Locke Unveiled: League of Legends’ Champion, Release Date & Leaks

In a highly anticipated move, Riot Games is gearing up to introduce its newest character, Locke, a magical assassin, into the rift. This secretive new champion, officially confirmed as the 173rd within League of Legends, is designed for central lane play with an ability power damage (AP) focus, set to arrive on the game servers imminently.

According to official information from the developers, this new character will debut on Wednesday, June 24th, coinciding with the release of patch 26.13 and the start of Act 2 of Season 2. A comment on Reddit by Andrei “Meddler” van Roon, head of the studio, suggests that Locke will be the only champion launched in 2026, as the team is focusing all logistical efforts on the major update “League Next” set to be revealed during the MSI tournament in July.

Regarding his central lane mechanics, Meddler hinted that Locke’s skill set will cater well to players who enjoy obliterating their enemies with explosive damage, provided they execute combos correctly. Meanwhile, Executive Producer of the game, Paul “Pabro” Bellezza, confirmed that the champion will wield a hammer-like weapon, suggesting it will function as a ranged projectile rather than traditional melee attacks.

Official confirmation of the strategic role of the upcoming champion was announced during the development diary published on April 13, where Riot Games unveiled for the first time conceptual artwork of this character’s arsenal and revealed that its mechanics will focus on explosive damage for those who manage to prepare the play correctly. Subsequent updates on May 27 further confirmed its identity and delved into its design, with Executive Producer Paul “Pabro” Bellezza indicating that the character will be focused on “throwing daggers and taking names”, suggesting strongly that these sharp objects will function as lethal distant projectiles rather than simple melee combat tools.

Beyond the scant official details, various leaks shared by the account Big Bad Bear are said to have revealed the character model within the game, showing a boy with white hair wearing round dark glasses, accompanied by a sleek gray coat with high collar over a purple shirt. The same unofficial reports also indicate that Locke carries a large artifact with spikes on his back, along with what appears to be a hand axe that would perfectly align with the detailed hammer-like weapon mentioned by the developers.

The community believes they have spotted the first glimpse of this mysterious character in the animated comic “For the Fallen”, where a hooded figure wearing red glasses and a backpack on his back moves towards a dangerous forest under Garen’s watchful eye. Due to the presence of this strange backpack and the protagonism that demon hunter Vayne has had during the current act of the season, the main theories suggest that the new champion will come from the same environment and share that dark vocation.