Valve's MOBA Shooter Deadlock: An Even More Exclusive Build Revealed

Valve's MOBA hero shooter, Deadlock, remains in an invite-only testing phase, with the company diligently working on its development and iteration. However, a recent livestream blunder seems to have inadvertently revealed the existence of a second, even more exclusive playtest, featuring new characters and redesigns.

A leak emerged from a livestream hosted by a prominent Deadlock player, who mistakenly opened the wrong Deadlock build during the stream, as reported by Eurogamer. The roster displayed on-stream and captured by viewers included several new characters such as the retro-inspired Doorman, the bespectacled Bookworm, and the gothic Vampirebat, along with visual updates to existing characters like Ivy. Despite the streamer's quick attempt to close the build after realizing the error, the information had already spread.

No additional details have surfaced yet, but this leak is still quite recent. Deadlock is no stranger to leaks, as its own existence and content have been subjects of numerous leaks in the past. While the concept of a test build for a larger audience to experiment with upcoming updates is not new, it's somewhat unusual for Deadlock, which is still in its early, invite-only stage.

Reactions within the Deadlock community are mixed. Some players on the r/DeadlockTheGame subreddit have expressed frustration, feeling left out of the playtest loop. Even within the more public build, Deadlock has undergone various changes, including the removal of an entire lane from the game. Valve has previously utilized the Hero Labs mode to allow players to test new heroes, but this appears to be an additional method of testing with a select group.

Despite its invite-only status, Deadlock has attracted a significant number of players and garnered attention from fans of both shooter games and MOBAs. A new game from Valve naturally draws interest, and its unconventional rollout and ongoing invite-only nature have only heightened its intrigue. The revelation of another, even more exclusive build adds another layer of speculation for players to ponder.

It's crucial to keep the leaks in perspective, as one Reddit user humorously noted: "Oh great, as if one Lash wasn't bad enough, now there are two of him!"