Deadlock 2025: Minor Update – Heroes and Items Changes

Recently, a minor patch was released for Deadlock. The updates aimed to improve hero balance, tweak mechanics, and enhance overall gameplay stability. These changes impact various aspects of the game, including the stability and mobility of heroes, the reworking of ability mechanics, and overall improvements to player quality of life. 

In this analysis, the Blix team will examine the impact of each change on the game, its strategic implications, and the new tactics available to players. Notably, these updates affect both the early and late game, enhancing balance and introducing a wider variety of strategies that can be employed based on the unique characteristics of each hero.

Deadlock Art

Heroes

Abrams

Deadlock hero: Abrams

• Abrams: Infernal Resilience increased from 11% to 12%

Increasing the damage resistance from 11% to 12% enhances the Abrams’ strength. This improvement allows him to better withstand attacks during prolonged battles and to protect his allies for a longer duration. Although the change is minor, it slightly increases his overall durability while maintaining the overall balance of the hero.

Bebop

Deadlock hero: Bebop

• Bebop: Uppercut air control lockout period reduced from 0.5s to 0.3s

Reducing the time to block control in the air from 0.5 seconds to 0.3 seconds for the Uppercut ability enhances its effectiveness in combos and chases. The character can now react more quickly to enemies, making his mobility significantly more impactful.

Dynamo

• – Dynamo: Kinetic Pulse damage spirit scaling increased from 1.4 to 1.8

• – Dynamo: Kinetic Pulse T3 now also adds +1 Charge

Increasing the spirit damage scaling for Kinetic Pulse from 1.4 to 1.8 enhances the hero’s strength in the late game, particularly when resources are abundant. The additional charge on T3 increases his flexibility, enabling him to control the fight more effectively.

Calico

Deadlock hero: Calico

• Calico: Gloom Bombs now has updated impact SFX
• Calico: Gloom Bombs now has an arming effect for when they are about to detonate
• Calico: Leaping Slash only heals when hitting heroes
• Calico: Leaping Slash fixed VFX to match the damage area more accurately
• Calico: Leaping Slash updated to break breakables in the area
• Calico: Leaping Slash fixed a bug where calico’s slash would deal no damage near walls
• Calico: Ava duration reduced from 20s to 15s
• Calico: Ava cooldown reduced from 50s to 45s
• – Calico: Ava now gets slowed by 30% for 1s anytime she takes damage
• Calico: Ava speed reduced from 75% to 65%
• Calico: Ava T2 speed increased from +35% to +45%
• Calico: Ava now can now meow with m1
• Calico: Return to Shadows cooldown increased from 80s to 90s
• Calico: Fixed Leaping Slash doing bonus damage from Melee Charge

Calico’s updates focus on improving gameplay and balance:

1. – Gloom Bombs now feature a visual indicator before they explode, making it easier for all players to interact with them.
2. – Leaping Slash now restores health only when hitting heroes, which reduces survivability when attacking minions but adds overall balance to the game.
3. – Bugs related to Leaping Slash have been fixed, and the ability now allows players to destroy objects, increasing its versatility.
4. – Ava duration has been reduced from 20 seconds to 15 seconds. However, the cooldown has been shortened from 50 seconds to 45 seconds. Slowing down and reducing the hero’s speed makes Ava more vulnerable, but the acceleration in T2 compensates for some of these changes.
5. – The recovery time for Return to Shadows has been increased from 80 to 90 seconds, reducing its frequency of use.

These adjustments require a more deliberate approach when using the hero.

Grey Talon

• Grey Talon: Spirit Snare cooldown reduced from 37s to 34s
• Grey Talon: Spirit Snare T2 increased from +0.5s to +0.75s

Reducing the cooldown of Spirit Snare from 37 to 34 seconds makes the ability more accessible, while increasing its effect duration at T2 from 0.5 to 0.75 seconds enhances its effectiveness. These changes strengthen the hero’s role as a disabler.

Haze

• Haze: Bullet Dance T3 increased from +40% Evasion to +60%
• Haze: Bullet Dance T3 increased from +2 Dance Move Speed to +3

Increasing the evasion for Bullet Dance on T3 from 40% to 60% and enhancing movement speed from +2 to +3 greatly improves the hero’s mobility and survivability, making her a formidable melee fighter.

Holliday

Deadlock hero: Holliday

• Holliday: Powder Keg will no longer arm instantly if the player has the Bounce Pad modifier
• Holliday: Powder Keg Charge Time increased from 1s to 2s
• Holliday: Powder Keg knock up time reduced by 15%
• Holliday: Bounce Pad no will no longer expire after 5 seconds in the air
• Holliday: Bounce Pad spirit scaling reduced from 0.9 to 0.4
• Holliday: Bounce Pad will now play a different sound on the player’s first bounce when the stomp modifier is active
• Holliday: Bounce Pad VFX and lifetime display improved
• Holliday: Bounce Pad will now be more responsive for the player when landing and dealing damage
• Holliday: Spirit Lasso duration reduced from 2.5s to 2.25s
• Holliday: Spirit Lasso duration now lasts 1.5s longer when using Bounce Pad
• Holliday: Spirit Lasso Fixed an issue where the lasso animation would get stuck on sometimes
  
  The changes focus on a more tactical approach to the hero’s abilities:

1. The Powder Keg now takes longer to charge, increasing from 1 second to 2 seconds, which encourages more deliberate use.
2. The tossing time has been reduced by 15%.
3. The Bounce Pad remains in the air longer, as it no longer disappears after 5 seconds.
4. The spirit scaling for the Bounce Pad has been reduced from 0.9 to 0.4, which decreases its effectiveness in the late game.

