Haze Build & Ability Order
A stealth assassin who is most dangerous when she controls the timing, angle, and target of every commit.
Haze thrives when she can choose the moment of commitment. She is far more dangerous as a tempo assassin than as a fair front-to-back damage dealer.
Haze AI Quick Summary
Haze is a Assassin hero in Deadlock (Difficulty 1/5). Haze thrives when she can choose the moment of commitment. She is far more dangerous as a tempo assassin than as a fair front-to-back damage dealer. In live patch 07-01-2026: There is no dedicated patch note for this hero right now, but the lower execution cost makes it a steady current-patch learner.
Haze quick answer
Start with the three answers most hero searches need: whether to practice this hero, what the guide covers, and which build section to read first.
Quick answer
Best for validating patch rhythm, learning fundamentals, and building a stable match routine.
Guide focus
Shadow Execution Build is a Assassin setup for Haze. The main spike runs through Boundless Spirit and Escalating Exposure. Late slots close the build with Cursed Relic and Mystic Reverb. Read Haze first through its pick threat identity, then use the rest of the page to refine the execution details.
Build first
Start with the opening buys item phase, then continue into ability order and counter routes.
Decision Summary
Read these four judgments first, then decide whether to go deeper into builds, matchups, or patch context.
Who Should Pick This Now
Best for validating patch rhythm, learning fundamentals, and building a stable match routine.
Read This First
There is no dedicated patch note for this hero right now, but the lower execution cost makes it a steady current-patch learner.
How To Read The Build
The page has a structured route already, so you can read it phase by phase and convert it directly into live builds.
Best Next Click
Begin with the combat snapshot and recommended items, then use the patch page to complete the live-environment picture.
Current Environment Status
Read this hero inside the current patch and recent community conversation before deciding why it deserves practice now or why it belongs on watch.
Environment read
Haze stays hot because she still converts picks and snowball windows well in the current environment, but she remains heavily gated by vision, angle choice, and target selection.
Recent discussion heat
The current debate is whether she is a high-upside solo queue reward or still too volatile for reliable climbing.
Suggested action
If you are willing to trade execution for upside, Haze is worth keeping in rotation; if the goal is only steady unlock progress, her priority drops.
Haze builds, items, and counters
These routes connect the hero guide to builds, counter items, and the wider tool set.
Haze Deadlock builds
Compare phase routes, core items, and nearby hero build paths in the full build library.
Haze build planner
Open this hero in Build Planner to tune around burst, survival, chase, or team utility.
Haze counter builds
Narrow counter items against burst, frontline pressure, catch, or utility-heavy enemies.
Core item index
Review recommended items, same-category swaps, and patch context before locking the route.
Battle Profile
Read Haze first through its pick threat identity, then use the rest of the page to refine the execution details.
Primary win condition
Haze wins most naturally through pick threat, turning its Assassin role into real contact advantage.
Best fight shape
This hero wants to enter from a flank or gap, secure one key target, and reset. Mobility supports proactive angle hunting, so you can usually arrive first, reposition first, and pressure first. The body is lighter, so positioning and timing matter more than trying to stand in front and absorb everything.
Main risk
Keep an eye on Abrams / Kelvin-type opponents, since they are more likely to interrupt the rhythm this hero wants.
Quick Read
- Mobility is above average, so this hero can proactively hunt angles and chase.
- Base durability is lighter, so the hero depends more on timing, angle, or reset tools.
- Ammo is tighter, so the hero benefits more from selective, high-value windows.
Stats
- Health
- 550
- Move Speed
- 7
- Ammo
- 10
- Dps
- 50
Abilities
1 Censure
Open a burst sequence by quickly pressuring a target that is already slightly exposed.
2 Penance
Pile extra punishment onto a marked enemy before they can fully reset the exchange.
3 Sleep Dagger
Create a vulnerable window that lets you or your team convert on a single target.
4 Smoke Bomb
Break vision, hide your path, and re-enter the fight from an angle enemies are not ready for.
Shadow Execution Build
Shadow Execution Build is a Assassin setup for Haze. The main spike runs through Boundless Spirit and Escalating Exposure. Late slots close the build with Cursed Relic and Mystic Reverb.
Opening buys
Open with Spirit Strike and Mystic Burst to establish lane tempo and your first reliable contact pattern.
