Deadlock Gameplay Update: New Item, Hero Balances, and Core System Changes

Valve just shipped a substantial Deadlock update on April 30, 2026, introducing a new T4 Vitality item, Indomitable, alongside extensive hero balances, item reworks, and core gameplay adjustments.

General Gameplay Changes

The update targets core mechanics, reducing base health per boon by 7 and increasing the Vitality Investment bonus from 8/10/13/17/34/39/44/48/52/56% to 9/12/15/20/38/42/46/50/56/62%. Weapon Investments also saw a rescale from 7/9/13/20/49/60/80/95/115/135% to 9/12/15/18/46/55/70/85/100/115%. Bullet damage growth has been adjusted across several heroes: reduced by 10% for Bebop, Pocket, Vyper, and 5% for Victor, while Mo & Krill and Apollo received a 10% increase. Defensive structures like Guardians, Base Guardians, and Shrines now have 10% Bullet Resistance, and Walkers' Bullet Resistance increased from 15% to 25%. Medic Troopers' healing capabilities were nerfed, with missing health percent heal reduced from 14% to 12% and fixed regen growth per minute from 3 to 2. A notable quality-of-life change is that getting knocked off bounce pads now sends players downwards quickly instead of continuing trajectory. The souls required for boons after 13.2k/15k/17k/+2k per boon have been adjusted to 13.2k/14.5k/+1.5k per boon, ending at 40k instead of 49k. Finally, a bug affecting Alt Fire scaling for Yamato and Viscous has been fixed.

Item Reworks and Additions

A new T4 Vitality item, Indomitable, has been added, upgrading from Reactive Barrier. It automatically removes the next Stun, Chain, Immobilize, Sleep, or Silence from players, granting a barrier and reducing all ability cooldowns by 20% (55s cooldown). It also provides innate +8% Bullet Resistance and +8% Spirit Resistance. Several existing items received significant changes:

• Active Reload: Fire Rate increased from +22% to +25%.
• Opening Rounds: Weapon Damage reduced from +45% to +30%, now upgrades from High-Velocity Rounds, and Spirit Power reduced from +10 to +7.
• Split Shot: Max Stacks reduced from 6 to 5, Weapon Damage per stack reduced from 10% to 8%, and Cooldown increased from 24s to 27s.
• Shadow Weave: Moved from T4 to T3, with reductions in Out of Combat Regen, Duration, Ambush duration, Ambush Spirit Power, Fire Rate, and Melee damage. Cooldown increased, and Spot Radius increased.
• Frenzy: Reworked to no longer grant Spirit Resistance or Move Speed, instead providing +160 Health, increased Base Fire Rate, and a new Low HP bonus that grants +4 Move Speed, +30% Debuff Resistance (reducing existing debuff durations), and +40% Fire Rate for 10s with a 16s cooldown.
• Reactive Barrier: No longer restores stamina or grants Spirit Resist, now triggers off Silence, Cooldown increased, and Barrier spirit scaling reduced.
• Trophy Collector: Moved from T3 to T2, with reduced Souls per stack, Out of Combat regen, Ability Range per stack, and no longer grants Health per stack.
• Lifesteal Adjustments: A global reduction in Lifesteal values across numerous items, including Active Reload, Bullet Lifesteal, Spirit Lifesteal, and more.

Hero Specific Adjustments

Numerous heroes received balance changes:

• Abrams: Fixed speed issue after canceling Shoulder Charge.
• Apollo: Disengaging Sigil base damage reduced.
• Billy: Rising Ram T3 now reduces cooldown by 10s.
• Celeste: Bullet cycle time reduced, Shining Wonder radius and damage increased.
• Doorman: Fixed a bug allowing the Urn through doorways.
• Drifter: Rend T3 now increases melee scaling, Bloodscent T3 amplified damage increased.
• Dynamo: Kinetic Pulse spirit scaling reduced, Quantum Entanglement cooldown increased.
• Haze: Restored sliding while using Bullet Dance, Bullet Dance range increased, now has 30% evasion in base ability, and T2/T3 talents reworked.
• Holliday: Fixed Rising Ram interrupting Lasso, Spirit Lasso T1 damage and T3 cooldown reduction increased.
• Infernus: Flame Dash DPS spirit scaling reduced, now does half damage to objectives.
• McGinnis: Mini Turrets bounty reduced, fixed turrets locking on invulnerable objectives, Medicinal Specter duration increased.
• Mina: Nox Nostra DPS reduced.
• Mirage: Base health regen reduced, Fire Scarabs duration reduced.
• Mo & Krill: Burrow move speed increased.
• Paige: Stamina increased, Dash speed reduced, Plot Armor cooldown reduced, Bookwyrm recharge timer reduced.
• Paradox: Kinetic Carbine cooldown reduced, Time Wall T2 weapon damage increased, Kinetic Carbine now provides Air Dash Distance when charged.
• Pocket: Enchanter's Satchel spirit scaling increased, Affliction cooldown reduced.
• Rem: Fixed bug allowing attack while casting Naptime, Pillow Toss recharge timer reduced.
• Shiv: Alt fire knockback reduced, Serrated Knives spirit scaling reduced.
• Silver: Fixed Tail Whack applying negative Bullet Resist, Slam Fire Current Health As Damage reduced.
• Venator: Gutshot damage scaling and wall hit damage scaling reduced.
• Victor: Aura of Suffering T2 Max DPS increased, Shocking Reanimation T3 cooldown reduction increased.
• Viscous: Goo Ball lockout period reduced, fixed Splatter bounce issues.
• Vyper: Lethal Venom cooldown increased, T2 cooldown reduction increased, cast range reduced and now scales with boons, fixed Armor Piercing Rounds doing damage through Petrify.

Street Brawl Specific Changes

Unstable Concoction now reduces player respawn time by 50%. Seraphim Wings damage reduction while in air reduced from 60% to 40%. Several abilities, including Bookwyrm, Flame Dash, and Essence Bomb, have a -15% radius in Street Brawl. Mystic Expansion and Greater Expansion radius bonuses were reduced. Enhanced Escalating Exposure saw max stacks reduced from +8 to +6, amp per stack from +2 to +1.5, and base shred increased from +8 to +10. A fix was implemented for Enhanced Weighted Shots not maintaining benefits from Enhanced Slowing Bullets.