Viscous build guide

Concerns of The Deep? I'm Ballin'

by Vinyl MixVersion 252Updated Oct 4, 2026Guide #5755

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Observed usage

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Published guide

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Author's notes

"When they see this, they'll run for cover!" The 2nd build in the "Concerns of The Deep" series, made for beginners and for fun. They are not aimed to be the most meta builds. This one is oriented around the Goo Ball (4). You'll be ballin' all around the map and disrupting team fights! Extra credit goes to VeMi! Join the Viscous Discord: discord.gg/viscord

Item categories

1Welcome to Deadlock! ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ So you want to play Viscous but don't know where to start? This build will help you learn his most difficult playstyle: Ball Disruption! ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Goo Ball (4) is difficult to use. Active items like Warp Stone & Phantom Strike are your strongest tools, and will make your life easier. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Going fast at all time is not always the answer, it makes steering the ball way harder. Don't be afraid to slow down to take sharp turns! ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ You can press CTRL twice to downdash. When double jumping for height, wait until your first jump hit its highest point before jumping again. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ You can use The Cube (2) to change direction (180°), by using it on yourself during Goo Ball (4). ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Join the Viscous Discord: discord.gg/viscord
Author's category · 0 items
No items listed.
2Early game
Game stage · 6 items · Buy left to right. Use Splatter (1) as often as possible! Remember to dash-jump before using Splatter (1) or Goo Ball (4) once you get Arcane Surge! Buy a Lane Extra item if you're struggling.
1. 1
  Monster Rounds
  Helps you hold your lane, and allows you to kill Troopers faster. |Can be sold for a slot|
2. 2
  Mystic Burst
  Stronger poke in lane with Splatter (1). |Upgrade into: Tankbuster|
3. 3
  Extra Stamina
3Lane Extrasoptional
Author's category · 5 items · Buy ONE if struggling to remain in lane, to not miss out on souls! Mystic Shot can be bought for more damage.
1. 1
  Extra Regen
  Sustain in lane! |Can be sold for a slot|
2. 2
  Extra Health
  More hp, which works well with Goo Ball (4)'s resistances. |Can be sold for a slot|
3. 3
  Rebuttal
  If the enemy tend to melee a lot, surprise them with this! |Can be sold for a slot|
4Mid game
Game stage · 10 items · Buy left to right. Use Warp Stone in Goo Ball (4) to change direction at will. You can sell the Shielding Items down the line, and replace them with stronger Vitality items!
1. 1
  Weapon Shielding
  Built from Grit
  When stacked with Spirit Shielding, you'll get a lot of Shield during Goo Ball (4)! Replace with a stronger Vitality item late game. |Can be sold for a slot|
2. 2
  Spirit Shielding
  Built from Grit
  When stacked with Weapon Shielding, you'll get a lot of Shield while using Goo Ball (4)! Replace with a stronger Vitality item late game. |Can be sold for a slot|
3. 3
5Survival - Mid-Gameoptional
Author's category · 10 items · If you find yourself having issues with certain enemies, pick ONE to deal with them!
1. 1
  Healbane
  An easy to trigger anti-heal. Gives you a nice heal when you kill someone, as long as they had the effect on them. This can be used against Victor.
2. 2
  Reactive Barrier
  Built from Grit
  Useful against Mirage's Tornado, Bebop's Hook, Abrams' Charge, Haze's Sleep, Paige's immobilize, any stuns...
3. 3
6Goo Ball Activesoptional
Author's category · 6 items · Buy one at any time if you wish. Return Fire and Metal Skin are some of your best picks during Goo Ball (4) against Gun-focused teams!
1. 1
  Return Fire
  Since you're a big target in Goo Ball (4), you'll be very easy to hit. This will allow you to send back some damage.
2. 2
  Restorative Locket
  Health but also Stamina upon use. Only take if facing ability-spamming enemies.
3. 3
7Survival - Late-Gameoptional
Author's category · 5 items · If you find yourself struggling to survive during late game fights, pick ONE!
1. 1
  Witchmail
  If facing a spirit-heavy team, consider this. You'll take a lot of damage while in Goo Ball (4). The cooldown reduction does INCLUDE Goo Ball (4)!
2. 2
  Plated Armor
  A better pick than Metal Skin when facing enemies with On-Hit effects (Toxic Bullets, Tesla Bullets...)
3. 3
8Late game
Game stage · 9 items · Buy left to right. If you lack slots, upgrade your items or sell the Shielding Items and Arcane Surge! Consider picking a Survival Late Game item if you struggle staying alive!
1. 1
  Diviner's Kevlar
  It'll help you survive a lot more during Goo Ball (4).
2. 2
  Scourge
  Become tankier against Spirit damage, and deal constant damage around you while in Goo Ball (4). If facing flyers or a lot of gun-focused enemies, consider Phantom Strike first.
3. 3
9Other Activesoptional
Author's category · 10 items · These actives are also useful while not in Goo Ball (4), they can help increase you deal with troublesome enemies.
1. 1
  Majestic Leap
  Can be used to engage with an advantage or rotate around the map!
2. 2
  Rescue Beam
  Built from Healing Rite
  You can also pull an ally to you even if they are in The Cube (2)
3. 3
  Echo Shard
10Optionals & Situationalsoptional
Author's category · 21 items · Items in this category aren't part of the core build, and do not have any form of left to right priority. They are all useful in their own ways, and got annotations for you to understand why to pick them and what they do. You can pick them to experiment and make your very own build!
1. 1
  High-Velocity Rounds
2. 2
  Opening Rounds
  Built from High-Velocity Rounds
  More damage with your gun, very good during laning phase.
3. 3

Categories appear in the author's order. Only the editor's default Early, Mid and Late sections are marked as game stages; the author's own categories keep their names. “Built from” links come from the game's item recipes.

Published ability order

Published ability order: unlocks and upgrades in the author's order, one row per ability in slot order
SplatterSplatter	Splatter: Ability unlocked, step 1				Splatter: 1 AP upgrade, step 5	Splatter: 2 AP upgrade, step 6	Splatter: 5 AP upgrade, step 7