Rat King
The cryptid ruler of the New York Warrens, The Rat King towers over his subjects in size, strength, and ambition. No longer content with hiding underground, the king has revealed his bold vision for a future where he and his subjects can walk the surface without fear of the pest control vans that roam the streets of New York (or as the rats call them: human death squads) Step 1: Take control of Long Island Step 2: Declare Long Island as the new sovereign nation of Ratannia Step 3: Execute every human that refuses to leave this new rat utopia But air tight as this plan is, the king of rats didn't want to take chances: and so he’s decided to the summon the patron to help hedge his bets.
- Tier
- A
- Win rate
- 59.2%
- Pick rate
- 3.9%
- Ban rate
- —
- measured matches
- 24.9K
How to play Rat King in Deadlock: abilities and upgrades, skill order, items by phase and matchups, from the games of the last two weeks.
BalancedUtilityOffensiveDefensiveStrong against
Who this hero answers, and why.
- Pocket65.2%win rate in the matchup
Rat King wins 65.2% of the 3,401 games measured against Pocket in the last two weeks.
- Paradox64.9%win rate in the matchup
Rat King wins 64.9% of the 3,603 games measured against Paradox in the last two weeks.
- Mirage64.6%win rate in the matchup
Rat King wins 64.6% of the 1,842 games measured against Mirage in the last two weeks.
- Viscous64.5%win rate in the matchup
Rat King wins 64.5% of the 2,277 games measured against Viscous in the last two weeks.
- Venator64.0%win rate in the matchup
Rat King wins 64.0% of the 5,679 games measured against Venator in the last two weeks.
Abilities
1Scrap Grenade26sThrow a grenade of scrap that detonates multiple times, dealing bullet damage and applying slow. The grenade can be meleed to knock it away.- Detonation Damage
- 65
- Move Speed
- -20%
- Detonations
- 3
- Detonation Radius
- 8m
- Slow Duration
- 4s
2Rat Swarm28sRange 50mCall forth a swarm of rats that leap onto enemies, dealing spirit damage over time and reducing their bullet resist with every bite. The more rats are attached, the faster they will bite the target. Enemies can have multiple rats attached, but can shake off a rat early by performing a ground or air dash.- Damage per Bite
- 8
- Bullet Resist per Bite
- -1%
- Bite Interval per Rat
- 1s
- Debuff Duration
- 4s
- Max Attached Rats
- 5
3Royal Pestments22sAdorn scrappy armor, gaining barrier based on your max health. As long as the armor holds, bullets have a chance to be deflected back towards the attacker. The barrier does not benefit from resists.- Max Health as Barrier
- 15%
- Bullet Return Chance
- 15%
4Rule, Ratannia!Ultimate130sCharge up and summon the banner of Ratannia, granting all nearby allies increased move speed, immunity from slows, and reduced incoming damage while near the banner.- Move Speed
- +3m m
- Damage Reduction
- 20%
- Radius
- 24m
- Damage
- 200
- Move Speed
- -40%
Skill order
The most played order in 972 games of the last two weeks (62.9% win rate). Each ability takes four steps: the unlock and its three upgrades; 4 is the ultimate.
Max order:3›1›2
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | · | · | 1 | 1 | · | · | · | 1 | · | · | · | · | · | 1 | · |
| 2 | · | · | · | · | 2 | · | · | · | 2 | · | · | · | · | · | 2 |
| 3 | 3 | 3 | · | · | · | 3 | · | · | · | · | · | · | 3 | · | · |
| 4 | · | · | · | · | · | · | 4 | · | · | 4 | 4 | 4 | · | · | · |
Highest win rate order: 70.5% in 593 games
Max order:3›1›2
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | · | · | 1 | 1 | · | · | · | 1 | · | · | · | · | · | 1 | · | · |
| 2 | · | · | · | · | 2 | · | · | · | 2 | · | · | · | · | · | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | 3 | 3 | · | · | · | 3 | · | · | · | · | · | · | 3 | · | · | · |
| 4 | · | · | · | · | · | · | 4 | · | · | 4 | 4 | 4 | · | · | · | · |
Ability upgrades
All upgrades →Each ability unlocks with one point and has three upgrades, bought with ability points: T1 costs 1, T2 costs 2 and T3 costs 5.
