Grey Talon is a top sharpshooter for Deadlock, deadly at long range with precise aim and smart trap setups that control fights. He may feel challenging at first, but with the right build, you’ll quickly take control of your lanes. This guide covers how to play Grey Talon, his best build, and strategies to help you make the most of his long-range combat skills.
Table of Contents
How to Play Grey Talon in Deadlock: Core Abilities and Leveling Order
First, let’s break down Grey Talon’s four abilities as a long-range hunter, using precise shots, tactical traps, and spirit magic:
| Ability | Description |
 Charged Shot | A powerful piercing shot that can be charged up. • Base: 100 damage. • 1 AP: +1 additional charge. • 2 AP: +65 damage. • 5 AP: Improved damage scaling and -3s charge delay. |
 Rain of Arrows | Launches you airborne with gliding capability and enhanced attacks of multishot arrows instead of one. • Base: Grants weapon multishot and damage while airborne. • 1 AP: -14s cooldown. • 2 AP: +5 weapon damage and 40% movement slow for 1.5s. • 5 AP: +40% Bullet and Spirit Lifesteal while airborne. |
 Spirit Snare | A trap ability that controls and disables enemies. • Base: 1.75s duration, 30 damage, 30% movement slow, interrupts, silences, and disarms enemy in a 6.2m radius. • 1 AP: -20s cooldown. • 2 AP: +0.75s tether duration. • 5 AP: +30% bullet damage to snared targets for 10s. |
 Guided Owl (Ultimate) | A controllable spirit owl that explodes on impact. • Base: 250 damage, 12m explosion radius, 5 Spirit Power per kill. • 1 AP: +100 damage. • 2 AP: -47s cooldown. • 5 AP: Executes targets below 22% health. |
For the leveling order, try these steps to boost Grey Talon’s damage, while providing mobility and control to maintain positioning and secure kills:
- Start with Charged Shot at level 1 for immediate ranged damage potential.
- Get Rain of Arrows at level 2 to gain enhanced weapon damage and slow effects while you’re up in the air.
- Take Spirit Snare at level 3 for longer tether duration and better trap control.
- Unlock Guided Owl at level 4 and improve it for reduced cooldown, making it more available in team fights.
Early Game Items for Grey Talon (0-15 Minutes)
In Grey Talon’s early game, selecting the right items is crucial for establishing a strong foundation. With each item costing only 500 souls, you can quickly develop core stats and passive effects that complement his kit.
| Item Name | Cost (Souls) | Purpose |
 Hollow Point Ward | 500 | Core starting item for enhanced damage. Provides Spirit Power and a slight Spirit Shield. |
 Sprint Boots | 500 | Core starting item for enhanced damage provides Spirit Power and a slight Spirit Shield. |
 Extra Stamina | 500 | The additional resource pool and recovery make it easier to maintain pressure in lane. |
 Extra Spirit | 500 | This combination of offensive and defensive stats helps with survivability. |
 Mystic Burst | 500 | Gives you burst damage output. |
Mid-Game Items for Grey Talon (15-25 Minutes)
As Grey Talon enters the mid-game, upgrading early items is key to staying strong. You need your damage to be boosted even more and some enhanced mobility to help you win fights and take objectives. Managing souls wisely is important, but these upgrades give a big power boost to Grey Talon:
| Item Name | Cost (Souls) | Purpose |
 Sharpshooter | 4,250 | Improved accuracy and damage to your weapon. |
 Superior Stamina | 3,500 | Enhanced stamina and mobility, letting you air dash and air jump. |
 Improved Burst | 3,500 | Grants you additional spirit shield and weapon damage. |
 Improved Spirit | 3,500 | Provides bonus health and movement speed. |
 Superior Cooldown | 4,250 | Boosts Health Regeneration and lets you pick one ability for a major cooldown reduction. |
Late-Game Items for Grey Talon (25+ Minutes)
After you reach the 25-minute mark in the game, you will realize that Grey Talon has become much stronger. These items, although more expensive, give him major power spikes:
| Item Name | Cost (Souls) | Purpose |
 Crippling Headshot | 6,000 | Increases weapon damage, bullet lifesteal, and spirit lifesteal. |
 Spiritual Overflow | 6,000 | Boosts attack speed and power by hitting enemies. |
 Boundless Spirit | 9,500 | Improves health, speed, and overall strength. |
 Escalating Exposure | 7,250 | Lowers enemy defenses and increases Spirit Damage over time |
 Mystic Reverb | 6,000 | Enhances ability range and adds a slow effect with extra damage. |
 Refresher (Active) | 6,000 | Resets all ability cooldowns and restores charges. |
Situational Items for Grey Talon
Grey Talon’s core build might need to prioritize damage, but some situations can be adjusted too. These situational items help counter crowd control, enemy healing, or boost survivability when needed.
| Item Name | Cost (Souls) | Purpose |
 Restorative Shot | 500 | Heals when hitting enemies with bullets. |
 Extra Regen | 500 | Provides extra health, ammo, and healing over time. |
 Healing Rite (Active) | 500 | Temporarily boosts healing and movement speed. |
 Debuff Reducer | 1,250 | Shortens the duration of negative effects. |
 Debuff Remover (Active) | 4,250 | Removes all negative effects and grants bonus speed if any are cleansed. |
 Healbane | 1,250 | Reduces enemy healing and restores health when they die. |
Strategies to Play Grey Talon in Deadlock
Grey Talon is a ranged damage dealer with strong area control and map presence. He excels at dealing with Spirit Damage while staying safe. To maximize his potential, these are some tips you can do:
- Stay in the backline and deal damage from a safe distance.
- Use Rain of Arrows for damage and scouting to control fights.
- Place traps where enemies are likely to move to control space and set up kills.
- Focus on farming souls and getting items early, as each core item makes you much stronger.
This balance of damage and positioning allows Grey Talon to dominate both lane and team fights, making him a key threat throughout the game. Don’t forget to check other Deadlock Hero Best Builds:
