Last Epoch is a top-down ARPG similar to Diablo and Path of Exile. Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn’t do well, and if it’s worth your time and money.
Last Epoch Review Overview
Last Epoch Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 Excellent Progression System Strong Gameplay All Throughout Informative and Accessible Small but Talented and Dedicated Dev Team |
Small and Inexperienced Dev Team |
Last Epoch Overall Score - 92/100
For a dev team of only 90 people, Last Epoch surpassed all expectations and isn’t just a Diablo clone. It has everything you’d look for in a top-down ARPG—top-notch visuals, strong and complex gameplay, and a decent and out-of-the-box story. In my opinion, it’s better than Diablo 4 but only for half the price.
Last Epoch Story - 8/10
Last Epoch’s story is definitely a breath of fresh air. It’s not as basic as the typical Diablo storyline of angels vs demons. The story is centered around saving the world through time travel, so you’ll be visiting the same places but thousands of years apart, which is cool since you’ll see how these places have changed over time. However, the plot itself isn’t enough to get me super invested in it. That’s totally fine though as Last Epoch isn’t a game people would play for the story.
Last Epoch Gameplay - 10/10
Last Epoch’s gameplay is phenomenal. The controls are responsive, the animations and effects are top-notch, and the overall gameplay feels great to play. It’s not really that hard, but it’s not exactly a walk in the park either. The progression systems in this game are deep and complex, but are explained well and aren’t overwhelming at all.
Last Epoch Visuals - 9/10
Last Epoch looks beautiful in max graphics, which my mid-tier PC could run smoothly consistently. Character models, environments, and special effects are all detailed and on point.
Last Epoch Audio - 9/10
Similar to the visuals, Last Epoch sounds great, both in terms of soundtrack and sound effects. The voice acting is also noticeably good. The soundtrack matches whatever scene is going on, the sound effects sound exactly how they should, and the voice acting doesn’t sound forced or unnatural.
Last Epoch Value for Money - 10/10
For only $34.99, half of the typical AAA game price, Last Epoch offers everything you’d look for in an ARPG. I normally reserve 10/10 scores for outstanding free-to-play games, but I think that Last Epoch is a steal for its price. It’s built well, with great replayability and long-term gaming experiences in mind. It’s a game that I think a lot of people could spend hundreds of hours on and not grow tired of.
Last Epoch Review | Better Than Diablo
Last Epoch starts out by providing a little bit of background on what’s going on in the game’s world when your character comes along. You’re in a world called Etera, which is ruled by four gods. The god of the skies waged war on the others in an attempt to take control of the world. The world is in shambles, and with the power of the Epoch, you’re able to travel through time to right some wrongs and prevent the world from being consumed by the Void, an entity that causes madness. It’s a cool concept since you’ll be traveling to the same places but thousands of years apart, and you’ll see how much or little the places have changed over time.
You’re then tasked with creating your character. There are five different classes—Sentinel, the mighty tank class, Rogue, the agile weapon master, Mage, the elemental magic user, Acolyte, the dark magic user, and Primalist, the shapeshifting nature magic user. Each of these classes has unique skillsets and playstyles that set them apart from the others. These classes can specialize in 3 different masteries, further setting them apart with even more unique abilities and playstyles. For example, the Rogue, which is the class I went with, can choose to spend their points in the Bladedancer, Marksman, and Falconer masteries. The Bladedancer focuses on the rogue’s powerful melee attacks to quickly deal large amounts of damage and get away safely with her high mobility. The Marksman focuses on powerful ranged attacks that can devastate both mobs of enemies and beefy bosses and then again, using mobility to quickly get out of sticky situations. The Falconer works hand-in-hand with a bird to perform fast and devastating coordinated attacks.
My experience with the Rogue has been very enjoyable. I chose to upgrade my shurikens attack as my bread and butter ability and use my dash to reposition whenever I get surrounded or overwhelmed. I really did feel like an agile weapons master, throwing shurikens, stabbing with swords, and dashing to safety. I can’t speak for the other classes, but I’m excited to eventually try out commanding an undead army with the Acolyte’s Necromancer mastery and an unstoppable holy warrior with the Sentinel’s Paladin mastery.
You’ll face off against hordes and armies of enemy units, with occasional boss fights here and there. Progressing through the campaign won’t be that hard, but it won’t be a walk in the park either. It’s easy to get overwhelmed when you don’t use your skills optimally. Unlike in Diablo 4, there are plenty of fun things to do or grind for after completing the campaign. Take on procedurally generated maps with tons of ultra-buffed enemies for unique loot that will take your build to the next level. There’s more to it than that, but I haven’t gotten there myself. I’m basing this off of what other players experienced in the beta, and what the developers said they’d add.
Progression in this game is complex, but is organized and explained well. There are points you acquire as you progress for not only your character’s class strengths but also your skills as well. This is another thing where I think Last Epoch did better than Diablo 4. The progression trees for your skills are vast and can make them do some crazy things, unlike in Diablo where you only really have a couple of options to enhance your skills. Moreover, there are separate pages for your character upgrades and your skill upgrades, with respective points for each as you level up. In Diablo, there’s only one page with one gigantic tree for both your skills and your character buffs.
