Lore
Reuben was never meant to have a name. He came from the same spirit-line as Rem, a drifting, half-formed creature that existed on the edges of timelines without purpose or identity. When a temporal breach tore open above New York, he was pulled through and dropped into a world that was far too loud, bright and violent for something as small, timid and fragile as him.
He wandered the city in confusion until he heard the sound that would change him forever. Gunfire echoed through an alleyway, sharp and rhythmic, and something inside him reacted. It was not fear. It was fascination. He followed the noise into the underground gambling dens run by Italian mafia crews. The air was thick with smoke, shouting, laughter and the metallic scent of gun oil. The gangsters treated their weapons with pride and obsession. They polished them, bragged about them and argued over which one hit harder. Reuben watched them with wide eyes, mimicking their posture and movements, trying to understand why these objects held so much power.
The gangsters noticed him eventually. They joked about the tiny spirit creature who stared at their guns like a starving animal. One of them had recently lost a close friend, a man known for his own gun obsession. As a joke, and a little out of sentiment, they started calling the spirit by that man’s name. Reuben. The name stuck. It was the first thing he had ever been called, and he accepted it without hesitation.
There was only one problem. Reuben was too small to hold a real weapon. His hands were stubby and weak, and even the lightest pistol was too heavy for him to lift. But spirits adapt. Using the same magical source that fuels Deadlock’s supernatural arsenal, Reuben materialised a weapon of his own. It was a short, stub-nosed revolver shaped after the mafia pistols he admired, warped into a size he could grip. It dripped with greasy spirit energy and fired unstable rounds that matched his chaotic nature.
From that moment on, Reuben became consumed by weapon hunger. He followed gunfire like a moth to flame. He learned to steal weapons from enemies who disrespected them and empower allies who treated their guns with the same reverence he had seen in the dens. He fought not for glory or justice, but for obsession. Every gunshot was a heartbeat. Every reload was a ritual. Every weapon was a treasure waiting to be claimed.
Reuben entered Deadlock as a troublemaker, a close-quarters menace and a spirit who would rather die than let a good gun go to waste. He is unpredictable, excitable and always searching for the next weapon to admire, steal or break apart in his tiny hands.
Core Mechanics:
Reuben’s entire kit is built around weapon manipulation, and Shiny Weapons and Greasy Weapons are the two pillars that let him literally steer the pace of every gunfight. These aren’t just buffs and debuffs, they’re the core levers he uses to control how fast, how accurately, and how confidently everyone on the battlefield can shoot
SHINY WEAPONS
Buff • Weapon Empowerment • Spirit‑Infused Enhancement
Description
Reuben quickly shines, polishes, and spirit‑cleans your weapon, infusing it with bright, shimmering energy. The weapon feels lighter, smoother, and far more responsive, letting you fire aggressively with almost no downtime.
Effects
- +15% Fire Rate
- –50% Reload Time
- +10% Movement Speed while firing
- Shots leave a faint spirit shimmer trail (visual only)
- Duration: Until you complete 1 full reload
- Stacks: (each stack refreshes duration)
Debuff • Weapon Disruption • Accuracy Penalty
Description
Reuben subtly tampers with the enemy’s weapon, coating it in a slick, oily spirit residue. The weapon becomes unstable, sluggish, and unreliable until the user fully cycles it.
Effects
- –15% Fire Rate
- –10% Accuracy
- +25% Reload Time
- –10% Movement Speed while firing
- Duration: Until the affected hero completes 1 reload
- Stacks: Up to 2 times (each stack must be cleared separately)
ABILITY 1 - GREASE BOMB
Spirit Damage • Area Denial • Debuff
Reuben materializes a sticky hybrid spirit grenade infused with greasy energy. He throws it in an arc, it sticks to enemies or surfaces and detonates after a short delay.
Explosion
• Deals Spirit Damage, scaling with Spirit Power
• Applies damage in a small radius around the impact point
• Can stick directly to enemy heroes or terrain
• Direct hits immediately apply Greasy Weapons to the target
Greasy Residue Field
After detonation, the grenade leaves behind a sticky mess on the ground for 3 seconds.
• Enemy heroes inside the field are slowed
• The field does not deal damage
• The residue is purely a control zone, ideal for zoning, trapping, or setting up combos
Synergy
Grease Bomb is Reuben’s primary setup tool. It:
• Creates space in close-quarters fights
• Applies Greasy Weapons on direct hits
• Combines with Weapon Hunger (Ability -3) by encouraging proximity
• Sets up Mine & Yours for maximum disarm and spirit arsenal value
Upgrades
1. Loaded Belt
Grease Bomb gains 2 charges, allowing Reuben to throw multiple grenades in quick succession or hold one for later.
