Who is the new League of Legends champion? As the MOBA‘s roster continues to expand (it currently sits at a colossal 172), Riot has admitted that it’s planning to release less champions per year.
Ahead of the highly anticipated League Next update, which in many ways sounds like a sequel without the generic ‘2,’ the developer is adjusting its champion release cadence dramatically, which is bad news for those of you who are looking for something new in League of Legends, but, in my mind, essential to the health of the overall game. So, without further ado, here’s everything we know about Locke, the upcoming addition to the roster.
The last champion to join the League of Legends roster was Zaahen at the end of 2025, which saw three champions released over the course of the year. Then, we got the the much-anticipated Shyvana rework in March 2026 which, given that it reworked both her visuals and her kit, effectively feels like the addition of a new champion. As for fresh faces, however, Riot has confirmed that we’ll need to wait a little bit longer.
Who is the new League of Legends champion?
The new League of Legends champion appears to be called Locke, and is confirmed to be an AP mid lane assassin. While the latter was confirmed in Riot’s April 13 dev diary, where it also showcased an eerie weapon that looks a little bit like a nail, the name ‘Locke’ was mentioned in an April Fool’s post by game director Pu ‘PuPuLasers’ Liu.
“Some players believe that League of Legends has too many champions,” he jokes. “Turns out they’re absolutely right, and 172 is the maximum number of champions we can have in League. When Locke releases, one champion will be deleted from League forever. Vote! Write-ins permitted in comments.” I voted for Yuumi, as everyone should. But, that aside, Locke seems to be the name of the next League of Legends champion, unless Liu is trolling us, of course. I wouldn’t put it past him.
Per a series of leaks from Spanish X account Big Bad Bear, we supposedly catch our first glimpse of Locke as part of the “For the Fallen” motion comic. Appearing in mid-February, the first few shots (beginning 0:20 in the video below) show a hooded figure with round, red glasses and a quiver on his back speaking to the bartender of a tavern. She warns that “no one that goes into those woods comes back, at least not the same as they were,” and our mystery man heads out into the night, presumably bound for said forest. This catches the attention of Garen, the comic’s primary focus, before he moves on into a recollection sequence. This mystery character is believed to be Locke.
This mysterious quiver, coupled with the red glasses and Season 2 Act 1’s focus on demon hunter Vayne may imply that Locke hails from the same supernatural slaying background as the Night Hunter herself. That’s just my theory, but there are certainly some parallels between their aesthetics, and the timing doesn’t feel like a coincidence.
That’s all of the information we have at the moment. In a Reddit comment, however, head of League studio Andrei ‘Meddler’ van Roon confirmed that there will only be one champion releasing in 2026 – presumably Locke – and that they’re set to drop “around the middle of the year.” I’d assume that’ll probably be around the same time as the annual summer event, but ahead of MSI’s finale in July, where we’re set to learn more about League Next.
When does the new League of Legends champion release?
The new League of Legends champion is set to release with Season 2, Act 2. With Act 1 kicking off on April 26, lasting for six weeks instead of the usual eight, I suspect Locke may appear somewhere around Wednesday June 10, which perfectly aligns with the launch of patch 26.12. It’s worth noting that this isn’t 100% guaranteed, but the timeline fits pretty well.
How many League of Legends champions are there?
There are currently 172 champions in League of Legends, making the next character number 173. That number will remain the same for the rest of 2026, unless they remove Yuumi per Liu’s April Fool’s post which, let’s be honest, would be a good thing.
So that’s everything we know about the new League of Legends champion. If you’re looking to get back into the fight, we have a full rundown of all the League of Legends ranks, if the game’s competitive scene is your bag.
