Deadlock's Glowing Portrait Signals a Major Update Is Coming

Valve's mysterious Deadlock portrait is glowing again, hinting at a big content update arriving early next week. A developer confirmed the news on Discord.

Have you noticed the eyes on that creepy portrait in Deadlock's main hub starting to glow again? If you're a veteran of Valve's MOBA-shooter hybrid, you already know what that means: a major update is about to drop.

And this time, we have more than just a spooky painting to go on. A Valve developer confirmed it on Discord. "Heads up we are planning on releasing the major content update early next week," wrote the mysterious developer-run account Yoshi, following weeks of community speculation. The last time the portrait started glowing, it preceded the Old Gods, New Blood update, which added six new heroes, a new mode, and enough content to make Deadlock feel like a real game rather than Valve's pet experiment.

So what's actually in this update? In classic Valve fashion, the studio hasn't said a word. We just know it's going to be big. Deadlock recently overhauled its ranked mode and launched its first ranked season, and since then, players have only gotten small balance tweaks. That quiet stretch is exactly why the glowing eyes have everyone buzzing.

Dataminers have already been digging, and they've found new models for Deadlock's version of MOBA towers. That could point to a broader visual update for the few remaining pieces that don't fit the game's 1950s urban fantasy vibe. There's also a rumored PvE-focused mode floating around, though that one sounds like it's a long way off, if it ever happens at all.

Valve being Valve, anything is possible. Could this update finally lift the invite-only restriction and push Deadlock into a full open beta? Maybe. We're probably not there yet, but it's clear a ton of work is going into polishing the game into something worthy of the Valve name.

For now, all you can do is keep an eye on that portrait. When the eyes glow, something big is coming. And with a developer confirming an early next week release, the wait is almost over.

What do you think will be in the update? Are you hoping for new heroes, a fresh mode, or that open beta invite? Let us know in the comments.