Deadlock's new ranked mode is driving players mad as they try to escape the casual modes and climb back to where they were

Despite Valve warning them that matches will be "very rocky" to start, Deadlock players are struggling to adjust to the MOBA's new ranked mode.

Late last week, Deadlock finally got a proper ranked mode, replacing the rudimentary version that existed for the last couple of years. Valve reworked the matchmaking system behind it, added a bunch of rules for how you climb the ranks, and created a new standard mode for casual play.

Valve warned players that "the next week or so" would be turbulent as everyone settles into their correct ranks, but it seems like people weren't ready for how severe it would actually be. The Deadlock subreddit, as well as my YouTube feed, has been full of people discussing whether or not the new update was a miss.

Some of the criticisms don't surprise me: Players are discovering what it's like to be forced to play a casual mode while they tally up enough wins to play ranked. Valve decided that you need 15 wins on a hero to play them in ranked, which is, by many accounts, a Sisyphean effort in the chaos of the standard mode. It's even worse for all the people who spent their Deadlock careers maining a single hero and are only now trying to branch out.