Rat King vs Celeste
Written for the Rat King player. Playing Celeste? See Celeste vs Rat King →
An even matchup. Rat King wins 58.5% of 129,843 games against Celeste (+0.7 points vs Rat King’s usual 57.8%).
How to win as Rat King
- RuleDo not commit before
Dazzling Trick
Dazzling Trick Celeste wraps herself in a protective prism. Crowd Control Silence on nearby enemies when the barrier is destroyed; Damage Deals a portion of the barrier value as damage on break; Mobility Tier 1 grants +3.5m move speed while active. 1 +3.5m move speed 2 +80 combat barrier and +0.7 spirit scaling 5 +1.5s silence duration and -18s cooldown is gone.
Dazzling Trick
Dazzling Trick Celeste wraps herself in a protective prism. Crowd Control Silence on nearby enemies when the barrier is destroyed; Damage Deals a portion of the barrier value as damage on break; Mobility Tier 1 grants +3.5m move speed while active. 1 +3.5m move speed 2 +80 combat barrier and +0.7 spirit scaling 5 +1.5s silence duration and -18s cooldown first — after the 09-16-2026 patch it is on a 38s cooldown, and it is both her defensive layer and her anti-dive Silence. Force it with a feint from range, let the Silence expire, then dive for real - Watch outOnce
Light Eater
Light Eater Celeste fires a flare of light in a cone ahead of her. Damage 40 flare damage plus 15 per subsequent tagged hit, over an 8s duration… Defensive The spirit lifesteal it enables is her only meaningful in-combat healing. 1 +15% spirit lifesteal 2 -10s cooldown (from a 20s base) and +3m cast range 5 +25 damage and +0.2 spirit scaling tags you, every one of her bullets carries bonus Spirit Damage and heals her — a trade you think you are winning on her low DPS is actually refilling her health bar - Your edgeYou survive the opening and they cannot (Rat King Rat King Released 2 October Released 2 October. A gun-scaling brawler and team buffer: a three-blast slowing grenade, rats that strip bullet resist with every bite, a reflecting barrier, and a banner that makes his team slow-immune. 2/3 against Celeste 1/3).
- Buy
Arctic Blast
Arctic Blast +24s Cooldown +0.6s Spread Duration: +48% Move Speed +4s Slow Duration +10% Spirit Resist +1s Freeze Duration — Celeste's
Dazzling Trick
Dazzling Trick Celeste wraps herself in a protective prism. Crowd Control Silence on nearby enemies when the barrier is destroyed; Damage Deals a portion of the barrier value as damage on break; Mobility Tier 1 grants +3.5m move speed while active. 1 +3.5m move speed 2 +80 combat barrier and +0.7 spirit scaling 5 +1.5s silence duration and -18s cooldown is what you are buying against here. Buy to lock down a mobile enemy team or to peel a dive off your backline — the stamina freeze stops them dashing out.
The numbers: lane, whole match and Oracle and above
| Games | Rat King wins | vs Rat King's usual | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole match | 58.5% | +0.7 pts (57.8% overall) | 129,843 games |
| Sharing a lane | 58.9% | +1.1 pts (57.8% overall) | 42,823 games |
| Oracle and above | 53.0% | -2.9 pts (55.9% at Oracle+) | 5,526 games |
"Sharing a lane" counts only games where both were assigned the same lane — the laning matchup itself. "Oracle and above" counts only matches whose average rank was Oracle and above. Source: deadlock-api.com, refreshed daily.
Data-supported Measured: you win 58.5% of these, which is 0.7 points above your overall win rate (129,843 matches). The kit-based model agrees. Ranked against this hero's own baseline win rate, not raw win rate. Source: deadlock-api.com.
Why Rat King counters Celeste
Knockups and displacement shut down Celeste's main defence, and
Rule, Ratannia!
Rule, Ratannia! Rat King raises the banner of Ratannia. Crowd Control Knockup and a 40% slow on the slam, plus Rat Swarm from the rats it… Damage 200 bullet damage on the slam (+1.2 weapon-damage scaling), 20m radius (cut… Mobility +3 m/s movement speed for him and nearby allies for up to 10s while the… 1 +2 m/s movement speed (no cooldown reduction since 5 October) 2 +5s banner duration and +8m radius 5 +150 slam damage and +10% damage reduction knocks up everyone around the banner. Her low health cannot survive three
Scrap Grenade
Scrap Grenade Rat King throws a bouncing lump of scrap that goes off three times where it lands. Crowd Control 20% movement slow for 4s (scales slightly with Spirit). Damage 70 bullet damage per detonation (+0.6 weapon-damage scaling), three… Defensive The slow is his peel: thrown at his own feet it stops a diver from following… 1 -8s cooldown (26s to 18s) 2 +70 damage per detonation 5 one extra, bigger final detonation — 300 damage, 14m radius, 40% slow detonations, and the banner makes his allies immune to the slow from
Shining Wonder
Shining Wonder Celeste launches an orb of light that damages the first target it strikes, slowing them and shortening their dash distance, then bounces on to other enemies in range. Crowd Control Movement slow plus a dash-distance reduction on each target hit; Damage 140 base spirit damage (deadlock.one); Defensive Slowing a chase is a real disengage use for a hero this fragile. 1 +20% move-speed slow and -15% dash distance 2 +80 damage 5 +8 maximum bounces and -30s cooldown .
