Deadlock update buffs Graves and Silver, nerfs Shiv

Valve has released a new Deadlock update that is live now for players. The patch adjusts mid-match objectives, changes several hero abilities and tweaks core reward mechanics after community feedback.

The Soul Urn and Unstable Rift are now separate objectives. The Urn runner receives smaller movement and sprint bonuses, with no sprint bonus unless the runner’s team is behind. The Urn announces its location every six seconds instead of eight and can be heard from farther away. The Unstable Rift increases rewards: Rift Troopers for the winning team now gain Spirit Resist starting at 30% and scaling to 45%, plus a flat 25% Melee Resistance. Trooper spawns are slightly staggered, the maximum number available to a trailing team rises from 12 to 14, Rift warning time before activation is reduced from 25 to 20 seconds, and the trailing team’s resist aura around the Rift expands from 20 meters to 35 meters.

Objective bounties were also adjusted. The nearby-player bounty split was lowered from 40% to 30%, shifting a larger share of objective rewards to team-wide distribution. The tier-four Spirit item Scourge had its damaging aura reduced slightly.

Hero balancing focuses on several frequently picked characters. Graves receives faster Jar of Dead construction from neutral creeps and a 60% increase in spirit scaling on the Jar’s heal. Melee hits now count toward Essence Theft’s stat-steal, and at max rank the skill can target one additional opponent. Graves’ ultimate had its Ghoul speed bonus moved earlier in the upgrade path while the second upgrade now speeds up ghoul spawning. Grasping Hands’ immobilize duration was reduced slightly, and its tier-three cooldown was shortened by four seconds.

Silver’s ultimate cooldown was reduced to 60 seconds, rolling back part of earlier cooldown increases and making the ability more available across engagements.

Shiv received multiple nerfs. Bloodletting’s active now clears less deferred damage and its base cooldown increased by five seconds until the skill reaches tier one. Killing Blow’s fatal health threshold was lowered except at maximum rank. Several abilities, including Serrated Knives and Slice and Dice, have reduced spirit scaling, and a second-tier upgrade now grants a smaller Spirit Resist reduction.

Other character changes include a range reduction for Yamato’s Flying Slash from 28 to 26 meters and an increased delay between charges at level three from three to four seconds; dashing to an ally now requires the alt-cast input. Drifter’s Bullet Damage gains per boon were reduced, Stalker’s Mark cooldown is longer in the early game until tier two, and the bleed bonus at max rank was lessened. Mirage received faster cooldowns on Djinn’s Mark and the max-level Traveler upgrade but lower spirit scaling for Fire Scarabs and Dust Devil. Holliday’s Powder Kegs were weakened, and Victor’s ultimate cooldown was cut by 35 seconds.

The update consolidates objective behavior and redistributes some rewards while adjusting multiple hero power curves. Valve implemented the changes based on player feedback and continued tuning since the Old Gods, New Blood expansion.