Ever finish a fight, check the scoreboard, and wonder how the other team got rich while you were busy being a hero? Usually, the answer isn't a secret farm trick. It's that someone kept collecting waves while you were chasing one more kill.
Quick answer: Souls are both your buying power and a major source of character growth. Prioritize lane waves, secure exposed soul orbs, collect nearby safe resources, and avoid risking a large bank of unsecured—also called Haunted—souls. Efficient farming is about missing less, not endlessly clearing the jungle.
By Deadlock Item Builder · Practical guideWhere do souls come from?
| Source | Priority | What to remember |
|---|---|---|
| Lane troopers | Very high | Reliable income; protect the wave before leaving |
| Enemy heroes | Situational | Valuable when a kill leads to an objective or safe farming |
| Neutral camps (Haunts) | High when lane is handled | Clear during a genuine wave window |
| Sinner's Sacrifice | Opportunity | Melee-only machines with rewards and exposure risk |
| Boxes and other breakables | Convenient | Collect them while rotating, not instead of an entire wave |
| Objectives and Soul Urn | Team value | Plan around map state and teammates |
How do soul orbs and denies work?
When a trooper dies, part of its reward is available around the death and part appears as a floating orb. A personal last hit is not required for nearby eligible allies to share the trooper reward. Confirm your orb to keep an enemy from shooting it first. Shooting an enemy's available orb denies that portion to them and can transfer value to your side.
A melee last-hit on a trooper can secure its floating reward immediately. That can help heroes with slower projectiles, but don't charge into an unsafe position just to avoid shooting one orb.
Your priority is simple: don't lose your own wave while trying to steal theirs. A deny is nice; missing multiple friendly souls while aiming for it is a bad trade.
What are unsecured or Haunted Souls?
Some neutral and breakable rewards enter an unsecured pool commonly called Haunted Souls. You can spend them, but carrying a large amount creates risk because dying can cause you to lose part of that pool. Those souls secure over time under the game's current rules.
Practical rule: after a big jungle run, look for a safe shop or wave rather than immediately diving a heavily defended position. Don't assume an enormous unsecured number is harmless just because your total soul display looks healthy.
The interface and exact loss or secure rules can change, so check current in-game values rather than relying on old videos showing fixed percentages.
Why are you always behind in souls?
Usually one of these habits is draining your income:
- You miss the wave while rotating. The camp you stole may not compensate for the troopers you abandoned.
- You chase too long after winning a trade. The next wave dies while you're hunting a low-value kill.
- You repeatedly die with a risky bank. That creates more than just a respawn delay.
- You shop too late. You're technically rich but fighting with yesterday's items.
- You farm a dangerous area without an exit. One death can erase the value of several camps.
A simple farming priority for every match
- Check the nearest lane wave and collect it if safe.
- Push it far enough to create time before the next wave.
- Take a nearby camp, sinner, or breakable route if you can finish and return.
- Spend your souls when a useful purchase is ready.
- Recheck the minimap before committing to an objective or fight.
For camp sequencing, use the Deadlock Jungle & Farming Routes guide. For Sinner rewards and risks, use the Sinner's Sacrifice guide.
Farming when you're behind
Avoid the urge to make a hero play on every spawn. Let dangerous waves move toward safer ground, collect what you can without overextending, and group only when the fight has a real chance of changing the map. A calm two-minute recovery can be better than two more desperate deaths.
If the enemy controls your jungle, stop pretending it's yours. Take what the map safely offers, protect teammates clearing waves, and use vision or numbers before entering contested camps.
Common mistakes
- Prioritizing enemy denies over easy guaranteed soul confirms.
- Farming camps while a wave dies right beside you.
- Ignoring the unsecured-soul portion of your income.
- Equating the number of kills with your economy.
- Holding souls instead of buying a useful power spike.
Frequently asked questions
How do you farm souls fast in Deadlock?
What are unsecured souls in Deadlock?
Do you have to shoot floating soul orbs?
Do last hits matter?
Keep building your knowledge
3 minFarming & macroDeadlock Jungle Guide: Camps, Farming Routes & When to Clear
Camp tiers, spawn and respawn timing, and routes that don’t cost you waves.
3 minEconomy & objectivesDeadlock Sinners Guide: Sacrifice Machines, Spawns & Rewards
When Sinner’s Sacrifice machines spawn, melee rewards and when to contest them.
3 minMap & macroDeadlock Lanes & Rotations Guide: When to Push, Farm and Roam
Wave priority, when to rotate, when to jungle and how to turn pressure into objectives.
Game IntelDeadlock Timers
Camp, Soul Urn, Rift and Mid Boss spawn times with a match clock.