Written from both heroes' ability data; the win rates above are the measured results.
What should I do right now?
Do
- Plan for
Arctic Blast
Arctic Blast +24s Cooldown +0.6s Spread Duration: +48% Move Speed +4s Slow Duration +10% Spirit Resist +1s Freeze Duration Builds from Cold Front — know which tier it sits in so you are not improvising at the shop. - Know what
Dazzling Trick
Dazzling Trick Celeste wraps herself in a protective prism. Crowd Control Silence on nearby enemies when the barrier is destroyed; Damage Deals a portion of the barrier value as damage on break; Mobility Tier 1 grants +3.5m move speed while active. 1 +3.5m move speed 2 +80 combat barrier and +0.7 spirit scaling 5 +1.5s silence duration and -18s cooldown looks like. It is the cooldown this lane revolves around.
Avoid
- Walking to lane on the same path every wave against a hero with Celeste's engage range.
Do
- Genuinely awkward laning — the 50 m/s projectile speed and bounce mechanic take real practice, and mobalytics explicitly calls her laning phase weak
- Around 690-700 maximum health puts her at the bottom of the roster for durability
-
Scrap Grenade
Scrap Grenade Rat King throws a bouncing lump of scrap that goes off three times where it lands. Crowd Control 20% movement slow for 4s (scales slightly with Spirit). Damage 70 bullet damage per detonation (+0.6 weapon-damage scaling), three… Defensive The slow is his peel: thrown at his own feet it stops a diver from following… 1 -8s cooldown (26s to 18s) 2 +70 damage per detonation 5 one extra, bigger final detonation — 300 damage, 14m radius, 40% slow clears a trooper wave in three hits and slows anyone farming in it, so he wins wave tempo early
Avoid
- Four stamina charges plus her air-control passive (enhanced air acceleration and reduced gravity effects) make her extremely hard to pin down in a lane
- The bounce weapon's aim assistance means near-misses still connect, which forgives imperfect aim at awkward angles
Do
- Their first real spike is
Light Eater
Light Eater Celeste fires a flare of light in a cone ahead of her. Damage 40 flare damage plus 15 per subsequent tagged hit, over an 8s duration… Defensive The spirit lifesteal it enables is her only meaningful in-combat healing. 1 +15% spirit lifesteal 2 -10s cooldown (from a 20s base) and +3m cast range 5 +25 damage and +0.2 spirit scaling T1/T2 — respect it from that point, not before. - Your spike is ult unlock:
Rule, Ratannia!
Rule, Ratannia! Rat King raises the banner of Ratannia. Crowd Control Knockup and a 40% slow on the slam, plus Rat Swarm from the rats it… Damage 200 bullet damage on the slam (+1.2 weapon-damage scaling), 20m radius (cut… Mobility +3 m/s movement speed for him and nearby allies for up to 10s while the… 1 +2 m/s movement speed (no cooldown reduction since 5 October) 2 +5s banner duration and +8m radius 5 +150 slam damage and +10% damage reduction turns him into the team's fight-starter: slow immunity and speed on the way in, a 20m Knockup on arrival
Avoid
- Taking an even fight against Celeste on their spike timing when you could take the same fight ten minutes later on yours.
Do
- Watch for
Dazzling Trick
Dazzling Trick Celeste wraps herself in a protective prism. Crowd Control Silence on nearby enemies when the barrier is destroyed; Damage Deals a portion of the barrier value as damage on break; Mobility Tier 1 grants +3.5m move speed while active. 1 +3.5m move speed 2 +80 combat barrier and +0.7 spirit scaling 5 +1.5s silence duration and -18s cooldown . Break the barrier from range rather than in melee — the Silence only hits nearby enemies, so a ranged hero pops it for free - Use a dispel or debuff-removal item on
Light Eater
Light Eater Celeste fires a flare of light in a cone ahead of her. Damage 40 flare damage plus 15 per subsequent tagged hit, over an 8s duration… Defensive The spirit lifesteal it enables is her only meaningful in-combat healing. 1 +15% spirit lifesteal 2 -10s cooldown (from a 20s base) and +3m cast range 5 +25 damage and +0.2 spirit scaling 's mark — stripping it removes both her bonus Spirit Damage and her only real in-combat healing
Avoid
- Spending your own escape before
Dazzling Trick
Dazzling Trick Celeste wraps herself in a protective prism. Crowd Control Silence on nearby enemies when the barrier is destroyed; Damage Deals a portion of the barrier value as damage on break; Mobility Tier 1 grants +3.5m move speed while active. 1 +3.5m move speed 2 +80 combat barrier and +0.7 spirit scaling 5 +1.5s silence duration and -18s cooldown is on cooldown.
