Is the next Steam hit in Hack and Slay already on the horizon with Last Epoch? We present you the action RPG that could pose a serious threat to the popular Wolcen with an exciting feature and bridge the wait until the release of Diablo 4.
What is Last Epoch? The action RPG from Eleventh Hour Games aims to expand the “Hack and Slay” genre with an interesting mechanic: time travel.
In Last Epoch, you explore a vast world that you can traverse in four different time periods, all of which are distinct from one another. In the areas, you fight numerous monsters and collect plenty of loot, typical for a “Hack and Slay.” Additionally, you improve your hero using skills for their chosen class.
Journey Through Time
How do time travels work? Within the story of the action RPG Last Epoch, you traverse the world in four timelines. You witness how the world changes and constantly fight different enemies.
Even outside the story, time travel plays an important role. It is for example possible to hide an item. If you then travel to the future, you can find it again here. In the meantime, the item has become more powerful and thus much more useful for you.
Moreover, you use skills that allow you to send your enemies a few seconds into the future or the past. This has tactical implications for the battles. For instance, if many monsters are making your life difficult, you can send a few of them into the future to deal with them later.
What features does Last Epoch offer? Although Last Epoch is fundamentally a typical “Hack and Slay,” it also takes its own path with some gameplay mechanics.
- Unlike Wolcen, where you build characters through skills, you choose a base class at the beginning and can later ascend to master classes.
- Your class develops through a skill tree, where each skill has its own augment tree. You can change how a skill functions through that.
- The loot hunt is also a central element in Last Epoch. Like in other “Hack and Slays,” you find randomly generated loot, including unique items like in Wolcen, such as unique weapons and armor.
- In the Time-Lost Colosseum, you compete in PvP battles against other players.
What state is the Hack and Slay in? Currently, Last Epoch is still in the early access phase, where you can join via Steam for 29.99 euros.
When is the planned release? The developers state that Last Epoch is officially set to release in the fourth quarter of 2020.
The Action RPG is Well Received
How is the current version being received? There is already quite a bit of feedback for the early access version of Last Epoch. Opinions are mostly positive. On Steam, the Hack and Slay currently has a rating of 87% in the past 30 days and an overall rating of 78%.
However, the player numbers are still somewhat low. In the last 30 days, according to Steamcharts, around 155 players played simultaneously, peaking at 1,548 players.
The fluid controls, diverse areas, ample loot, and different enemies are well-received. Comparisons are even being drawn to Path of Exile because the skill system is quite complex and there is already tons of content available.
However, the balancing has been criticized. The difficulty level is said to spike significantly starting at around level 30. The graphics also cannot quite compete with those of Wolcen.
- Perijax writes on Steam: “Can this game be recommended right now? For those aware that it is still an early beta and what that means: Yes! Everyone else might want to wait a bit longer.”
- Ana Brays milky Tighs says on Steam: “The game is still in testing, but it is promising. I have a lot of fun playing and look forward to more updates. The graphics could use some work, and many characters and environments look outdated, but the gameplay and character development both feel great.”
- Retromastery explains on Steam: “If everything goes well, this could become a strong competitor to Path of Exile. There is already over a hundred hours of content, and the developers are doing an amazing job.”
Have you already had the chance to try out Last Epoch? Do you believe it can compete with Wolcen and bridge the wait until Diablo 4 is released?