2. Big Splash
Explosion radius and Spirit Damage are increased, making the grenade more punishing on direct hits and better for crowd control.
3. Grease Splat
Any enemy hero hit by the initial explosion or who walk into the Greasy Residue Field receives Greasy Weapons.
Visual Identity
• The grenade glows with orange-red spirit energy
• The residue field appears as a greasy, shimmering puddle
• The explosion emits a purple/orange flash, indicating Spirit Damage
• The grenade icon is stylized with a dripping fuse and oily aura
ABILITY 2 - OHHH SHINY!
Mobility • Disruption • Ally Support
Reuben dashes to a target location. If he collides with a hero, he clings onto them - disrupting enemies or empowering allies depending on who he grabs.
Cling:
- Due to his weapon obsession Reuben takes 30% damage of the clung targeted while attached, as he obsessives over the weapon. (Clung targets still take 100% as well)
Enemy Cling
- Reuben becomes untargetable while clinging
- The enemy is slowed for the duration
- Their weapon instantly unloads harmlessly (no damage)
- Reuben can choose a direction to jump off
- If not manually released, he falls off after 3 seconds
- Jumping off deals Spirit Damage, scaling with Spirit Power
Ally Cling
- Reuben becomes untargetable while clinging
- Ally is instantly reloaded
- Ally gains movement speed for the duration
- Reuben can choose a direction to jump off
- If not manually released, he falls off after 3 seconds
Synergy
Ohhh Shiny! is Reuben’s mobility and disruption tool, ideal for:
- Diving into close-quarters fights
- Interrupting enemy reload cycles
- Empowering allies mid-combat
- Triggering Weapon Hunger (Ability -3) bonuses
- Setting up Greasy Weapons or Shiny Weapons effects
Upgrades
1. Quick Fingers
Cooldown is reduced, allowing more frequent dashes and clings.
2. Hold Tight
- Damage shared reduced to 15%
- Cling duration increased
- Movement effects (slow/enhance) are stronger
3. Sticky Fingers
Jumping off applies:
- Shiny Weapons to allies
- Greasy Weapons to enemies
- Reuben can chain to an additional 1 target.
Visual Identity
- Reuben dashes in a purple-orange blur, trailing oily spirit energy
- While clinging, he wraps around the target like a mischievous gremlin
- Jump-off impact emits a purple burst, indicating Spirit Damage
- The cling icon features Reuben latched onto a stylized weapon silhouette
ABILITY 3 - WEAPON HUNGER (Passive)
Spirit Scaling • Proximity Buff • Trouble Maker Identity
Reuben becomes energized by the presence of enemy weapons. His obsession with firearms manifests as a reactive aura that strengthens him when surrounded by armed opponents.
Effect
- For each enemy hero within radius, Reuben gains:
- Movement speed
- Bullet resistance
- These bonuses scale with Spirit Power
- Stacks up to 3 times
Gameplay Identity
Weapon Hunger rewards Reuben for staying close to enemies, where:
- His Grease Bomb slows and debuffs
- His Ohhh Shiny! cling can disrupt reloads
- His Mine & Yours ultimate can disarm and steal weapons
- His passive aura makes him harder to kill and faster to reposition
Synergy
Weapon Hunger is the anchor of Reuben’s troublemaker playstyle:
- Encourages aggressive positioning
- Combines with Grease Bomb’s area denial
- Amplifies the value of Ohhh Shiny! cling disruption
- Sets up Mine & Yours for maximum spirit arsenal payoff
Upgrades
1. Wide Eyes
Radius increased, allowing Reuben to benefit from enemies at greater range.
2. Obsessive
Max stacks increased from 3 to 5, making him stronger in teamfights.
3. Paranoia
Enemies within Weapon Hunger’s radius suffer reduced fire rate, subtly disrupting their gunplay, out of fear he might steal there weapon.
Visual Identity
- A faint purple/orange aura pulses around Reuben when enemies are nearby
- The aura intensifies with each stack, glowing brighter and faster
- The passive icon features a stylized eye surrounded by weapon silhouettes
ULTIMATE - MINE & YOURS
Spirit Arsenal • Weapon Redistribution • Teamfight Control
Reuben leaps into the air and enters a lock-on state, marking enemies and allies before unleashing a chaotic burst of spirit energy that steals, redistributes, and weaponises the battlefield.
