Rat King is the first playable addition from Deadlock’s City Never Sleeps update, winning the community vote that decided which of the six announced characters would be unlocked first. He is built to sit in the middle of fights, swarming enemies with rats, chipping health with repeated explosions, and shielding himself while he pushes forward with his team. He can also slip through tunnels by crouching and moving into them.
Quick answer: Rat King is playable in Deadlock right now. His kit is Scrap Grenade, Rat Swarm, Royal Pestments, and the ultimate Rule, Rattania!, and each ability has three unlockable upgrades.
Scrap Grenade
Rat King lobs a scrap-built explosive that detonates repeatedly in one location. Each blast deals Bullet Damage and slows enemies within its radius. A melee strike can knock the grenade aside, allowing you to redirect your own throw or deal with one launched by an enemy.
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Detonation Damage | 65 (0.6 scaling) |
| Movement Speed Slow | -20% (0.08 Spirit scaling) |
| Detonations | 3 |
| Detonation Radius | 8m |
| Slow Duration | 4s |
| Cooldown | 26s |
The upgrades push its tempo and payoff. T1 cuts 8 seconds off the cooldown, T2 adds +65 Detonation Damage, and T3 adds an extra, larger final detonation.
Rat Swarm
Rat King releases a pack of rats that spring onto foes. Their bites deal Spirit Damage over time and lower the target’s Bullet Resist; the more rats clinging to one enemy, the quicker they bite. A maximum of five rats can attach to a target at once. An enemy can dislodge a rat early by dashing along the ground or through the air.
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Damage per Bite | 8 (0.08 Spirit scaling) |
| Bullet Resist per Bite | -1% |
| Bite Interval | 1s |
| Effect Duration | 4s |
| Maximum Attached Rats | 5 |
| Range | 50m |
| Cooldown | 28s |
Upgrades build toward sustained single-target pressure. T1 grants +1 charge, T2 increases swarm size and adds +4s to the debuff duration, and T3 adds +8 damage plus an extra -1% Bullet Resist per bite.
Royal Pestments
Rat King dons improvised royal armor and gains a barrier that scales with his maximum health. While it remains, bullets may be sent back toward the shooter. Resistances do not affect the barrier, whose value depends entirely on his health pool and the chance to return fire.
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Barrier | 15% of Max Health (0.1 Spirit scaling) |
| Bullet Return Chance | 15% |
| Duration | 6s |
| Cooldown | 22s |
T1 adds +4s duration, T2 removes 8 seconds of cooldown and adds +15% Bullet Return Chance, and T3 caps any single instance of incoming damage at 250 while granting an additional +10% Max Health as Barrier.
Rule, Rattania! (Ultimate)
Once he has charged up, Rat King plants Rattania’s banner. Allies close to it gain movement speed, cannot be slowed, and take reduced incoming damage for as long as they stay nearby. He then drives the banner into the ground, making the sewers below erupt and hit enemies in the area with Bullet Damage, a knock-up, and a heavy slow. Rats stream from the sewers too, applying Rat Swarm to everyone caught in the blast and connecting his ultimate to the rest of his kit.
| Effect | Value |
|---|---|
| Banner Move Speed | +3 m/s (0.05 Spirit scaling) |
| Banner Damage Reduction | 20% |
| Banner Radius | 24m |
| Flag Duration | 12s |
| Impact Damage | 200 (1.2 scaling) |
| Impact Slow | -40% Movement Speed |
| Cooldown | 130s |
The upgrades stretch both the team buff and the damage. T1 cuts 20 seconds off the cooldown and adds +1 m/s movement speed, T2 adds +8s charge duration, +8s flag duration, and +8m radius, and T3 adds +150 damage and +15% damage reduction.
How Rat King plays
Rat King is an all-rounder, able to deal damage, aid his team, and anchor the frontline. Scrap Grenade repeatedly damages an area and slows enemies; Rat Swarm pressures one target over time while lowering its Bullet Resist; Royal Pestments helps him last in the middle of a fight and punish shooters by returning their bullets.
Rule, Rattania! pulls all of that together. The banner buffs everyone standing near it while the slam damages, knocks up, and slows the enemy team, and the rats that spill out reapply Rat Swarm for free. Because the ultimate buffs the whole team and disrupts the enemy at the same time, it rewards grouping up and committing to fights rather than skirmishing from a distance.
When the next hero arrives
City Never Sleeps announced six new heroes in total: Deadman Danny, Nurse Harrow, Solomon, Baba, Violet, and Rat King. They unlock one at a time through October, released on Tuesdays and Fridays at 2:00 PM PT, with the hero in each slot decided by the ongoing community vote in the Pregame lobby. The next release lands on Tuesday, October 6, with the schedule running through October 20.
Voting now happens before every match, votes from the winning team count double, and your first win of the day doubles your votes as well. If you want a say in who unlocks next, cast your vote in the lobby before the match starts and push for your pick. Each new hero, including Rat King, needs 15 Standard wins before it becomes eligible in Ranked.
