New Deadlock hero Rat King: Weapon, Innate & Abilities

Valve’s hero shooter and MOBA hybrid, Deadlock, might be in a testing phase, but it keeps on growing, and I personally think it will become the next big esports title. That’s why we are doing a bit more coverage on Deadlock.

The Rat King was released early in October as part of the massive City Never Sleeps update. This adds a huge visual update to the map, neutral enemies, the HUD, numerous quality-of-life additions, accessibility options, six new heroes, and more. We are focusing on the heroes, which are being released in batches based on what the community votes for in-game, instead of all at once.

The first hero to be released (2 October) was Rat King. To quote the new Deadlock hero, the rats are taking over, baby! Check out a nice little piece of lore below:

“Out of the sewers and into the streets, the rightful King of the Rats is here at last. Rodent-hating citizens of Manhattan won’t be prepared to see his Scrap Grenade bouncing down Broadway, nor for his Swarm of Rats biting at their heels. By donning his Royal Pestments, the Rat King shakes off incoming damage, allowing him to bravely lead the charge into battle. His loyal subjects will feel awed and inspired when they see the great Banner of Ratannia waving in the middle of combat, and those who oppose him will rue the day they ever thought they could overthrow the king.“

Knowing the Innate, Weapon, and abilities of a Deadlock hero is paramount to success in The Cursed Apple. To that end, let’s take a look at the details below.

Rat King Weapon & Innate

First off, the Rat King’s Innate is that it can enter and exit tunnels by pressing “crouch” (CTRL by default) next to a vent. Cannot enter while in combat. It can also double-jump higher than other Deadlock heroes.

In terms of its weapon, we have the Sovereign’s Decree. It dishes out 60 damage per second, has rapid fire, and spreadshot. One of the two pellets is always perfectly accurate to the aim point, while the other is not.

Deadlock Rat King Abilities

Check out the list of abilities and ultimate for the Rat King in Deadlock outlined below, with official descriptions.

• Scrap Grenade – Throw a grenade of scrap that detonates multiple times, dealing bullet damage and applying slow.
• Rat Swarm – Call forth a swarm of rats that leap onto enemies, dealing spirit damage over time and reducing their bullet resist with every bite. The more rats are attached, the faster they will bite the target. Enemies can have multiple rats attached, but can shake off a rat early by performing a ground or air dash.
• Royal Pestments – Adorn scrappy armor, gaining barrier based on your max health. As long as the armor holds, bullets have a chance to be deflected back towards the attacker.
• Rule, Ratannia! (Ultimate) – Charge up and summon the banner of Ratannia, granting all nearby allies increased move speed, immunity from slows, and reduced incoming damage while near the banner. Slam the banner into the ground causing the sewers below to violently erupt, dealing bullet damage while applying knockup and slow to all enemies in the area. Rats will swarm out of the sewers, applying Rat Swarm to enemies they hit.

Stay tuned for more Deadlock content, as we’ll first focus on the six heroes releasing with the City Never Sleeps update.

Header image via Valve.