Rat King Build Guide: Best Items & Ability Order
Rat King is a playable Deadlock hero. Over the last 14 days Rat King sits in S+ tier with a 55.5% win rate across 1.2M matches, ranked 2 of 44 heroes. In Oracle+ lobbies the win rate is 53.0%. The most common mid-game purchases are Fortitude, Enduring Speed and Ballistic Enchantment.
Tier
S+
Win rate
55.5%
Change
−1.1%
Pick rate
54.5%
K/D/A
5.2 / 6.2 / 13.5
Avg. souls
41.7K
Rat King item build
The items players buy most in each phase. The percentage is how often the item is bought in that phase; the number below is the win rate when bought.
Early game (0–10 min)
Mid game (10–20 min)
Late game (20+ min)
Rat King abilities
Ability 1
Scrap Grenade
Throw 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: 60Move Speed: -20%Detonations: 3Detonation Radius: 8mSlow Duration: 4sBig Detonation Move Speed: 40%Cooldown: 26s
- I
Cooldown -8s
- II
Detonation Damage +60
- III
Add an additional final Bigger Detonation
Ability 2
Rat Swarm
Call 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: 8Bullet Resist per Bite: -1%Bite Interval per Rat: 1sDebuff Duration: 4sMax Attached Rats: 5Cooldown: 24sDuration: 6sCast Range: 50mCharges: 1
- I
Charges +1
- II
Increased Swarm Size+4s Debuff Duration
- III
+8 Damage and -1% Bullet Resist per Bite
Ability 3
Royal Pestments
Adorn 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%Cooldown: 22sDuration: 6s
- I
Duration +4s
- II
-8s Cooldown +15% Bullet Return Chance
- III
Reduce all damage to a max of 250+10% Max Health as Barrier
Ultimate
Rule, Ratannia!
Charge 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: +3 mDamage Reduction: 15%Radius: 20mDamage: 200Move Speed: -40%Flag Duration: 12sCooldown: 180sDuration: 10s
- I
+2m Move Speed
- II
+5s Flag Duration +8m Radius
- III
+150 Damage and +10% Damage Reduction
Rat King ability order
The most common way to spend the first 12 ability points (40% of tracked players). The first point unlocks an ability, the next three upgrade it.
 Scrap Grenade | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Rat Swarm | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
 Royal Pestments | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
 Rule, Ratannia! | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
Upgrade priority: Royal Pestments → Scrap Grenade → Rat Swarm → Rule, Ratannia!
Rat King matchups and counters
Rat King's win rate when the listed hero is on the enemy team (minimum 200 matches).
Strong against
Mirage61.4%20.1K
Mina61.4%70K
The Doorman61.2%26.9K
Pocket61.0%35.8K
Solomon60.6%35.2K
Frequently asked questions
Is Rat King good in Deadlock?
Rat King is currently S+ tier with a 55.5% win rate and 54.5% pick rate over the last 14 days. That is down 1.1% compared with the 14 days before.
What are the best items for Rat King?
Early game: High-Velocity Rounds, Extra Health and Opening Rounds. Mid game: Fortitude, Enduring Speed and Ballistic Enchantment. Late game: Berserker, Siphon Bullets and Spirit Resilience. These are the items players buy most often in each phase.
What is the best ability order for Rat King?
The most common upgrade priority is Royal Pestments → Scrap Grenade → Rat Swarm → Rule, Ratannia!.
Who counters Rat King?
Rat King has the lowest win rate against Graves, Victor and Paige and the highest against Mirage, Mina and The Doorman.
Stats are calculated from matches played in the last 14 days and refreshed twice a day. Hero, ability and item details come from the game's own text. Data source: deadlock-api.com. Last updated: 2 November 2026 at 21:22. Oyunpedia is not affiliated with Valve.