A new Deadlock update is here, and with it comes our fourth new hero from the City Never Sleeps lineup. Deadman Danny is an explosive skeleton with a jetpack, and you’ve probably seen him about before, as he’s the mascot for the Cursed Apple’s leading weapon vendor, Fairfax Industries. There’s no question that Valve has continued to cook with its creations: the exuberant newcomer feels like a blend of the Team Fortress 2 Soldier and Pyro, plus Pharah from Overwatch, and even brings a flashy Izuna Drop finisher to the battlefield. The result is a blast to play, and has earned the multiplayer game yet another player-count high.
Like many, I’ve been hoping and praying that Deadman Danny would finally introduce one of the most fun TF2 mechanics to Deadlock: rocket jumping. Those prayers have been fully answered with his Chimera Peace Bringer, which allows you to either fire off single shots with a tap of left-click, or hold it down to charge an explosive projectile. Blast this at your feet and you’ll send yourself soaring in the other direction, albeit at the cost of a little self-damage (though it can’t actually kill you). Crouch just beforehand and jump as it impacts to maximize your mobility through the MOBA’s map.
Danny doesn’t have to rely on this to get about, however – he has the Chimera Mk1 jetpack. This doesn’t use fuel, but instead builds up heat as you fire the jets. You can feather it to stay airborne for longer, but when it overheats Danny will divebomb to the ground, damaging himself and enemies before putting the device on cooldown. Hit no-one else, however, and he’ll be briefly stunned. Ranking it up causes the heat to vent faster when on the ground, and provides a bigger impact, reduced cooldown, and a heal in place of the self-damage when hitting an enemy hero.
Strix Salvo fires a line of spirit missiles ahead from your cursor location, which can be rotated just before you let them go. Any enemies they hit take damage and are marked with a yellow skull – land a charged shot on them to pop this for another burst of spirit damage and a short 40% fading slow. Those that miss will sit on the ground as mines for several seconds. Ranking it up lowers the cooldown, then boosts both the impact and mark damage, and finally upgrades the missile count, range, and spirit scaling.
Jettison Fuel sprays out a spurt of gunk that deals damage over time and shreds your targets’ bullet resist by 15%, before a final blast sends you flying backwards. Dealing damage with this also cools your jets, helping you use them for longer. As it’s leveled up, you’ll benefit from a shorter cooldown, then more backblast damage and a seven-second fire rate buff if it hits an opponent, and lastly an extra 10% bullet resist shred and the application of the Strix Salvo mark to enemies caught in the backblast.
Last but certainly not least, it’s time to Close The Deal. This brings up a tight ten-meter cone that lets Danny zoom up to an enemy and grab them, soaring high into the sky before crashing back down to the ground, Izuna Drop style. It hurts you a little, but not nearly as much as it does them, with damage scaling based on the distance you fall, and it’ll hit them 50% harder if they’re under half health, making it a great finisher. You also get some directional control if you want to swing them into your teammates or towers. Rank it up for bigger damage, a shorter cooldown, and a half-second stun upon impact.
Deadman Danny’s certainly a lot of fun to play, but he’s not a popular figure among the cast of Deadlock. As an enthusiastic company man, most of the other members of the roster seem to carry a particular distaste for him, with almost no-one responding to his eager prompts with anything resembling a similar level of glee. He’s certainly a good addition to the game, however, and feels like another thematic victory for Valve.
Deadman Danny is in Deadlock now. We’ve got just two more heroes to come, and as much as I’m intrigued by how Violet’s painterly kit will work, I’m still holding firm for my original pick of Nurse Harrow. The good news is that, no matter who wins, by this time next week both of them will have arrived anyway.