Celeste’s abilities
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Dazzling Trick
Dazzling Trick Celeste wraps herself in a protective prism. Crowd Control Silence on nearby enemies when the barrier is destroyed; Damage Deals a portion of the barrier value as damage on break; Mobility Tier 1 grants +3.5m move speed while active. 1 +3.5m move speed 2 +80 combat barrier and +0.7 spirit scaling 5 +1.5s silence duration and -18s cooldown Ability 2 Hard control, and the reason the rest of the kit ever connects: Silence on nearby enemies when the barrier is destroyed.
- Break the barrier from range rather than in melee — the Silence only hits nearby enemies, so a ranged hero pops it for free
- If you must dive her, break the barrier first from a step back, then close once the Silence has already fired
- Note the 38s cooldown after the 09-16-2026 patch; once it is spent she is a sub-700-health hero with no defensive layer for over half a minute
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Shining Wonder
Shining Wonder Celeste launches an orb of light that damages the first target it strikes, slowing them and shortening their dash distance, then bounces on to other enemies in range. Crowd Control Movement slow plus a dash-distance reduction on each target hit; Damage 140 base spirit damage (deadlock.one); Defensive Slowing a chase is a real disengage use for a hero this fragile. 1 +20% move-speed slow and -15% dash distance 2 +80 damage 5 +8 maximum bounces and -30s cooldown Ultimate This will not kill you on its own — it makes sure you cannot leave while the rest of Celeste's kit does. Movement slow plus a dash-distance reduction on each target hit.
- Spread out — it bounces between enemies in range, so the entire value of the ultimate depends on your team being clustered
- Post-09-16-2026 its radius is smaller, so maintaining even modest spacing at objectives substantially reduces the number of bounces
- If you are hit, expect your dash distance to be shortened; plan the escape around walking behind cover rather than dash-chaining out
-
Light Eater
Light Eater Celeste fires a flare of light in a cone ahead of her. Damage 40 flare damage plus 15 per subsequent tagged hit, over an 8s duration… Defensive The spirit lifesteal it enables is her only meaningful in-combat healing. 1 +15% spirit lifesteal 2 -10s cooldown (from a 20s base) and +3m cast range 5 +25 damage and +0.2 spirit scaling Ability 1 The keystone of her damage and sustain. Her weapon does almost nothing on its own; Light Eater is what converts her ordinary shots into Spirit Damage and healing, so almost every fight starts with this cast.
- Break line of sight after she tags you — the mark only pays out on her subsequent attacks, so denying her shots denies both her damage and her healing
- Use a dispel or debuff-removal item to strip the mark outright; mobalytics explicitly lists this as her cleanest counter
- Stay outside the cone's arc when she is reloading or repositioning; the cone is frontal and short-ranged
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Radiant Daggers
Radiant Daggers Celeste calls a shaft of light down from above a chosen point. Damage 55 impact damage base (deadlock.one); Defensive Used behind her to deter a chase through a corridor. 1 +2 charges 2 +80 impact damage and -22s cooldown 5 +8% spirit amp and +9% fire rate per stack Ability 3 Her zone-control tool and her ramp. The delay makes it bad as a reactive damage source but excellent as an area denial on a choke or an objective, and the stacks are how her damage scales through a long fight.
