Locke has not even reached live servers yet, but Riot is already pulling back some of his power on the League of Legends PBE. The upcoming champion has quickly become one of the most talked-about additions to the roster, largely because of his aggressive AP assassin kit and the amount of sustain built into his W ability, Soul Ignition.
The latest PBE changes target that healing directly, suggesting Riot may have seen enough early testing data to decide Locke was too forgiving in fights before his official launch.
Locke Gets Hit With W Nerfs on PBE
The biggest adjustment is aimed at Soul Ignition, Locke’s W ability. This spell is a major part of his identity, giving him movement speed while also allowing him to recover health based on the damage he takes and other factors during the ability’s duration.
On the PBE, Locke’s W minimum heal has been reduced from 60 to 220 down to 40 to 200. That means his safety net is weaker at nearly every stage of the game, especially early on when assassins usually need to take risky trades to find pressure.
His W bonus heal is also getting a major hit, dropping from 60 to 300 down to 40 to 200. That is a much harsher late-game reduction and could make Locke less frustrating to deal with when he dives into fights and tries to survive through burst damage.
Riot Adjusts Locke’s AP Scaling
The changes are not a straight nerf in every direction. Riot has increased the AP ratio on Locke’s W minimum heal from 100 percent to 120 percent. This gives him slightly better scaling if he builds heavily into Ability Power, which should reward more traditional assassin builds.
However, the bonus heal AP ratio has been reduced from 40 percent to 20 percent. That part matters a lot because it lowers how much extra healing Locke can squeeze out in extended fights, especially once he has a few items.
In simple terms, Riot appears to be shifting Locke away from relying on raw base healing and bonus sustain. Players who build AP properly will still get value, but the champion should have less free durability just from pressing W.
Soul Ignition Was Always Going to Be Watched Closely
Locke’s W was always going to be one of the most sensitive parts of his kit. Assassins are usually balanced around risk. They jump in, look for a kill, and can be punished if they mistime their engage. When an assassin also has strong healing, high mobility, and burst damage, the champion can quickly become frustrating to play against.
Soul Ignition gives Locke a way to move faster and survive damage during aggressive plays. That sounds exciting for Locke players, but it also creates a balance problem. If the healing is too high, he may be able to take trades that other assassins could never survive.
These PBE nerfs suggest Riot wants Locke to remain dangerous without letting him ignore punishment too easily.
Locke Could Still Be Strong Despite the Nerfs
Even with these PBE changes, it is too early to call Locke weak. His full kit still gives him plenty of tools to threaten squishy champions, chase targets, and snowball fights. The W nerfs mostly affect how much punishment he can absorb while doing all of that.
If his damage numbers remain strong, Locke may still launch as a powerful mid-lane pick. If his sustain was the main thing pushing him over the edge, these changes could bring him closer to a fair release state.
Since this is still PBE, nothing is final. Riot can still adjust Locke again before he officially arrives on live servers.
Locke’s PBE Nerfs Are Probably a Good Sign
Locke receiving nerfs before launch may sound worrying for players excited to main him, but it is probably a healthy move. A champion with burst, mobility, sustain, and an execute mechanic needs careful tuning, and Soul Ignition was always going to be a major balance point.
The latest PBE update makes Locke less forgiving while still keeping his AP scaling intact. That should make his success depend more on timing, itemization, and clean decision-making rather than simply surviving every fight through raw healing.
Locke is still shaping up to be one of League of Legends’ most interesting new champions of the year. The real question now is whether Riot has done enough to keep him exciting without making him a nightmare on day one.
