Last Epoch

Traitors before 1.0: All dlc's are gonna be only cosmetic after 1.0: new class is not gonna be free Traitors

The base game/campaign isn't even complete but the focus is already on "seasons" because that's where the money is. Thumbs down.

As an avid fan of ARPGs, I really like this game, and will continue playing it from season to season, but as it stands I cannot recommend it. There are a couple of points that are very favourable, some big problems, and some other aspects that seem to be causing friction right now that I would like to address from a personal perspective. Let's start with the controversial: [h2] Monetization [/h2] [b]The game currently follows an unsustainable business model[/b] (I think. I don't have an earnings report). Paying once for the full game with seasonal content that sticks post-season, bug-fixes, QoL improvements, drawn cinematics, voice-acting, marketing and a bunch of other things is at no point reasonable. I don't think that development can keep going indefinitely with no predictable influx of funds. [b]The in-game cosmetic store is not the solution.[/b] I like that they went beyond armor cosmetics and made skins for skills, minions, portals and others, but in an isometric mostly single-player game, PAID cosmetics are the last thing most players think about, and given that, over long periods of time the earnings are greatly tied to how much is a minority willing to pay for cosmetics, which does not work with a declining playerbase (WHICH IS EXPECTED FROM MOST GAMES MIGHT I ADD AND PERFECTLY NORMAL). I love the game and have paid for a small amount of cosmetics, but [b]I rather have a transmog system considering how cool many of the game's items look[/b], and I'm pretty sure the reason there is no transmog system is because currently the only way to change your appearance is changing your equipment or purchasing cosmetics. I have always personally prefered the idea of paying for a game, and then have paid expansions released over time. That way development in the base game still continues, but you have certain "checkpoints" over the years in which that continued development gets funded through the expansions. Now, although I would be willing and happy to pay for an expansion, there are many other points that I think need addressing first, and if the current business model does indeed work on the long run, great. [h2] Bugs and Annoyances [/h2] Currently the game is shock-full of bugs, and here is a modest list of some I have found over the last TWO WEEKS: [list] [*]Haruspex Orian got stuck and portalling out and back didn't fix it [*]The "+X attributes if you have 7 corrupted items" doesn't apply if the last item you equipped is the item with that affix [*]The old bug of items appearing duplicated and then either appearing in the correct position or straight up vanishing forever (which I assume is a syncing problem in a system with full serverside authority) is now 2 years old YIPPEE [*]The "elite" enemies that revive after a couple of seconds sometimes appear completely invisible [*]I'm pretty sure I just saw one of those elites that summon a copy at 50% health summon 3 copies instead [*]Movement and collision issues (which once again, I'm sure has to do with serverside authority, and has also been an issue from the start) [*]The written dialogue between Majasa and Apophis always stops at the same part, while the voiced dialogue moves on [*]Unlike the entirety of the game's cinematics and events, the speech that Apophis gives cannot be skipped, but it does allow you to do all sorts of inputs, allowing you to open every menu and interact with the UI while it is hidden. [/list] There are many others I have found but cannot quite recall right now, as well as typos, and some other annoyances like: [list] [*]The Weaver Tree's nodes with imprinted items allow the player to imprint invalid items which means no similar item will be dropped, and the player is not notified at all of this. It shouldn't allow it in the first place. [*]The player has no control over what points a skill loses when unequipping a "+X to Y skill" affix [*]The Druid has no control over which companion disappears if you have the node to summon a Spriggan when transforming [*]Etc etc etc... [/list] [h2] The Good [/h2] Considering all the negatives I just said, how come I love the game? Well, because I find it fun, rewarding and correctly unbalanced. Here are my favourite points: [*]The upgrade system is very flexible, allowing for some really insane and rewarding combinations of affixes, limited by the right amount of luck to keep you trying for a better item again and again. [*]The classes and subclasses are both sufficiently distinct and versatile. [*]The map's (the literal drawn map you open with [M]) transition between epochs is mesmerizing, and I have spent a good few hours just looking at it and talking about how cool it looks. [*]The main characters in the Divine Era are really cool, and getting to know their fate is heartbreaking [*]The combat is really dynamic and fun. Hits have impact and overwhelming power is enjoyable. [*]Boss fights are really iconic, understandable and fun. I still remember the struggle with Lagon in Hardcore season 1, and still prepare for it season after season [*]The "snapshot" mechanic the Possessed Armor has when summoned is really fun to play around [*]The seasonal content is great, and I really appreciate that it sticks around instead of being replaced/removed [*]I love dinosaurs [*]I also love cosmic horror [*]I also really love the body horror of the Imperial Era [*]I also really really love the more grounded "whimsy" of the Divine Era [*]The loot filter is great Overall, the gameplay, the progression, the upgrades, the story, the visuals, the theme, the UI and pretty much the entire foundation of the game I find to be rock solid and great. It has all the potential to be absolutely amazing, but sadly the negatives previously mentioned contrast too much with the rest of the game. To have such a fun and cool game be tainted by such stupid details is pretty sad, and I really do wish the best for the game and the developers. I will keep supporting and enjoying the game over the years, but many things need to be ironed out before I can recommend it to anyone else.