- Leave the marked area before the beam fully forms — the whole ability is a telegraph with a delay, and simply walking out denies both the damage and her stack
- Denying her hero hits denies the stacking spirit amp, so her damage never ramps
- Do not stand still in doorways, stairwells or on an objective while she has charges up; those are the only places the delay does not matter
- 1
Dazzling Trick
Dazzling Trick Celeste wraps herself in a protective prism. Crowd Control Silence on nearby enemies when the barrier is destroyed; Damage Deals a portion of the barrier value as damage on break; Mobility Tier 1 grants +3.5m move speed while active. 1 +3.5m move speed 2 +80 combat barrier and +0.7 spirit scaling 5 +1.5s silence duration and -18s cooldown Dazzling Trick first — after the 09-16-2026 patch it is on a 38s cooldown, and it is both her defensive layer and her anti-dive Silence. Force it with a feint from range, let the Silence expire, then dive for real
- 2
Light Eater
Light Eater Celeste fires a flare of light in a cone ahead of her. Damage 40 flare damage plus 15 per subsequent tagged hit, over an 8s duration… Defensive The spirit lifesteal it enables is her only meaningful in-combat healing. 1 +15% spirit lifesteal 2 -10s cooldown (from a 20s base) and +3m cast range 5 +25 damage and +0.2 spirit scaling Light Eater second — without the tag her weapon is a 31 DPS marksman rifle with a 2.00s reload and she has no healing at all. Breaking line of sight after she casts it wastes the entire 8s window
- 3
Shining Wonder
Shining Wonder Celeste launches an orb of light that damages the first target it strikes, slowing them and shortening their dash distance, then bounces on to other enemies in range. Crowd Control Movement slow plus a dash-distance reduction on each target hit; Damage 140 base spirit damage (deadlock.one); Defensive Slowing a chase is a real disengage use for a hero this fragile. 1 +20% move-speed slow and -15% dash distance 2 +80 damage 5 +8 maximum bounces and -30s cooldown Shining Wonder is denied by spacing rather than baited; it seeks targets, so there is no dodge, only spread
The matchup in detail
- Around 690-700 health makes her one of the squishiest heroes in the game Strong evidence
- Very low raw weapon DPS (31) — her damage only exists once
Light Eater
Light Eater Celeste fires a flare of light in a cone ahead of her. Damage 40 flare damage plus 15 per subsequent tagged hit, over an 8s duration… Defensive The spirit lifesteal it enables is her only meaningful in-combat healing. 1 +15% spirit lifesteal 2 -10s cooldown (from a 20s base) and +3m cast range 5 +25 damage and +0.2 spirit scaling has tagged the target Strong evidence - Her damage tools (
Radiant Daggers
Radiant Daggers Celeste calls a shaft of light down from above a chosen point. Damage 55 impact damage base (deadlock.one); Defensive Used behind her to deter a chase through a corridor. 1 +2 charges 2 +80 impact damage and -22s cooldown 5 +8% spirit amp and +9% fire rate per stack ' formation delay,
Shining Wonder
Shining Wonder Celeste launches an orb of light that damages the first target it strikes, slowing them and shortening their dash distance, then bounces on to other enemies in range. Crowd Control Movement slow plus a dash-distance reduction on each target hit; Damage 140 base spirit damage (deadlock.one); Defensive Slowing a chase is a real disengage use for a hero this fragile. 1 +20% move-speed slow and -15% dash distance 2 +80 damage 5 +8 maximum bounces and -30s cooldown 's bounces) are all telegraphed or spacing-dependent Strong evidence
- Once
Light Eater
Light Eater Celeste fires a flare of light in a cone ahead of her. Damage 40 flare damage plus 15 per subsequent tagged hit, over an 8s duration… Defensive The spirit lifesteal it enables is her only meaningful in-combat healing. 1 +15% spirit lifesteal 2 -10s cooldown (from a 20s base) and +3m cast range 5 +25 damage and +0.2 spirit scaling tags you, every one of her bullets carries bonus Spirit Damage and heals her — a trade you think you are winning on her low DPS is actually refilling her health bar Strong evidence - Diving her into
Dazzling Trick
Dazzling Trick Celeste wraps herself in a protective prism. Crowd Control Silence on nearby enemies when the barrier is destroyed; Damage Deals a portion of the barrier value as damage on break; Mobility Tier 1 grants +3.5m move speed while active. 1 +3.5m move speed 2 +80 combat barrier and +0.7 spirit scaling 5 +1.5s silence duration and -18s cooldown silences you when you break the barrier, so the burst that was supposed to kill her leaves you unable to use abilities to finish or flee Strong evidence -
Radiant Daggers
Radiant Daggers Celeste calls a shaft of light down from above a chosen point. Damage 55 impact damage base (deadlock.one); Defensive Used behind her to deter a chase through a corridor. 1 +2 charges 2 +80 impact damage and -22s cooldown 5 +8% spirit amp and +9% fire rate per stack denies chokepoints and objective circles outright; with T1's extra charges she can cover two exits at once Strong evidence -
Shining Wonder
