Live Patch·September 16, 2026·Today
Update
09-16-2026 Update
▲6buffs●9adjusted▼5nerfs
20 heroes · 22 items · 17 general
20 heroes touched
Heroes
▼Nerfed5
●Adjusted9
▲Buffed6
22 items changed
Items
▼Nerfed9
Weapon
3
Vitality
2
Spirit
4
●Adjusted3
Vitality
2
Spirit
1
▲Buffed10
Weapon
4
Vitality
4
Spirit
2
17 general changes
General Changes
●Unstable Rift comeback resist max values now scale over the course of the game. Previously the max values were 35%. Now it is 10% + 1% per minute (around ~20% for the first one), with an upper limit of 40% at 30 minutes.
▼Removed a fixed amount of extra bonus souls you would get for being behind even a very slightly amount in net worth for both hero kill bounties as well as Unstable Rift bounties (this had a larger impact on the early to mid game)
▼Slightly reduced comeback bounties in general (this is in addition to the above change)
●A portion of the comeback souls earned by players above enemy teams average net worth is instead distributed via the tick gold system that is given to the lowest 2 players (70% of the extra comeback value goes to them)
Patch Impact Meter
Winners & Losers
Real win rate shift measured from tracked matches before and after 09-16-2026 Update.
Post-patch match data is still being collected. Impact ratings fill in over the next few days.
Patch Analysis
The 09-16-2026 Update update went live on September 16, 2026 (Today) and brings 20 hero adjustments, 22 item changes and 17 general gameplay changes across the Deadlock balance sheet. Holliday and Haze are the biggest winners of this patch with straight buffs to their kit, while Celeste and Warden take the hardest nerfs, while 9 other heroes got mixed adjustments that could shift their power curve in either direction. On the item side, Hollow Point and Toxic Bullets got buffed and will likely show up in more builds this patch, while Weakening Headshot and Cultist Sacrifice got nerfed and may drop out of core slots. Every hero and item change below opens a full breakdown of the numeric tweaks, ability adjustments and item rework details, with links through to the updated hero build guide or item stat page.
After 09-16-2026 Update
Track what actually changed in the meta: hero tier list, how the meta shifted, item win rates, fresh builds and the full patch archive.