Anyone who’s spent 10+ minutes in a high-stakes Deadlock match knows how frustrating it is to burn through your last health bar right before you capture the final objective. If you’ve ever found yourself scrolling forums mid-queue wondering how to get new health bars deadlock without resorting to sketchy third-party mods, you’re in the right place. I’ve put in over 200 hours of ranked Deadlock play over the last year, and I’ve tested every legitimate method to unlock and equip new health bars, plus spotted all the common pitfalls that cost new players hours of wasted effort. This guide breaks down only the proven, allowed methods that work for both casual and competitive play, no hidden catches or glitches that’ll get your account restricted.
How to Get New Health Bars Deadlock: Legitimate In-Game Methods Only
I see a lot of new players assume you have to spend real money to get custom health bars, but that’s not true at all. You can earn 70% of the available health bar skins just by playing regularly, no extra cash required. The first and easiest method is battle pass progression: every 12 levels on the free track of the current battle pass, you’ll unlock either a new health bar or a currency bundle you can use to buy one. I usually hit level 36 in a pass halfway through the season just by playing 2-3 matches a night after work, so that’s the easiest method for casual players who don’t have hours to grind every day.
The second method is completing limited-time weekly challenge bundles. Every 4 weeks, the game drops a themed event challenge set that rewards a unique, time-limited health bar for completing 8 out of 10 listed tasks. These challenges are usually simple, like getting 15 kills with a specific character or winning 3 quick play matches, so they don’t require huge time commitments. The third method is purchasing from the daily in-game store, which rotates 4 cosmetic items every 24 hours. Health bars show up at least twice a week, priced between 500 and 1200 in-game credits that you earn from every match you finish, even losses. Never download external mods or use code hacks to unlock health bars, as these violate the game’s terms of service and can result in a permanent account ban.
Key Factors That Affect Health Bar Unlock Eligibility
A lot of players hit a wall where they complete challenges but don’t get their health bar reward, and it’s almost always because they missed a small eligibility rule I’ve picked up after reporting 3 of these issues to support. First, you have to complete matches in official public or ranked lobbies, not private custom matches with friends. I made this mistake last year when I tried to grind event challenges with a group of friends in a private lobby, and none of my progress counted, so I missed out on a limited-edition neon health bar. Second, you can’t leave matches early, even if your team is losing badly. If you leave before the final score screen pops up, you forfeit all challenge progress and battle pass XP for that match. Third, you have to be account level 5 or higher to unlock health bar rewards, which takes about 10 quick play matches to hit if you’re a brand new player.
If you’ve completed a challenge or battle pass tier and haven’t received your health bar, run through this quick checklist to spot the issue:
- Confirm you completed the match in a public, ranked, or event lobby, not a private custom game
- Check that you stayed in the match until the final scoreboard appeared, with no early disconnects
- Verify your account is at least level 5, as lower level accounts can’t earn cosmetic rewards
- Make sure the challenge or battle pass tier you completed explicitly lists a health bar as a reward
If you meet all these criteria and still don’t get your reward, submit a ticket to support with a screenshot of your completed challenge, and they’ll usually send the health bar to your account within 24 hours. I’ve done this twice for missing event rewards, and the support team is usually really fast about fixing these issues.
How to Equip and Customize Your New Health Bar
Once you’ve unlocked a new health bar, equipping it only takes a few seconds, but there are a few customization options most players don’t know about that can make it work better for your playstyle. First, head to the “Cosmetics” tab from the main menu, then select the “UI Skins” option from the left sidebar. You’ll see all your unlocked health bars listed there, along with any other UI cosmetics you’ve earned. Click on the one you want to use, then hit the “Equip” button to apply it to all your matches.
You can also adjust the opacity and size of your health bar from the settings menu, which is a game-changer if you play on a smaller monitor or prefer a less cluttered HUD. I usually set my health bar to 80% opacity so it’s easy to see without blocking my view of enemy players on the screen. You can set separate health bars for casual and ranked play if you want, which is helpful if you prefer a more minimal design for competitive matches where you don’t want any distractions. A lot of players ask if custom health bars give you a competitive advantage, and the answer is no. All health bars show the exact same amount of health, the only difference is the visual design, so you don’t have to worry about being at a disadvantage if you use a fun, colorful skin instead of the default one. If you play in a group, your custom health bar will be visible to all your teammates, so it’s a fun way to show off your favorite event skins during casual matches.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Unlocking Health Bars
After helping dozens of my clan members unlock their first custom health bars, I’ve seen the same mistakes pop up over and over again that waste players’ time and credits. First, don’t spend your credits on the first health bar you see in the store. The store rotates daily, and limited-edition event health bars usually drop once a month, so it’s better to save your credits for a design you really love instead of blowing all your hard-earned currency on a basic skin you’ll get bored of in a week. I made this mistake when I first started playing, spent 1000 credits on a plain red health bar, then saw a cyberpunk-themed event health bar in the store 3 days later that I couldn’t afford. I still kick myself for that mistake, so I always tell my clan mates to keep at least 1500 credits saved up at all times for event drops.
Second, don’t grind battle pass levels by playing low-effort matches where you don’t contribute to your team. Not only is this unfair to your teammates, but you’ll earn less XP per match than you would if you play properly, so it’ll actually take you longer to unlock the tiers you want. Third, don’t fall for scams on social media that promise free exclusive health bars in exchange for your account login information. These are all phishing attempts that will steal your account and all the cosmetics you’ve earned, no exceptions. All legitimate health bar rewards are earned or purchased directly through the in-game client, so any offer outside of that is a scam.
At the end of the day, figuring out how to get new health bars deadlock doesn’t have to be complicated, and you don’t have to spend a ton of money or time to get a design you love. Stick to the legitimate in-game methods, double check your eligibility for rewards, and avoid the common mistakes that cost new players time and currency, and you’ll have a full collection of custom health bars before you know it. Don’t forget to test out different opacity and size settings once you equip a new skin, to make sure it works for your playstyle instead of becoming a distraction during matches. If you find a limited-edition event health bar you love, grind those challenges as soon as you can, because they usually don’t come back to the store for at least 6 months after the event ends.