These adjustments aim to make Holliday more balanced and promote strategic gameplay.

Kelvin

• Kelvin: Arctic Beam now also slows roll distances by 20%

Enhancing Arctic Beam with deceleration improves the hero’s control over mobile enemies, making him more valuable to the team.

Seven

• Seven: Storm Cloud secondary ability delay reduced from 2s to 0.25s

Reducing the delay for Storm Cloud from 2 seconds to 0.25 seconds increases its speed and effectiveness, enhancing its impact in fight.

Shiv

• Shiv: Serrated Knives no longer stops after hitting a Soul Orb

Fixing a bug with Serrated Knives that caused them to stop upon colliding with Soul Orb improves combat damage stability, making the Shiv more reliable in melee.

Sinclair

Deadlock hero: Sinclair

• Sinclair: No longer has -35% Headshot Damage Reduction
• Sinclair: Vexing Bolt damage mechanics reworked, increases damage as the bolt travels, various values adjusted (150 max damage, 75 min damage, 2s time for max damage, assistant does 50% damage. T3 is now +150 max damage, +50% assistant damage)
• Sinclair: Vexing Bolt T2 updated to remove base fire rate debuff, add as t2 upgrade, remove spirit shred t2
• Sinclair: Vexing Bolt allow for retarget to try to find targets through walls and to bend around corners
• Sinclair: Rabbit can now use jump
• Sinclair: Rabbit Hex projectile updated to better track targets that have recently changes models
• Sinclair: Spectral Assistant update VFX radius & lifetimes to scale off of clone damage
• Sinclair: Audience Participation cooldown with successful usage reduced from 100% to 50%
• Sinclair: Audience Participation stolen ultimate duration increased from 10s to 20s
• Sinclair: Audience Participation VFX updated steal effect to feel snappier
• Sinclair: Audience Participation fixed a typo in the ability description
  
  The hero has become more versatile due to the following changes:

1. The penalty for headshot damage has been removed.

2. Vexing Bolt has been redesigned to allow for greater flexibility at long range.

3. The addition of a jump for Rabbit increases mobility.

4. The recharge time for Audience Participation has been reduced by 50% on successful use (previously it was a 100% penalty), making the ability more accessible.

Vindicta

• Vindicta: Bullet damage reduced from 11.7 to 11.4
• Vindicta: Crow projectile speed reduced from 4750 to 4250
• Vindicta: Assassinate T2 reduced from +120 to +110
  

The bullet damage for Crow has been reduced from 11.7 to 11.4, and his projectile velocity has decreased from 4750 to 4250, making him less dangerous at long range. Additionally, the damage of T2 Assassinate has been lowered from +120 to +110, which decreases its effectiveness in the late game. However, Vindicta still maintains its power.

Viscous

• Viscous: Goo Ball turn rate improved by 10%

Viscous: Goo Ball turn rate improved by 10%Enhancing Goo Ball’s handling by 10% improves accuracy and control in melee combat, making abilities easier to use.

Vyper

Deadlock hero: Vyper

• –Vyper: Bullet damage growth increased from 0.32 to 0.36
• Vyper: Petrifying Bola changed the petrify to no longer be breakable
• Vyper: Lethal Venom updated to deal damage through petrify, rather than cleanse the petrify and damage
• Vyper: Fixed Lethal Venom T2 anti-heal not working properly
  
  Increased bullet damage growth (0.32 to 0.36) strengthens the hero in the late game. Petrifying Bola is now non-interruptible, enhancing control reliability, while changes to Lethal Venom increase ability synergy. Bug fixes enhance the hero’s overall performance.

General Changes

• – All objectives now take 50% less damage from Spirit Damage (abilities no longer have one off values for this)
• – Shrines are no longer vulnerable to Spirit Damage when out of range (rather than only immune to bullet damage)
• – Can no longer stand on top of Walkers

Deadlock Art

Items

• – Ammo Scavenger: Ammo reduced from 15% to 10%
• – Swift Striker: Fire Rate reduced from 22% to 20%
• – Alchemical Fire: Base damage reduced from 50 to 45
• – Spellslinger Headshots: Amp per headshot increased from 4% to 6%
• – Spellslinger Headshots: Max Stacks reduced from 12 to 10
• – Bullet Lifesteal: Lifesteal reduced from 26% to 24%
• – Heroic Aura: Lifesteal reduced from 18% to 16%
• – Berserker: Damage to gain stack increased from 100 to 120

Deadlock Shop

Conclusion

The update focuses on balancing heroes, enhancing the quality of life for players, and fixing various bugs. Significant changes have been made to some heroes, such as Calico and Holliday, which may impact their effectiveness. Meanwhile, heroes like Dynamo and Vyper have become stronger in the late game. Overall, these changes aim to create a more balanced and enjoyable experience for players. For more information about the updates, please visit the game’s official forum or the Reddit thread.