Lost Ark Deadeye Guide (Builds, Engravings, and Tips)

Deadeye Class Guide – Lost Ark

Deadeye is the pinnacle of high-risk high reward. With low defenses, high mobility, and close range.

It has the tools to get in and deal damage but has to be willing to react appropriately and take risks in order to do so.

Similar to the Gunslinger, Deadeye switches between handguns, a shotgun, and a rifle. Adapting between the strengths and weaknesses of these guns in different situations is key to playing the class.

So if you’re looking for – a class that is willing to take risks while dashing around the battlefield then this Lost Ark Deadeye guide is for you. If you’re plannign on leveling Deadeye, we’re highly ecnouraging you to read our Deadeye leveling guide.

Comparisons to other classes

Deadeye is the Gunslinger’s male counterpart and he plays most closely to her. However, even when you compare him to Gunslinger, Deadeye is the most difficult, high-risk, high-reward Gunner.

The majority of Deadeye’s damage is locked behind hitting melee range shotgun skills while being one of the most fragile classes in the game making him the riskiest Gunner advanced class to play.

Artillerist is much more durable than Deadeye. Deadeye also plays at a much faster pace than Artillerist due to having so many more skills and much more mobility.

Compared to Deadeye, Sharpshooter plays at a much safer and reliable range. Deadeye will feel much different as they require the player to take many more risks to maintain similar DPS.

In order to check how well Deadeye performs in current meta, please check out our Lost Ark tier list.

Class Mechanics

Compared to other Lost Ark classes, Deadeye differentiates because they don’t have an identity meter. Instead, similar to the Gunslinger, they swap between three guns: the handgun, rifle, and shotgun.

Deadeye players swap between the three weapons according to different situations due to their strengths and weaknesses.

• In most cases, Deadeyes use the handgun which is their default weapon with 8 skills. It provides the most utility and mobility of the three weapons.
• The Shotgun trades off high damage output for having to be within close range.
• If you’re looking for long-range, the Rifle will be the weapon of choice. It has fairly low damage in comparison to the other guns.

PvE

In PvE, Deadeyes use handguns to debuff enemies and then swap to other guns to cast skills and then repeat the pattern.

Positioning and timing are key because Deadeyes need to be close-ranged to maximize their damage skills (which also lock them in place for a decent amount of time).

PvP

In PVP, Deadeyes are squishy but in exchange, have mobility and high damage combos. It might be difficult to learn to play at first but will be incredibly rewarding after mastering.

Look to use your engage tools aggressively to stagger enemies before combing into hard disables or using long-range skills to assist teammates in catching enemies.

Take extra care when you don’t have your roll as you’ll likely die quickly if you’re caught out.

Core Abilities

AT02 Grenade

A handy CC freeze. Use it to combo or peel for teammates by abusing its quick cast time and speed.

Somersault Shot

If you’re looking for an ability that allows you to disengage, extend combos, or bait, look no further. It even provides push immunity super armor as a low CD mobility spell.

Enforce Execution

Your hard stagger engage tool that has super armor.

Last Request

Main damage tool to use during combo chains.

Perfect Shot

Useful for following up on allied crowd control or picking off opponents with low health.

Awakening Abilities

Like all Lost Ark classes, Deadeye has two options for their Awakening ability:

Clay Bombardment

• Throw explosives at your target then shoot them with your handguns to deal massive damage and knock up your opponents.

Bursting Flare

• Use a large rifle to fire multiple shots that deal massive damage to foes hit directly. The last shot deals damage and knocks them back.

Most people use Clay Bombardment because it does more damage compared to Bursting Flare. Both Awakenings can be used as follow up to your grenade freeze.

Advanced Class Engravings

Every Lost Ark class has access to engravings that will focus your playstyle in one particular direction. For Deadeyes you will choose between Time to Hunt and Peacemaker.

Enhanced Weapon

• This engraving gives you a large critical rate buff for a short duration whenever you swap weapons. This build sports high damage with its shotgun skills.

