Rem

0:02 Rem is a Deadlock support hero, a small stowaway from the world of dreams who throws his pillow to knock enemies back, leaps onto allies to nap on their shoulders and heal them, sends Lil Helpers to farm and buff across the map, and puts whole groups to sleep with his ultimate, Naptime. Valve released him on Jan 26, 2026 as the first hero of the Old Gods New Blood Update, released in the order players chose in the Hero Voting. His results split by skill: deadlock-api measured a 45.41% win rate in all ranks from Oct 15 to Oct 25, 2026, but 48.59% in matches averaging Phantom 1 or higher, and Mobalytics' expert tier list (Oct 22, 2026) puts him in its top S+ tier.

Quick facts

Source: deadlock-api's copy of the game files (heroes and abilities), as of Oct 26, 2026; deadlock-api's measured hero stats, Oct 15 to Oct 25, 2026.

Abilities

Source: deadlock-api's copy of the game files, as of Oct 26, 2026. T1, T2 and T3 below are the 1, 2 and 5 Ability Point upgrades.

Pillow Toss throws a pillow up to 40m for 75 damage (spirit scaling 1.6) in 5m with heavy knockback and a 36% slow that fades over 3s, per the game files. Each hit cuts Rem's other cooldowns by 5s. T1 cuts the cooldown by 7s, T2 adds +2m and -35% enemy fire rate, and T3 adds +100 damage and +1 charge.

1:28 Tag Along jumps Rem to an ally within 23m to nap on them for 5.5s; both get a burst heal of 15% of missing health and then 42 HP per second (spirit scaling 0.4) for 2s, and he can hop to other allies to heal each once, per the game files. While he naps, his items and self-casts target the ally. T1 cuts the cooldown by 8s, T2 gives +35% item range, duration and barrier effect while napping, and T3 adds a bigger missing-health heal (+15%) and +35 Spirit Power while napping and for 10s after.

2:18 Lil Helpers sends a helper up to 45m to grab boxes, do Sinner's Sacrifices or follow a teammate, per the game files. On a hero a helper gives +12% spirit resist and a fading +3 m/s for 8s; on a trooper it heals 8 HP every 2s and adds +30% damage and resists for 50s. Each helper naps for 15.1s after its task. T1, T2 and T3 each add one helper, plus +1.5 m/s, +15% trooper damage and resist, and +15% spirit resist in turn.

3:49 Naptime, his ultimate, is a 1.9s gaze through walls in a 19m area up to 24m away that slows movement and dashes 20% and blocks movement abilities, then puts enemies to sleep for 4s, per the game files. Sleepers wake after taking 100 damage (+3.1 per boon), and waking deals 120 damage (spirit scaling 1.6). Rem takes 30% less damage while channeling. T1 makes sleepers lose 1 stamina on waking and regenerate none while asleep, T2 adds +3m and +0.75s of sleep, and T3 cuts the cooldown by 55s and makes him take 50% less damage and become unstoppable while channeling.

How to play

0:30 Rem plays as a support who heals from an ally's shoulder and wins fights with one big sleep. Mobalytics' Rem guide describes him as a saboteur with map presence through tunnels and Lil Helpers who is hard to kill, but who needs coordination, is weak in direct combat and has little mobility outside Tag Along.

Tag Along makes him a passenger on a teammate. Since Valve's May 22, 2026 update the burst heal applies to every ally he hops to, he flies to the ally 50% faster, and he can cast it through veils. His items and self-casts target the ally while he naps, and the T2 upgrade gives them +35% range, duration and barrier effect there.

6:30 Lil Helpers gives Rem a farming and pushing job between fights. Helpers can take boxes and Sinner's Sacrifices without Rem walking there (see Neutral Camps and Jungle), and helpers on troopers make a lane wave hit harder and survive longer.

Pillow Toss feeds the rest of his kit. A hit cuts his other cooldowns by 5s, and its heavy knockback pushes attackers away from Rem or the ally he rides. Naptime then sleeps every enemy in its area, and with T1 they wake a stamina point short and regenerate none while asleep.

Builds

7:20 Rem's builds center on charges, cooldowns and healing. deadlock-api measured his purchases from Oct 15 to Oct 25, 2026:

Source: deadlock-api, measured item stats for Rem, read Oct 26, 2026.

Dexerto's build (Mar 3, 2026) runs Monster Rounds, Extra Charge, Healing Booster, Mystic Burst and Enchanter's Emblem early; Superior Cooldown, Tankbuster, Greater Expansion, Cursed Relic and Superior Duration in the mid game; and Divine Barrier, Transcendent Cooldown, Boundless Spirit, Alchemical Fire and Heroic Aura late, leveling Pillow Toss, Lil Helpers and Tag Along. It predates Valve's May and June changes to Tag Along and Lil Helpers. Most of these are Spirit Items; Grit, Healing Booster, Healing Tempo and Divine Barrier are Vitality Items, and Monster Rounds, Alchemical Fire and Heroic Aura are Weapon Items. The shop is on Items and Shop and Builds and Itemization.

