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Graves is a Hero in Deadlock. The dead have been making a whole lot of demands lately, and only Graves has the courage to oblige. That severed lich hand she found in the cemetery has proven itself a valuable ally, allowing her to latch onto her enemies and steal their power for herself. Her curiosities about the passage of life are further put to use with Jar of Dead, collecting the remains of the fallen, shaking them up, and throwing them back at her enemies to grant those remorseful spirits a final shot at revenge. With Grasping Hands she strikes a deep crack in the earth, allowing those down below to grab onto enemies' ankles and stop them from escaping her reach. And when all else fails, a Borrowed Decree will summon the dead to fight alongside her.

Morbid

Area Denial

Necromancer

Weapon Stats
Damage Per Second:	35.3
Bullet Damage:	3.6+0.054
Ammo:	40
Bullets per sec:	9.8
Reload Time:	2.8s
Bullet Velocity:	635m/s
Light Melee:	50+1.58
Heavy Melee:	116+3.67

Information

Release Date:	January 29, 2026
Internal names:	Necro

Graves was released as the second winner of the Old Gods, New Blood update contest.

Abilities

Passive: Collect death when anything dies nearby and store it in your Jar of Dead.

Active: Throw a jar to summon Deadheads that repeatedly deal spirit damage to enemies.

Deadheads follow you instead if there's no nearby enemies, and prioritize the target of your weapon.

4

Deadheads

x0.25

16

Damage

7m Search Range

15m Dash Range

1

Collecting death heals 5 health per pickup

2

On Hit: Apply 30% Slow for 1s

5

+2 Deadheads
+4s Deadhead Lifetime

Notes

Skulls have 20 x1 HP. They can be destroyed by Weapon Damage and Melee Attacks. They take no Spirit Damage.

Unearth a line of grasping hands, summoning a Ghoul and leaving behind a rift. Enemies who pass through take spirit damage and receive immobilize.

Alt-Cast Alternate cast rotates the orientation of the wall.

1

Ghouls Raised

x1.6

90

Damage

Immobilize

1s

Immobilize Duration

1

2s Duration

2

+90 Damage and +10m Wall Length

5

+1 Ghouls Raised
-14s Cooldown
+0.75s Immobilize Duration

Your weapon steals weapon damage and spirit resist over time, up to a maximum amount per target.

x0.25

25%

Max Weapon Damage Stolen

10%

Max Spirit Resist Stolen

3 Max Steal Targets

4s Time for Max Damage

1

5% Max Spirit Resist Stolen

2

20% Max Weapon Damage Stolen

5

+1 Max Steal Targets
All Summons now apply Essence Theft

Innate: Abilities can summon Ghouls that shamble toward the enemy base, dealing melee damage. They explode when they approach a hero or objective, dealing spirit damage in an area and applying a brief slow

Active: Create a gravestone at a target location that summons Ghouls over time. Enemies can destroy the gravestone with two heavy melees.

x1.27

115

Damage

-80%

Move Speed

180 Summon Health

x8

40 Melee Damage

x0.5

20s Summon Lifetime

1.25s Slow Duration

6.5m Explosion Radius

4s Time to Summon

1

+25% Ghoul Speed
-15s Cooldown

2

+10s Duration
-0.3s Time To Spawn

5

On Death: Deal +5% Current Health as Damage

Notes

Borrowed Decree's gravestone is visible to enemies in the Minimap at all times and the outline can be seen through walls.

Weapon

The Teacher

Beam Weapon

Close Range

35 Damage Per Second

Falloff Range

7.6m ➞ 17m

The Teacher attaches to the target closest to the reticle. It cannot deal headshots and Graves cannot buy headshot items.

Graves has 8% innate Bullet Lifesteal.

