Valve’s October 5 Deadlock patch makes a small set of balance changes rather than revising the game’s wider systems. Rat King receives stronger basic abilities alongside a substantial reduction to his ultimate, while Sinclair loses health recovery, weapon damage and utility across several skills.
Rat King trades ultimate power for faster basic tools
Scrap Grenade now deals 70 damage instead of 65, and its second-tier damage bonus rises by the same amount. Valve also fixed targeting bugs affecting the grenade’s bounces. Rat Swarm’s base cooldown falls from 28 seconds to 24, making it available more often.
The trade-off is a weaker Rule, Ratannia! Its base cooldown increases from 130 to 160 seconds, damage reduction drops from 20% to 15%, radius falls from 24 meters to 20, and charge duration shrinks from 12 seconds to 10. Bonus movement speed no longer scales with Spirit, and Rat King falls faster while charging.
Several upgrades were revised as well. The first tier now grants 2 meters per second of movement speed rather than 1, but it no longer reduces the cooldown by 20 seconds. The second tier no longer adds eight seconds of charge time, and its extra flag duration falls from eight seconds to five. The third tier’s added damage reduction drops from 15% to 10%.
Sinclair loses durability and ranged pressure
Sinclair’s base health regeneration is cut from 2 to 1, while base bullet damage falls from 17.76 to 16.5. The gun’s falloff band changes from 25–61 meters to 20–60, and Spectral Assistant receives the same range adjustment.
Vexing Bolt now deals half damage to objectives. Rabbit Hex’s radius drops from 6.5 meters to 6, with its third-tier radius bonus reduced from 3 meters to 2. Audience Participation’s copied ability lasts nine seconds instead of 12, and the copied cooldown penalty rises from 40% to 60%.
The patch also fixes lane movement
Outside the hero changes, Valve says it fixed bugs that caused troopers to move too slowly in lane. The official notes do not announce a new mode, matchmaking change or release milestone. This is a focused correction pass, so the practical effects will come from shorter Rat Swarm access, a longer gap between Rat King ultimates and less sustained pressure from Sinclair.
Sources
- Reporting source: GamerHeadlines
- Primary source: Valve’s Deadlock minor update notes