Shining Wonder Celeste launches an orb of light that damages the first target it strikes, slowing them and shortening their dash distance, then bounces on to other enemies in range. Crowd Control Movement slow plus a dash-distance reduction on each target hit; Damage 140 base spirit damage (deadlock.one); Defensive Slowing a chase is a real disengage use for a hero this fragile. 1 +20% move-speed slow and -15% dash distance 2 +80 damage 5 +8 maximum bounces and -30s cooldown shortens your dash distance as well as slowing you, which specifically breaks dash-chain escapes rather than merely delaying them Strong evidence - Her air-control passive plus four stamina charges means chasing her through vertical terrain usually just wastes your stamina Strong evidence
- Celeste can Silence, which means your escape is only real if it is already active. Pre-empt rather than react: if you are walking into a position where the Silence lands, your defensive cooldown should be spent getting out of that position, not saved for after. Strong evidence
- Use a dispel or debuff-removal item on
Light Eater
Light Eater Celeste fires a flare of light in a cone ahead of her. Damage 40 flare damage plus 15 per subsequent tagged hit, over an 8s duration… Defensive The spirit lifesteal it enables is her only meaningful in-combat healing. 1 +15% spirit lifesteal 2 -10s cooldown (from a 20s base) and +3m cast range 5 +25 damage and +0.2 spirit scaling 's mark — stripping it removes both her bonus Spirit Damage and her only real in-combat healing Strong evidence - Break
Dazzling Trick
Dazzling Trick Celeste wraps herself in a protective prism. Crowd Control Silence on nearby enemies when the barrier is destroyed; Damage Deals a portion of the barrier value as damage on break; Mobility Tier 1 grants +3.5m move speed while active. 1 +3.5m move speed 2 +80 combat barrier and +0.7 spirit scaling 5 +1.5s silence duration and -18s cooldown from range rather than in melee; the Silence on break is proximity-based, so popping it from a step back costs you nothing Strong evidence - Punish her ~690-700 health directly with a single burst window; she has no untargetable escape and no real durability once the barrier is gone Strong evidence
- Walk out of the
Radiant Daggers
Radiant Daggers Celeste calls a shaft of light down from above a chosen point. Damage 55 impact damage base (deadlock.one); Defensive Used behind her to deter a chase through a corridor. 1 +2 charges 2 +80 impact damage and -22s cooldown 5 +8% spirit amp and +9% fire rate per stack marked area before the beam finishes forming — the delay is the entire counterplay and denies her the stacking spirit amp as well Strong evidence - Spread out at objectives;
Shining Wonder
Shining Wonder Celeste launches an orb of light that damages the first target it strikes, slowing them and shortening their dash distance, then bounces on to other enemies in range. Crowd Control Movement slow plus a dash-distance reduction on each target hit; Damage 140 base spirit damage (deadlock.one); Defensive Slowing a chase is a real disengage use for a hero this fragile. 1 +20% move-speed slow and -15% dash distance 2 +80 damage 5 +8 maximum bounces and -30s cooldown bounces between clustered enemies and the 09-16-2026 radius nerf makes even modest spacing effective Strong evidence - Use knockups and displacement (Dynamo's
Kinetic Pulse
Kinetic Pulse Dynamo sends a wave of energy racing along the ground in front of him. Crowd Control Knockup — brief airborne loss of control. Damage 115 spirit damage base (deadlock.one); Defensive The knockup interrupts an incoming dive or channel, buying his team the… 1 +1 charge 2 applies -15% bullet resist and a 30% move-speed slow for 4s 5 +135 damage and +20m cast range , Billy's
Bashdown
Bashdown Billy drives his bat into the ground. Crowd Control Pulls airborne enemies downward plus a knockup shockwave on the ground — two… Damage 35 spirit damage scaling with Spirit Power (deadlock.one); Defensive The knockup interrupts an incoming dive or a channelled ability. 1 -10s cooldown (from a 35s base) 2 +1 charge and +2m radius 5 -3s charge time and now deals 50% heavy melee damage , Bebop's
Exploding Uppercut
Exploding Uppercut Bebop swings upward, knocking back everyone close to him. Crowd Control Knockback/knockup on the initial hit, plus a fire-rate reduction applied by… Damage Not sourced as a single figure on current pages; Mobility none for Bebop himself; 1 roughly -11s cooldown (base is about 22s) 2 +9 uppercut hit buff and +30% weapon damage 5 on hero hit, resets Grapple Arm's cooldown and restores about +18% of his missing health ) to cut her air mobility mid-flight — mobalytics lists displacement as a direct counter Strong evidence - Force fights while her stamina is spent; the 09-16-2026 patch raised her stamina cooldown to 5.3s and she has no other escape layer Strong evidence
- You want the five-person fight and Celeste only takes it on their terms, which makes
Vortex Web
Vortex Web +42s Cooldown +4s Duration +0.2s Cast Delay +0.5s Tether Duration +28% Move Speed -36% Dash Distance +8% Ability Range +8% Radius Builds from Slowing Hex the item that closes the argument. It is a 12m vacuum plus a full
