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Deadlock Season Reset: What Happens When Beta Season 1 Ends

Ranked Beta Season 1 opened with the July 30 matchmaking update. It was due to end on October 7, but Valve has pushed the end back to Thursday, November 5, 2026, with the next season starting right after. Here is what the reset does to your rank, how the next calibration works and what Valve has and has not announced.

Written byMax CalderDeadlock journalist

Updated3 min read

Calibration machine next to the Oracle VI calibration cap, with a Nov 5 season end stamp

Season dates

Ranked Beta Season 1
  1. Jul 30Season 1 startsWith the matchmaking update
  2. Oct 6End date extendedPushed back from October 7
  3. Nov 5Season 1 ends2 pm Pacific
  4. Nov 5Next season startsRight after, with calibration

Valve announced the extension alongside Baba's release on October 6: Season 1 now closes on Thursday, November 5 at 2 pm Pacific, and the next season begins immediately after. That gives you four more weeks to push your Season 1 peak on the new map before calibration.

What the soft reset does

A new season starts with a soft reset of your rating, followed by eight calibration matches. They are solo only, and no result can place you above Oracle VI, so even Eternus players start the season below their old rank and climb back through regular games. The cap shows in the data: above Seeker, Oracle is the only rank that holds more players than the one below it, as our rank distribution shows.

Soft means your previous performance still feeds into the starting estimate. A strong Season 1 helps, but it does not guarantee where calibration puts you. The full ladder and how points work are in our guide to Deadlock ranks.

Season 1 rewards

Your season peak is saved in your rank history, so a good Season 1 stays on record after the reset. Players also receive a hideout item for the season.

What Valve plans for future seasons

  • Longer seasons than Beta Season 1, which will have run about 14 weeks.
  • Mid-season splits inside a season.
  • Requirements to have played heroes recently before using them in Ranked.

These are stated plans, not announced rules. Until Valve publishes the next season's details, expect the July 30 rules to carry over: the same unlock requirements, the same eight-game calibration and the same duo limits.

How to prepare for calibration

  1. Check that you are still eligible: no low priority, no comms ban, and three heroes with 15 Standard wins.
  2. Warm up on the heroes you will actually play. Calibration is not the place to learn a new kit.
  3. Plan to play alone. Duo is not allowed in calibration.
  4. Only queue when you can finish a full match; abandons void games and hurt the leaver's team.
  5. Learn the reworked map first. Our new map guide covers the Haunts, the Bell Tower and the Sunken Plaza.

FAQ

On Thursday, November 5, 2026 at 2 pm Pacific. Valve pushed the end date back from October 7, and the next season starts immediately after.

Your rating is soft-reset and you play eight calibration matches again, capped at Oracle VI. Your Season 1 peak stays in your rank history.

No. Calibration matches are solo only. You can duo again after calibration if you are within one full rank of each other.

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