Baba is one of the most intriguing new heroes introduced in Deadlock's City Never Sleeps update, instantly standing out with her strange bird-themed ultimate and Spirit-based combat style. She brings a refreshing mix of supernatural abilities and swift mobility that changes the game pace and demands a different approach to engagements.
She is now playable and she is much more than just another mysterious hero teased by Valve. Her kit combines Spirit damage, mobility, crowd control and a strange bird-themed ultimate that makes her stand out from the rest of the roster.
This guide covers everything you need to know about Baba, including her abilities, weapon and how to use her kit effectively in matches.
Baba isn’t just another mysterious addition to the roster—she channels Spirit damage, mobility, and crowd control to skew fights in your favor. Her abilities encourage aggressive play, promoting proactive pressure instead of passive positioning. When you’re facing off against Baba, you need to be ready for unexpected bursts of damage and sudden shifts in positioning thanks to her quick maneuvers.
Inspired loosely by the folklore of Baba Yaga, Deadlock’s Baba combines this mystique with an original flair. She isn’t reliant on standard weapon damage alone but enhances her presence with Spirit-based attacks and abilities designed to disrupt enemy strategies and carve out tactical advantages for her team.
Unlike heroes who rely only on raw weapon damage, Baba uses Spirit-based abilities to pressure enemies and control fights. Her kit allows her to poke from a distance, move into fights quickly and create openings for her team.
Her primary weapon, the Bunko-Night Special , fires in rapid bursts using a tea-cup motif that feels as unique as it sounds. Here's what you need to know about her gun: Bullet Damage: 8.8 per shot with 3 pellets Clip Size: 15 rounds Fire Rate: 3.23 shots per second Effective Range: 15 meters minimum with falloff starting up to 42 meters Reload Time: 2.5 seconds What’s crucial is that when Baba activates Threadsap , stealing Spirit from opponents, each bullet gains extra Spirit damage, significantly boosting her offensive potential in fights.
Baba’s weapon is the Bunko-Night Special (a rapid-fire tea-cup gun).
- Bullet Damage: 8.8 (3 pellets)
- Clip Size: 15
- Fire Rate: 3.23 shots/sec
- Falloff Range: 15m to 42m
- Reload: 2.5s
Her gun much more stronger after she steals Spirit with Threadsap. While holding stolen Spirit, every bullet deals bonus Spirit damage.
Threadsap acts as Baba’s core mechanic for disrupting opponents and stacking pressure. Engaging with this ability ties you to the fight, as you want to maintain stolen Spirit to maximize your weapon’s damage output. The ability really shines when you keep the heat on enemies rather than retreating after a single strike.
Threadsap is one of Baba’s main tools for dealing Spirit damage and weakening opponents. It allows her to drain enemies while creating opportunities to follow up with weapon damage.
The ability rewards aggressive play because it becomes more valuable when Baba can stay involved in fights instead of using it once and immediately backing away.
Use Threadsap before committing to longer fights, especially against enemies who cannot easily escape its pressure.
Granny Long Legs transforms Baba’s bench into a dynamic mobility tool that lasts 10 seconds. This ability increases her movement speed and jump height while providing resistance to debuffs and melee attacks. When activated, her melee attacks gain new properties: Light Melee turns into a powerful kick that knocks enemies back Heavy Melee becomes a ground pound causing Spirit damage, knock-up, and slows Holding Crouch charges an enhanced high jump The cooldown for Granny Long Legs is currently 32 seconds due to a recent patch update. It’s the centerpiece of her mobility and melee control.
Granny Long Legs gives Baba the mobility she needs to enter and leave fights. The ability allows her to close distance quickly, reposition, catch enemies who are trying to escape.
Baba’s bench extends its legs for 10 seconds. She gains bonus move speed, higher jumps, Debuff Resistance and Melee Resistance.
While active:
- Light Melee becomes a strong kick that knocks enemies back,
- Heavy Melee becomes a ground pound that deals Spirit damage, knocks up and slows,
- She can charge a high jump by holding Crouch,
- Current base cooldown: 32s (increased in the October 14 patch).
