Valve's game Deadlock separates incoming damage into types that demand different defensive answers. The value called Bullet Resistance reduces weapon and melee damage. Spirit Resistance reduces damage produced by abilities and related effects. The game uses distinct colours for these numbers, and the summary after death adds more context. The useful question is not which armour item is popular. It is which type is removing health in the current match, whether that threat is likely to continue and how one defensive purchase changes the next engagement.
Use the colour as a starting point, not the whole diagnosis
Orange damage indicates weapon or melee pressure, while purple damage indicates spirit pressure. That visual signal quickly narrows the choice, but context still matters. A few harmless shots before a decisive ability can make both colours appear in the same exchange. Check which source removed the most health and which one prevented the escape. The correct defence is aimed at the repeatable danger, not simply the last number that appeared on screen.
The death summary can correct a false impression
During a busy team fight, bright effects and rapid hits make damage difficult to judge. After death, read the summary instead of relying on memory. Separate steady weapon fire from one large ability and note whether crowd control kept the hero exposed. Resistance may reduce the main damage, but it cannot repair a route with no cover or a position reached too early. The summary is most useful when it leads to one specific change in item choice or movement.
Weapon defence does not answer every ranged threat
A distant projectile may look like a bullet yet deal spirit damage because it belongs to an ability. Likewise, melee pressure belongs with the weapon side of the defensive calculation even though no gun is involved. Avoid classifying damage by animation alone. The displayed colour, item description and post-fight information are more reliable. This distinction prevents a player from buying a defensive value that does little against the attack causing the problem.
Defence against abilities still requires careful timing
Reducing spirit damage is valuable, but it should not encourage standing inside every effect. Track the important enemy cooldown, leave persistent areas and keep cover between the hero and predictable ability shots. Resistance creates margin for an imperfect dodge or an unavoidable part of a combination. It is not permission to absorb a complete sequence. The strongest defensive adjustment combines the right item with a route that limits how many abilities can connect.
Several resistance sources do not add as simple numbers
Resistance stacking is calculated multiplicatively. Each source reduces part of the damage that remains after the previous source, so two listed percentages should not be added as if they formed one simple total. The character screen gives the practical result. This system also means that buying more of the same defence has to be weighed against health, mobility and protection from the other damage type. A balanced inventory often survives more real situations than a column built around one impressive number.
Health and resistance solve different parts of survival
Extra health increases the amount of damage a hero can take from every ordinary source. Resistance makes that health more efficient against one category. If the enemy team deals mixed damage, raw health can help against both types while one resistance item addresses the strongest threat. If one source clearly dominates, specialised defence becomes more attractive. The purchase should fit the observed pattern and the role the hero must perform, rather than copying a finished build without considering the current match.
Enemy resistance reduction changes the calculation
Some effects lower a target's resistance. When those effects are active, an apparently comfortable defensive value may protect less than expected. Watch for debuff icons and repeated combinations that begin with resistance reduction. The answer is not always another armour item. Breaking line of sight, waiting for the effect to expire or stopping the enemy before the first effect is applied can preserve more health. A defensive plan needs to account for the order of the enemy sequence, not only its final source of damage.
Recheck the choice after every major phase
The leading damage source can change when opponents finish new items or when fights move from lanes into crowded objectives. A purchase that was correct ten minutes earlier may no longer solve the main problem. Review the colours, the death summary and the enemy most likely to reach the back line. Keep the original defence if it still has a clear job. Replace or supplement it only when new evidence appears. This routine makes resistance a decision based on the match instead of a permanent guess made at the first shop visit.
Source used for fact checking: https://deadlock.io/en/articles/mechanics/damage-and-resists