Update history

View the full update history: Graves/Update history

Update	Changes
July 9, 2026	Jar of Dead T1 heal spirit scaling increased from 0.1 to 0.16. Jar of Dead now builds up faster from neutral creeps. Grasping Hands Immobilize duration reduced from 1.25s to 1s. Grasping Hands T3 cooldown increased from -10s to -14s. Essence Theft now procs from melee hits. Essence Theft T3 now also increases Max Steal Targets from 3 to 4. Borrowed Decree T1 changed from "-15s Cooldown" to "-15s Cooldown and +25% Ghoul Speed". Borrowed Decree T2 changed from "+25% Ghoul Speed and +10s Duration" to "-0.3s Time to Spawn and +10s Duration".
June 30, 2026	Borrowed Decree cooldown increased from 120s to 140s. (Global ult change) Borrowed Decree T1 reduced from -20s Cooldown to -15s. (Global ult change)
June 11, 2026	Jar of Dead collection rate reduced by 20% (takes longer to gain a charge). Jar of Dead damage reduced from 17+0.27 to 16+0.25. Jar of Dead bounty increased from 5+0.25/boon to 7+0.5/boon. Grasping Hands T3 Immobilize duration reduced from +1s to +0.75s.

Background

See Graves/Lore for more story content.

“

The daughter of high-power defense attorneys, Darcy Graves grew up in a home where every conversation was a debate, argument, or negotiation. It was exhausting. But while her parents were often too busy meeting with clients or working on cases to bond with her, the dead were always there to listen.

Graves enjoyed her time in the cemetery. It was a quiet place to calm her thoughts and talk through her problems...but one day her one-sided conversations started to change.

It began with a faint whisper. A woman's voice that seemed to respond to Graves' complaints. Intrigued, the teenager listened...and followed the voice's instructions until it guided her to a lead-lined box buried in Van Cortlandt Park. But while most high school students would freak out if they were to unearth a severed lich hand, Graves was certainly not most teens. The hand now free of its prison, the lich's voice grew stronger... It had spent years looking to find a student she could pass her knowledge to, and Graves was eager to learn.

Now a fledgling necromancer, Darcy balances not only her homework at Blackmore Academy...but the demands of graveyard denizens, each of whom have their own unfinished business that they seek her aid in resolving.

Lore

According to the Patrons, Graves works tirelessly to honor the dead and grant them peace, and many souls are in her debt.^[1]^[2]

Character interactions

Seven warns Graves that her mentor is using her to "live glories they could not achieve on their own."^[3] He also warns Graves that the path she's on will eventually get her killed. Seven warns Graves because he "hates to see talent wasted."^[4]
Haze offers a place at the OSIC to Graves, suggesting a job as a Medium.^[5]
Infernus offers to help Graves if she ever finds herself in over her head, as a form of payment for Hank saving his life when he was Graves' age.^[6]
Holliday and the Shopkeeper call Graves a "theatre kid."^[7]^[8]
According to Rem, Graves smells like wet dirt.^[9]
The Lich knows Grey Talon, and warns Graves of him.^[10]
On a kill line, Graves mentions Shiv "took something that doesn't belong to him".^[11]

Gallery

Graves' icon.
Graves' card.
Graves in-game render.
Graves' typography.
Graves' Weapon - The Teacher.
"Vote for Graves" poster/spray from the 1/23/26 major update.
Damaged "Vote Graves" poster.
Graves splash art from the vote screen.
Graves voter sticker.
Graves' shadow in the hideout.
Gloat portrait for Graves.
Critical health portrait for Graves.
Thanks for voting Graves!
Rip and tear.
Graves' borrowed decree icon on the minimap.

Trivia

References

↑ The Hidden King's in-game voice line (Graves start): "You work tirelessly to honour the dead and bring them peace. The Hidden King is counting on that same devotion."
↑ The Archmother's in-game voice line (Graves start): "Many souls are in your debt, Graves. If you finish the ritual, the Archmother herself will join that number."
↑ Graves And Seven Conversation 2
↑ Graves And Seven Conversation 1
↑ Graves And Haze Conversation 2
↑ Graves And Infernus Conversation 3 - "Look. When I was around your age I needed help, and someone gave it to me. It changed my life, and I just wanted you to know that... I'm willing to pay it forward."
↑ Graves And Holliday Conversation 3 - "Sooo, do they give you the pack of cloves when you become a theatre kid, or was that something you brought to the table all on your own?"
↑ Shopkeeper's in-game voice line (Graves buys t4 item): "I know a theatre kid when I see one."
↑ Rem's in-game voice line (killed Graves): "She smells like wet dirt."
↑ Graves's in-game voice line - "My mentor warned me about you, Talon."
↑ Graves's in-game voice line - "You took something that doesn't belong to you, Shiv."