Pistoleer

• This engraving disables the use of Deadeye’s shotgun and rifle skills in order to drastically increase the damage of their handgun skills, more stagger, and give them a bonus damage to awakening skills.

Build

Enhanced Weapon is overwhelmingly the most popular build while Pistoleer is less used but seen as very fun to play.

Enhanced Weapon Build

Here are some of the skill explanations and tripods you will take (Make sure you have 4 points in every skill and then max them out in the following order:

• Sign of Apocalypse
  • 1-1-2
  • High damage DPS skill. Requires you to be in melee range and land back attack for highest damage. Use it as part of your damage rotation after applying Weakness Exposure.
• Shotgun Rapid Fire
  • 1-1-2
  • High damage DPS skill. Requires you to be in melee range and land back attack for highest damage. Use it as part of your damage rotation after applying Weakness Exposure.
• Shotgun Dominator
  • 3-1-2
  • High damage DPS skill. Requires you to be in melee range and land back attack for highest damage. Use it as part of your damage rotation after applying Weakness Exposure.
• Quick Shot
  • 1-2-1
  • Back attack handgun skill. Use it as part of your damage rotation after applying Weakness Exposure.
• AT02 Grenade
  • 3-0-0
  • Applies Weakness Exposure to give extra 10% crit chance against the target. Keep this debuff up 100% of the time.
• Enforce Execution
  • 1-2-0
  • Your counter skill. Tripods give mobility and push immunity making it much more flexible.

Stat Priority

• Prioritize high Specialization with Crit and Swiftness being your secondary stats.

Runes

• Galewind runes on your main damaging skills.
• Rage rune on Dexterous Shot due to it being a 2 charge combo skill.
• Conviction & Judgment runes on Spiral Tracker and Equilibrium respectively due to both being high multi-hit moves which increases the proc chance.

Engravings

• Enhanced Weapon 1 for maximum efficiency and value.
• Master of Ambush 3 is important due to your main damage skills all being back attacks.
• Grudge and Cursed Doll lvl 3 make great skills once you are an advanced player and can slot them in

Gems

• Prioritize Damage and Cooldown on main DPS skills
• Everything else is a bonus.

Pistoleer Build

Here are some of the skill explanations and tripods you will take (Make sure you have 4 points in every skill and then max them out in the following order:

• Equilibrium
  • 1-1-1
  • One of your 4 main DPS skills. Has a decent cast time and relatively short range with the selected tripods so make sure to pick your spot carefully before using it.
• Meteor Stream
  • 3-3-2
  • One of your 4 main DPS skills. Decent range and good stagger as well for Pistoleer skills.
• Cruel Tracker
  • 1-2-1
  • One of your 4 main DPS skills. Make sure to apply weakness exposure before casting for maximum DPS.
• Quick Shot
  • 1-2-1
  • One of your 4 main DPS skills. It’s a back Attack handgun skill that you use after you apply weakness exposure.
• AT02 Grenade
  • 3-1-2
  • Grants Weakness Exposure and some extra damage.
• Enforce Execution
  • 1-2-0
  • Counter skill. With the right tripods you get extra mobility and push immunity to dodge key mechanics.

Stat Priority

• Prioritize Specialization.

Runes

• Galewind runes on your core DPS skills.
• Rage rune on Dexterous Shot gives extra chances to proc due to it being a combo skill.

Engravings

• Pistoleer 3 is important for maximum damage increase.
• Precision Dagger 3 is very useful to make up for your lack of crit due to needing Specialization.
• Adrenaline is easy to keep up 100% of the time because of your low cooldown handgun skills like Dexterous Shot and Spiral Tracker.
• Grudge and Cursed Doll lvl 3 make great skills once you are an advanced player and can slot them in

Gems

• Prioritize Damage and Cooldown on main DPS skills
• Everything else is a bonus.

Thanks for reading! For more articles and guides, check out the rest of our Lost Ark blog.