League of Legends is getting ready to welcome its next champion, and this time, Riot is bringing a new assassin to the Rift. The upcoming champion is called Locke, also known as the Ashen Exorcist, and he is already shaping up to be one of the more interesting releases of the 2026 season.
Riot has officially confirmed Locke as the next champion coming to League of Legends. While the full gameplay breakdown is still being rolled out through Riot’s official channels, the early details already give players a pretty clear idea of what to expect. Locke is being positioned as a high-burst assassin who rewards setup, timing, and clean execution.
Who Is Locke in League of Legends?
Locke is the newest champion coming to League of Legends, and Riot has introduced him as the Ashen Exorcist. His theme leans heavily into demon hunting, exorcism, and darker Demacian fantasy, which fits the current direction of League’s 2026 storyline.
Riot’s cinematic, Back from the Brink, also connects Locke to Vayne, with the story teasing that Locke has spent his life hunting demons and now faces one of his biggest challenges through a possessed Vayne.
Locke’s Role and Playstyle
Locke is being designed as a high-burst assassin, and Riot has made it clear that his damage potential depends on proper setup. That alone should tell players that he will not be the kind of champion who simply runs in and deletes targets without preparation.
From the way Riot has described him, Locke sounds like a champion built around creating the right moment before committing. If his kit lives up to that description, Locke may sit closer to champions who reward patience, positioning, and sharp timing.
Locke Abilities First Look
Passive – Silver Stake
Locke pins enemies’ souls with his attacks, dealing bonus magic damage On-Hit, increased based on the enemy’s missing Health.
Q – Ritual Nails
Locke readies a set of Soul Nails to throw forward, dealing magic damage and marking enemies hit. The nails apply a slow based on stacks. Attacking the enemy consumes the Soul Nails, dealing magic damage per stack. Restores a portion of cooldown and mana for unspent Nails.
W – Soul Ignition
Locke releases his own seals, gaining Move Speed decaying over time. While this effect is active, he suffers % health true damage per second but heals back a portion of damage taken, plus an additional amount based on missing health and time passed. The seals remain unbound for a few seconds and can be Recast to end early.
E – Ashen Pursuit
Locke blinks to a location, dealing magic damage around him. After his next attack dashes to his target, dealing magic damage to all enemies in his path. Each of these hits consumes Soul Nails. Cooldown resets on takedown.
R – Purgatory
Locke kicks a binding artifact to a location that opens on arrival, shooting chained Soul Nails at enemies in the area, dealing magic damage and slowing. Marked Champions that are brought below a threshold are pulled inside and killed.
If a Champion is executed, the duration of the binding is reset on other affected Champions. After a few seconds, the artifact seals itself and is left on the ground if a Champion was sealed. If Locke picks up the artifact, he permanently increases the execution threshold and refunds a portion of his current cooldown for each Champion sealed.
Locke Release Date in League of Legends
Locke is currently scheduled to release with League of Legends Patch 26.13. According to Riot’s official 2026 patch schedule, Patch 26.13 is planned for June 24, 2026, Pacific Time.
As always, patch timing can vary slightly depending on region and server rollout, but June 24 is the date players should keep an eye on for Locke’s expected arrival. If Riot follows its normal release flow, Locke should become available around the launch of Patch 26.13, along with his launch skin.
Locke Is Getting a High Noon Skin
Riot has also confirmed that Locke will be getting a High Noon skin after the Sinful Shores lineup. That is a strong launch choice, especially for a champion with a darker, demon-hunting identity. High Noon already has a supernatural western theme, so Locke fits that universe pretty naturally.
With Locke expected to arrive in Patch 26.13 on June 24, 2026, League players will not have to wait much longer to see how the Ashen Exorcist actually performs on Summoner’s Rift.
