Deadlock Post Halloween Update 2024: Heroes, Items, and Gameplay Changes

General Changes in Deadlock Update

The general updates in this patch introduce a variety of quality-of-life improvements, new features, and bug fixes that enhance both casual and competitive play. Here’s a breakdown of the changes:

Hero Labs Enhancements

Hero Labs has received significant updates to expand its functionality and provide more flexibility for players experimenting with heroes.

• Trapper Added: The hero Trapper is now available in Hero Labs, giving players the chance to explore and master its abilities in a controlled environment.
• Expanded Access: Hero Labs now supports Private Lobbies, Private Bot Games, and Sandbox Mode, allowing players to test heroes and builds at any time.
• Experimental Hero Updates: Various adjustments to experimental heroes have been made, detailed in the in-game patch notes.

Quickbuy System

This new feature streamlines the process of purchasing items, ensuring players can stay focused on the action during critical moments.

• Streamlined Purchases: Players can now right-click items in the shop to add them to their Quickbuy queue. When they have enough Souls and return to the shop, these items will automatically purchase in order.
• HUD Indicator: A visual indicator shows when you can afford the next item on your Quickbuy list.
• Customisation Options: Players can configure the system in settings to require a manual hotkey press to confirm purchases instead of auto-buying.

Performance and HUD Optimisations

Performance enhancements and HUD changes have been introduced to reduce loading times, improve visual clarity, and provide players with more useful information during matches.

• Pre-compilation for Faster Load Times: Shaders, maps, and other resources are now pre-compiled on the dashboard to improve loading times and reduce in-game hitching.
• Visual Build Insights: When browsing builds, a new indicator highlights which item types (Weapon, Vitality, Spirit) are most prominent, helping players optimise their builds.
• Recent Purchases Log: A new shop feature logs items purchased by players during a match, displayed in reverse chronological order for quick reference.

Steam Recording and Dashboard Features

New Steam integration and dashboard updates aim to enhance gameplay analysis and make it easier to coordinate with teammates.

• Steam Recording API Support: This feature automatically marks key in-game moments (kills, deaths, and objectives) on the Steam Game Recording Timeline for easier content creation and playback analysis.
• Dashboard Hover Functionality: Players can now hover over party members while in queue to view their selected rosters, making coordination easier.
• Focus Restoration Setting: Added a checkbox in settings to force the game to take focus when it is unpaused, ensuring uninterrupted gameplay.

UI and Social Features

Updates to the user interface and social settings make the game more accessible for streamers and players who value customisation.

• Active Reload Indicator: The Active Reload UI has been adjusted for improved clarity.
• "Frenzied" Text: Players with Frenzy now see "Frenzied" displayed when their health drops below 50%.
• New Social Tab: The settings menu now includes a Social tab, which consolidates Streamer Mode, Steam content filtering settings, and chat visibility adjustments.

HUD Improvements

The HUD has been refined to reduce visual clutter and ensure critical information is easily accessible during matches.

• Hero Stats Hidden by Default: The left-side HUD stats are now hidden by default and can be viewed by holding ALT or TAB. Temporarily increased or decreased stats will show automatically during their active duration.
• Hover Tooltips: Added tooltips for stats on the left HUD, providing detailed explanations for each value.

Bot Behaviour Updates

AI-controlled bots have been updated to behave more intelligently, particularly when attacking objectives in enemy bases.

• Aggressive Shrine Targeting: Bots will now prioritise Shrines and the Patron more aggressively when pushing into the enemy base.

Bug Fixes

A wide range of bugs have been addressed in this update, improving gameplay consistency and resolving long-standing issues.

• Hero-Related Fixes:
  • Grey Talon now correctly gains assist credit when flying Guided Owl.
  • Vindicta’s animations have been improved, including a new zipline animation.
  • Fixed Quantum Entanglement not moving units properly when near geometry.
  • Corrected issues with Sinner’s Sacrifice facing direction changes and final damage clarity.
  • Fixed duplicate hero bugs in private lobbies.
• Gameplay Issues:
  • Addressed a rare bug where shields would not regenerate.
  • Fixed troopers getting stuck in the base in certain scenarios.
  • Improved responsiveness for securing orbs with melee attacks.
• Visual and Sound Enhancements:
  • New effects for Viscous heavy melee and Fortitude.
  • Added ambient looping sounds for bridge power-ups.
  • Reduced visual clutter for high fire-rate tracers on Seven and Wraith.
  • Improved animation readability for Mo & Krill’s heavy melee attacks.
  • Fixed health regeneration effects flickering at max health.
  • Added new sounds for Yamato’s Power Slash, Flying Strike, and Shadow Transformation, as well as Lash’s Ground Strike and Flog abilities.

