portion can’t be denied, but you can still lose it by being forced away—or by dying. Pickups are worth it when they don’t cost your health bar and the next wave.