ARPG Last Epoch has needed a new roadmap since its spectacular launch (server issues aside) in February, and it’s finally here.
A bit like Diablo 4 (but not as bad), one of my few complaints about this title is the lack of ending content. It’s hard to compete with Path of Exile, which has been adding sizable expansions every 3 or 4 months for almost a decade, but from a player perspective, that doesn’t matter. Luckily, boss content is coming in the next cycle (1.1), as you may have already heard in whispers, giving fans more opportunities to test the mettle of their builds. From the looks of the artwork, you can expect to face at least some sort of dragon and meatloaf type character with a hammer who is probably making up for something.
The other major addition in 1.1 is a dodge mechanic. It wouldn’t be surprising if developer Eleventh Hour Games went this route after taking inspiration from Path of Exile 2 and seeing how much dynamism it adds to combat. It will be interesting to see if they tweak the combat (particularly the boss fights) and/or rebalance anything to accommodate it. Either way, I’m excited to roll around the battlefield.
Beyond 1.1, there’s a lot in store: final and one-off events (which seems to involve a two-headed dragon boss to farm), a new campaign chapter (yes, longer campaign… no), a Monolith of the Expanded Fate, Skill. Signets (which seem to resemble masteries familiar to Path of Exile players) and a transmog/tint system, among other things.
The most exciting thing in my opinion is all the new bosses, as well as the Monolith of Fate expansion. Both are sure to excite fans new and old, as there are only so many monkeys you can touch before you want to put your head through the monitor.
Interestingly, the studio is considering delaying the release of bosses in modes other than Online, to preserve the spirit of competition for the events. It’s not hard to see why: games like Path of Exile regularly see players start their Standard character (which retains progress for life) and immediately jump into the new boss to “practice” before trying it for real, which is a kind of riot. for both competitors and spectators. The downside is that competitors can’t practice, but this will probably mean they will prepare better. It should be worth it for the excitement, but just in case, Eleventh Hour will host a survey to see how the community feels (bless their hearts).
Last Epoch debuted to a whopping 264,708 players when it first launched, and that was amid server issues (the offline mode certainly came in handy). It has since fallen sharply to around 7,000, no doubt in part due to the release of new content by its competitors, but also the aforementioned lack of an ending to keep players hooked. It will certainly be fun to see how high the numbers rise with each subsequent expansion and if it can keep up with some compelling updates on the Diablo and Path of Exile fronts.
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