Napalm
Ability 1 · cone spray damage-over-time with slow Sprays a burning mixture in front of him that deals spirit damage, slows whoever it touches, and leaves them coated in napalm that keeps burning.
What it is for: His lane harass, his wave-clear and his chase tool — it is the button that starts every fight and the reason he wins extended trades.
- Damage
- about 40 spirit at base plus the napalm coating over time (deadlock.one)
- Crowd control
- movement slow on everyone hit
- Mobility
- none directly, though the slow effectively closes distance
- Defensive
- the slow is a real disengage tool against a chasing melee hero
How to play against it
- It is a short cone — back out of the arc rather than trading through it; the coating stops ticking once the burn expires
- Spirit Armor is the correct resist because all of it is spirit damage, not bullet
- At tier 3 the -33% healing means you cannot outsustain him — disengage instead of trying to heal through it
- Dispel Magic clears the coating and the slow together, resetting the Afterburn ramp with it
Interactions
- Tier 3 applies about +17% damage taken and -33% healing, which makes it both a damage amp and a native anti-heal
- The napalm coating is an ability-source burn, so it refreshes Afterburn's base duration
- Hits cloaked heroes in the cone — a useful flush for Haze's Smoke Bomb
- Clears creep waves fast, which is why he is a strong farmer despite low raw gun damage
Upgrade tiers
- Tier 2: +15% lifesteal
- Tier 3: applies about +17% Damage Taken and -33% Healing to affected targets
Flame Dash
Ability 2 · directional dash leaving a damaging trail Dashes forward with slow resistance, leaving a burning trail behind that damages anyone standing in it. Holding forward extends the dash further.
What it is for: His gap-close and his escape, plus a lingering zone that makes retreating through the same corridor costly.
- Damage
- about 30 damage per second from the trail; tier 2 adds about +20 DPS (deadlock.one, metabot.gg)
- Mobility
- a substantial forward dash, extendable by holding forward
- Defensive
- slow resistance during the dash makes it reliable as an escape even into enemy slows
How to play against it
- Before tier 3 he has one charge — if he dashes in, he has no dash out; collapse on him immediately
- The dash is a fixed straight line; sidestep and he overshoots past you
- Do not walk back down the corridor he dashed through — the trail persists and refreshes his burn
- Knockdown or a stun during the dash cancels the reposition and strands him in your team
Interactions
- Trail damage is an ability source, so it refreshes Afterburn duration on anyone standing in it
- Slow resistance during the dash specifically counters kiting slows like Crackshot, Malice and Frost Grenade
- Tier 3's two charges turn it from a commitment into a genuine in-and-out skirmish tool
- Laying the trail across a doorway is meaningful area denial in tight interiors
Upgrade tiers
- Tier 2: +1.0s trail duration and about +20 damage per second
- Tier 3: 2 ability charges with about a 14s recharge
Afterburn
Ability 3 · weapon-hit stacking burn passive His weapon hits build a burning effect that deals spirit damage over time. Abilities reset the burn to its base duration and weapon hits extend it.
What it is for: The engine of the hero — it converts his low per-bullet damage into a persistent damage source that keeps ticking after he breaks line of sight.
- Damage
- about 14 spirit damage per second at base (deadlock.one)
How to play against it
- Spirit Armor mitigates it since the burn is spirit damage despite being applied by bullets
- Dispel Magic removes the burn outright, which is worth a slot against an Infernus-heavy team
- Break contact fully — the burn only extends on weapon hits, so a few seconds behind hard cover lets it expire
- Healing items are weak against him once Napalm is at tier 3 (-33% healing); positional disengage beats sustain here
Interactions
- Abilities refresh to base duration while weapon hits extend it — so the optimal pattern is ability, then sustained gun, not the reverse
- The burn is spirit damage from a weapon-hit trigger, which means both Spirit Power and fire-rate items increase his total output
- Tier 2 adds a -35% spirit damage debuff to burning targets, which is meaningful against spirit-heavy enemies
- Stacks naturally with Napalm's tier-3 damage amp and healing reduction
Upgrade tiers
- Tier 2: burning targets suffer about -35% spirit damage
- Tier 3: +3.0s maximum burn duration
Concussive Combustion
Ultimate · self-centered delayed AoE stun Turns Infernus into a living bomb that detonates after a delay, dealing spirit damage and stunning every nearby enemy. Once cast, it cannot be interrupted.
What it is for: His teamfight opener and his all-in — an area stun he can commit to without fear of being cancelled, which is rare among ultimates.
- Damage
- about 125 spirit at base (deadlock.one)
- Crowd control
- area stun on detonation; tier 3 adds about +0.9s stun duration
- Defensive
- uninterruptible, so it functions as a panic button that punishes whoever dove him
How to play against it
- Do not try to stun him out of it — it is explicitly uninterruptible; instead use the delay to leave the radius
- Unstoppable pre-cast makes you immune to the stun even if you eat the damage
- Ethereal Shift during the delay makes you untargetable through the detonation entirely
- Before tier 3's +10m radius, simply walking or dashing out is reliable; after tier 3, plan to spend an item instead
Interactions
- Cannot be interrupted once cast — stunning him mid-delay does NOT stop the explosion, unlike most channelled ults
- Tier 2's 100% explosion lifesteal makes it a full heal when it lands on multiple enemies
- Tier 3's +10m radius makes it very hard to simply walk out of
- Pairs with Flame Dash: dash into the group, then detonate before they can scatter
Upgrade tiers
- Tier 2: about -65s cooldown and +100% explosion lifesteal
- Tier 3: +0.9s stun duration and +10m radius