Valve's biggest Deadlock update yet transforms the MOBA, and it's finally starting to feel like the real deal

New Deadlock patch notes have just landed for what might well be the most important update Valve's hero-shooter MOBA has seen since it first stepped onto Steam. Boasting a major visual upgrade and UI overhaul, six new heroes stepping onto the battlefield, and an all-new, rapid-fire game mode, the Deadlock 'Old Gods, New Blood' update is great news for regulars, and the best time to return or start fresh if you've had your eye on it.

I've loved Deadlock since the early days of the public beta. Like most, I was filled with early skepticism about Valve smashing together the likes of Overwatch and Valorant's flashy characters with the lane-based structure of League of Legends and Dota 2. All of that worry melted away within my first couple of games, however. But as sublime as it is to play, Deadlock has very clearly still been a work in progress, something that's apparent just by looking at it. Old Gods, New Blood is the biggest step forward in that department yet.

The gameplay stuff might be juicier, but I actually want to start with the visual overhaul. The basic-looking base layouts have been completely redesigned, complete with two warring Patrons that oversee them. The Hidden King and the Archmother now stand as your teams' centerpieces, your inspirations, and the thing you must protect while aiming to take out your rivals' base. Keep your eyes out for the upgraded troopers (both in terms of visuals and behavior) that march the ranks, too, along with additional defensive abilities to halt threats in their tracks.

Next, and most appealing if Deadlock's match times (or the prospect of getting into full games against learned opponents) are your biggest turn-off. Street Brawl is a rapid 4v4 mode that strips out the farming in favor of a best-of-five match where each round takes just a couple of minutes. There's a level playing field with each reset, and everyone's able to choose three items per fight from a random set. It's the ideal way to practice your mechanics, learn a new hero, or just get a quick-fix of Deadlock's combat delights.

Speaking of learning heroes, we've got lots more of them to master - six, to be specific. Rather than simply dumping them all into the game at once, Valve is rolling out two per week (on Mondays and Thursdays), starting on Monday January 26. You'll earn votes by playing that you can use to determine the next in line, and there are sprays you can use to show your support for the characters you're most excited to get your hands on.

Valve's keeping specifics on these newcomers under wraps, but does give us some teases. From left to right in the image above we have Apollo ("finesse, mobility, a cut above"); Celeste ("performer, disruptive, dazzling); Graves ("morbid, area denial, necromancer"); Rem ("helpful, tiny, zzz"); Silver ("feral, hot mess, transformation"); and Venator ("devout, arms expert, tactical"). As someone who really enjoys Lycanthrope in Dota 2, I'm probably most eager to try Silver's kit out, but all of them are looking great.

The UI has been given a hefty upgrade as well. Hero portraits are reactive to your current status, and there are custom damage impact indicators and unique meters for channeled abilities. Polished damage numbers, objective health bars, and a mid-boss timer help you keep track of what's happening in the moment, while visibility outlines and the ability to see nearby neutral monster camps through walls should improve clarity and readability.

Can't choose who to play? There's now a random select button. Once you're in, the scoreboard has been updated to better show all the important information at a glance. The postgame summary also gets plenty of love, complete with a new MVP scoring system and detailed breakdowns of performance. Over in the settings menu, there's a full custom reticle editor along with improved FOV and camera options.

Naturally, that's still not everything. The map has seen plenty of visual upgrades and balance tweaks, and there are two new items to get your hands on. Ballistic Enchantment lets you increase the range of a chosen ability, and hitting people with it will grant you increased weapon damage. Potentially synergizing nicely with it, Recharging Rush replenishes charges for your abilities based on the weapon damage you deal.

Beyond that, Old Gods, New Blood has plenty of extra tweaks that veterans will spot and appreciate. New music, sounds, and voice lines, improved anticheat, better replay compatibility, clearer last hit and death feedback, smoother zipline use, a nested chat wheel; you name it. Even small adjustments to make close bullets whizzing by sound clearer, and to give ultimate callouts a bit of extra pizzazz to help them stand out, all contribute to making Deadlock the best it's ever been.

The Deadlock Old Gods, New Blood update is out now. You can play for free on Steam. While you do still need an invite to join for now, these are in pretty much unlimited supply from anyone who already has access, and you can head to the game's Reddit page if you don't have anyone on your friends list to pull you in. I'll see you on the battlefield.