Valve's Deadlock playtest just got a divine intervention with the latest hero drop from the Old Gods, New Blood update. Venator, aka Father Quinn Rourke, joins the fray as the fourth of six community-voted newcomers, hot on the heels of Rem's sleepy vibes, Graves' emo highschooler antics, and Silver's boozy werewolf snarls. Players chose his release over fencer Apollo and carnie Celeste, and it's easy to see why: this grizzled Vatican operative oozes aura, blending holy wrath with a full arsenal in the game's 1950s supernatural New York apocalypse.
Lore paints Venator as an elite from the Venators, a Vatican order hunting supernatural threats. Methodical and relentless, he's dispatched to the Big Apple to purge the "flock's" predators. His hardened heart lets him pay "terrible prices" for the greater good, fitting Deadlock's cursed apple theme where heroes battle across lanes, capture points, and unravel eldritch horrors.
Venator thrives on weapon damage scaling across nearly all kits, making him a gunplay beast. Primary fire swaps dual pistols for precision or spread, with melee headbutts for close scraps. Here's the breakdown of his kit:
- Consecrating Grenade - Bouncing projectile explodes on contact or after bounce, igniting foes for weapon damage + burn. Pure damage ignores resists, applies anti-heal. Trickshot potential vs healers like Victor.
- Gutshot - Shotgun blast pushes enemies; wall-slam stuns. Max level "blesses" next heavy melee for pure damage + low-HP execute.
- Hex-Lined Snap Trap - Slides across floor, arms after delay. Traps immobilize, reveal through walls, deal spirit damage (20% bonus at max). 30s duration for ambushes; combo with Gutshot push.
- Ira Domini (Ultimate) - Fires 3 crossbow stakes with massive weapon damage. Final shot (all at max) "blessed" for pure execute. Early ult priority shreds squishies.
Current meta for builds on him emphasize crits and sustain. Mobalytics and Tracklock.gg recommend early Fleetfoot (speed), Titanic Magazine (ammo), Bullet Lifesteal for duels, transitioning to Glass Cannon, Lucky Shot, Vampiric Burst late-game. Top paths max ult first for snowballing kills. He's strong vs self-healers (anti-heal grenade shines) but vulnerable to dives without peel so be careful getting caught out on him.
The Old Gods update (January 2026) overhauled patrons, bases, added modes, but all of the new heroes steal the show through staggered votes. Apollo's elegant duels and Celeste's carnival tricks wrap the batch of new incoming heroes soon.
Venator elevates Deadlock's roster diversity, blending tactical traps with burst gunplay in a MOBA-shooter hybrid nearing full release. Whether purging werewolves or styling on zombies, Father Quinn delivers absolution via lead. Queue up; heaven awaits the faithful. Are you playing Deadlock?