Preface
This article introduces the fundamental, level zero goal that a player can have in a MOBA. This is the equivalent to telling a player that "reducing the person's life total to zero" is the "primary goal" of a fighting game. These games are, of course, much more complex than this. I'm going to say many things in this article that, if you are a seasoned MOBA player who understands these games on a deeper level, may upset you or seem reductive. However, I still feel like this is important to highlight for those at the absolute beginner level with these games. If you're one of these players, who feels like they have literally no idea what's going on, I hope this article helps you.
You Should Be Farming: Level 0 Deadlock Strategy
MOBAs can be a difficult genre to get acquainted with in the beginning.
I believe that this is because beginner players aren't often given the fundamental truths behind how these games operate. It's very easy to find guides about how to improve at a specific character, or even how to begin understanding more advanced game concepts. But, many beginner MOBA players often don't understand the primary, fundamental underpinning of the genre as a whole, and how their actions in game should contribute towards it. Getting better at your character won't help you improve very much when you don't even understand what it is you're supposed to be doing, and why.
I want this article to highlight this "fundamental underpinning", and I'm going to do it through the lens of Valve's new third person shooter MOBA, Deadlock. This concept will apply, however, to any MOBA, because the thing I want to illustrate is fundamental to how the entire genre functions.
The Point of the Game
In a MOBA, it's very important to recognize that you are essentially playing an RPG versus another human being. In this RPG, your goal is to level yourself up and achieve higher stats for your character, as well as acquiring new skills and buying equipment that makes you stronger. You will then win the game by using the power that you've acquired to overwhelm the enemy team.
I want to reiterate this point, and stress how fundamental it is to understand. You are playing an RPG. Your goal is to level yourself up. I think that sometimes, people lose sight of this primary goal, and don't understand the ramifications of what this actually means on a moment to moment gameplay and decision making basis.
The game is not about killing players.
The game is not about taking towers, or other map objectives.
The game is not even about pushing into the enemy base.
The game is about leveling yourself up by farming EXP. Then, once you're a higher level than the other players that you're fighting, you're then granted the ability to do those other things.
Being stronger than the other players allows you to fight and kill them.
Being stronger than the other players allows you to take map objectives.
Being stronger than the other players allows you to win the game.
No matter what happens in game, you should never lose sight of this primary objective, or confuse your objective for some other secondary game action. The objective is to get stronger, and it's something you should be thinking about at every part of the game, no matter what. If you end up losing sight of this fundamental truth, and get lost in side objectives, you will find yourself out-leveled, and you will lose the game because of it.
How to Get Stronger
The primary way that you get stronger in Deadlock is by farming EXP from various sources all over the map. Let's take a moment to view that map.