Valve just shipped a minor update for Deadlock on July 28, 2026, introducing a range of adjustments to hero abilities, item functionalities, and general gameplay mechanics. This patch aims to refine combat flow and address several balance concerns.
General Changes
- Stamina bucket 3 heroes (slowest) now have increased ground dash time (0.7s to 0.72s) and air dash time (0.49s to 0.51s), slightly improving their mobility.
- Orb Spawners in base that grant 10 souls on hit now split souls to nearby players upon expiring, promoting team play.
- Fixed the party member/team mate audio volume slider for voice communications.
Item Adjustments
Numerous items have received significant reworks, buffs, and nerfs:
- Crushing Fists: Max stacks stun duration increased (0.5s to 0.75s) and Bullet Resist reduction improved (-4% to -5% per stack), making it more impactful.
- Cursed Relic: No longer has an innate -14% Damage Output but now applies a -25% Damage Output debuff for its 3.25s duration, shifting its drawback.
- Diviner's Kevlar: Spirit power increased (+35 to +40).
- Echo Shard: Now has a 0.5s post-cast time, no longer grants +5% Fire Rate, and its cooldown is now 30s + the imbued ability's cooldown, a significant rebalance.
- Ethereal Shift: Cooldown increased (35s to 37s).
- Frenzy: Now includes +10% Bullet Lifesteal as an innate bonus.
- Fury Trance: Active now grants +1m Move Speed and removes the move speed penalty when shooting, similar to Fleetfoot.
- Lifestrike: Prioritizes healing off heroes when hitting both a trooper and a hero simultaneously.
- Mystic Shot: Cooldown reduced (9s to 8s) but Spirit scaling reduced (1.2 to 0.9).
- Restorative Locket: Heal per boon increased (0.32 to 0.5).
- Scourge: No longer grants innate +17% Debuff Resist; its active now grants +20% Debuff Resist. Max Health per second reduced (2.5% to 2.3%).
- Slowing Bullets: No longer grants +15% Weapon Damage.
- Weighted Shots: Weapon Damage reduced (+40% to +30%).
- Spiritual Overflow: Now provides +10% Spirit Lifesteal on proc. Ability Duration reduced (+15% to +13%), and Fire Rate reduced (+32% to +30%).
- Spirit Burn: No longer hits enemies in a 12m radius, only affecting the primary target. Cooldown is now target-based, removed half cooldown against NPCs, and explosion damage reduced (110 to 50).
- Suppressor: Duration reduced (5s to 4.5s).
- Tankbuster: No longer procs off of items.
Hero Balance Changes
Many heroes have seen specific ability adjustments:
- Apollo: Riposte base stun duration increased (0.6s to 0.8s). Riposte T3 changed to grant +60% Bullet, Spirit, and Melee Lifesteal against the target for 7s.
- Billy: Rising Ram T3 reduced (8% Max Health to 7%).
- Calico: Ava T2 reduced (+45% Move Speed to +40%) and Ava T3 reduced (+20% damage amp to +18%).
- Celeste: Shining Wonder radius increased (16.5m to 17.5m), damage increased by 10%, and buffer duration increased (3s to 3.25s).
- Doorman: Bullet damage rescaled, Call Bell Charge Time increased (6s to 7s), Doorway duration reduced (20s to 15s) but T1 duration increased (+15s to +20s). Luggage Cart damage reduced (80 to 60) and range reduced (25m to 20m).
- Drifter: Rend spirit scaling reduced (1.8 to 1.7) and T3 silence duration reduced (2.3s to 2s).
- Dynamo: Singularity cooldown reduced (265s to 250s).
- Haze: Sleep Dagger wake up time spirit scaling reduced (0.003 to 0.002) and damage spirit scaling reduced (2.8 to 2.2). T2 and T3 upgrades for Sleep Dagger have been swapped and rebalanced.
- Ivy: Stone Form T3 spirit scaling reduced (+1.7 to +1.5).
- Kelvin: Frozen Shelter cooldown reduced (195s to 185s).
- Lady Geist: Life Drain changed to 100% Damage to Heal (DPS reduced to maintain effective heal). Malice Damage amplification reduced (8% to 7%).
- Mina: Sanguine Retreat recast time increased (3.5s to 4s).
- Mirage: Fire Scarabs duration reduced (7s to 5s), T2 reduced (+2 Charges to +1 Charge) but now also increases duration by 2s. Dust Devil T3 no longer increases Lift Duration.
- Mo & Krill: Burrow cooldown now starts immediately. Combo now allows item casting.
- Paige: Rallying Charge cooldown reduced (220s to 210s).
- Pocket: Flying Cloak T3 reduced (-11s Cooldown to -10s). Affliction DPS reduced by ~6%.
- Shiv: Stamina regen increased (5.5s to 6s). Killing Blow recast window reduced (20s to 16s).
- Silver: Gun falloff range reduced (20m->46m to 17m→42m). Slam Fire now deals 100% bonus damage against NPCs. Lycan Curse precast time increased (0.2 to 0.3) and precast movespeed reduced (7.6m to 2.5m).
- Venator: Sprint speed reduced (1.5m to 1m). Bullet falloff range reduced (20m-51m to 18m-47m). Ira Domini cooldown now starts immediately, and blessed stakes damage increased (100 to 115).
- Viscous: Splatter damage reduced (70 to 55) and spirit ratio reduced (0.8 to 0.7) but base bounce count increased (1 to 2). Puddle Punch slow duration reduced (4s to 3s) but slow increased (-20% to -30%).
- Yamato: Flying Slash T2 reduced (+40 Spirit Power to +35) and T3 charges reduced (+2 to +1), with Charge Time increased (4s to 5s).
These changes aim to fine-tune the meta, encouraging new strategies and counter-plays across the roster and item builds.
