Deceit 2

About Deceit 2

Deceit 2 is World Makers' free-to-play follow-up to their first Deceit. It came out on Steam in September 2023 and reached PS5 and Xbox Series X|S in April 2024, with crossplay between all three.

Each match is a Ritual for nine players, and nobody tells you who's on whose side. Six are Innocent. Two are Infected. The last one is Cursed, a wildcard with a hidden affliction and a goal nobody else knows about. In the Reality phase you split up around the Ritual Site doing small tasks (card matching, examining specimens in a lab, that kind of thing) and spend what you earn at the Shop on investigative, offensive or defensive items. Meanwhile the Infected quietly activate Blood Altars, which drags everyone toward the Inbetween.

That's where it turns. The lights fail, the Infected become Terrors, and your Sanity starts to drain. Light is about the only thing that keeps you safe. Then comes Judgement: anyone who got downed can be voted out, and you'd better be sure, because a wrong call costs the Innocent a player. You win by finishing every task and unlocking the exit, or by wiping out the other side.

The Terrors have grown into a whole cast. There's a vampire, a werewolf, an alien imposter, a monkey-like trapper in a ruined circus and, since the Wild West season, a sheriff. The Ritual Sites are just as mixed: Millhaven Asylum, a crumbling aristocratic manor, a lab in the woods where people were experimented on, a circus, a silent interstellar ship and a desert town.

Critics were cool on it at launch. GGRecon called it barebones, with a single asylum map, chaotic voting and rough public lobbies. A lot has been added since, but Steam reviews are still split down the middle. It works best for a group of friends on voice chat who like lying to each other. Think of it as closer to Among Us with monsters than to Dead by Daylight.

How to play Deceit 2

1. Download Deceit 2 free on Steam, PS5 or Xbox Series X|S and queue for a match, or set up a custom game with friends.
2. Check the role screen at the start: it tells you your team (Innocent, Infected or Cursed) and your role's special ability.
3. As Innocent, complete tasks around the Ritual Site and spend your rewards at the Shop on items.
4. When the lights die and the Inbetween begins, stay in the light to protect your Sanity and keep away from the Terrors.
5. Down a player you suspect, then vote to banish them, or finish the tasks and unlock the exit to escape.
6. As Infected, blend in, activate Blood Altars when nobody is looking and strike as a Terror in the dark.

Tips

• Note who goes near the Blood Altars. Infected players have to activate them to bring on the Inbetween.
• Voice chat matters more than aim. Players who share what they saw and who they were with get much more out of a match.
• Expect a few lost rounds while you learn where each map's tasks are. Once you know the layout, you can watch people instead of hunting for objectives.
• Be careful before voting someone out. Banishing an Innocent helps the Infected as much as a kill does.

Questions