A surprising new Deadlock leak hints at a secret pre-alpha build featuring 10 new heroes and updated character designs.
Valve’s competitive hero shooter Deadlock is back in the spotlight this week after what appears to be a major leak surfaced online. The alleged footage, shown briefly on stream before being taken down, revealed a very different build of the game, one that seems more advanced than what current alpha testers have seen.
With 10 new heroes and updated character designs, fans are wondering if this might be part of a separate, secret pre-alpha build Valve hasn’t talked about. But others aren’t so sure.
Deadlock Leak Showcases 10 New Heroes
The new leak came from a livestream by a content creator known for regularly covering Deadlock, “Deathy”. During the stream, an expanded version of the game’s hero selection screen was shown for a few moments before the footage was quickly taken down.
But it was too late, viewers had already captured screenshots. What stood out immediately was that the number of heroes on display was significantly more than what’s currently available in the game. Alongside several entirely new names, some familiar characters also seemed to have received updated visual designs.
What really adds weight to the leak is that it lines up with what Valve insider Tyler McVicker recently mentioned during a Q&A that there may be a more secretive pre-alpha playtest running alongside the known invite-only build.
Here’s the full list of ten new characters shown in the new Deadlock leak:
- Boho
- Bookworm
- Doorman
- Drifter
- Frank
- Priest
- Punkgoat
- Skyrunner
- Swan
- Vampirebat
Returning heroes from the public build include:
Abrams, Bebop, Calico, Dynamo, Grey Talon, Haze, Holliday, Infernus, Ivy, Kelvin, Lady Geist, Lash, McGinnis, Mirage, Mo & Krill, Paradox, Pocket, Seven, Shiv, Sinclair, Vindicta, Viscous, Vyper, Warden, Wraith, Yamato, Fathom, Raven, Trapper, Wrecker.
But here’s where things get messy.
One of the heroes in the new screenshot, “Doorman,” was actually posted as a fan-made concept on Reddit just over a week ago. The post includes a full breakdown of Doorman’s lore and abilities, from transforming into actual doors to supporting teammates through walls.
That similarity has started chatter among fans questioning the legitimacy of the leak, with some fans now speculating that this could be a modded build or even a fake made using community ideas.
Some of the new characters have an orange “Hero Labs” icon next to their names, which means that they’re still being tested internally or are experimental.
The existence of this Hero Labs tag, combined with character redesigns and a longer roster, points to the possibility that Valve is running a second, more private version of Deadlock meant only for deeper internal testing. This wouldn’t be surprising, Valve is known for being extremely secretive and iterative with their development process.
As for any rumor or leak, we suggest taking everything with a grain of salt.
What do you think? Real internal build, or just a very elaborate fake? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
