Deadlock Ranked Season 2 Begins: Rank Reset, New Rules and Full Changes
Valve has officially ended the first Ranked Beta Season in Deadlock and launched Season 2, which will run for four months until March 11, 2027.
The new season introduces a softer rank reset, global rank redistribution, changes to rank loss protection, increased rank points per match, additional hero bans, and updated leaderboard requirements.
Players who participated in the first season will also receive a commemorative Hideout plaque displaying their highest achieved rank.
Below is the complete breakdown of the Ranked Beta Season 2 changes.
Seasonal Rank Reset
At the beginning of Season 2, ranked players will receive a soft rank reset before starting their climb through the new season.
This reset is significantly smaller than the previous one. On average, players can expect their rank to decrease by approximately one full rank badge.
Valve will also use each player's win rate from the previous season to make additional adjustments of 1–2 subranks, helping place players in more appropriate positions.
Global Rank Redistribution
Alongside the seasonal reset, Valve is introducing a global rank redistribution based on the performance of the ranked playerbase throughout Season 1 and the recent influx of new players.
The process will take place in two steps:
- Global redistribution: Existing player ranks will be redistributed across the ranking curve.
- Soft rank reset: The redistributed ranks will then receive a soft reset of approximately one full badge on average.
As a result, some players may actually receive a higher rank at the beginning of Season 2 despite the reset. Others may experience a slightly larger decrease.
The final adjustment will vary from player to player.
Do Players Need to Calibrate Again?
Players who participated in Ranked during Season 1 will not need to complete calibration again.
Players who did not participate in Ranked during the previous season will need to complete the standard calibration process.
Ranked Rule Changes for Season 2
Valve is making several adjustments to the Ranked system based on Season 1 results and feedback from the community.
Rank Loss Protection (Shields)
Rank loss protection has been significantly reduced.
Phantom, Ascendant and Eternus:
- Rank loss protection shields have been completely removed.
- Previously, players had 5 shields at full-rank boundaries and 2 shields between subranks.
All other ranks:
- Protection at full-rank boundaries has been reduced from 5 to 3 shields.
- Protection between subranks has been reduced from 2 to 1 shield.
For example, a player at Mystic I with 0 rank points will now maintain their Mystic badge for only 3 protected losses before dropping to Sentinel, instead of the previous 5.
Rank Points
Valve has adjusted the number of rank points awarded per match and the requirements for ranking up.
- Points per match: Increased from 300 to 350.
- Ranking up to the next full badge: Reduced from 2,000 to 1,500 points.
- Progression between subranks: Remains unchanged at 1,000 points.
Hero Bans
The number of hero bans per Ranked match has increased from 3 to 4.
Initial Rank Placements
The maximum initial placement rank has been increased for Season 2.
- Season 1 maximum: Oracle VI.
- Season 2 maximum: Ascendant I.
- Based on previous-season performance, some players may be placed as high as Ascendant III.
New Hero Unlock Requirements for Ranked
Valve has changed how heroes are unlocked for Ranked matches.
Previously, players needed 15 wins on a hero before they could use that hero in Ranked. The new system awards points for both wins and losses.
Players now need 35 points to unlock a hero for Ranked:
- Win: 2 points.
- Loss: 1 point.
Under the previous system, reaching 15 wins with a 50% win rate would have been equivalent to 45 points using the new system:
- 15 wins = 30 points.
- 15 losses = 15 points.
- Total = 45 points.
The new system makes unlocking heroes more accessible while still requiring players to gain experience with a hero before using them in Ranked.
Valve explained that it remains important for Ranked players to have sufficient knowledge and confidence when playing their chosen heroes, but the previous win-only requirement needed improvement.
Ranked Leaderboard Changes
Valve has reworked the leaderboard backend to address numerous bugs and improve how player rankings are tracked.
General Ranked Leaderboards
- Each Ranked season now has its own separate leaderboard.
- Players must complete at least 50 Ranked matches in the current season within the last 30 days to appear on the leaderboard.
- Leaderboard positions are determined by players' current badge progression.
Hero-Specific Leaderboards
- Players must complete at least 15 Ranked matches with a specific hero within the last 30 days to appear on that hero's leaderboard.
- Rankings are based on current badge progression.
- Recent win/loss performance on that hero is also taken into account.
When Does Deadlock Ranked Season 2 End?
Deadlock Ranked Beta Season 2 began on November 5, 2026, and will end on Thursday, March 11, 2027.
The season will last four months.
The changes aim to improve rank distribution, make progression more consistent, and update competitive requirements based on the results and feedback from the first Ranked Beta Season.
