Locke is a Demacian exorcist who combines teleport-dash mobility with On-Hit mark mechanics and a powerful execute ultimate. He plays as a roaming assassin who snowballs kills into more execute opportunities.
Abilities
Skills Overview
P
Silver Stake
Passive
Locke's attacks deal additional magic damage On-Hit, increased based on enemy missing Health.
Silver Stake: On-Hit magic damage that scales with enemy missing health. Deal more damage to low-health targets.
Q
Ritual Nails
Skillshot · Mark
Locke readies a set of Soul Nails to throw, dealing damage to and marking enemies hit. Locke can consume the marks to deal bonus damage with his attacks.
CD: 10/9/8/7/6 · Cost: 70
Ritual Nails: Hit enemies to mark them. Auto-attack marked enemies for bonus damage — a key part of your burst combo.
W
Soul Ignition
Self-Buff · Attack Speed
Locke ignites his soul, gaining Attack Speed and Move Speed, and dealing damage to himself. At the end of the duration, Locke will heal back a portion of the damage he takes during the effect.
CD: 18/17/16/15/14 · Cost: 50/55/60/65/70
Soul Ignition: Activate for Attack Speed and Move Speed. Ends with a heal proportional to damage taken. Use when diving.
E
Ashen Pursuit
Teleport · Dash
Locke teleports to a location before dashing to attack his next target, dealing damage to enemies passed through.
CD: 10 · Cost: 30/40/50/60/70
Ashen Pursuit: Teleport then dash to a target. Your primary gap-closer — use it to engage or reposition.
R
Purgatory
Projectile · Execute
Locke throws a binding artifact that deals damage and potentially executes enemies hit. Locke gains additional power for sealing away enemy champions.
CD: 120/100/80 · Cost: 100
Purgatory: A binding throw that executes below a threshold. Use on low-health targets for the execute bonus and power-up stacks.
Skill Leveling Order — Max Q first, then E, then W · R at 6 / 11 / 16
| Level | Q | W | E | R | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Take Q — main damage | ||||
| 2 | Take W — attack speed | ||||
| 3 | Take E — gap closer | ||||
| 4 | Level Q | ||||
| 5 | Level Q | ||||
| 6 | R — Purgatory | ||||
| 7 | Level Q | ||||
| 8 | Level E | ||||
| 9 | Q maxed ✓ | ||||
| 10 | Level E | ||||
| 11 | R rank 2 | ||||
| 12 | Level E | ||||
| 13 | Level E | ||||
| 14 | E maxed ✓ | ||||
| 15 | Level W | ||||
| 16 | R rank 3 | ||||
| 17 | Level W | ||||
| 18 | W maxed ✓ |
Itemization
Recommended Builds
Summoner Spells
Primary
Flash
Best repositioning tool — extend your E range or escape after diving
Secondary
Ignite
Helps hit the R execute threshold and denies healing in trades
Situational
Teleport
Teleport
Core Build
Duskblade of Draktharr
Lethality + invisibility on kill synergizes with Locke's kill-focused playstyle.
3100g
Ionian Boots
CDR to lower E and R cooldowns.
950g
Edge of Night
Spell shield protects during your engage window.
2900g
Opportunity
Lethality and Out of Combat move speed for roaming.
2900g
Situational
Youmuu's Ghostblade
Extra lethality and movement speed for chasing.
2900g
Death's Dance
Survivability vs burst comps while you wait for W heal.
3300g
Guardian Angel
Second life when diving the backline.
3200g
E in → Q mark → W active → autos → R execute when low. Duskblade invis on kill.
Runes
Domination Primary
Electrocute
Q + auto + R procs Electrocute easily.
Sudden Impact
Lethality after E teleport/dash.
Eyeball Collection
Free AD scaling.
Ultimate Hunter
Lower R cooldown for more executes.
Precision Secondary
Triumph
Heal on kill keeps you in fights.
Last Stand
Bonus damage when low — combos with W's risky self-damage.
Shards
Adaptive Force · Adaptive Force · Health
Gameplay
How to Play Locke
01
Early Game
Q Poke + Mark Trades
- Q from range to mark targets — autos consume marks for bonus damage.
