The Blix team is back with an in-depth look at the latest minor update for Deadlock. This patch may not be a complete overhaul, but it introduces targeted tweaks to address significant issues in the meta—specifically, jungle viability and the overwhelming dominance of two “flavor of the month” vitality items. As players who’ve been grinding through the lanes and exploring every aspect of this game, we’re here to explain what these changes mean for your builds, strategies, and the overall flow of Deadlock. Let’s dive in!
Deadlock Art
Contents
Jungle Adjustments: Bringing Back the Roam
Deadlock: Neutral Creeps
The jungle has been a popular topic recently, and Valve’s latest adjustments aim to reestablish its role in the meta. Here’s what has changed:
- Neutral Bounty Buff: Soul bounties from jungle camps have increased by 5%. This adjustment comes after a challenging history; in the last patch (March 13), these values were reduced by 15%. Additionally, a scaling bug made late-game jungling less rewarding compared to lane farming. Valve has fixed that bug and included this 5% increase to better balance the rewards.
- Sinner’s Sacrifice Respawn Revert: The spawn timers for Sinner’s Sacrifice camps have returned to their pre-March 13 settings. The initial spawn now occurs at 8 minutes, followed by a 5-minute respawn interval. Previously, a recent patch extended the initial spawn time to 10 minutes, which felt excessively punitive, especially alongside the reduced effects of the Golden Statue buffs. Now, things are back to normal.
Deadlock: Sinner Sacrifice
Blix Take
Jungling is back in action! The 15% nerf from the last patch was too severe, turning junglers into little more than lane babysitters, as farmed waves became more valuable than clearing camps. The recent 5% boost, along with a bug fix, makes roaming the map viable again—especially for heroes like Shiv or Bebop, who excel at early camp clearings.
The reversion of Sinner’s Sacrifice is also a wise decision; the nerfs to the Golden Statue were sufficient to balance its snowball potential without implementing a sluggish 10–minute timer. Expect to see more early jungle presence, encouraging teams to contest camps rather than simply chase waves. Pro tip: focus on small Neutral Camps (which respawn every 3 minutes) to stack souls quickly and apply pressure in the lanes with your lead.
Item Nerfs: Taming the Early Game Titans
Deadlock: Items Changes
Two essential vitality items—Restorative Locket and Divine Barrier—have been defining the meta recently, as players rush to acquire them for laning dominance. Valve is intervening with targeted nerfs:
- Restorative Locket (Resto Locket):
- Old: Granted +10% Spirit Resist alongside its hefty HP regen.
- New: Spirit Resist stripped out entirely.
- Divine Barrier:
- Old: Shielded for 260 health.
- New: Shield reduced to 230 health (a 30-point drop).
Blix Take
These items were essential for early-game laning, and it’s easy to understand why. Resto Locket provided a combination of HP sustain and 10% Spirit Resist, making it particularly effective against spirit-heavy harassers like Infernus and Wraith. This allowed players to withstand poke and recover from damage over time. Meanwhile, Divine Barrier acted as a safety net with its 260 shields, often used at the first sign of trouble to mitigate trades. Although nerfs affected their laning power, they did not diminish their overall utility.
Losing Spirit Resist on the Resto Locket is significant—10% was a substantial buffer against spirit-based attacks, and now you’ll feel those hits more. It remains a solid option for sustain, but it won’t allow you to shrug off ability spam like before. The 30–point reduction in Divine Barrier’s shield (approximately 11.5% less) diminishes its “I’m invincible” feel, demanding more precise timing instead of mindless usage. These changes encourage players to diversify their early builds; perhaps Extra Regen or Healing Rite will see increased popularity now. While Divine Barrier retains its situational value (for instance, blocking a key ability), the Resto Locket may transition from a must-have item to one that is more dependent on the matchup.
Pro Tip
Against spirit–heavy lanes, consider using Spirit Armor (+22% Spirit Resist) to cover the gap left by Resto Locket. For Divine Barrier, pair it with heroes like Yamato, who can bait enemies and take advantage of the shield’s uptime.
Meta Impact: A More Balanced Early Game
These adjustments may not be flashy, but they are intentional. The jungle buffs reintroduce map mobility as a viable strategy—laners can no longer simply turtle and farm minions without missing out on jungle camp rewards. At the same time, the item nerfs reduce the overwhelming sustain that characterized early trades, allowing more aggressive playstyles to emerge. Heroes like Lash or Haze, who depend on out-trading their opponents, may see a resurgence now that Resto Locket and Divine Barrier are no longer guaranteed victories in lane.
Deadlock hero: Lash
From the Blix team’s testing, we’ve observed that junglers like Mirage and Kelvin are making a stronger impact again, able to roam and gank without falling behind. The changes to items also require players to focus more on positioning and skill usage in the early game—simply relying on sustain won’t help you in unfavorable trades anymore. While this is a subtle shift, it rewards more precise gameplay and punishes an over-dependence on basic items.
Final Thoughts
This update brings significant improvements to the gameplay in Deadlock. The changes to the jungle address issues from the last patch, restoring strategic depth to the map. Additionally, the item nerfs target the overwhelming dominance of Resto Locket and Divine Barrier during the early laning phase. While this update may not completely shift the meta, it smooths out some rough edges and keeps the game feeling fresh.
For your next match, consider trying a jungle-focused opener: clear camps, stack souls, and engage in lane strikes. Don’t overlook Divine Barrier just yet; its 230 shield can still be very effective in the right hands. We’ll keep monitoring how these changes play out, so stay tuned for more breakdowns from Blix. In the meantime, hit the lanes and show everyone what you’ve got! For more content related to Deadlock, we recommend visiting the Reddit thread.
