Hero names and file paths

Deadlock's files use Valve's internal codenames, not the hero names you see in game, and one hero can have several. This page lists the file paths for every hero, and how to check them yourself.

What you need

Deadlock

latest version

Source 2 Viewer

Source 2 Viewer checks paths in the game files.

Why codenames matter

A mod only replaces a file at the exact same path (How Deadlock mods work explains why), and those paths use codenames. Billy's model is in models/heroes_wip/punkgoat/.

• One hero, several names. Codenames differ by file type. Lady Geist's model folder is geist, her skeleton is ghost, and her portraits start with spectre.
• Names change. Valve moves and renames files in updates, so old guides often show paths that no longer exist.
• Two hero folders. Hero models are in models/heroes_wip/ or models/heroes_staging/. Some older docs say models/heroes/, but that folder now holds only camera files.

The hero table

How to read each column:

"Not found" means build 6779 has no such file for that hero (see Violet and Nurse Harrow below).

Heroes with special cases

Many rows mix names or folders. Read across the whole row: Ivy (old name tengu), Lady Geist, Mo & Krill, Rem, Yamato, Vyper (old name kali), and Kelvin and Viscous, who share one skeleton. Extra files the table does not show:

Ability effects are in particles/abilities/<codename>/, and ability icons in panorama/images/hud/abilities/<codename>/. Those folder names can differ again from the table, so check them in Source 2 Viewer.

A hero model swap needs every column of this table. Start with Hero model swap: overview.

Old names you will still see

Old guides, forum posts, and the game's own data still use these older names:

• Names that start with hero_ are the keys in Valve's hero data file, scripts/heroes.vdata.
• Old model folders no longer work: Abrams was in heroes_staging/atlas_detective_v2/, McGinnis in heroes_staging/engineer/, and Infernus in heroes_staging/inferno_v4/.
• A hero can have several folders, such as haze and haze_v2. Old folders often stay in the game files unused.
• The game files also list unreleased heroes, such as Raven and Wrecker. Most point to a placeholder model. Ignore them.

Check paths yourself after an update

Do this after every big update, or when a path in this table does not work.

1. Open Source 2 Viewer.
2. Open game/citadel/pak01_dir.vpk from your Deadlock folder.
3. Press Ctrl+F and search for the hero's codename.
4. Open the hero's .vmdl_c file in models/heroes_wip/ or models/heroes_staging/.
5. Click the References tab. It lists the real paths of the model's materials.
6. Click the Data tab. It shows the skeleton and animation graph paths.
7. Compare what you see with the table. If a path moved, move your mod's files to match.

Advanced: GameTracking-Deadlock on GitHub saves Valve's file list and hero data for every build. Its heroes.vdata file shows each hero's model path, and its history shows when a model moved.

Next steps

Credits

This guide is based on the work of these creators. Check out their original guides.

• Data: GameTracking-Deadlock by SteamTracking: Valve's hero data, hero names, and file list for build 6779.
• Tool: Deadlock VMDL Compiler by kwlnd: per-hero skeleton and graph presets.
• Guide: How to Model Replace for Dummies + Blender Steps by Axelliax.
• Guide: How I Make Shiny Metal Materials by ShockHub.
• Guide: Neutral's General Guide for Modding Deadlock by Neutraldrift.