Deadlock players were abusing its pause function, so Valve is limiting their powers in the MOBA/shooter hybrid's first major patch

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Alongside over 100 other changes

Deadlock
(Image credit: Valve)

Deadlock's absolutely huge new update brings around 100 changes to the hero shooter MOBA mash-up.

This is where I would normally link to Valve's patch notes on Steam's news feed or forums. But Valve seems to have forgotten about the features it built on the storefront that it also built since the patch notes are actually hidden away in a totally separate forum that you can only access with a password obtainable in Deadlock's main menu - or you can check out PC Gamer, who have kindly listed out all 100+ changes.

Among the changes are dozens of balance adjustments that tweak how much damage certain guns or abilities do by tiny percentages, for example, as well as new voice lines for several heroes, typo fixes, a new profile page showcasing career stats, and visual updates to models that were still clearly placeholders. 

The more major additions include new options for vertical play, as most heroes can now wall jump across levels without expending any stamina. Some levels are also getting ropes that you can shoot from while hanging, allowing you to camp out on rooftops easier than ever. Snipers, assassins, and cowards can all rejoice. 

While Valve was still pressing its fingers to its ears and screaming "la la la" - before it officially announced Deadlock - leaked footage from the game already gave everyone the heads up that this wasn't simply a hero shooter competitor - it was also a MOBA with very MOBA-ish lanes and the very MOBA ability for players to actually pause online matches for everyone, surprising many a confused Overwatcher prepared to power through joint pains. Deadlock's new update means players can only pause once per match, and a team can only pause three times in one match total.

Valve's 6v6 shooter will probably get plenty more updates in the months and years to come as it chugs along with its ongoing playtests that you can only access via an invite (which aren't hard to find online, at all, by the way.)

Deadlock is “going to easily take over,” says streamer Shroud, adding that it’s the “best third-person shooter I’ve ever played.”

Kaan Serin
Freelance contributor

Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that's vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he'll soon forget.