Deadlock is the new shooter from Valve on Steam and is currently in a testing phase. This includes updates that change core mechanics of the game to see how they integrate into the existing game. One mechanic is the urn, which is now undergoing a controversial change.
What is the change? In the night from Friday to Saturday, the latest balance update for Deadlock was released. Many adjustments, nerfs, and buffs were made. However, the biggest change is the urn, which is a target on the map that is supposed to help a team gain more souls – the currency of Deadlock – and buffs.
What used to be a transport of the urn from one side of the map to the other has now become a full-fledged fight club with only a few survivors.
Once the urn is picked up, a sound plays for every player, and the center of the map is revealed. There is a bridge where the delivery point is located. Instead of simply touching the point with the urn, it now must be delivered there and takes a few seconds to redeem.
During this time, any player from either team can perform a strong melee attack on the urn to pull it to their side and increase the timer. If the timer runs out, the rewards from the urn belong to the team that last made a strong melee attack.
The new urn seems unfair
What does the community say about the experiment? The subreddit for Deadlock is filled with discussions, memes, and clips about the new urn. One post stands out, highlighting a problem with the new delivery point of the urn: the side lanes are empty.
The user points out that the old delivery points of the urn provided strategic opportunities to push a side lane, either far left or far right on the lane.
Also, the “comeback urn,” which was available through a high soul deficit and needed to be brought back to your own safe side, is now harder to implement.
Another problem emerges: Teams that have an advantage in souls – and are therefore stronger – find it easier to acquire the urn due to their ability to initiate the fight in the middle. This leads to a battle where the opposing team is simply at a disadvantage.
In addition to winning the team fight, the already winning team also gets the urn.
Many users in the comments are not pleased with the changes and hope that they will be fully or partially revised. The delivery point in the middle is especially criticized.
Players recall the testing phase
Another Reddit user reminds us of the testing phase that Deadlock is currently in. The game is only available by invitation, and Valve even asked the community if they would like to see more experiments.
Hence, it should be clear to everyone that there may be phases in Deadlock where the game simply feels unfair or poorly balanced, but that’s what such a test is for.
The user of the top comment with 700 upvotes writes: “I saw someone say earlier: ‘Crazy that they don’t test these things before the update.’ Brother, we are the test.” (As of May 24, at 11:20 AM)
MeinMMO author and Deadlock player Nico says: The changes make a hell of a lot of fun at first due to the intense and promoted team fights. However, there are – as described in the Reddit post – significant problems with the balancing and the disadvantage of the trailing team. The rounds also feel more one-sided than before the update.
Still, I am excited about every major change with which Valve continues to try to create an identity for Deadlock. For me, Deadlock is already considered a masterpiece: I already spent over 1,000 hours in Valve’s new shooter on Steam before its release and say: It will be a masterpiece
Your opinion is important to us!
Do you like the article? Then let us know!