Gameplay of League of Legends' New Champion Locke Leaks Locke, the next champion set to release in League of Legends, has allegedly had footage of his gameplay leak online. The Demacian character, confirmed as LoL’s next champion unintentionally by a Rioter in an April Fools’ tweet, is expected to launch sometime in Season 2, 2026, which will run from April 29 to August 12. So far, Locke’s only appearance was in a motion comic released by Riot earlier in the year, though his in-game design appears to differ significantly from the cloaked figure shown in that comic. Locke is the sole new champion for 2026 and will be released in Season 2, according to a tweet from @LeagueOfLeaks on March 2, 2026. The leaked footage, which has circulated online, shows Locke throwing around a giant nail in what is claimed to be his Q ability. Additionally, the footage includes spooky “sealed artefacts” that spawn around the map for Locke to collect, though their exact function remains unclear. This ghostly theme is likely tied to the lore introduced in the motion comic, where Locke receives a warning from a bartender at a tavern: “No one that goes into those woods comes back, at least not the same as they were.” The lore hints at a darker, more mysterious backstory for the character, which aligns with the eerie elements in the leaked gameplay. Riot Games’ senior vice president, Andrei ‘Meddler’ van Roon, confirmed that only one new champion will be released in 2026. This decision is part of the company’s focus on developing ‘LoL Next,’ a large-scale revamp for the MOBA. Meddler also mentioned that another Demacian champion is set to receive a rework following the Shyvana VGU (Visual and Gameplay Update). While the specifics of this rework remain undisclosed, the community is speculating that it could apply to Quinn or Nocturne.#riot_games #league_of_legends #andrei_meddler #locke #season_2_2026