Steam Input and Controller Support

This update significantly improves the experience for Steam Deck and controller players, introducing new features and resolving prior issues.

• Expanded Key Bindings: Missing actions like Fly Up/Fly Down and Replay Controls are now available in the Key Bindings menu.
• Controller-Specific Options: Added a new Controller tab in settings and a Steam Input Configurator launch button.
• Glyph Locking Options: Players can now choose input types, including Automatic, Keyboard & Mouse Only, or Game Pad Only.
• Improved Behaviour:
  • Fixed crashes in spectator mode related to controller input.
  • Addressed issues where controllers were not recognised until loading a level.
  • Enhanced glyph swapping when mixing keyboard and controller inputs.
• Steam Input Config Updates: Official configurations for SteamDeck and DualSense have been improved, and legacy analog modes have been replaced with new Camera-specific Steam Input modes.

Quality-of-Life Adjustments

Small but impactful adjustments improve clarity and consistency across different areas of gameplay.

• Renamed "Mouse Wheel" to "Chat Wheel" to better represent its functionality.
• Music Playback Fixes: Looped music now resumes after being interrupted by transient cues.

Misc Gameplay Changes in Deadlock Update

This section outlines adjustments to gameplay mechanics, resource distribution, map layouts, and Guardian behaviours. These changes aim to refine balance, enhance strategy, and create a smoother competitive experience.

Trooper and Creeps Adjustments

Updates to Troopers and Neutral Creeps bring more consistency to resource management and make lane control a higher priority.

• Soul Sharing Removed: Troopers no longer split Souls between two heroes after the laning phase, ensuring that resources are fairly distributed.
• Bounty Normalisation: Troopers no longer increase their bounty by 20% at the 8-minute mark, reducing risks of snowballing through bounty exploitation.
• Hero Kill Soul Rewards: The Souls gained from kills have been increased, scaling from 175 at 0 minutes to 2000 at 45 minutes, adding greater rewards to eliminations, especially in late-game phases.
• Neutral Creep Soul Reduction: Neutral Creeps now provide 5% fewer Souls, incentivising players to focus more on lane control rather than prolonged jungle farming.

Guardian and Walker Adjustments

Guardian AI and Walker mechanics have been improved to prioritise key interactions during engagements.

• Trooper Vulnerability: Troopers now take 28% more damage from Guardians, promoting their use as defensive assets.
• Walker Damage Buff: Walkers now deal 10% more damage to players, making them more impactful during pushes.
• Guardian Targeting: Guardians now prioritise enemy players within 15m if they attack allied heroes, adding a strategic layer to positioning during objectives.

Neutral Camps and Mid-Lane Additions

Map adjustments focus on creating more dynamic gameplay around neutral camps and the mid-lane.

• Neutral Camp Relocation: Eight neutral camps (four per side) have been moved closer to lanes, from their previous positions outside the outer lanes to in between the inner and outer lanes, encouraging early skirmishes and tighter contestation.
• Cosmic Veils in Mid-Lane: These new features at ground-floor entrances to mid-lane grant vision looking inward but block vision looking outward, fostering more tactical mid-lane approaches.

Map Layout and Structural Changes

Changes to map geometry and layout aim to improve movement and create smoother navigation.

• Biased Urn Relocation: Delivery points for the Biased Urn have been shifted closer to neutral positions for improved balance.
• Warehouse Redesign: The warehouse interior now allows entry from the front of the Tenements and Music Hall buildings, with stairs moved from inside to the underground tunnel further from the Urn delivery location.
• Fire Escape and Rooftop Updates: All railings have been removed from fire escape stairs, while rooftops have been smoothed for better traversal. Additional changes include:
  • Stairs added on top of Bodega for improved navigation.
  • Angled supports removed from chimneys.
  • Collisions removed from small props.

Structural Indicators and Visual Cues

These changes improve clarity and navigation across the map.