Slowing Hex
Slowing Hex +29s Cooldown +3.5s Duration +0.1s Cast Delay +16% Move Speed -26% Dash Distance effect, so it both drags them into your fight and silences the movement abilities they would use to leave it. That is a team-fight tool, not a duel tool — buy it if your win condition is the grouped fight, and skip it if your win condition is picking them off alone. Strong evidence
- The 38s after
Dazzling Trick
Dazzling Trick Celeste wraps herself in a protective prism. Crowd Control Silence on nearby enemies when the barrier is destroyed; Damage Deals a portion of the barrier value as damage on break; Mobility Tier 1 grants +3.5m move speed while active. 1 +3.5m move speed 2 +80 combat barrier and +0.7 spirit scaling 5 +1.5s silence duration and -18s cooldown is spent — she is a sub-700-health hero with no barrier, no Silence and no untargetable escape Strong evidence - Any moment she is out of stamina charges; her air mobility is her only real defence and the 5.3s stamina cooldown is slow to refill Strong evidence
- The 8s
Light Eater
Light Eater Celeste fires a flare of light in a cone ahead of her. Damage 40 flare damage plus 15 per subsequent tagged hit, over an 8s duration… Defensive The spirit lifesteal it enables is her only meaningful in-combat healing. 1 +15% spirit lifesteal 2 -10s cooldown (from a 20s base) and +3m cast range 5 +25 damage and +0.2 spirit scaling window when you have broken line of sight — she is doing 31 DPS with no Lifesteal and cannot ramp
Radiant Daggers
Radiant Daggers Celeste calls a shaft of light down from above a chosen point. Damage 55 impact damage base (deadlock.one); Defensive Used behind her to deter a chase through a corridor. 1 +2 charges 2 +80 impact damage and -22s cooldown 5 +8% spirit amp and +9% fire rate per stack stacks Strong evidence - During her 2.00s reload with an 8-round clip; at 1.72 shots per second she empties and reloads frequently Strong evidence
- While she is mid-air after a Knockup or displacement — she cannot correct her position and her air control is what she was relying on Strong evidence
- Early game generally: mobalytics and dramalock both note her laning phase is weak and her sub-700 health makes her the easiest lane kill of this group Strong evidence
- Your weapon has travel time and Celeste is fast enough to make that matter. Lead into where their movement is constrained rather than where they are — the closer the fight, the less your projectile speed costs you. Strategic
- When Celeste puts up a barrier, do not reset the trade and wait for it to drop. Overflow damage carries through to health, so a single large hit spends the barrier and keeps going in one action — there is no wasted remainder. What does get wasted is chip, because barriers decay on their own and small hits are exactly what a temporary pool absorbs for free. Either commit your burst through it or disengage entirely; the middle option gives them a free absorb. Strong evidence
- Four stamina charges plus her air-control passive (enhanced air acceleration and reduced gravity effects) make her extremely hard to pin down in a lane Strong evidence
- The bounce weapon's aim assistance means near-misses still connect, which forgives imperfect aim at awkward angles Strong evidence
- Genuinely awkward laning — the 50 m/s projectile speed and bounce mechanic take real practice, and mobalytics explicitly calls her laning phase weak Strong evidence
- Around 690-700 maximum health puts her at the bottom of the roster for durability Strong evidence
-
Scrap Grenade
Scrap Grenade Rat King throws a bouncing lump of scrap that goes off three times where it lands. Crowd Control 20% movement slow for 4s (scales slightly with Spirit). Damage 70 bullet damage per detonation (+0.6 weapon-damage scaling), three… Defensive The slow is his peel: thrown at his own feet it stops a diver from following… 1 -8s cooldown (26s to 18s) 2 +70 damage per detonation 5 one extra, bigger final detonation — 300 damage, 14m radius, 40% slow clears a trooper wave in three hits and slows anyone farming in it, so he wins wave tempo early Strategic
- Celeste will be their Urn runner and you are the one who can stop it. The Urn cannot be voluntarily dropped — it comes loose only on melee, a Stun, or death — so chip damage and slows do not deny a delivery, your Hard CC does. Hold it for the carry rather than spending it on the approach fight, and note the favoured team gets +50% Bullet and Spirit Resist in a 60m bubble while carrying and depositing, which is why trying to burst the runner down usually fails. Documented
- Rotation speed is the axis you lose on against Celeste, and it is not purely a hero stat. Ziplines run at a fixed 18 m/s on inner lanes and 21 m/s on outer regardless of your move speed, and destroying a base guardian converts that lane into a permanent Express Line at +80%. If they take a base guardian before you do, their map becomes structurally faster than yours for the rest of the game. That objective is worth contesting for the travel time alone, separately from the souls. Strong evidence
