Riot Games has officially revealed Locke, the Ashen Exorcist, as the 173rd champion coming to League of Legends. The Demacian demon hunter will hit live servers with Patch 26.13 on June 24, 2026, making him the only new champion released in 2026. Locke is designed as a high-burst AP assassin for the mid lane, built around a unique Soul Nails marking-and-detonation system.
A demon hunter woven into Demacia's lore
Revealed in the cinematic "Back from the Brink", Locke is depicted as a blonde young man with red glasses who carries a coffin full of massive nails — his weapons against demons. His narrative is tightly linked to Vayne: a story arc around demonic possession will serve as the central thread of Season 2026's second act. Locke arrives as the male counterpart to Vayne in the monster-hunter niche of Runeterra's lore.
Kit breakdown: Soul Nails and execute potential
Locke's passive (Silver Stake) deals bonus magic damage on-hit, scaling with the enemy's missing health. His Q (Ritual Nails) throws nails that mark and slow enemies, with attacks detonating the marks for massive damage. His W (Soul Ignition) grants movement speed but deals true damage per second to himself, healed back through incoming damage. His E (Ashen Pursuit) blinks to a location then dashes to a target dealing damage along the path. His ultimate (Purgatory) launches an artifact that fires chained Soul Nails at nearby enemies — marked champions below a health threshold are dragged in and executed.
Locke launches on June 24 in Patch 26.13 with a High Noon skin. As the only new champion of 2026, he represents Riot's flagship assassin design for the year and is expected to shake up the mid lane meta on release.