Core spike
Boundless Spirit and Escalating Exposure define the first real power spike and should shape how Haze wants to fight.
Late upgrades
Round the build out with Cursed Relic and Mystic Reverb once the game shifts into full fights and finishing power matters more.
Flex slots
Swap toward Echo Shard or Ethereal Shift when the matchup demands extra protection, utility, or situational answers.
Tactical Guide
Lane Plan
- Best in mid or offlane. Use smoke to approach, trade, and disengage before the enemy gets a clean punish, then rely on your passive movement to reset quickly. Haze wants harassment and setup, not greedy overcommitment for every last creep.
Midgame Plan
- Spirit Snatch plus Escalating Exposure is the point where Haze becomes a real roamer. Wrap around vision, smoke into isolated targets, apply the mark, and erase squishy heroes before disappearing again and forcing the map to respect your angle.
Teamfight Role
- Play patiently on the flank and wait for the enemy to spend the cooldowns that stop your entry. Once the window opens, smoke in, delete a backline carry, then vanish immediately instead of trying to brawl through the entire fight. Phantom Strike makes that first commit far safer if the enemy has reactive control.
Common Mistakes
- Using smoke offensively without planning your escape route often turns a pick into a trade at best.
- Staying visible too long after the combo gets Haze focused down before cooldowns return.
- Spending your mark on a tank instead of a vulnerable core wastes Haze's best kill window.
Patch Note For This Version
There is no hero-specific note for the current patch yet, but the latest patch still explains the overall rhythm.
Where This Hero Excels
- Excels at punishing isolated targets and broken formations.
- Scales well when enemy backlines cannot track her entry angle.
- Turns information and patience into burst windows.
What To Practice This Patch
- The current anchor is still patch 07-01-2026, so use the broader patch rhythm to place this hero in context.
- The hero already has a structured build path, which makes phase-by-phase practice more straightforward.
- Execution cost is lower, so it is a practical pick for quickly testing current lane and teamfight rhythms.
Overview
Haze is a playable hero in Deadlock.
Strong Against
Dynamo
Haze and Dynamo fight on different rhythm bands, so pick threat tends to check spell tempo well.
Grey Talon
Grey Talon leans on spacing and backline protection, which Haze's pick threat can punish quickly.
Weak Against
How To Read These Matchups
Why these matchups are favorable
- Matchups like Dynamo / Grey Talon usually mean Haze can cash out its preferred rhythm more reliably into casters.
- The edge usually comes from arriving first, forcing movement first, and making the opponent spend defensive tools before they want to.
- Do not stop at first contact in these lanes or fights; the real value is converting the first small edge into space, cooldown advantage, or follow-up focus.
Why these matchups are dangerous
- Matchups like Abrams / Kelvin are more dangerous because they interrupt the exact rhythm Haze wants to complete.
- Be stricter about entry routes and exits, because once the first move is read, controlled, or ambushed, mobility stops being an advantage and becomes overextension.
- The answer is usually not to stat-check harder. Delay the commit until team information, cooldown state, or map shape actually favors you, and preserve resources for the second window.
Key Watchouts
- Loses a lot of value when forced into predictable front-line fights.
- Can overcommit easily if smoke timing is wasted.
- Needs better target selection than her highlight moments imply.
Recommended Pairings
Calico
Double-stealth pressure makes it much harder for enemies to predict where the real engage is coming from.
Lash
Lash creates chaos and displacement that lets Haze slip onto the correct backline target.
Ivy
Ivy can deliver Haze to absurd entry angles that bypass normal frontline vision.
Skill order
Prioritize Censure first, Penance second, and Sleep Dagger third, taking Smoke Bomb whenever it becomes available. The opener row shows a practical first-allocation path: Censure -> Sleep Dagger -> Censure -> Penance -> Censure -> Smoke Bomb.
Priority
Combo order
Haze 1-20 Skill Order Planner
Click level steps below to inspect skill unlock progression or switch build variants.
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Censure | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 16 | 20 | ||||||||||||||
| 2 Penance | 2 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 17 | |||||||||||||||
| 3 Sleep Dagger | 4 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 18 | |||||||||||||||
| 4 Smoke Bomb | 6 | 11 | 15 | 19 |
Patch Context
This page is the site's freshness anchor for the current version.