-
Light Eater
Light Eater Celeste fires a flare of light in a cone ahead of her. Damage 40 flare damage plus 15 per subsequent tagged hit, over an 8s duration… Defensive The spirit lifesteal it enables is her only meaningful in-combat healing. 1 +15% spirit lifesteal 2 -10s cooldown (from a 20s base) and +3m cast range 5 +25 damage and +0.2 spirit scaling T1/T2 — The extra spirit Lifesteal and -10s cooldown turn her from a fragile poker into a hero who sustains through skirmishes Strong evidence -
Radiant Daggers
Radiant Daggers Celeste calls a shaft of light down from above a chosen point. Damage 55 impact damage base (deadlock.one); Defensive Used behind her to deter a chase through a corridor. 1 +2 charges 2 +80 impact damage and -22s cooldown 5 +8% spirit amp and +9% fire rate per stack T1 (+2 charges) — Multiple charges let her actually cover the ground an enemy must walk through, which is when the delay stops mattering Strong evidence -
Shining Wonder
Shining Wonder Celeste launches an orb of light that damages the first target it strikes, slowing them and shortening their dash distance, then bounces on to other enemies in range. Crowd Control Movement slow plus a dash-distance reduction on each target hit; Damage 140 base spirit damage (deadlock.one); Defensive Slowing a chase is a real disengage use for a hero this fragile. 1 +20% move-speed slow and -15% dash distance 2 +80 damage 5 +8 maximum bounces and -30s cooldown unlock — Gives her the multi-target slow and dash reduction she needs to matter in a real teamfight Strong evidence - Late 35min+ with
Radiant Daggers
Radiant Daggers Celeste calls a shaft of light down from above a chosen point. Damage 55 impact damage base (deadlock.one); Defensive Used behind her to deter a chase through a corridor. 1 +2 charges 2 +80 impact damage and -22s cooldown 5 +8% spirit amp and +9% fire rate per stack T3 stacks — +8% spirit amp and +9% fire rate per stack compound through a long fight, which is where her late-game scaling lives Strong evidence
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Rule, Ratannia!
Rule, Ratannia! Rat King raises the banner of Ratannia. Crowd Control Knockup and a 40% slow on the slam, plus Rat Swarm from the rats it… Damage 200 bullet damage on the slam (+1.2 weapon-damage scaling), 20m radius (cut… Mobility +3 m/s movement speed for him and nearby allies for up to 10s while the… 1 +2 m/s movement speed (no cooldown reduction since 5 October) 2 +5s banner duration and +8m radius 5 +150 slam damage and +10% damage reduction unlock —
Rule, Ratannia!
Rule, Ratannia! Rat King raises the banner of Ratannia. Crowd Control Knockup and a 40% slow on the slam, plus Rat Swarm from the rats it… Damage 200 bullet damage on the slam (+1.2 weapon-damage scaling), 20m radius (cut… Mobility +3 m/s movement speed for him and nearby allies for up to 10s while the… 1 +2 m/s movement speed (no cooldown reduction since 5 October) 2 +5s banner duration and +8m radius 5 +150 slam damage and +10% damage reduction turns him into the team's fight-starter: slow immunity and speed on the way in, a 20m Knockup on arrival Strategic -
Scrap Grenade
Scrap Grenade Rat King throws a bouncing lump of scrap that goes off three times where it lands. Crowd Control 20% movement slow for 4s (scales slightly with Spirit). Damage 70 bullet damage per detonation (+0.6 weapon-damage scaling), three… Defensive The slow is his peel: thrown at his own feet it stops a diver from following… 1 -8s cooldown (26s to 18s) 2 +70 damage per detonation 5 one extra, bigger final detonation — 300 damage, 14m radius, 40% slow T2 — 140 damage per detonation turns the grenade from wave clear into a real trade — three hits for 420 before weapon scaling Strategic
- Fight Celeste under cover — indoors, under walkways, inside stairwells. Taking away the vertical axis removes most of their kit's value before you spend a single item slot on it. Strategic
- Celeste wins by choosing where the fight happens. Take your position before the zoning goes down, not after — once the area is committed you are fighting on their terms, and walking in to contest it is exactly the mistake the kit is built to farm. Strategic
- Celeste has to lead you and you are too slow to make that hard by strafing, so buy the miss with geometry instead of movement. A corner, a pillar or a doorway edge means the projectile has to be in flight before you are visible — travel time works against them the moment the sight line is short-lived. Hold positions where your exposure is measured in fractions of a second per peek, and never cross an open space on a straight line at a constant speed, which is the one input their weapon is designed to punish. Strategic
- You deal Bullet Damage, so
Toxic Bullets
Toxic Bullets -35% Incoming Healing -35% Incoming Healing is your anti-heal route against Celeste —
Healbane
Healbane +8s Duration +7 Spirit Power -35% Incoming Healing -35% Incoming Healing +275 Heal On Hero Kill keys off Spirit Damage and will barely apply for you. Note that melee hits do not build the bullet route. Strong evidence - Celeste fights from the air, which is exactly what
