Last Epoch is an Action RPG developed by 11th-hour games. It was released a couple of weeks ago on Steam and priced at around $35 to mostly positive reviews. and is best described right now as the middle ground between Diablo 4 and Path of Exile. So today let’s talk about if the Last epoch is the next big ARPG and if it’s worth your time.
Classes and Combat
Last Epoch lets you choose between 5 classes, the mage, primalist, acolyte, rogue, or sentinel. And then each of these classes has 3 subclasses. And you unlock these subclasses early into the story and they are fixed choices. And each of the subclasses feels substantially different.
A void knight feels significantly different from a paladin while still having similar base abilities. Just like a rogue still has its basic rogue abilities whether you play a marksman or a blade dancer. And overall the classes just feel good. It doesn’t feel like the game has just 5 classes, but more like it has 15 different classes. For more information on all classes available check out the official Last Epoch classes.
The combat stays fun from the very start of the game to the endgame. I’d see there are maybe fewer mechanics than some other ARPGs. And the high-end combat relies more on avoiding stuff on the ground and having high enough resistance not to get one shot. I can see why people might want more mechanics at the end game, but I personally really like it. It feels challenging, fast, and fun.
Last Epoch Skill Tree
The skill trees and character progression are incredible. There are 2 systems here, you have a passive tree and a skill tree:
Passive Skills
The passives let you place your points into different passive buffs as you level up. Think +1 int, increased armor, extra damage that kind of thing. You can place these points with any of your class trees and unlock new skills depending on which tree you put your points in.
Skill Tree
The skill trees are where the real beauty of this game lies. And this Last Epoch Review in 2024 has included this because this system is one of the greatest in the genre. Every single skill in the game can be specialized into, and you can specialize into 5 skills at a time. And each skill has a full skill tree. I’ve played this nonstop since its official release and I feel like I haven’t even scratched the surface of the classes I’ve played. So if you’re looking for an action RPG with a bit more depth than Diablo but not as overwhelming as Path of Exile, this works well. To read more about the skills and how the skill trees work, check out the Last Epoch skills guide.
Last Epoch Endgame
And then onto the main part of the game for lots of people, the endgame. And a well-designed endgame can be the main gameplay loop of an ARPG. So how does the last epoch hold up? It’s fun.
Most of your time at Endgame will be spent doing something called monoliths, and these are collections of maps with quick objectives. You start at a central point and slowly branch out in different directions, choosing the paths with the items you want, and every node is a different map with different enemies. Very similar to maps in Path of Exile.
Outside of these monoliths, you have unique dungeons that all have special features and scaling difficulties. completing one lets you spend gold on random chests, and completing another lets you craft a legendary at the end of it. There are also arenas where you challenge more and more waves of enemies and even place them on a leaderboard.
Overall, if you’re coming from Diablo 4, you will be blown away at how fun and interactive the endgame is. It isn’t as complex as the Path of Exile and doesn’t have as many systems, but the systems it does have work well and are fun.
Loot and Gear
And finally the main event, gear. These ARPG games are all about hitting those enemies and turning them into giant loot bags. We push into harder and harder endgames for rarer and stronger gear, so how is it in the Last epoch? Incredible. Probably the second-best thing about this game after the skills trees for me. It is infinitely better than Diablo 4, and much simpler than the path of Exile.
You have ranks of gear from basic, rare, exalted, unique, set pieces, and legendary items. Stats roll in tiers that get bigger the higher you level and you can upgrade and reroll individual stats. There are loot filters to fine-tune what you see on screen to help you only pick up the gear you want.
There is legendary crafting and progression. Idols that can be equipped to empower your spells and abilities and you can easily target farm gear that you are working towards in either the monolith or the faction system.
So the gearing system in Last Epoch hits the perfect sweet spot of being fun and exciting and still fairly simple to understand.
Overall Last Epoch 2024 Review
So overall, should you play Last Epoch in 2024, and is it a good game?
Absolutely. If you like ARPG games, this is not one to miss. It has an incredible class and skill system that is fun for a new player and then with enough depth to keep you trying new builds. It has a progressive and fun endgame, with a fantastic loot system that will keep you constantly trying to min max your gear. It lacks a lot of the systems of a game like Path of Exile and its story might not hit as hard as Diablo 4. But the core game here is well worth the $35 price tag.
