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Deadlock Tiers

Marksman · Crossbow

Venator hero artVenator Build & Counters

Marksman — devout, arms expert, tactical, with a crossbow weapon.

Updated ·Refreshed daily from public match data·Methodology

Tier

B

Win rate

47.3%▲ 0.5

Games

213K

43% pick

How to play Venator right now

Venator wins 47.3% of 213K games, 1.0 pts below the median hero. Strongest in Emissary – Phantom lobbies (48.1%), weakest in Initiate – Acolyte (46.5%). Struggles into Rat King in lane (39%). Venator is a marksman (devout and arms expert marksman). Build around Restorative Shot, Enduring Speed, Battle Vest, put early points into Gutshot, and respect Rat King in lane.
  • Core items: Restorative Shot, Enduring Speed, Battle Vest, Bullet Lifesteal
  • Max first: Gutshot
  • Hardest lanes: Rat King, Paige, Graves
  • Best teammates: Seven, Paige, Rat King

Last 7 days, all ranks

Venator stats

Win rate

47.3%

#25 of 41

Pick rate

43.2%

of matches

Ban share

0.7%

of ranked bans

K / D / A

7.5 / 6.8 / 10.8

KDA 2.71

Souls

41K

per game

Hero damage

34K

per game

Win rate, last 30 days

September 12, 2026 → October 11, 2026 · low 44.4% · high 48.8%

Compare Venator with another hero in the hero comparison tool.

Ranked matches, last 7 days

Venator by rank

Initiate – Acolyte

46.5%C

10K games

Sentinel – Ritualist

48.0%B

11K games

Emissary – Phantom

48.1%B

15K games

Ascendant – Eternus

47.2%C

3.5K games

See every hero for your bracket on the Deadlock tier list.

Items by game phase · last 7 days

Venator build

Buy rate = share of Venator games where the item was bought; grouped by average purchase time. Late items always show higher win rates because they are bought in longer, often winning games — compare items within the same phase.

Recommended build — buy in this order

The 12 items most Venator players buy, sorted by when they are usually bought.

  1. 1Restorative ShotRestorative Shot2m
  2. 2Close QuartersClose Quarters5m
  3. 3Rapid RoundsRapid Rounds7m
  4. 4Extra HealthExtra Health8m
  5. 5Swift StrikerSwift Striker9m
  6. 6Battle VestBattle Vest11m
  7. 7Titanic MagazineTitanic Magazine12m
  8. 8Enduring SpeedEnduring Speed15m
  9. 9FortitudeFortitude16m
  10. 10Bullet LifestealBullet Lifesteal16m
  11. 11Hollow PointHollow Point19m
  12. 12Vampiric BurstVampiric Burst29m

High-rank build — Phantom and above

What Venator players in Phantom+ ranked lobbies buy (28K games, last 30 days), in buying order.

  1. 1Restorative ShotRestorative Shot1m
  2. 2Monster RoundsMonster Rounds4m
  3. 3Close QuartersClose Quarters4m
  4. 4Extended MagazineExtended Magazine8m
  5. 5Cultist SacrificeCultist Sacrifice9m
  6. 6Swift StrikerSwift Striker9m
  7. 7Battle VestBattle Vest9m
  8. 8Titanic MagazineTitanic Magazine11m
  9. 9Enduring SpeedEnduring Speed14m
  10. 10FleetfootFleetfoot17m
  11. 11Bullet LifestealBullet Lifesteal18m
  12. 12Spirit ResilienceSpirit Resilience21m

Laning 0–10 min

Mid game 10–20 min

Late game 20+ min

Situational picks that win

Bought in under 20% of games, but with the highest win rates when they are.