• Zap Trigger Locations: Small chimneys and temporary spikes have been replaced with larger roof spikes, making zap trigger areas more prominent.
• Antennae Updates: Temporary antennae have been replaced with more “menacing” versions to designate zap trigger locations.

Respawn and Resource Adjustments

Subtle tweaks to respawn timing and Trooper durability create a smoother gameplay curve.

• Respawn Curve: The 40-second respawn that previously occurred at 20 minutes now happens at 17 minutes, allowing quicker re-entry into the action in the mid-game.
• Walker Armour Loss: Armour degradation over time now starts at 16 minutes instead of 14, slightly delaying vulnerability.
• Trooper Spirit Resistance: Troopers now have 30% Spirit Resistance instead of 40% at the 25-minute mark.
• Mid-Boss Buff: The Rejuv Trooper’s Health has been increased by 30%, making it more durable and impactful as a mid-game objective.

Map Update Recap

Several of these changes were introduced during the Halloween patch, including visual and layout updates.

• New Hotel Art Pass: Updated visuals for the Hotel building add aesthetic improvements.
• Spawn Exit Rework: The exit from the player spawn area to the base has been moved to angled walls, improving pathing clarity.

Impact on Gameplay

These adjustments refine strategic elements, ensuring that lane control, team coordination, and map knowledge play a more significant role in competitive matches. The focus on balancing resources and making the map easier to navigate ensures a more dynamic and enjoyable experience for players across all skill levels.

Item Adjustments in Deadlock Update – November 2024

This section outlines comprehensive changes to Weapon, Vitality, and Spirit items in the latest Deadlock update. These adjustments focus on balancing item power, improving utility, and refining their impact on different builds.

Weapon Items

Weapon items have been rebalanced to better align with their roles, ensuring fair scaling and improved synergy with hero abilities.

• Close Quarters: No longer grants +85 Bullet Shield Health but now provides +5% Bullet Resist, making it more suitable for tanky builds.
• Restorative Shot: Removed +7% Bullet Resist, but now grants +90 Bullet Shield and procs healing values on orb shots for NPCs.
• Melee Charge: Removed +1 HP Regen, and Weapon Damage reduced from 12% to 10%, balancing its impact in melee-focused builds.
• Long Range: Reduced Weapon Damage from 40% to 30%, but added a flat +10% Weapon Damage bonus for consistency.
• Berserker: Bullet Resist increased from 7% to 9%, boosting survivability for aggressive playstyles.
• Active Reload: Now grants +50 Health, adding more sustain during reloading sequences.
• Slowing Bullets: Spirit Power increased from +5 to +6, enhancing its synergy with Spirit-heavy builds.
• Sharpshooter: Reduced long-range Weapon Damage from 70% to 50%, but added +20% Weapon Damage for flexibility in mid-range combat.
• Alchemical Fire: Now grants +1 Sprint, providing more mobility for its users.
• Heroic Aura: Cooldown reduced from 32 seconds to 25 seconds, making it more accessible in team fights.
• Intensifying Magazine: Time to reach max damage reduced from 3 seconds to 2.7 seconds, allowing faster output of peak damage.
• Toxic Bullets: Damage now scales with 2.5% of Max Health instead of 5% of Current Health, improving its effectiveness against tanky enemies.
• Shadow Weave: Detection range increased from 18m to 22m, giving players better control over stealth-based encounters.
• Glass Cannon: Health loss reduced from -15% to -12%, reducing the penalty for high-risk builds.
• Frenzy: Low-health Bullet Resist increased from 45% to 55%, further supporting clutch survival scenarios.
• Lucky Shot: Fixed a bug causing proc effects to roll twice, stabilising its performance.
• Silencer: Now grants +12% Spirit Resist, making it a strong counter to Spirit-heavy heroes.
• Vampiric Burst: Cooldown reduced from 34 seconds to 30 seconds, allowing for more frequent use in combat.

Vitality Items

Vitality items have been tweaked to improve their utility and balance their contributions to sustain-based builds.