- E teleport + dash to close on overextended enemies.
- W gives attack speed and heals — use it in extended trades, not short pokes.
- Farm safely before level 6; your kill pressure jumps dramatically with R.
- Level 6 all-in: E in → Q mark → W → autos → R execute.
02
Mid Game
E → Q → W → R Assassination
- Full combo: E → Q mark → W (attack speed) → autos → R when low.
- Passive Silver Stake deals more damage the lower the enemy's HP — save autos for when they're low.
- R execute threshold: use it around 30-40% HP for the kill.
- Roam with E for gap-closing; shove wave then look for side picks.
- Power-up stacks from R kills amplify your next fight.
03
Late Game
Flank Assassin
- Flank → E onto the carry → Q mark → W → auto them down → R execute.
- Your passive deals massive damage on low-health targets — dive the carry past 30% HP.
- W heal is a safety net when diving — don't be afraid to take some damage.
- Avoid tanks — your On-Hit and Lethality scale poorly into armor stacks.
- One kill with R can snowball a teamfight via power-up stacks.
Teamfighting
How to Teamfight as Locke
Locke flanks, E onto the carry, marks and autos them down, then finishes with R execute to gain power stacks for the next target.
1
Flank — Find the Carry
Setup
01
Position in fog of war.
02
Wait for frontline CC to be blown.
03
Identify the squishy carry target.
Don't E into 5 people blindly. Wait for CC to land on your team before diving the backline.
2
Burst — E → Q → W → Autos
Assassination
01
E teleport + dash onto the carry.
02
Q to mark them immediately.
03
Activate W for attack speed, consume mark with autos.
3
Execute — R + Power Stacks
Finish + Reset
01
R when target is low for the execute.
02
Power-up stacks from R kill boost you for the next target.
03
W heal keeps you alive after the dive.
Silver Stake passive deals more damage the lower the target's HP. Prioritize landing autos once they're below 40% for maximum burst.
Tips & Tricks
Advanced Mechanics & Hidden Tech
Advanced mechanics for Locke.
Basic
Mark → Auto Combo
Q marks the target. Your next auto consumes the mark for bonus damage. Always follow Q with an auto.
Basic
W Timing
Activate W before engaging — it gives Attack Speed and Move Speed. The heal at the end rewards you for staying in the fight.
Intermediate
E Positioning
E teleports then dashes. Use the teleport to bypass terrain, then the dash auto-targets the nearest enemy. Don't waste it on minions.
Intermediate
Execute Threshold
R execute threshold scales with rank. At rank 3, it executes targets below roughly 30-35% HP. Chip them down before throwing R.
Advanced
Passive Scaling
Silver Stake On-Hit damage scales with enemy MISSING health. The lower they are, the harder each auto hits. Patience = bigger burst window.
Advanced
R Power Stacks
Executing or sealing an enemy champion with R grants power stacks that amplify your next fight. Use R on champions, not minions, to chain fights.
Matchups
Counters & Matchups
Locke struggles against tanks with sustain and champions with point-and-click CC that interrupt his E + auto combo. He excels against immobile squishies.
Click any matchup to expand tips & how to play against them
Loses Against
R self-cast survives your execute window.
Bait her R out, then all-in.
R suppression stops your combo entirely.
Buy QSS. Don't E if his R is available.
Too tanky for your lethality build. W taunt catches your E dash.
Roam to sidelanes instead of fighting Galio.
Wins Against
Squishy, immobile. E bypasses his cage walls.
E through cage → Q mark → W → autos → R execute.
No escape from your E dash combo. Squishy.
E → Q → W → autos → R execute.
Immobile, squishy, no reliable escape from your E.
E in, burst before he can stun you with Gold Card.
Team Comp
Best Synergies
Malphite R groups and CC's the enemy team, giving Locke a clean E window to dive the exposed carry without peel.
Amumu R roots the entire enemy team. Locke E's onto the carry freely and chains R executes while they're locked down.
Jarvan's Cataclysm walls trap Locke's R target, preventing escape from the execute window.