Knockdown
Knockdown +35s Cooldown +0.1s Cast Delay +2s Stun Delay +0.5s Stun Duration +75 Bonus Health +5% Ability Range +5% Radius exists for: it applies +100% gravity to an airborne target (raised from +50% in March 2026) and its Stun scales with altitude, up to about +1.5s at 30m. The higher they commit, the harder the punish — and Debuff Resist will not shorten that Stun for them. Documented -
Arctic Blast
Arctic Blast +24s Cooldown +0.6s Spread Duration: +48% Move Speed +4s Slow Duration +10% Spirit Resist +1s Freeze Duration Builds from Cold Front (spirit T4) — Celeste's
Dazzling Trick
Dazzling Trick Celeste wraps herself in a protective prism. Crowd Control Silence on nearby enemies when the barrier is destroyed; Damage Deals a portion of the barrier value as damage on break; Mobility Tier 1 grants +3.5m move speed while active. 1 +3.5m move speed 2 +80 combat barrier and +0.7 spirit scaling 5 +1.5s silence duration and -18s cooldown is what you are buying against here. Buy to lock down a mobile enemy team or to peel a dive off your backline — the stamina freeze stops them dashing out. Documented -
Dispel Magic
Dispel Magic +45s Cooldown +10% Spirit Resist +3s Buff Duration +250 HP Healed On Activate (vitality T3) — Buy when enemy debuffs — slows, silences, anti-heal, disarms, hexes — are what is killing you rather than raw damage. What you are answering here: Celeste's
Dazzling Trick
Dazzling Trick Celeste wraps herself in a protective prism. Crowd Control Silence on nearby enemies when the barrier is destroyed; Damage Deals a portion of the barrier value as damage on break; Mobility Tier 1 grants +3.5m move speed while active. 1 +3.5m move speed 2 +80 combat barrier and +0.7 spirit scaling 5 +1.5s silence duration and -18s cooldown . Documented -
Knockdown
Knockdown +35s Cooldown +0.1s Cast Delay +2s Stun Delay +0.5s Stun Duration +75 Bonus Health +5% Ability Range +5% Radius (spirit T3) — Celeste is where this lineup’s air mobility comes from. The consensus answer to flying and airborne heroes and to channelled aerial ultimates — buy it whenever an enemy fights from the sky. Documented
- The reflex buy against a hero who keeps deleting you is
Metal Skin
Metal Skin +24s Cooldown +5s Duration +12% Bullet Resist -20% Dash Distance , and against Celeste it does nothing.
Metal Skin
Metal Skin +24s Cooldown +5s Duration +12% Bullet Resist -20% Dash Distance is bullet-damage immunity only — Spirit Damage, abilities and every status effect pass straight through it, and you pay −1.5 m/s move speed and −20% dash distance for the privilege. The three big defensive actives are deliberately orthogonal:
Metal Skin
Metal Skin +24s Cooldown +5s Duration +12% Bullet Resist -20% Dash Distance stops bullets,
Unstoppable
Unstoppable +60s Cooldown +5.5s Duration +125 Bonus Health +25% Debuff Resist Builds from Debuff Reducer stops statuses,
Ethereal Shift
Ethereal Shift +37s Cooldown +4s Duration +5s Buff Duration +30% Spirit Resist +20 Spirit Power stops everything but disables you. Celeste is a spirit threat, so it is the last two you are choosing between. Documented - The losing pattern against Celeste is deciding to leave, walking to the zipline and finding you cannot attach. Any damage from an enemy hero or objective blocks zipline attachment for 3 seconds, and Celeste has the chip range to keep that 3-second timer rolling indefinitely. Break line of sight first, wait out the lockout, then attach — do not walk to the rope while still taking fire. Documented
- The specific error is walking into Celeste's area denial after it is already down, because your team is in there and you feel late. You are slow enough that entering a committed zone is a one-way decision — you will be inside it for its full duration, not for the two seconds you intended. Arrive before the zone or arrive from the other side of it; arriving into it is how this matchup is lost even when your team wins the fight. Strategic
Next
Rat King’s other hard matchups
All of Celeste
Who beats Celeste, the items that shut Celeste down, and every ability.
Facing more than Celeste?
Add the other five enemies: who to focus first and what to buy against the whole team.
Sources and method for this page
Everything on this page is generated for Deadlock patch 09-29-2026 from Celeste's current kit, measured match results and a mechanics rule base. Each line carries its own confidence label.
Celeste's kit and counterplay were compiled from 9 sources, cross-checked for patch 09-29-2026. Threat ratings compare this pairing against Rat King's own baseline win rate rather than a flat 50%, because ranking by raw win rate produces the wrong answer for heroes whose overall win rate is not 50%.
- https://deadlock.one/en/heroes/celeste
- https://deadlock.io/en/heroes/celeste
- https://tracklock.gg/articles/deadlock-new-hero-celeste
- https://dramalock.org/guides/celeste-deadlock-guide-abilities-playstyle/
- https://mobalytics.gg/deadlock/celeste-guide
- https://tracklock.gg/articles/deadlock-update-09-16-26-patch-notes