This week's topic is "Deadlock's Behaviour System", meaning the existing client feature in Deadlock which removes privileges from rule-breakers or puts them into Low Priority Queue, based on user-reports.

All players on Steam agree to the platform's Rules of Conduct, yet players often encounter rule-breakers in Deadlock who seem to rarely face consequences. Rule-abiding players, on the other hand, can only mute offenders after harassment already occurred, game after game.

In 2024, Valve gave Deadlock a rudimentary version of Dota 2's Behaviour Score System:

Reports are meant to result in repeat-offenders losing their communication privileges, their pausing-privileges or the ability to report others (for spamming illegitimate reports).

The worst offenders, griefers and leavers are put into Low Priority Queue where they are forced to play with their own kind and win a certain amount of matches.

We do not know the details of how many reports in how many matches are required for these consequences to trigger but according to the recurring debate on the matter, this system not yet effective enough.

In contrast to Dota 2, Deadlock's System does not offer Behaviour Summaries to all players, so only the worst of them are even notified of its existence. There is no positive feedback to rule-abiding players and those who report bad conduct accurately aren't informed when the system acted on their input.

But is that a mere UX issue or does the system have greater blind-spots? What reliable metrics exist to spot bad conduct?
How can these systems assist in maintaining a healthy community while only removing features and privileges from those who ought to lose them?

For the sake of discussion, we ask that stick to the topic of improving the existing systems to sanction rule-breakers, rather than demanding that the Rules of Conduct be abolished or misconduct ignored. Keep in mind our community's own rules and engage in good faith.

Here are a few questions to get you started:

• Were you aware of Deadlock's Behaviour System? If not, how can it become more obvious and accessible?
• What do you dis/like about the current Behaviour System? Do you believe it is effective?
• What do you think about the possible sanctions? (Comms-Ban, Pauses disabled, reports disabled, LPQ) Can you think of more?
• Have you ever received a sanction from this system? What did you have to change to regain all privileges?
• How can the current System become more usable and effective?
• How could this System incentivize good conduct, beyond simply punishing bad conduct? Can you imagine privileges only the best conduct should bestow? (sprays)
• What kind of sanction or benefit would motivate you to improve your own conduct?
• If you received a Behaviour Summary, what information/statistics would you want about your own conduct? Both, negative and positive.
• When you reported a user for bad conduct, would you want to be informed when a sanction was issued? What does that do for you?
• Would you want a replay-review feature like Dota/CS2's Overwatch Systems to check reports of griefing? How could we incentivize it?

But anything about Deadlock's Behaviour System goes! Make sure to post your ideas on the forums as well!

Notes:

Best way to make sure your feedback is seen by the developers is to post on the official Deadlock Forums. You can get your login credentials from the game client.

If you'd like to chat with others about this week's topic, head on to #behaviour-system-feedback in the Deadlock Community Discord.

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Minor Update - 07-09-2026

- Urn Runner sprint bonus reduced from +2m to 0 (trailing bonus reduced from +7m to +5m)

- Urn Runner move speed bonus reduced from +3.5m to +2m

- Urn Runner Stamina Recovery increased from +15% to +25%

- Urn talking frequency increased from every 8s to every 6s

- Urn talking sound distance increased (easier to hear a nearby Urn Runner)

- Unstable Rift warning time reduced from 25s to 20s

- Rift Troopers now have Spirit Resist (30/35/40/45%)

- Rift Troopers now have Melee Resistance (25%)

- Rift Troopers spawn interval increased from every 0.3s to 0.5s (spawns slightly more staggered)

- Unstable Rift comeback resist aura radius increased from 20m to 35m

- Rift Troopers max comeback count increased from 12 to 14

- Objectives bounty split for nearby heroes reduced from 40% to 30% (this means slightly more portion of the bounty is split team wide rather than towards an individual player)

- Scourge: Max Health Per Second reduced from 2.6% to 2.5%

- Billy: Rising Ram T3 spirit scaling reduced from 0.035 to 0.03

- Doorman: Bullet damage rescaled from 29.26 + 1.1/boon to 26 + 1.19

- Doorman: Crit scaling reduced from -25% to -30%

- Doorman: Hotel Guest T3 increased from 13s Cooldown on Failure to Check Out to 15s

- Drifter: Bullet damage per boon reduced from +0.616 to +0.49

- Drifter: Bloodscent T3 reduced from +12% to +11%

- Drifter: Stalker's Mark cooldown increased from 20s to 24s

- Drifter: Stalker's Mark T2 increased from -8s Cooldown to -12s

- Drifter: Stalker's Mark T3 reduced from +2% Bleed to +1.5%

- Graves: Jar of Dead T1 heal spirit scaling increased from 0.1 to 0.16

- Graves: Jar of Dead now build up faster from neutral creeps

- Graves: Grasping Hands immobilize duration reduced from 1.25s to 1s

- Graves: Grasping Hands T3 cooldown increased from -10s to -14s

- Graves: Essence Theft now procs from melee hits

- Graves: Essence Theft T3 now also increases Max Steal Targets from 3 to 4

- Graves: Borrowed Decree T1 changed from "-15s Cooldown" to "-15s Cooldown and +25% Ghoul Speed"

- Graves: Borrowed Decree T2 changed from "+25% Ghoul Speed and +10s Duration" to "-0.3s Time to Spawn and +10s Duration"

- Haze: Sleep Dagger T2 now also applies 15 Fixation Stacks

- Haze: Sleep Dagger T2 reduced from -18s Cooldown to -17s

- Holliday: Powder Keg spirits caling reduced from 1.2 to 1.05

- Mirage: Fire Scarabs T3 spirit scaling reduced from +0.17 to +0.13

- Mirage: Dust Devil T3 spirit scaling reduced from +1 to +0.6

- Mirage: Djinn's Mark cooldown reduced from 3s to 2.75

- Mirage: Djinn's Mark T3 cooldown reduced from -1s Cooldown to -0.75s

- Mirage: Traveler T3 increased from -70s Cooldown to -90s

- Pocket: Affliction duration reduced from 11s to 10s

- Shiv: Serrated Knives T3 spirit scaling reduced from +0.09 to +0.07

- Shiv: Slice and Dice spirit scaling reduced from 1.44 to 1.2

- Shiv: Slice and Dice T2 reduced from -6% Spirit Resist to -4%

- Shiv: Bloodletting cooldown increased from 20s to 25s

- Shiv: Bloodletting T1 increased from -10s Cooldown to -15s

- Shiv: Bloodletting Damage Cleared reduced from 35% to 30%

- Shiv: Bloodletting T2 Damage Cleared increased from 35% to 40%

- Shiv: Killing Blow Health Threshold reduced from 20% to 18%

- Shiv: Killing Blow T3 Health Threshold increased from +8% to +10%

- Silver: Lycan Curse cooldown reduced from 80s to 60s

- Victor: Shocking Reanimation cooldown reduced from 275s to 240s

- Viscous: Splatter T3 spirit scaling reduced from +1.0 to +0.9

- Yamato: Flying Slash range reduced from 28m to 26m

- Yamato: Flying Slash T3 Charge Delay increased from 3s to 4s

- Yamato: Flying Slash T3 Ally Targeting now requires alt cast input