Yet another company has lied to us and gone back on their promises, with egregious monetization that they promised wouldn't happen. Last time I ever pay money for a game like this one.

If there were a 'Maybe' option, I would pick it. The game isn’t overly difficult and is easy to get into; the crafting is great and the campaign picks up speed quickly. However, once you hit the endgame 'Monoliths,' the experience falls flat. Every season, the moment I need to push Corruption to progress, I end up dropping the game. It becomes a 'yawn simulator' for me. I can’t quite put my finger on what’s missing—whether it’s the class diversity, the gear progression, or just the Monolith system itself—but I can’t seem to play longer than the opening weekend. Even though I hit level 90+ and find 2LP (Legendary Potential) items within those first few days, I lose interest immediately. I wouldn't recommend this to a friend anymore, especially when there are free-to-play alternatives that handle the endgame loop much better.

1. If you found Grim Dawn too old and unfriendly to new player 2, If you don't have powerful pc to run titan quest 2 (UE5 slop) 3. If you want a game that can play completely offline unlike Poe or diablo online nonsense 4. If you want an ARPG that run reasonably well on steam deck If you found yourself in similar situation like above, Last epoch is basically a few choice or the only choice that you have. Since, the ARPG genre is relative niche for whatever reason it is either too old or stupid choice made by executive like the always online for an offline game like Diablo 2 Resurrected.

They sold their souls to Krafton. Even if it was for a good cause, the ends doesn't justify the means imo.

I've tried this multiple times going back to EA and I never stick with very long. It's fine. Ish. But I wouldn't recommend it to anyone over Grim Dawn, POE 1.2, Diablo 4 etc. The character intro and first few minutes of the game have never made sense narratively. They've changed it multiple times. Sometimes it made less sense. Sometimes it made more sense. Currently it sits at almost makes sense and then veers left into absolutely doesn't make sense. I just find this pretty funny tbh. Worse though is that this "philosophy" of things being tweaked until their almost right but not quite permeates the game. The combat has never felt weighty. The warrior feels the best but even then some hits are just wet sponges and theirs no physicality to anything. Hit something with an axe as the Primalist and you may as well be swinging a pool noodle. The VA has always been hilariously bad (special shout out to the death rattles of the bird soldiers that sound like someone's first acting experience). Gamepad implementation is, you guessed it, ok, better than it was, could be better. It's not too bad performance wise but then it's not exactly a looker. Skill trees are interesting enough but the game is so easy that it hardly matters what you choose or whether you optimize or not. I'm sure someone will tell me it gets hard in Endgame after 150 hours or something and my response is too bad, I'm not slogging through 150 hours of tedium to find out. It's just a shrug, The whole thing.

I'm not going to write a long review like I normally do. The game is fun up until endgame where it becomes needlessly padded and grindy. I don't have an issue with things being grindy and padded if they are fun. But going 8-10 hours without getting any meaningful upgrades and leaving every single piece of gear on the ground sucks. Also, completing all the timelines only to be told you can't challenge the last boss without doing them ALL AGAIN with harder difficulties and with larger stability bars to fill is a big ol' punch in the ♥♥♥♥. I don't have time to waste on that ♥♥♥♥ when I can just watch the fight on YouTube and see how it ends then spend that time I would've been grinding doing literally anything else. EDIT: Also turns out there is literally NO narrative payout to doing the endgame. So unless you want to slowly grind away at boring ARPG content, avoid the endgame and stop after beating the story. Or don't play it at all. The main story leaves so many unresolved threads hanging for what they say are going to be resolved in the endgame that just aren't.

Buyers remorse - refunded due to dead game trying to squeeze cash out of people as much as possible before it is fully abandoned.