Halloween in Deadlock: candy cauldrons, Sugar Rush and changes to 34 heroes

On October 30 Valve shipped the Halloween update: a street event running through November 2 and a big balance patch touching 34 heroes and 38 items.

The event

• Cauldrons: Halloween cauldrons now sit on the city streets. Break one with a heavy melee to get a piece of candy, which you keep until you use it.
• Sugar Rush: eating candy gives the temporary Sugar Rush buff, a short burst of energy for the right moment in a fight.
• Look: the Hideout is decorated for Halloween, heroes wear masks and the streets have pumpkins.
• Troll statue: a statue under the big tree on Green Lane accepts candy. Players found it gives 1-3 random permanent buffs or a temporary powerup 70% of the time and nothing 30% of the time. Hitting it without candy stuns you.

General changes

• Mid-Boss: health and health per minute up 20%, resistance reduction is half as effective on it, Roar triggers at 25% HP instead of 50%. Bounty cut from 3000 (+50/min) to 1500 (+25/min).
• Rejuvenator: drops as three crystals around the pit instead of one in the center. Each crystal breaks with one heavy melee, grants 1 Rejuvenator and a 500 (+9/min) soul bounty to whoever breaks it.
• Haunts: base bounty and growth up 10%, health and damage up 10%.
• Souls and comebacks: souls secure 25% slower, but up to 50% faster for the team that is behind. Non-hero gold bonus when behind is now 30% instead of 26%.
• Healing Snacks: heal 14% of max health instead of 10%.

Buffed

• Abrams: base gun damage +5%.
• Billy: Rising Ram T3 gives +15% max health for 20s.
• Calico: Leaping Slash T3 deals +90 damage.
• Infernus: Napalm T2 lifesteal is now 20%.
• Paradox: Paradoxical Swap cooldown is now 95s.
• Warden: Willpower speed bonus and Last Stand T2 improved.

Nerfed

• Mo & Krill: less spirit per boon and lower spirit damage across abilities.
• Rat King: lower base bullet damage and Scrap Grenade damage.
• Venator: Ira Domini blessed stake damage down from 115 to 95.
• Graves: lower move speed and bullet damage per boon.
• Wraith: Project Mind cooldown is now 50s.
• Shiv: lower alt fire damage per boon.
• Solomon: lower base bullet and headshot damage, but Setup Bishop got buffed.
• Nurse Harrow: lower gun damage and Healing Needles, but Wretched Vapors got buffed. The full list is in the patch notes linked above. The meta takes a couple of weeks to settle after a patch like this: if you want to climb while everyone else is adjusting, DeadBoost boosters are already playing on the new balance.