Phase 1 - Aerial Lock-On
Reuben hovers briefly, gaining a clear line of sight on all heroes within range.
- Locks onto enemies and allies
- Enemy lock-on time: 1.0s
- Ally lock-on time: 0.5s
- Reuben can move slightly while locking on, allowing micro-adjustments
Once locked, Reuben forcibly disrupts enemy gunplay.
Enemies are Disarmed for 2.5 seconds
- After the disarm ends, they receive Greasy Weapons
Reuben empowers allies who respect their weapons.
Allies receive Shiny Weapons.
Phase 4 - Spirit Weapon Arsenal
Reuben manifests spirit copies of every enemy weapon he disarmed.
These spectral guns:
- Float around him in a rotating halo
- Fire Spirit Damage whenever Reuben fires
- Reload when he reloads
- Inherit gun-specific items from their original owner
- Example: if the stolen weapon had Toxic Bullets, the spirit copy also gains Toxic Bullets
- Deal 50% of the original weapon’s damage, scaling with Spirit Power
Synergy
Mine & Yours is the climax of Reuben’s troublemaker identity.
- Punishes gun-reliant heroes
- Converts enemy firepower into Spirit Damage output
- Combines with Grease Bomb for maximum disruption
- Amplifies Weapon Hunger by forcing Reuben into close-range teamfights
- Turns chaotic brawls into Reuben-favoured engagements
1. Residual Impact
When Reuben lands, the impact zone creates a Greasy Residual Field, applying an additional stack of Greasy Weapons or Shiny Weapons to affected heroes, depending on whether they are enemies or allies.
2. Trigger Discipline
Extends the duration of Mine & Yours by 5 seconds.
3. Heavy Theft
Reduces the cooldown, and Reuben gains an additional spirit copy of the enemy weapon with the highest base DPS (Fire Rate × Base Weapon Damage).
Visual Identity
- Reuben rises into the air surrounded by swirling orange-red spirit energy
- Lock-on markers appear as glowing purple reticles
- Spirit Arsenal guns orbit him like a chaotic, shimmering halo
- Each shot leaves a streak of purple-orange spirit residue.
Reuben is a spirit‑touched tinkerer whose entire concept revolves around controlling how everyone else uses their weapons. Instead of dealing high damage himself, he manipulates the flow of gunfights by empowering allies and sabotaging enemies. His identity is built around weapon manipulation, tempo control, and close‑quarters disruption.
Core Fantasy
Reuben alters the feel and performance of weapons around him. He shines, cleans, buffs, jams, greases, and disrupts using spirit‑infused tricks. He is the only hero who directly influences how well other heroes can shoot.
Primary Themes
• Weapon disruption
• Weapon empowerment
• Area control through sticky residue
• Tempo manipulation
• Close‑quarters trickster playstyle
Gameplay Role
Reuben functions as a support‑controller hybrid. He weakens enemy DPS by tampering with their guns and boosts allies by polishing and enhancing theirs. He creates zones where he decides who gets to shoot well and who does not. He sets up combos with sticky grenades, debuffs, and spirit residue, and he thrives in proximity where his manipulation is strongest.
Shiny Weapons
Reuben shines and cleans an ally’s weapon, making it faster, smoother, and more responsive. This creates short windows where allies can push aggressively and overwhelm opponents.
Effects include:
• Increased fire rate
• Faster reloads
• Better mobility while firing
• A temporary burst window for aggression
Greasy Weapons
Reuben tampers with enemy weapons, coating them in oily spirit residue that slows fire rate, reduces accuracy, and increases reload time. This shuts down enemy DPS windows and forces them to disengage or reposition.
Effects include:
• Reduced fire rate
• Reduced accuracy
• Slower reloads
• Weaker sustained pressure
How These Effects Shape His Kit
Every ability Reuben has interacts with Shiny Weapons or Greasy Weapons.
• Grease Bomb applies Greasy Weapons and creates control zones
• Ohhh Shiny gives allies Shiny Weapons
• Weapon Hunger rewards him for staying close to affected enemies
• Mine and Yours disarms enemies, buffs allies, and amplifies the chaos he creates
What Makes Reuben Unique
Reuben controls the rhythm of every fight. He slows enemies when they want to go fast and speeds up allies when they need to push. He punishes reloads, disrupts accuracy, and dictates timing windows. He does not win fights by out‑damaging opponents. He wins by making sure enemies cannot shoot properly while his team shoots better.
