Deadlock's Old Gods, New Blood update overhauls the game & brings six new characters

New 4v4 Street Brawls, patron and minion redesigns, and more accompany a set of six heroes rolling out over the coming weeks.

Deadlock, Valve’s not-so-secret, secret third-person shooter MOBA, just got a massive overhaul. While the game is no stranger to redesigned elements as it continues through its private beta period, the latest overhaul changes up much of what we know about Deadlock. The patrons have been completely redesigned, as have their minions, a faster 4v4 Street Brawl mode has been added, various UI visuals and menus have been upgraded, and, oh yeah, we’re getting six new playable characters over the course of the next few weeks.

Valve put out the full details on Deadlock’s Old Gods, New Blood update in an update page on the game’s website.

The additions to the roster are quite extensive. Here’s a rundown of the six characters:

• Silver: “FERAL. HOT MESS. TRANSFORMATION.” She’s a wild character that can change into a werewolf.
• Rem: “HELPFUL. TINY. ZZZ.” A half-pint mouse-like character with powers related to sleep.
• Graves: “MORBID. AREA DENIAL. NECROMANCER.” A classy girl wielding the magic of the dead to restrict the playing field.
• Apollo: “FINESSE. MOBILITY. A CUT ABOVE.” He’s a dashing demon fencer that will be hard to pin down.
• Celeste: “PERFORMER. DISRUPTIVE. DAZZLING.” A unicorn-horned woman who will disorient opponents with dazzling power.
• Venator: “DEVOUT. ARMS EXPERT. TACTICAL.” A priest with a penchant for firearms. He has several large weapons in hand.

These characters will become available to play in Deadlock, two at a time per week, with one releasing on Monday and the other releasing on Thursday starting January 26. Players can actually vote on the order of their release to determine which ones come out first.

That wasn’t all. Deadlock’s new update brought a lot of major changes into the visuals and asethetic of the game. The Patrons have been fully reworked so now we have two different gods with their own uniquely-styled minions (they still work the same gameplay-wise). On one side is the Archmother, built of glass, steel and stone, and standing for order and power. On the other is the Hidden King, a stretching shadow, scheming in the darkness of Hell’s Kitchen. Both of them give a striking new visual flair to both sides of the battlefield.

Meanwhile, we also got 4v4 Street Brawls built to provide shorter matches, a rebalancing of resources, streamlined buying, and a generally more convenient experience for when you don’t have time for a full standard match. Alongside that, much of the UI elements, particularly in the post-game and settings menus, have been visually and mechanically improved.

All of these elements are in play with the launch of the Old Gods, New Blood update. To keep up with the latest news on the game, stay tuned to the Deadlock topic here at Shacknews.