Most played ability upgrade paths

Venator skill order

Most popular50.0% win30K games
Consecrating GrenadeConsecrating Grenade··3······101112
GutshotGutshot12··5·······
Hex-Lined Snap TrapHex-Lined Snap Trap···4········
Ira DominiIra Domini·····6789···
Option 251.4% win10K games
Consecrating GrenadeConsecrating Grenade··3······10··
GutshotGutshot12··5·····11·
Hex-Lined Snap TrapHex-Lined Snap Trap···4·······12
Ira DominiIra Domini·····6789···
Option 354.7% win6.4K games
Consecrating GrenadeConsecrating Grenade··3·······1112
GutshotGutshot12··5····10··
Hex-Lined Snap TrapHex-Lined Snap Trap···4········
Ira DominiIra Domini·····6789···

Venator abilities

Consecrating Grenade1Consecrating Grenade25s cooldown

Fire a grenade that bounces before exploding, dealing weapon damage and setting enemies on fire. Burning targets deal pure damage to enemies in the area and suffer from reduced healing.

Cooldown 25sCast Delay 0.03sDamage 35Burn Duration 3.5sDamage Per Second 10
  1. 1 AP-5s Cooldown
  2. 2 AP+1.5m Radius & +1.0s Burn Duration
  3. 5 AP-20% Incoming Healing and allow Charges

Gutshot2Gutshot23s cooldown

Fire a blast with your shotgun, dealing weapon damage and pushing enemies back. Enemies near a wall receive stun and take bonus weapon damage.

Cooldown 23sCast Delay 0.25sDamage 60Bonus Damage 30Stun Duration 0.6sAttack Angle 60°
  1. 1 AP+25 Damage
  2. 2 AP-10s Ability Cooldown and +0.4s Stun Duration
  3. 5 APOn Wall Stun: Your next heavy melee is blessed

Hex-Lined Snap Trap3Hex-Lined Snap Trap28s cooldown

Kick a trap that arms after a brief delay. The trap springs on the first enemy it touches, dealing spirit damage, applying immobilize, and revealing enemies for a duration afterwards.

Cooldown 28sCast Delay 0.2sCharges 2Charge Delay 8sLifetime 30sDamage 80Immobilize Duration 1.25sArm Time 0.5sReveal Duration 6sTether Duration 0.6s
  1. 1 AP-11s Cooldown
  2. 2 AP+1.0s Immobilize Duration
  3. 5 AP+1 Charge Deal +30% damage against revealed targets

Ira Domini4Ira DominiUltimate160s cooldown

Load your crossbow with 3 stakes, dealing massively increased weapon damage. The final stake is blessed, dealing bonus pure damage and executing low-health enemies.

Cooldown 160sDuration 15sCast Delay 0.3sDamage 120Execute Threshold 8%Total Stakes 3Bonus Damage 115
  1. 1 APWhile Active: Gain 1.2 m/s Move Speed
  2. 2 AP-15s Ability Cooldown and +65 Bonus Damage
  3. 5 APAll Stakes are Blessed

Same-lane win rate · last 7 days

How to counter Venator

Venator has the hardest time in lane against Rat King, Paige, Graves. Items that work best into Venator: Hollow Point, Vampiric Burst, Weakening Headshot.

Hardest lanes for Venator

Venator wins lane vs

Best teammates

Venator vs every hero — full counters table →

Last 30 days · win-rate gain over other items in the same games

Best items against Venator

Hollow PointHollow Point3,200 souls · 106K games+1.755.1% winVampiric BurstVampiric Burst6,400 souls · 198K games+1.759.0% winWeakening HeadshotWeakening Headshot1,600 souls · 227K games+1.456.3% winBallistic EnchantmentBallistic Enchantment3,200 souls · 174K games+1.457.5% winDisarming HexDisarming Hex3,200 souls · 94K games+1.346.2% winRusted BarrelRusted Barrel800 souls · 89K games+0.949.6% win

Compared with the other items bought into Venator, these ones lift their owner's win rate the most — good picks when you are laning against or chasing Venator.

