Valve’s in-development MOBA Deadlock has shipped Rat King as the first of six heroes in the “City Never Sleeps” public-vote rollout, according to PCGamesN (October 3, 2026). The sewer overlord arrives after more than a year of community pressure that started with a fan concept and stuck in the Cursed Apple mythology — Valve’s final design is a chunkier mob-boss figure rather than the original Wall Street suit gag.
In-game, Rat King is pitched as a menacing frontline tank that newer players can learn quickly. His weapon, Sovereign’s Decree, is a rapid-fire rifle with a 24-round magazine that fires two shots at a time. Royal Pestments straps on scrap armor for a barrier (15% of max health at base, up to 25% when maxed) that can deflect bullet damage. Scrap Grenade bounces through a large radius with slows; Rat Swarm latches rodents that stack a bullet-resist debuff; and the ultimate Rule, Rattania! is a banner charge into a planted flag that buffs allies, knocks up foes, and floods the area with more rats.
PCGamesN notes several map tunnels were adjusted so the oversized king can still crouch through, and that his lifesteal sits a bit under the usual baseline as a trade for how tanky Royal Pestments can make him. Those are day-of kit notes from coverage — not balance patches we are inventing after the fact.
City Never Sleeps is rolling out six community-voted heroes; Rat King is only the first, with the next public vote due Tuesday, October 6, 2026. Invite-only / playtest status still applies for many players, so treat “ships today” as live inside the current Deadlock client for eligible accounts, not a Steam storefront 1.0 launch.
For US PC desks that already cover competitive multiplayer cadence — including RCG’s recent Heroes of the Storm Xal’atath PTR-to-live window as a separate Blizzard MOBA beat — Deadlock’s vote-then-ship loop is a different Valve experiment: the community names the next kit, then Valve delivers it on a short calendar.
Players who want a say in hero two need to be in-client before the October 6 vote. Coverage flags other fan favorites in the rumor mill, but the only hard schedule fact today is Rat King live now and the next vote on Tuesday.
What we are not saying: we are not inventing ranked tier lists, claiming Deadlock left invite-only forever, or dating the remaining five City Never Sleeps heroes beyond the Oct. 6 vote. Report Rat King as the first community-voted ship; next vote Oct. 6.
