How to Change Health Bars in Deadlock: Display Options and Customization Explained

Deadlock, Valve's hero shooter MOBA hybrid, gives players a surprising amount of control over how the game looks and feels during a match. One frequently asked question involves the health bar display — specifically how to change how health bars appear over heroes, minions, and objectives. Here's a clear breakdown of what's adjustable, where to find the settings, and what factors shape which setup works best for different players.

What Health Bar Settings Does Deadlock Offer?

Deadlock includes in-game UI settings that control how health bars are rendered during play. These settings are accessed through the main settings menu, typically under the Video or Interface/HUD tab depending on the current build of the game.

Since Deadlock is in active development as an early access title, the exact menu labels and available options have shifted across patches. However, the core categories players can usually adjust include:

• Health bar visibility — whether bars show always, only when damaged, or only for enemies/allies
• Health bar size or scale — making bars larger or smaller relative to the unit
• Color settings — some builds allow color adjustments or accessibility-friendly palette options
• Overhead display toggles — showing or hiding health bars over specific unit types (heroes, creeps, neutrals)

These options live in the settings panel rather than a console command, making them accessible to players at any experience level. 🎮

Step-by-Step: Accessing Health Bar Settings

1. Open the main menu — press Escape during a match or access it from the lobby screen
2. Navigate to Settings
3. Select the Video tab or Interface tab (labeling varies by patch version)
4. Scroll to the HUD or Display section
5. Look for options labeled Health Bars, Unit Display, or Overhead Info
6. Adjust sliders or toggle options as needed
7. Apply and confirm — some settings require a restart to fully take effect, while others update in real time

If you're not seeing a specific option you've read about, it may have been added or removed in a recent patch. Deadlock updates frequently, and UI features are among the elements Valve iterates on regularly.

Why Health Bar Appearance Affects Gameplay

This isn't purely cosmetic. How health bars display directly affects situational awareness, especially in team fights where six heroes, dozens of souls, and multiple objectives are on screen simultaneously.

Key reasons players adjust health bars:

• Visual noise reduction — hiding health bars on low-priority units (lane creeps) keeps focus on heroes
• Accessibility — players with color vision deficiencies benefit from adjusting default red/green color schemes where the option exists
• Monitor and resolution differences — on smaller or lower-resolution screens, default bar sizes can be difficult to read at a glance
• Competitive preference — some players prefer minimal HUD elements to maximize screen real estate during fast-paced fights

The relationship between health bar clarity and in-game decision-making is real. A player who can't quickly read an enemy hero's health during a dive is working with less information than one who has optimized their display.

Variables That Determine the Right Setup for You

There's no universal "best" configuration. The right health bar settings depend on several factors specific to your situation:

It's also worth noting that hero-specific health bar data — like shields or bonus health from abilities — may display differently depending on how those mechanics are implemented per character. Understanding a hero's kit affects how useful certain display options actually are in practice.

Console Commands and Advanced Options 🔧

For players comfortable with Deadlock's developer or launch options, some health bar behavior has historically been adjustable through console commands in Valve titles. However, since Deadlock is still in development, officially documented console commands for UI elements are limited and can change without notice.

Experimenting with console commands on unofficial settings carries the risk of:

• Commands being deprecated in a future patch
• Unexpected visual behavior or conflicts with default UI layers
• Settings not persisting across sessions without additional configuration

For most players, the in-game settings panel is the stable, reliable route. Console-based adjustments are more relevant for content creators, streamers, or players with specific accessibility requirements that the default UI doesn't fully address.

Health Bars Across Different Unit Types

Deadlock displays health information for multiple unit categories, and each may have its own toggle:

• Enemy heroes — highest priority for most players; almost always kept visible
• Friendly heroes — important for supports and team-fight coordination
• Lane creeps and neutrals — often reduced or hidden to reduce clutter
• Objectives (Guardian, Walker, Patron) — usually displayed prominently by default

Some players adjust visibility settings per unit type rather than applying a blanket change, which gives more granular control over what information is on screen at any given moment. 🖥️

Whether the right configuration is minimal-HUD with hero-only bars, or full visibility across all unit types with scaled-up health displays, depends entirely on how you process visual information during play and what role you tend to fill in a match.