- 1Scrap GrenadeT11 point-8s CooldownT22 points+65 Detonation DamageT35 pointsAdd an additional final Bigger Detonation
- 2Rat SwarmT11 point+1 ChargesT22 pointsIncreased Swarm Size +4s Debuff DurationT35 points+8 Damage and -1% Bullet Resist per Bite
- 3Royal PestmentsT11 point+4s DurationT22 points-8s Cooldown +15% Bullet Return ChanceT35 pointsReduce all damage to a max of 250 +10% Max Health as Barrier
- 4Rule, Ratannia!T11 point-20s Cooldown and +1m Move SpeedT22 points+8s Charge Duration +8s Flag Duration +8m RadiusT35 points+150 Damage and +15% Damage Reduction
Items by phase
Shop →What Rat King players buy most in each phase of the game, with the share that buys it and their win rate.
Laning phase
High-Velocity Rounds78% buy it47.2%
Extra Regen54% buy it44.0%
Opening Rounds46% buy it52.4%
Monster Rounds39% buy it44.4%
Close Quarters37% buy it58.8%
Extended Magazine24% buy it63.6%
Battle Vest20% buy it66.7%
Extra Health15% buy it28.6%
Mid game
Enduring Speed50% buy it60.9%
Extra Charge46% buy it52.4%
Sprint Boots39% buy it55.6%- Extra Health33% buy it53.3%
Rapid Recharge33% buy it60.0%- Battle Vest33% buy it60.0%
Fortitude30% buy it42.9%
Titanic Magazine28% buy it76.9%
Late game
Spirit Resilience35% buy it31.3%- Rapid Recharge33% buy it46.7%
Siphon Bullets33% buy it53.3%
Ballistic Enchantment30% buy it42.9%
Superior Cooldown28% buy it69.2%
Witchmail24% buy it81.8%
Weighted Shots24% buy it54.6%
Juggernaut20% buy it33.3%
Items that win most
Highest win rate items bought with this hero (with enough games) and when they are bought on average. Late items win more partly because they are bought in games that were already going well.
Diviner's Kevlarbought at 34:17 · 780 games67.9%
Frenzybought at 36:43 · 2.2K games64.5%
Superior Durationbought at 27:38 · 3.4K games64.4%
Lucky Shotbought at 38:39 · 1.4K games64.2%
Compress Cooldownbought at 22:02 · 3.5K games63.7%
Greater Expansionbought at 25:12 · 3.3K games63.5%- Siphon Bulletsbought at 31:38 · 9K games63.4%
Duration Extenderbought at 21:11 · 1.9K games63.4%
Colossusbought at 32:43 · 3.2K games63.3%
Heroic Aurabought at 24:45 · 4K games63.2%
In-game builds
The most favorited Rat King builds of the patch published in the game. Copy the ID and search it in the game's Hero Builds browser.
RAT KING GUN BUILD!!!
0 favorites · updated 2026-10-01
FIRST AND BEST GUN BUILD FOR RAT KING
833037NA #1 RAT KING - Shmuck
0 favorites · updated 2026-10-03
they called me crazy 8 months ago when i said that the shmuck meta and the rat king intertwined... discord: discord.gg/KVHpb94rUJ
834900THE RAT KING
0 favorites · updated 2026-09-30
WE RATTING
832221
Matchups and teammates
Best teammates
- Victor394 games68.8%
- Graves1.2K games65.1%
- Kelvin348 games64.9%
- Mo & Krill458 games64.2%
- Ivy755 games64.1%
Wins the lane against
- Pocket1.2K games67.2%
- Viscous719 games66.6%
- Venator1.9K games65.5%
- Paradox1.2K games65.3%
- The Doorman917 games64.0%
Measured over the last two weeks, with at least 200 games per pair (100 in lane). Lane matchups only count games where both heroes started in the same lane.
Rat King builds
View all builds →From the guide «Rat King guide»
The items Rat King players buy most in each phase of the game over the last two weeks (24,929 games measured), with how many buy them and how they do. Skill points in the most played order (972 games, 62.9% win rate).
The most favorited Rat King build published in the game this patch: saved 0 times, last updated on 2026-10-01. Find it in-game in the Hero Builds browser by its ID: 833037. Its own categories are kept as notes on each item.
Items with the highest win rate when bought on Rat King, among those bought in a meaningful share of games, placed by when they are bought on average. Win rate on items bought late is inflated by games that were already going well: read it as “what winning Rat Kings end up buying”.
The vitality items Rat King players buy most, for games where you get focused or need to survive fights longer. Cheapest first.
Hero