Riot has confirmed Locke as the next League of Legends champion, and he is set to arrive in Patch 26.13 with a High Noon skin on day one. The announcement came in a Dev Update published on May 27, 2026, from Meddler and Pabro, giving players their first official look at the champion’s release window.

That timing is why Locke is now drawing attention. Patch 26.12 is the next stop for League of Legends players, but Locke is already locked in for the patch after that, which means the wait is measured in two updates rather than an open-ended tease. Riot also said Akshan will get a High Noon skin in the same batch, tying Locke’s launch to a broader cosmetic rollout that lands alongside other changes.

The confirmation matters because Riot did more than name the champion. Locke is being framed as a high-burst assassin built around setup and execution, which points to a sharply defined role rather than a flexible all-rounder. That is enough to tell players how Riot wants him to function, but not enough to tell them exactly how he will work moment to moment.

Those specifics are still being kept close to the chest. Riot has described Locke as a conditional assassin with a high damage ceiling, but one that depends on proper execution, and that usually means the first few weeks can be rough in solo queue if the kit asks too much of players. The company has not yet laid out the full ability list, leaving the real test for when Locke actually hits the live game.

The wider patch cycle around him is busy. Patch 26.12 will add Sinful Shores skins for Hwei and Brand, a Prestige version for LeBlanc, and a major ARAM: Mayhem overhaul that removes the Trait system entirely and replaces it with new Augments. Riot gave Blitzcrank hooking multiple targets at once as one example of the new Ability Augments, while it is also testing Ranked 5s as a queue for full five-stacks running in windowed time slots.

For players waiting on a new assassin, the important part is already clear: Locke is coming in Patch 26.13, he is arriving as a high-burst champion built for setup and execution, and Riot is pairing the launch with a High Noon skin instead of holding cosmetics for later. What remains unanswered is the part that will matter most once he reaches Summoner’s Rift — how his kit actually turns that promise into a kill.