Locke is the newest champion to join the League of Legends roster, bringing an aggressive assassin/mage playstyle built around finding openings and taking down vulnerable targets. As a primary Mid Lane champion, his kit rewards players who enjoy aggressive decision-making and knowing when to commit to a fight.
Whether you are looking for the best Locke build or learning how to play against him, this League of Legends Locke guide will cover his abilities, runes and gameplay tips.
Abilities
Ability icons (Passive, Q, W, E and R) - Source: leagueoflegends.com
The official Locke Champion Spotlight provides an overview of his gameplay and playstyle, while this guide takes a closer look at how each part of his kit works.
Passive – Silver Stake
Locke’s basic attacks deal additional on-hit magic damage based on the target’s percentage of missing health.
Q – Ritual Nails
Locke throws piercing Soul Nails that damage and slow enemies hit, applying Soul Nail stacks. This skill can be recast twice at no additional cost, with each recast mimicking the original cast’s projectile, range and angle. Its base cooldown is 10 / 9 / 8 / 7 / 6 seconds depending on rank, with a 950-unit range.
W – Soul Ignition
Locke ignites his soul, gaining Attack Speed and decaying Move Speed for a limited time at the cost of health per second. While active, Locke stores the health lost from Soul Ignition and damage taken from enemy champions as grey health. When this ability is recast or reaches the end of its duration, Locke restores a portion of the stored health.
E – Ashen Pursuit
Locke teleports to a target location, dealing magic damage to nearby enemies. Afterwards, his next attack is empowered, causing him to dash in the target direction, deal magic damage along the way, and apply on-hit effects to the primary target hit. If Ashen Pursuit scores a takedown against an enemy champion, its cooldown is refunded. This makes him a strong threat during skirmishes, as securing one takedown allows him to keep chasing low-health enemies and cleaning up team fights.
R – Purgatory
Locke throws an artifact that fires nails at enemies in its area, dealing magic damage and slowing all targets hit. Enemy champions are also revealed and marked for 5 seconds, causing them to be executed when they fall below 10 / 11 / 12% of their maximum health, increased by 0.5% per Sealed Champion stack. Successful executions refresh the mark duration on all affected targets.
Locke Ability Order
Ability Priority: R > Q > E > W
Prioritise Ritual Nails (Q) first, as it is Locke’s main source of poke and damage during the early game. Follow this by levelling Ashen Pursuit (E) for additional mobility and trading potential, while putting points into Purgatory (R) whenever available.
Recommended Build
Recommended items
Boots:
Situational Items:
Best Locke Runes
Recommended runes
Summoner Spells
- Flash: Essential for additional mobility, engaging and repositioning.
- Ignite: Recommended secondary spell for increased kill pressure.
- Teleport: A safer choice into difficult matchups because it gives Locke more room to recover from bad trades, scale into his item spikes and join fights across the map.
How to play Locke
Early game
During the early game, play around safe trades and look for opportunities to pressure opponents without overcommitting. Use you Ritual Nails (Q) to build Soul Nail stacks during exchanges, then consume them with empowered basic attacks or Ashen Pursuit (E) to maximise your damage. Once you have established a lead or completed your first recalls, start building towards Lich Bane, which strengthens Locke’s trade patterns by improving the damage of his ability combos.
Mid game
The mid game is where Locke starts to become a major threat. Take the time to look for opportunities across the map and use your mobility to punish enemies who overextend or move between lanes without their team during rotations. This will allow you to create advantages before fights around Dragon or the Rift Herald even begin.
When those opportunities arrive, remember that Locke is strongest when he can enter fights on his own terms, so look for flanks or wait for your team to engage before committing so you can focus on vulnerable targets and secure important takedowns.
Late game
During late game, positioning becomes even more important. While Locke can still eliminate vulnerable targets, if you force fights or dive into multiple enemies, you can quickly be exposed, making it important to wait for the right opportunity to enter. Look for flanks and use vision to find openings where you can enter the enemy backline and quickly eliminate high-value targets such as the ADCs, mages or other vulnerable carries. When the game slows down, continue applying pressure on side lanes with the help of Lich Bane, forcing enemies to respond while staying ready to join your team when needed.
How to Counter Locke
Locke’s biggest strength is finding openings and punishing vulnerable targets, so the best way to play against him is to deny him those opportunities. During the laning phase, avoid giving him easy openings to trade or engage, and punish him when he misses Ritual Nails, as his pressure becomes much lower without consistent ability hits.
Once Locke reaches level 6, be careful when moving around the map alone and keep track of his position when he leaves lane to avoid giving him isolated targets. In team fights, save important crowd control abilities for Locke and avoid fighting in areas where he can easily find flanks or group enemies together with Purgatory.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Locke good for beginners?
Locke is a medium-difficulty champion who is relatively accessible for beginners compared to many assassins. His ranged abilities give him safer ways to deal damage and his kit is straightforward to understand, with tools for poking, engaging and finishing low-health targets. However, players still need to learn proper positioning, vision control and when to commit to fights, as entering at the wrong time can leave him vulnerable.
What lane does Locke play?
Locke is primarily played in the mid lane, where he can use his ranged abilities to pressure opponents and look for opportunities to roam across the map.
What is the best Locke build?
Locke’s recommended build starts with Lich Bane as his core first item, followed by Shadowflame, Zhonya’s Hourglass, Rabadon’s Deathcap and Void Staff.
What are the best Runes for Locke?
Locke’s recommended rune setup is Domination as the first page, with Electrocute as the Keystone, alongside Sudden Impact, Grisly Mementos and Treasure Hunter. The second page is Resolve with Bone Plating and Revitalize.