This is her main mobility and melee tool.
Baba’s Brew offers tactical flexibility by cycling through three effects as she brews a pot of tea: a shield for allies, a silence effect, and a damaging Spirit burn that also reduces Spirit resistance. The ability can be paused to lock in the preferred effect before tossing the pot into the desired area, granting adaptive utility in various combat scenarios.
Baba’s Brew is a flexible ability that changes depending on what the situation needs. It can help Baba survive, disrupt enemies, or increase her damage pressure.
Baba starts brewing a pot of tea that cycles between three effects:
- Soothing Barrier (shield for allies, currently 90 base)
- Silence
- Scalding Burn (Spirit damage over time and Spirit Resist reduction)
She can pause and resume the brew to lock in the effect she wants, then throw the pot into an area.
Feed The Birds Explained
Feed The Birds is one of the most distinctive abilities in Deadlock. Baba channels and applies bread to enemies, stacking slow effects. When the channel ends, a flock of pigeons bombards them, dealing Spirit damage and temporarily hexing targets into pigeons. Use this to stall groups or control already weakened enemies for your team to capitalize on.
This ultimate works best synergized with your team’s crowd control, turning fights decisively rather than being used randomly.
Baba channels and covers enemies in front of her with bread, applying a stacking slow. When the channel ends, a flock of pigeons bombards the targets, dealing Spirit damage and hexing them into pigeons. More bread means more damage and longer hex duration.
Best used when enemies are grouped or already controlled by your team.
Baba thrives when you take an active, aggressive approach. Start fights by sapping Spirit with Threadsap, then dive in with Granny Long Legs to reposition or finish off vulnerable foes. If the battle drags on, use Baba’s Brew to sustain yourself and disrupt enemy plans. Time your Feed The Birds to lock down groups or enemies caught out of position for maximum impact.
Players often falter by using Baba purely as a damage dealer; her real power lies in combining mobility, Spirit damage, and disruption effectively.
How to Play Baba in Deadlock
Baba works best as an aggressive Spirit hero who looks for opportunities instead of waiting passively behind the team.
A typical fight starts with applying pressure using Threadsap, then using Granny Long Legs to reposition or commit when an enemy becomes vulnerable. Baba’s Brew helps her survive longer engagements, while Feed The Birds can turn a close team fight in your favor.
The biggest mistake new Baba players make is treating her like a pure damage dealer. Her strength comes from combining mobility, disruption and Spirit damage together.
Baba Role and Playstyle Explained
In gameplay terms, Baba is not a straightforward ranged hero. Instead, she plays as a hybrid of Spirit damage and battlefield disruption. The key is controlling the distance and making smart engagements, capitalizing on sudden closures and crowd control to swing momentum in your favor.
If you enjoy a fast-paced, engaging playstyle that rewards sharp decision-making and positional awareness, Baba fits perfectly.
She is especially effective for players who enjoy active gameplay and creating pressure from unexpected angles.
Is she based on Baba Yaga?
Although Baba draws clear inspiration from the legendary Baba Yaga, Deadlock’s version brings a distinct personality that blends folklore with the game’s unique setting. She’s not a simple retelling but a reimagining crafted to fit the supernatural and combat elements in Deadlock’s world, giving her an eerie, unpredictable vibe that keeps matches fresh.
Deadlock
- Release Date
- August 23, 2024
- Developer(s)
- Valve
- Publisher(s)
- Valve
Is she based on Baba Yaga? Baba’s concept clearly nods to Baba Yaga, the Slavic folklore witch known for magic and forest mystique. Her name and twisted aesthetic hint at that origin, but Deadlock's version is a reimagining, mixing supernatural themes with modern combat to create something uniquely her own.
Baba clearly takes inspiration from Baba Yaga, the famous Slavic folklore character associated with magic and a mysterious forest dwelling.
The connection is easy to notice through Baba’s name and unusual visual elements. However, Deadlock’s version is not simply a direct adaptation. Valve gives her a unique identity that fits the game’s strange combination of supernatural abilities and modern combat.