Overall, I’d say that Last Epoch holds its own against Diablo 4 until the end of the campaign, as both games have strong campaign experiences. However, Last Epoch sets itself far above Diablo after the campaign with its rich endgame content. I’d also say that it’s better than Path of Exile(PoE) due to PoE’s very steep learning curve and its required time investment to actually get good to enjoy. Moreover, PoE is an 11-year-old game, with the sequel being released later this year. What a time for top-down ARPGs.
Pros of Last Epoch
| Things Last Epoch Got Right |
|---|
|
Excellent Progression System Strong Gameplay All Throughout Informative and Accessible Small but Talented and Dedicated Dev Team |
Excellent Progression System
The game’s progression systems are deep and complex, but not overwhelming at all. It’s organized well and easy to understand. Because the progression trees in this game are also vast, the build possibilities are endless. It’s also very easy to respec your points, so you’re encouraged to try out new builds based on your gear.
Strong Gameplay All Throughout
Last Epoch is fun from the get-go and is still enjoyed by many come endgame. While I haven’t gotten to the endgame myself, I’ve only heard good things about it from players who have gotten there. In contrast to Diablo, where the saying "real Diablo comes after the campaign" simply doesn’t hold up anymore. There’s an utter lack of things to do in Diablo 4’s endgame, and getting to Path of Exile’s endgame requires some amount of mastery over its uber-complex gameplay mechanics, which is easier said than done. From my experience, I can say that I haven’t gotten bored while playing the game. There’s not a lot of time in the game where you’re not doing anything or walking on autopilot until you get to your objective. There are almost always threats around you to take down and things to discover.
Informative and Accessible
There was never a time I didn’t know what to do next, nor did I ever get lost in the game. The game explains itself well despite its somewhat more complex nature, and the upgrades pretty much explain themselves and are viable. Unlike Path of Exile, Last Epoch is a game that you could enjoy all by yourself, without having to resort to outside resources like guides and walkthroughs.
Small but Talented and Dedicated Dev Team
In case you didn’t know, Last Epoch was made by a small team of 90 talented individuals from all around the world, most of which have no experience in the gaming industry prior to this game. This makes it all the more impressive that they’re able to come up with an incredible game with much fewer resources and manpower than most AAA game studios have access to. Moreover, Last Epoch was in early access for almost 5 years, and they waited until the game was up to a certain standard before they released the full game. This goes against what tons of other studios shamelessly do, releasing half-baked unfinished games and then finishing them later on, that is, if they ever do at all. The team behind this game is hardworking, talented, and deserves lots of praise for what they’ve done. Their goal is to provide the best ARPG gameplay they’re capable of, and not to milk as much money as they could in their games, as evidenced by their cheap price and commitment to not adding in any pay-to-win elements.
Cons of Last Epoch
| Things That Last Epoch Can Improve |
|---|
|
Small and Inexperienced Dev Team |
Small and Inexperienced Dev Team
As the sole con I found in this game, the small team of 90 people is a con as well. Their lack of manpower and resources can also mean that they may take longer to dish out content or fix issues with the game. An example of this is the 1.0 launch earlier today, which didn’t really go as planned. The servers weren’t able to handle the massive influx of people wanting to play this game at launch, which led to bugs and unending loading screens. It’s taking them more than a couple of hours to fix this, but one thing’s for certain, this team works their butts off, which is far more admirable than some developers under megacorporations that don’t do anything to fix their game’s issues at all or release unfinished games. The developers mentioned 2 hours after release that they were aware of the issue and that they were working hard to fix it right away. It’s highly commendable that they’re in the war room working to provide their players with the experience they want.
Is Last Epoch Worth It?
Worth Every Penny
Last Epoch is an incredible game for a very reasonable price of $34.99. There are no pay-to-win mechanics, it’s fun, it looks great, and it’s something you could play for hundreds of hours in total. Heck, I’d buy this for $70 and still say it’s worth it.
Last Epoch Overview & Premise
Last Epoch is set in Eterra, a world of gods and empires. The Void, which corrupts everything it touches and bends it to its will, threatens the future of Eterra. You must travel through time and change the past to prevent the world from plunging into eternal darkness. Through your travels across time, learn ancient secrets and uncover the past, all while securing the world’s fate from the clutches of the Void.
Last Epoch FAQ
How do I respec my character in Last Epoch?
You could respec your skill points through the skill menu, and there are NPCs with the brain icon scattered throughout the map, who will let you respec your mastery points.
Can you use an offline character online?
No, you’ll have to make a separate online character. There is no way to play with an offline character online.
Last Epoch Product Information
 |
|
| Title | LAST EPOCH |
|---|---|
| Release Date | February 21, 2024 |
| Developer | Eleventh Hour Games |
| Publisher | Eleventh Hour Games |
| Supported Platforms | PC |
| Genre | Action, Adventure, RPG |
| Number of Players | 1-4 |
| ESRB Rating | RP |
| Official Website | Last Epoch Website |