Counters and matchups

Rem is vulnerable to stuns and to fights started while Pillow Toss is down. Mobalytics notes that Rem takes 5% bonus melee damage, that stunning ultimates such as Dynamo's Singularity or Holliday's lasso knock him off Tag Along, and that the time to engage is after Pillow Toss is spent; it also advises guarding the buff spawns (5 minutes) and Sinner's Sacrifices (8 minutes) his helpers go after. Mobalytics' expert tier list calls Dynamo's Singularity the best answer to Tag Along, and its Street Brawl guide (Aug 27, 2026) lists Counterspell against Rem. More items are on Counter Items.

In deadlock-api's measured matchups from Oct 15 to Oct 25, 2026, Rem did worst against Graves (38.2%), Seven (39.6%) and Rat King (39.9%), and best against Sinclair (51.5%), Mina (51.5%) and Mirage (51.1%). Graves and Rat King top almost every hero's worst-matchup list in that window, so these figures are best read against Rem's own 45.41% average.

Patch history

Valve's changes to Rem, newest first (every update is on Patches and Updates):

• Sep 16, 2026: fixed several helpers following one player; Lil Helpers got a target display in instant cast mode.
• Jun 30, 2026: Tag Along healing per second scaling 0.66 to 0.4; Lil Helpers spirit resist 15% to 12%, with all three upgrades reshuffled so each adds one helper.
• May 22, 2026: Pillow Toss recharge 9s to 8s and T3 +90 to +100 damage; Tag Along heals every ally hopped to, flies 50% faster, casts through veils, and its T2 rose from 25% to 35%; Naptime gained 30% damage reduction while channeling.
• Apr 30, 2026: Pillow Toss recharge 10s to 9s; fixed attacking while casting Naptime.
• Mar 6, 2026: Lil Helpers trooper healing 10/s to 8/s; Naptime sleep 4.25s to 4s and radius 20m to 17m, T2 changed to +0.5s sleep and +3m radius, T3 to +50% damage resist while channeling.

The game files on Oct 26, 2026 list Naptime at 19m with a +0.75s T2, which differs from Valve's Mar 6 note; Valve has not posted every change on Steam, and the game-file values are the current ones.

Lore

Rem is an accidental stowaway from the world of dreams stranded in "the city that never sleeps", Valve's reveal post says. His in-game biography has Rem and his helpers wandering the five boroughs looking for a way home. The city is on Lore and Setting.

Frequently asked questions

When was Rem added to Deadlock? Valve added Rem to Deadlock on Jan 26, 2026, the first of six heroes released by vote in the Old Gods, New Blood update.

Is Rem good in Deadlock? Rem won 45.41% of Deadlock matches in all ranks and 48.59% in Phantom 1+ matches from Oct 15 to Oct 25, 2026, in deadlock-api's measurement, and Mobalytics' expert tier list ranks him S+ (Oct 22, 2026).

What does Rem's ultimate do? Rem's Deadlock ultimate, Naptime, is a 1.9s gaze through walls that slows enemies and then puts them to sleep for 4s, until they take 100 damage, on a 200s cooldown in the game files on Oct 26, 2026.

How does Tag Along work? In Deadlock, Rem's Tag Along jumps him to an ally within 23m to nap on their shoulder for 5.5s, healing both, and he can hop between allies to heal each once, per the game files.

How do you counter Rem in Deadlock? Mobalytics advises stunning Rem off Tag Along with ultimates such as Dynamo's Singularity, engaging after his Pillow Toss is spent, and using melee, which deals him 5% bonus damage.

What should I build on Rem? Deadlock players most often open Rem with Extra Charge and Extra Spirit and buy Rapid Recharge in the mid game, in deadlock-api's measured purchases from Oct 15 to Oct 25, 2026.

Sources

• Rem Enters The City That Never Sleeps, Valve, Jan 26, 2026
• Gameplay Update - 03-06-2026, Valve, Mar 6, 2026
• Gameplay Update - 04-30-2026, Valve, Apr 30, 2026
• Gameplay Update - 05-22-2026, Valve, May 22, 2026
• Minor Update - 06-30-2026, Valve, Jun 30, 2026
• Minor Update - 09-16-2026, Valve, Sep 16, 2026
• Best Rem build in Deadlock, Dexerto (Cande Maldonado), Mar 3, 2026
• Deadlock Rem Guide, Mobalytics, undated, read Oct 26, 2026
• Expert Deadlock Tier List, Mobalytics (RinaVX), Oct 22, 2026
• Deadlock Street Brawl Mode Explained, Mobalytics (dxvis), Aug 27, 2026
• Heroes (game files), deadlock-api, Oct 26, 2026
• Items and abilities (game files), deadlock-api, Oct 26, 2026
• Hero stats, Oct 15 to Oct 25, 2026 (measured), deadlock-api, Oct 26, 2026
• Hero stats, Phantom 1+ average badge, Oct 15 to Oct 25, 2026 (measured), deadlock-api, Oct 26, 2026
• Hero counter stats, Oct 15 to Oct 25, 2026 (measured), deadlock-api, Oct 26, 2026
• Item stats for Rem (measured), deadlock-api, Oct 26, 2026
• The ONLY GUIDE You Need to MASTER REM | Deadlock Hero Guide, Daniway, Feb 1, 2026 (video)