Best Graves Build & Guide (2026) — Deadlock

Graves is Deadlock's deadliest pure gunslinger. A weapon-damage carry whose entire kit amplifies his firearm output, Graves rewards players with sharp aim, disciplined positioning, and the patience to farm into a monstrous late game. Whether you're picking him up for the first time or looking to optimize your ranked build, this guide covers everything you need to dominate with Graves in 2026.

Graves Overview

Graves excels as a weapon-damage hypercarry who out-DPSes every hero in the game when given space to shoot. His Dead Eye passive permanently increases his weapon damage on consecutive headshots, his Bone Shrapnel ability adds burst spread damage to his gun, and his Shallow Grave gives him a second life that lets him play aggressively. Once Graves hits his item timings, no hero can stand in front of him and live.

Strengths

• Highest sustained weapon DPS in the game with Dead Eye stacks
• Strong lane bully with raw gun damage and Bone Shrapnel poke
• Death-defying Shallow Grave gives a second chance after being burst down
• Scales infinitely — Dead Eye headshot stacks make him stronger with every fight

Weaknesses

• No mobility — zero dashes or movement abilities in his kit
• Extremely vulnerable when Shallow Grave is on cooldown
• Punished by dive heroes who can get on top of him and stick
• Aim-dependent — Dead Eye stacks require consistent headshots to build

Recommended Item Build

Based on data from over 13,000 ranked Graves matches tracked on dodge.gg, here's the highest winrate build path.

Early Game (0–10 min)

• Headshot Booster — Core synergy with Dead Eye; amplifies your headshot damage for devastating lane trades
• Melee Charge — Empowered melee punish for enemies who close the gap on you
• Sprint Boots — Essential mobility for a hero with no movement abilities
• Healing Rite — Sustain that keeps you in lane farming toward your power spikes

Early Game (0–10 min)

Headshot Booster800I

Melee Charge800I

Sprint Boots800I

Healing Rite800I

Mid Game (10–20 min)

• Close Quarters — Massive damage boost at close range for when enemies dive into you
• Slowing Bullets — Your gun attacks slow targets, making it nearly impossible for them to escape your DPS
• Bullet Lifesteal — Sustain through gunfights that lets you take successive fights without backing
• Toxic Bullets — Anti-heal and max health shred that makes even tanks melt under your sustained fire

Mid Game (10–20 min)

Close Quarters1,600II

Slowing Bullets1,600II

Bullet Lifesteal1,600II

Toxic Bullets3,200III

Late Game (20+ min)

• Glass Cannon — Your best-in-slot weapon damage item; permanent fire rate stacks per kill push your DPS into absurd territory
• Shadow Weave — Your only real mobility option; gap closer and escape tool that compensates for your immobile kit
• Leech — Extreme sustain that makes you practically unkillable while you're shooting
• Unstoppable — CC immunity that prevents enemies from locking you down during fights

Late Game (20+ min)

Glass Cannon6,400IV

Shadow Weave6,400IV

Leech6,400IV

Unstoppable6,400IV

Ability Priority

1. Dead Eye — Max this first. Your passive headshot stacker is the foundation of your entire kit. Each rank increases the damage per stack and the maximum stack count, turning your gun into the most dangerous weapon in the game.
2. Bone Shrapnel — Max second. The spread-shot burst ability adds AoE weapon damage to your kit. Higher ranks increase the shrapnel count and damage, giving you wave clear and poke that your base gun lacks.
3. Shallow Grave — One early point for the revive safety net, then max third. The death-defying effect is binary at rank 1 — you either have it or you don't. Higher ranks reduce the cooldown, which matters more in the late game.
4. Reaper's Harvest (Ultimate) — Level whenever available. A massive channeled shot that executes enemies below a health threshold. The execute percentage scales with your weapon damage, making it devastating on a farmed Graves.

Playstyle Tips

Laning Phase

Graves is a dominant lane bully who wins through raw gun superiority. Your base weapon damage is among the highest at level 1, and Dead Eye stacks make every headshot hit harder than the last. Focus on last-hitting precisely — every headshot on creeps or heroes builds your stacks. Trade aggressively when your stacks are high; play safe while building them back up.

Bone Shrapnel is your poke and wave clear tool. Use it to hit enemies hiding behind creeps. Against melee heroes, keep your distance and punish them with headshots whenever they step up. Against other ranged heroes, out-trade them with Dead Eye stacks and sustain through Healing Rite.

Mid Game

This is where Graves starts taking over games. With Close Quarters and Slowing Bullets online, enemies who get near you can't escape and can't out-damage you. Position yourself where enemies are forced to fight into your gun — at objective takes, chokepoints, and Guardian pushes. In teamfights, stand behind your frontline and shoot the closest target. You don't need to find fancy angles; your raw DPS kills anything in front of you.

Shallow Grave gives you permission to play aggressively. If you have it up, you can position forward knowing you'll survive an initial burst. If it's down, play further back and let your team absorb pressure first.

Late Game

Late-game Graves is the hardest-hitting carry in Deadlock. With Glass Cannon stacks, Dead Eye stacks, and Leech keeping you alive, you are a walking turret that deletes enemies in seconds. Your positioning is everything — stand in the right spot and you win the fight; get caught out of position and you die instantly.

Use Reaper's Harvest to execute tanks and bruisers who think they can survive your DPS. The execute threshold scales with your weapon damage, so a farmed Graves can Harvest enemies from surprisingly high health. Shadow Weave is your repositioning tool — use it to dodge key abilities or reposition if the enemy tries to collapse on you. In the late game, your team plays around you. Make sure you're worth playing around.

Matchups

Favorable

• Kelvin — You outrange him completely and your sustained DPS melts through his ice armor; he can never reach you
• Ivy — Your raw weapon damage overwhelms her healing output; she can't keep anyone alive through your gun
• Pocket — He's too fragile to survive your headshot damage, and his briefcase cooldown gives you a long window to kill him

Even

• Infernus — Both are strong laners; his DoT pressures you but your raw DPS wins trades if you hit headshots
• Apollo — A skill matchup at range; he has burst combos, you have sustained DPS. Whoever positions better wins
• Lady Geist — Her poke and self-heal make her hard to bully, but you outscale her weapon damage significantly

Unfavorable

• Haze — She matches your carry potential and her mobility lets her dodge your shots and reposition constantly
• Wraith — She outranges you, scales just as hard, and her kit is harder to pin down
• Bebop — One hook into his team and you're dead; Shallow Grave doesn't save you from a full combo

Track Your Graves Stats

Search your profile on dodge.gg to see your Graves-specific stats including winrate, average KDA, most-built items, and how you compare to other Graves players at your rank.

Check out the full Graves hero page for live data including winrate by rank bracket, popular builds, and synergy picks.