• Extra Health: Weapon Damage increased from 6% to 7%, making it a stronger choice for hybrid builds.
• Healing Rite: Duration increased from 19 seconds to 20 seconds, with total health restored unchanged.
• Bullet Armor: Bullet Resist increased from 25% to 26%, reinforcing its role in defensive builds.
• Return Fire: Duration reduced from 7 seconds to 6 seconds, balancing its effectiveness in retaliatory scenarios.
• Healing Nova: Now grants +6% Ability Range, boosting its utility for ability-based heroes.
• Combat Barrier: Fire Rate increased from 6% to 7%, providing more offensive potential.
• Debuff Reducer: Health increased from +75 to +125, improving durability against crowd-control effects.
• Healbane: Healing reduction increased from -40% to -45%, strengthening its anti-sustain capabilities.
• Reactive Barrier: Now restores 1 stamina on proc, adding utility for stamina-reliant heroes.
• Spirit Armor: Spirit Resist increased from 20% to 22%, further improving its defensive capabilities.
• Divine Barrier: No longer grants +8% Ability Range, but now provides +6 Spirit Power for better scaling.
• Restorative Locket: Removed +5 Spirit Power, but now grants +25% Melee Resistance, making it a strong defensive option.
• Metal Skin: No longer blocks melee damage, adjusting its utility.
• Debuff Remover: Debuff Resistance increased from 35% to 40%, and cooldown reduced from 48 seconds to 45 seconds.
• Veil Walker: Ammo capacity increased from 12% to 15%, and Weapon Damage increased from 10% to 15%, making it more versatile.
• Fortitude: Health increased from 365 to 400, further reinforcing tank builds.
• Lifestrike: Bullet resistance increased from 8% to 10%, enhancing its effectiveness in duels.
• Soul Rebirth: Removed from the game for balance reasons.
• Inhibitor: Slow effect reduced from 25% to 20%, moderating its crowd-control power.
• Siphon Bullets: Now grants +15% Weapon Damage, improving its synergy with offensive builds.
• Phantom Strike: Now grounds flying targets on impact, similar to Slowing Hex.

Spirit Items

Spirit items have been reworked to balance sustain, utility, and scaling with Spirit-heavy builds.

• Ammo Scavenger: Duration increased from 35 seconds to 45 seconds, providing longer periods of ammo sustainability.
• Mystic Burst: Now triggers on base damage rather than received damage, increasing its reliability.
• Slowing Hex: Now uses Enduring Spirit as a component and gains +10% Spirit Lifesteal and +75 Bonus Health, but loses +1 Sprint and has its damage reduced from 70 to 40.
• Withering Whip: Bullet Resist reduction lowered from -14% to -11%, cooldown reduced from 22 seconds to 18 seconds, and now deals 50 Spirit Damage, adding offensive utility.
• Decay: Gains +1.5 HP Regen and +8% Ability Duration, while its healing reduction increased from -50% to -70%. Bleed Damage was reduced from 3.1% to 1%, and cooldown shortened from 45 seconds to 33 seconds.
• Improved Cooldown: Cooldown Reduction decreased from 16% to 14%, but Spirit Shield improved from 75 to 100 and now grants +10% Ammo.
• Superior Cooldown: Now grants +15% Ammo, improving its scaling in prolonged fights.
• Improved Burst: Now triggers on base damage instead of received damage, and Max HP damage reduced from 9% to 8%.
• Magic Carpet: Now grants +10% Ability Range, improving its utility for long-range abilities.

Impact on Builds

These item changes aim to provide greater build diversity and enhance synergy across various playstyles. Players will need to adapt their strategies to take full advantage of the rebalanced stats and abilities. Whether focusing on sustain, offensive output, or Spirit-based mechanics, this update ensures a more dynamic and balanced gameplay experience.

Hero Changes in Deadlock Update

The latest update introduces significant adjustments to the hero roster, focusing on rebalancing abilities, scaling, and utility. These changes aim to maintain competitive fairness while offering exciting tweaks to favourite characters.

Abrams: Enhanced Mobility and Durability

Abrams receives changes that restore his tanky playstyle and improve his ability to reposition in fights.

• Reverted Melee Attack Speed Reduction: Abrams regains his original melee attack speed, restoring his combat effectiveness.
• Shoulder Charge Improvements: This ability now allows Abrams to strafe left or right slightly, and it retains momentum at the end, providing smoother movement.
• Siphon Life Buff: Spirit scaling increased from 0.3 to 0.36, improving sustain.
• Infernal Resilience Adjustments: Damage regeneration reduced to 14%, but duration increased to 20 seconds, balancing his survivability.
• Bug Fix: Seismic Impact now travels in the correct direction, improving targeting consistency.

