Rat King
Scrappy · Regal · Tenacious
Lore
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 summon the patron to help hedge his bets.
Challenging to learn · Sovereign's Decree
The Oracle’s file on Rat King What fans say about Rat King
In-game biography · Source notes · Art from Deadlock Wiki · Game assets © Valve
Rat King’s abilities
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
- 60
- Move Speed
- -20%
- Detonations
- 3
- Detonation Radius
- 8m
- Slow Duration
- 4s
- Big Detonation Move Speed
- 40%
Upgrades
- 1 AP
-8s Cooldown
- 2 AP
+60 Detonation Damage
- 5 AP
Add an additional final Bigger Detonation
Base values with no items, from the Deadlock API, November 2, 2026. Patches change them.
The file on Rat King
Everything confirmed. Pick a box, then open any source to see the proof.
Origins
How Rat King got here.
The Rat King rules the New York Warrens. The Patrons call him Louis.
SourceRat King’s biography, The Archmother
In the game“The cryptid ruler of the New York Warrens”
Rat King’s biography “Louis, your people live in squalor and fear. Complete the Ritual, and the Archmother will share her bounty with them.”
The Archmother, to Rat King, as a match begins He's done hiding, and wants his people free of pest control vans, which rats call human death squads.
SourceRat King’s biography
In the game“(or as the rats call them: human death squads)”
Rat King’s biography
Why Rat King is in the ritual
Their own words first. The Patrons want something, so read theirs as offers.
To take Long Island, declare it the nation of Ratannia and execute every human who won't leave. The ritual is his backup.
SourceRat King’s biography
In the game“Step 1: Take control of Long Island”
Rat King’s biography “Step 2: Declare Long Island as the new sovereign nation of Ratannia”
Rat King’s biography “Step 3: Execute every human”
Rat King’s biography “summon the patron to help hedge his bets”
Rat King’s biography Both Patrons promise him the island.
SourceThe Archmother, The Hidden King
In the game“The Archmother wants Long Island to be yours. Do not keep her waiting. Complete the Ritual and see it done.”
The Archmother, to Rat King, as a match begins “Long Island awaits you, your majesty... but first you must complete the ritual.”
The Hidden King, to Rat King, as a match begins Baba calls it generous of him not to go for Manhattan.
SourceBaba
In the game“No. I feel like you setting your sights on Long Island instead of Manhattan was quite magnanimous and I appreciate it.”
Baba, to Rat King, before a match
Factions and organizations
Who they work with, fight and answer to.
The New York Warrens
His kingdom, three million strong by his count.
SourceRat King’s biography, Rat King
In the game“New York Warrens”
Rat King’s biography “I ain't domesticated. And if they wanna do anything about it they gotta go through me, the Patron, and three million of my friends.”
Rat King, to Seven, before a match Fairfax Industries
He wants it burned, after Vermicide killed 31 of his people.
SourceRat King
In the game“Fairfax Industries is gonna burn”
Rat King, on killing McGinnis “31 of my people died screaming thanks to you.”
Rat King, to Deadman Danny, before a match The OSIC
Haze warns his reign ends whenever the government wants it to.
SourceHaze
In the game“Listen, my advice is to find a new dream. I'm telling you your reign will end the moment the US government wants it to, and if you go through with executing everyone on Long Island, that's gonna happen pretty quick.”
Haze, to Rat King, before a match The Mendoza Syndicate
He warns Ivy that Mendoza is still out there.
SourceRat King
In the game“Yeah, but you didn't finish the job and kill Mendoza… which means he's out there biding his time. Watch your back.”
Rat King, to Ivy, before a match
Cool facts
The small things worth knowing.
Rat King plans to run Long Island, by killing the humans on it.
SourceDeadman Danny, Rat King
In the game“I hear once we summon the patron you're going to run Long Island”
Deadman Danny, to Rat King, before a match “Killing the shit out of 'em.”
Rat King, to Billy, before a match Rat King counts three million friends.
SourceRat King
In the game“I ain't domesticated. And if they wanna do anything about it they gotta go through me, the Patron, and three million of my friends.”
Rat King, to Seven, before a match 31 of Rat King's people died to a poison called Vermicide.
SourceRat King, Deadman Danny
In the game“31 of my people died screaming thanks to you.”
Rat King, to Deadman Danny, before a match “Thanks to science. I didn’t develop Vermicide; I just presented it.”
Deadman Danny, to Rat King, before a match One of the rats is called Ronnie.
SourceRat King
In the game“Goddamn it, Ronnie, stop peeking out from under the cape, you're making us look bad…. Sorry about that, he's a good guy, the rabies is a helluva thing though.”
Rat King, to Nurse Harrow, before a match
Loading the voice lines…