Rat King in Deadlock: Abilities, Role and Current Patch Notes
Rat King's four abilities, how his swarm, armour and banner fit together, and what Valve changed in the October 5 hotfix.
Applies to: Rat King after Valve's October 5, 2026 hotfix, checked October 16, 2026; no build ranking
Quick answer
Rat King joined Deadlock on October 2, 2026. Scrap Grenade pressures from unusual angles, Rat Swarm attaches rats that repeatedly damage and reduce bullet resistance, Royal Pestments grants a barrier with bullet-return behaviour, and Rule, Ratannia! creates a team-oriented banner charge. Valve substantially reduced the ultimate's duration, area and protection in the October 5 hotfix.
Role and release
Rat King became playable on October 2, 2026. His released kit combines angled poke, a removable damage swarm, defensive armour and a banner charge that helps a grouped team advance. That makes him easiest to understand as a pressure-and-engage hero rather than as a single-combo assassin.
Four abilities
| Ability | What it does | Practical purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Scrap Grenade | A thrown explosive that can reach awkward angles. | Pressure cover and start damage before committing. |
| Rat Swarm | Sends rats that attach to enemies, repeatedly damage them and reduce bullet resistance. | Mark a target for sustained team pressure. |
| Royal Pestments | Grants a protective barrier with bullet-return behaviour. | Survive a dangerous approach or punish careless gunfire. |
| Rule, Ratannia! | Raises a banner and charges with team-oriented protection and momentum. | Begin or extend a coordinated push. |
How the kit fits together
- Use Scrap Grenade to test space or force an enemy away from safe cover.
- Apply Rat Swarm when allies can exploit its repeated pressure and bullet-resistance reduction.
- Save Royal Pestments for the part of the approach where return fire is most dangerous.
- Use Rule, Ratannia! when the team can move with the banner; an unsupported charge wastes much of its group value.
This is a kit-reading sequence, not a mandatory combo. Terrain, enemy movement and your team's readiness determine the order.
Rat Swarm counterplay
Valve's launch description says an attached rat can be shaken off by dashing. That creates a clear response: keep enough stamina to dash when the rat matters, then break line of fire while the bullet-resistance penalty is active. Teammates should avoid treating an affected ally as a safe place to cluster.
October 5 changes
| Ability | Official change | Practical effect |
|---|---|---|
| Scrap Grenade | Fixes plus base damage set to 70. | Launch-day descriptions or clips may show different output. |
| Rat Swarm | Cooldown reduced from 28 to 24 seconds. | The pressure tool became available more often. |
| Rule, Ratannia! | Cooldown increased from 130 to 160 seconds; damage reduction, radius, charge duration and movement scaling were reduced. | The ultimate became less frequent and less forgiving as a large-area team push. |
What this page does not rank
This page does not publish a best build, lane tier, win rate or fixed ability order. Valve's official material supports the ability identities and dated changes, but those optimisation claims require current match data and version-specific testing.
Sources and review scope
- Valve — Rat King playable announcement in Deadlock Steam news — release date, ability names and official kit summary.
- Valve — September 29 update thread and October 5 follow-up — post-release Rat King balance changes.
- Valve — official Deadlock forum — current Rat King hero forum and live roster cross-check.
- zwordz — Rat King guide — independent visual demonstration of the released abilities and playstyle.
Checked October 16, 2026. Exact ability values not needed to explain the kit are intentionally omitted.
The source set was checked on October 16, 2026 against Valve's Steam listing, official Deadlock forum, City Never Sleeps page, changelog and Steam announcements; the live roster and news timeline were rechecked on October 17 after Violet became playable. Clearly labelled third-party sources are used only where Valve does not publish a complete beginner rules page or exhaustive interaction reference. Deadlock is still in development, so roster, rules, mechanics and access conditions must be rechecked after major updates.
Not independently play-tested. This is not a claim that every platform or game version was tested. Source review: Oct 16, 2026.
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