Shadow Transformation
Shadow Transformation is Yamato's ultimate in Deadlock (slot 4), an active ability with a 160 second cooldown. Become infused with Yamato's shadow soul. After an initial invincible transformation your abilities are refreshed and are 60% faster. You gain immunity to negative status effects and have greatly increased bullet and spirit resist.
Open the most-bought Yamato build
The 4 items bought most in each phase of 116,195 Yamato matches, October 30 to November 1, 2026, measured by deadlock-api.com.
Shadow Transformation in matches
Yamato players unlocked Shadow Transformation last (fourth) in 99.3% of matches (115,983 of 116,814) and third in 0.5% of matches (635 of 116,814), in all-rank matches from October 30 to November 1, 2026, from patch 6833's release day.
Measured from matches at all ranks from October 30 to November 1, 2026, starting on the day patch 6833 was released (October 30, 2026), by deadlock-api.com. These are match results, not numbers from the game files, and not a recommendation. Each share is the Yamato matches in which Shadow Transformation was the first, second, third or fourth ability unlocked, out of every Yamato match counted; a step under 500 matches is not listed.
Match data: deadlock-api.com. deadlock-api.com is not endorsed by Valve and does not reflect the views or opinions of Valve or anyone officially involved in producing or managing Valve properties. How a share is computed: methodology.
Shadow Transformation stats
Shadow Transformation
- Cooldown 160s
- Duration 5s
Become infused with Yamato's shadow soul. After an initial invincible transformation your abilities are refreshed and are 60% faster. You gain immunity to negative status effects and have greatly increased bullet and spirit resist.
When you get a hero kill, you heal and the duration is extended.
- +30% Bullet Resist
- +30% Spirit Resist
- +2.0s Duration On Kill
Upgrades
| Tier | Bonuses | In game |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | +7 Weapon Damage | |
| 2 | +4 m Move Speed -30s Cooldown | +4m Move Speed and -30 Cooldown |
| 3 | +3s Duration +30% Bullet Resist +30% Spirit Resist | +3s Duration +30% Bullet Resist +30% Spirit Resist |
Each tier is bought with ability points; how many points a tier costs is not in the game files this site reads, so it is not shown. Learning the ability takes 1 ability unlock.
Shadow Transformation change history
| Patch | Change | State |
|---|---|---|
| November 5, 2026build 6860from build 6835 | No player-facing change in 9 builds (October 30 to November 5, 2026). | Unchanged |
| October 30, 2026build 6833 | Shadow Transformation's cooldown changed from 150s to 160s. Shadow Transformation's tier 2 upgrade changed from +4 m Move Speed and -20s Cooldown to +4 m Move Speed and -30s Cooldown. | Changed |
| October 26, 2026build 6821from build 6642 | No player-facing change in 45 builds (July 28 to October 26, 2026). | Unchanged |
| July 25, 2026build 6640 | First recorded in Deadlock. | Baseline |
Shadow Transformation FAQ
What does Shadow Transformation do?
Become infused with Yamato's shadow soul. After an initial invincible transformation your abilities are refreshed and are 60% faster. You gain immunity to negative status effects and have greatly increased bullet and spirit resist. When you get a hero kill, you heal and the duration is extended. Its tooltip lists 5s Duration, +60% Ability Speed, 15% Max HP Heal On Kill and +30% Bullet Resist.
What is Shadow Transformation's cooldown in Deadlock?
Shadow Transformation has a 160 second cooldown. The tier 2 upgrade changes it by -30s.
What do Shadow Transformation's upgrades do?
Tier 1: +7 Weapon Damage. Tier 2: +4m Move Speed and -30 Cooldown. Tier 3: +3s Duration, +30% Bullet Resist, +30% Spirit Resist.
Which hero has Shadow Transformation?
Shadow Transformation is Yamato's ultimate (slot 4).
Was Shadow Transformation changed in the latest patch?
No. Shadow Transformation is unchanged in the latest build of Deadlock on file (the November 5, 2026 patch, build 6860). It last changed in the October 30, 2026 patch (build 6833).