Bebop: Versatile Utility Tweaks

Bebop sees adjustments to his abilities to balance utility and offensive power.

• Sticky Bomb Improvements:
  • Damage per hero impact increased from 1% to 1.5%.
  • Damage per hero kill reduced from 5% to 4%.
  • T3 upgrade now applies a -30% Damage Penalty for 5 seconds instead of Disarm, similar to Inhibitor's debuff.
  • Damage is now calculated at detonation instead of cast time, enhancing synergy with item builds.
  • Cast range is doubled when used on allies.
• Hook Adjustments: Damage reduced from 40 to 10 but now scales with Spirit at 2x.
• Hyper Beam Cooldown: Cancelling the precast now incurs a 3-second cooldown, improving pacing.

Dynamo: Bullet Resistance Scaling

Dynamo gains new scaling that rewards boon stacking, improving his tank potential.

• Bullet Resist Per Boon: Gains 1% Bullet Resist per boon, up to a maximum of 14%.
• Singularity Adjustments:
  • Base DPS reduced from 60 to 45.
  • Now deals 1.5% Max HP damage at base.
  • T3 scaling increased from 3.8% to 4%.
• Quantum Entanglement Fix: Resolved an issue where this ability didn’t move the user properly in certain situations.

Grey Talon: Precision Adjustments

Grey Talon receives adjustments to his damage scaling and utility to balance his impact in matches.

• Base Bullet Damage Reduction: Reduced from 27 to 24.
• Bullet Growth Per Boon: Increased from 1.41 to 1.62, preserving late-game scaling.
• Falloff Range Adjustments: Rescaled from 22m-58m to 18m-54m, encouraging closer engagements.
• Rain of Arrows: Strafe distance reduced by 30%, limiting mobility.
• Charged Shot Hitbox: Reduced by 20%, requiring better aim.

Haze: Aggression Enhancements

Haze's adjustments focus on amplifying his offensive capabilities.

• Bullet Dance Changes:
  • No longer hits two targets simultaneously.
  • Grants +30% Fire Rate, boosting damage output.
  • Allows item usage during the ability, enhancing versatility.
• Sleep Dagger T3 Buff: Causes targets to wake up with -40% Fire Rate, adding a debuff element.

Vindicta: Scaling Adjustments

Vindicta receives changes that adjust her early-game impact while preserving late-game potential.

• Base Bullet Damage: Reduced from 15 to 13, with growth per boon increased from 0.65 to 0.8.
• Stake Duration: Increased from 1.75 seconds to 2 seconds, enhancing its utility.
• Flight T2 Nerf: Reduced from +8 seconds to +6 seconds.
• Crow Familiar: Tick rate adjusted to every second instead of every 0.5 seconds.

Other Hero Changes

Several additional heroes receive targeted adjustments to abilities and scaling:

• Lash: Ground Strike can now be cast while on the zipline, and it now pulls enemies downward, adding a crowd-control effect.
• McGinnis: Mini Turret DPS reduced from 60 to 40, and turret health reduced to 15% of max HP.
• Paradox: Bullet velocity increased from 411 to 525; Time Wall no longer has charges, with cooldown reduced to 25 seconds.
• Viscous: Goo Ball down dash is now a base ability, and its size increases with range upgrades.

Impact on Gameplay

These hero changes create a more balanced roster, ensuring fairer matchups and rewarding strategic play. Whether you're a tank main or a DPS specialist, the November update promises to make every hero shine in their unique way.

Conclusion

The November 2024 Deadlock update represents a significant step forward in refining the game’s balance, mechanics, and overall experience. From quality-of-life improvements like the Quickbuy system and pre-compiled resources to impactful changes across heroes, items, and map dynamics, this patch delivers something for every type of player.

Competitive players will appreciate the deeper tactical layers introduced through Guardian targeting, rebalanced item scaling, and more dynamic hero abilities. Meanwhile, casual players and content creators can enjoy the improved HUD options, social settings, and Steam integration that make gameplay smoother and more engaging.

Whether you're mastering the latest hero changes, diving into the redesigned map, or experimenting with new item builds, this update ensures a fresh and exciting experience. Jump into Deadlock now and explore how these changes elevate the meta and gameplay for all players. The battlefield awaits—adapt, strategise, and climb the ranks!