Valve’s acclaimed third-person MOBA shooter, Deadlock, has stirred the gaming world with the announcement of six new heroes joining its roster. The first hero, Mina, a vampire-themed character, debuts today.
A notable addition with this update is the introduction of a unique voting system, encouraging community involvement to decide the release order of the remaining five heroes. Valve has planned to release one hero every two days over the next two weeks, launching them on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
Deadlock’s New Line-Up
The fresh batch of characters set to enter the game includes Billy, Paige, The Doorman, Victor, and Drifter. In the wake of each new hero’s debut, Valve has assured players of balance adjustments to maintain fair gameplay.
Voting and New Features in the Hideout
Players can earn votes after each game and cast them at the designated voting booth in the new pre-game lobby called The Hideout, which replaces the old Dashboard UI. This area allows players to socialize, access interactive functions like Play, Watch, and Learn, and provides a practice range for honing skills.
Players can transition into the legacy sandbox via a teleporter in the practice range or through the Play Menu. Valve described The Hideout as a platform that will offer future opportunities for personalization, achievements, and events.
The update brings visual enhancements across the map, improved lighting, and a substantial visual overhaul for the character selection screen. Valve promises additional visual updates for other heroes in future releases.
The Player Base and Competitive Standing
Despite being in its closed beta phase, Deadlock maintains an active player base. Current Steam statistics list the game as the 38th most-played title with 24,111 concurrent players and a peak of 28,833 over a 24-hour period.
Deadlock remains competitive alongside Blizzard’s Overwatch 2, though it trails behind major MOBAs like Dota 2. However, it has carved out its niche, keeping players engaged despite the competitive market.
Mina’s Gameplay Mechanics
Leading this new wave of characters, Mina has been described as a ‘glass cannon,’ known for delivering fast damage through her passive ability, Love Bites. Mina can transform into bats for quick escapes and grows stronger as she activates Love Bites during matches.
Her ultimate move, Nox Nostra, releases a swarm of bats that target and silence foes. The notes highlight that every successful trigger bolsters Mina’s powers, potentially creating a snowball effect for adept players.
Future Implications of Staggered Releases
While working on these new characters, Valve paused development on hero labs but mentioned the possibility of revisiting popular elements from it. This staggered hero release strategy represents a shift from Valve’s conventional content rollout, allowing for focused balance tweaks and deeper community feedback integration between launches.