If you haven't checked in with Deadlock for a while, now's the perfect time. Indeed, the MOBA's new patch is so large that it'll feel like a completely fresh game, even for those who are still actively playing. The colossal overhaul headlines its shop rework, but that title belies just how comprehensive the update is. The way items are used has been totally redesigned and there are a whole lot more of them, along with movement tweaks, balance changes, and a dramatic coat of paint that makes the full Deadlock release feel much closer to reality.
I didn't expect MOBA in the vein of League of Legends or Dota 2. The result is something that manages to feel both unique and compelling, striking a satisfying balance between buildcrafting and player skill. It's still very much in the early stages, however, and it's clear why Valve still hasn't officially opened the doors completely to the public, with plenty of missing polish.
The new Deadlock patch is a big step forward. Before digging into any of the changes, you'll probably notice how dramatically more spruced up everything is. From a new base design to proper, distinctive item icons, it looks much more like the complete game you'd expect to see when the Deadlock release date eventually arrives. Beyond that, the shop overhaul is perhaps the biggest mechanical update, with a total makeover including lots of new items and combinations.
Item slots have also been redesigned – the original tree-specific system has been deemed a touch too restrictive, and is gone altogether. Slots are now universal, although you'll have just 12 rather than the 16 of old. Tier bonuses are no longer based on each item you buy, and are instead dependant on the total you've spent in a given tree. Valve notes that these bonuses aren't linear, so it typically isn't optimal to min-max entirely down one path. You'll now get the third flex slot after killing just two enemy walkers, and the final one when you clear the base guardians.
To help you put together loadouts for your favorite Deadlock characters in this bold new world, the build creation and browsing tools have been totally overhauled. There are new ways to designate the order to prioritize selling items once they're no longer needed, and to mark certain items as optional. Build tags allow you to assign up to three descriptors to help players find one that suits their play style or the level of complexity they're comfortable with.
Out on the field, you'll notice a huge number of adjustments across the entire map. Various buildings have been reshaped, with many lowered slightly, and a few new ropes and increased doorway sizes help increase mobility. Speaking of which, wall jumps and slides have been further honed; increased air acceleration will make it easier to control wall hops at low speeds, and your movement input will now affect how hard you kick away from structures to give you more control. Wall jump fatigue now only affects the vertical height, encouraging more traversal with less ability to just climb straight up tall surfaces.
Claiming Soul Orbs now awards you ammo. In addition to this, you should now find securing them to be more reliable even under the effects of latency, with more explicit visual effects making them easier to read. They'll no longer automatically be claimed when colliding with the environment, however. Alongside this, improved camera collision detection should help minimize instances where you can't see, and ensure that potential vision-blockers are more cleanly faded out of view.
There are many more balance changes to dig through (too many to list here), including lots of hero tweaks. Shields are now 'Barriers,' and no longer deal in multiple balance types. The speed of the zipline boost has been lowered, and the cooldown on its use increased. Debuff resistance now stacks with diminishing returns, upgraded items will carry over the cooldown of their components rather than refreshing it, and the dash slow cap has been increased from -40% to -50% to help you lock down evasive opponents.
Suffice it to say, this is one of the biggest Deadlock updates since the game first became publicly playable. If you have been looking for a reason to check back in, now is unquestionably the time. For those who might have wanted more polish, this is a major step in that direction. Or, if you were worried that the meta had changed too much to get to grips with, there's no better time than a total refresh that takes even veteran players back to square one.
The Deadlock shop rework update is out now. You can read through the full patch notes courtesy of Valve for every single change in detail.
Alternatively, prove your skills against the world in the free Steam games instead.
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