Deadlock patch notes detail May 22 changes

Valve published a Deadlock gameplay update on May 22 that rewrote the Soul Urn objective, cut Victor’s weapon damage and adjusted dozens of systems tied to pacing, itemization and map control. The patch was posted through Deadlock’s Steam announcement feed, and community trackers mirrored the full notes the same day. (steamcommunity.com) The May 22 update also added a new 6.4k breakpoint to weapon, vitality and spirit investment bonuses, reduced base HP for all heroes by 10, and lowered HP per boon by 3. (deadlockpatchnotes.com) Valve’s published notes said medium neutrals now spawn at five minutes instead of six, breakables were pushed back to three minutes from two, and shrines are invulnerable until one pair of base guardians is destroyed. (steamcommunity.com) ### How did the Soul Urn change in this patch? The Soul Urn rework was one of the headline changes in the May 22 notes. Community mirrors of the official update said the favored and unfavored rules stayed in place, with a 15% soul difference for the first urn at 10:00 and 10% for later urns, but the reward timing changed so souls are granted instantly after a completed deposit. (steamcommunity.com) The May 22 notes also said the last player to contest the urn now receives the +3 Golden Idol buffs, falling back to the original carrier if nobody contests it. That shifts part of the reward from simple delivery to the final contest around the drop-off. (deadlockpatchnotes.com) ### What happened to Victor? Victor was one of the clearest direct nerfs in the patch. A hero-specific change log for May 22 said Victor’s bullet damage was reduced from 13+0.3135 to 12+0.26, while Aura of Suffering now deals only 50% damage to objectives. The same change log showed one offsetting adjustment: Jumpstart’s Tier 3 spirit scaling increased from +0.6 to +0.9. (deadlock.wiki) Even with that buff, the May 22 entry centered on lower gun damage and weaker objective pressure from Aura of Suffering. ### Which system-wide balance changes matter most? Valve’s May 22 notes changed several core combat and economy values at once. (deadlock.wiki) Bullet velocity now stacks additively instead of diminishingly, total damage reduction debuffs now stack diminishingly instead of additively, and the movement-speed diminish point increased from 11 to 12. The same patch toughened some structures and altered support sustain. (deadlockpatchnotes.com) Base guardian bullet resistance rose to 20% from 10%, shrine bullet resistance rose to 20% from 10%, Tier 2 bullet resistance increased to 35% from 25%, and medic trooper heal duration doubled to four seconds while keeping the same total heal amount. ### What changed in itemization and progression? The May 22 update added a 6.4k line to weapon, vitality and spirit investment bonuses. Weapon investment thresholds changed from 4.8k/7.2k/9.6k/16k to 4.8k/6.4k/8k/11.2k/16k, with bonus values adjusted to 46/54/62/74/86 from 46/55/70/85. Spirit investment thresholds were moved to the same five-step structure, with bonuses revised to 38/45/52/59/66 from 38/48/57/66. (deadlockpatchnotes.com) Third-party coverage of the official notes said the patch also introduced a new Vitality item called Grit, though the scraped Steam and tracker excerpts available here do not include the item subsection in full. The official announcement and mirrored patch pages remain the primary source for the complete item list. (deadlockpatchnotes.com) ### Where can players read the full patch notes now? Valve’s Steam announcement page for “Gameplay Update - 05-22-2026” remains the main public posting for the patch. Community-maintained mirrors, including the Deadlock Wiki update page and patch-tracking sites, also preserve the May 22 notes and break out hero-specific entries such as Victor’s changes. (deadlockpatchnotes.com) May 22, 2026 is the release date attached to the update, and players looking for the next round of balance changes will likely find them first in the same Steam announcements feed and the Deadlock changelog forum pages that have carried prior updates. ( (steamcommunity.com)