Most-played in-game builds · last 7 days

Popular Venator builds

Community builds from the in-game build browser, ranked by how many games used them. Search the build ID in-game (Hero Builds → search) to import it.

twitch.tv/oses49.1%2.1K games
ftFades Chudator (SOLVED VENATOR)50.4%1.5K games

Nade for midboss

Rapid RechargeRapid Recharge

If feeling Silly :3c

Melee ChargeMelee Charge

Parzelion's Venator Build48.4%1.3K games
TOP 1 PRIEST NA - SHMUCK46.8%925 games
Venator - Gun-Vampiric [56% WR] [tracklock.gg]50.6%876 games
WAPPLE'S CATHOLIC DADDY BUILD45.1%771 games

Recent Venator changes

September 16, 2026 — Minor Update - 09-16-2026
  • • Ira Domini now works with Ricochet, all the shots will bounce
  • • Ira Domini can now split shot (releases 1 extra bolt on each side, 3 total)
July 28, 2026 — Minor Update - 07-28-2026
  • • Sprint speed reduced from 1.5m to 1m
  • • Bullet falloff range reduced from 20m-51m to 18m-47m
  • • Ira Domini cooldown no longer starts after the conclusion of the ability, now starts immediately
  • • Ira Domini blessed stakes damage increased from 100 to 115
May 22, 2026 — Gameplay Update - 05-22-2026
  • • Health increased from 790+43/boon to 830+48/boon
  • • Hex-Lined Snap Trap T3 increased from +25% Damage Against Revealed Targets to +30%
  • • Hex-Lined Snap Trap T3 now also grants +1 Charge

About Venator

Base stats (level 1)

Health
820
Health regen
2/s
Move speed
6.4 m/s
Sprint speed
1 m/s
Stamina
3
Light melee
50
Heavy melee
125

Venator lore

The Venators of St. Benedict are a Vatican-sanctioned order whose members are deployed to regions with a high concentration of supernatural predators.   Few in number, their modus operandi is to observe, identify, and exterminate. They are methodical, they are precise, and once they identify a threat to the flock they are relentless.

But even amongst those who are called The Sword Of St. Benedict, one stands apart from the others.  A man whose hardened heart has allowed him to pay terrible prices in the name of the greater good... and he has once again been dispatched to New York.

Official in-game biography.

Venator voice linesListen to all 2,234 lines, grouped by situation.▶

Venator FAQ

Is Venator good in Deadlock right now?＋

Average — fine in the right hands. Venator is B tier (#25 of 41) with a 47.3% win rate over 213K games in the last 7 days. Venator wins 47.3% of 213K games, 1.0 pts below the median hero. Strongest in Emissary – Phantom lobbies (48.1%), weakest in Initiate – Acolyte (46.5%). Struggles into Rat King in lane (39%).

What is the best Venator build?＋

Most Venator players buy Restorative Shot, Enduring Speed, Battle Vest, Bullet Lifesteal — the four items bought most often. Start with Restorative Shot, Close Quarters, Swift Striker in lane, then Enduring Speed, Battle Vest, Bullet Lifesteal by mid game.

Who counters Venator?＋

In lane, Venator has the lowest win rate against Rat King (38.7%), Paige (39.4%), Graves (41.3%). Venator does best against Shiv (54.2%), Silver (52.8%), Solomon (52.7%).

How do you counter Venator?＋

Pick a hero that wins the lane into Venator — Rat King, Paige, Graves do best this week — and build Hollow Point or Vampiric Burst, which win more often than other items when Venator is on the enemy team.

What should I max first on Venator?＋

The most common skill order puts points into Gutshot first; it wins 50.0% of 30K games. Full order is in the skill order table above.

Other Marksman heroes

Grey Talon build →

Delivers long range skill-shots. A cunning predator, Grey Talon uses a combination of dead

Holliday build →

Bounces about dispensing trick shots. Holliday depends on her skills as a crack shot, shoo

Infernus build →

Lights up enemies and watches them burn. Infernus has many ways to deal damage over time,

Ivy build →

Sets up a power duo with a lucky ally. Ivy has disruptive combat tricks that slow and stun

Mina build →

Marksman — harasser, nimble, vexing, with a pistol weapon.

Paradox build →

Manipulates Space and Time. Manipulating time lets Paradox outpace an enemy in one on one