The newly released hack and slay Last Epoch has been struggling with server problems since its launch on February 21. The developers have addressed this in a statement. However, the initial reactions from players are mostly positive despite the technical issues.
How was the release of Last Epoch? The new hack and slay is supposed to compete with Diablo and Path of Exile. Since the launch on the evening of February 21, many players have been struggling with server problems. The servers were overloaded, and many players found themselves in queues.
The problems were quickly confirmed by the developers. In particular, the message “Online game not available” was displayed to almost all players.
In the meantime, the servers were back online for a while. However, there are still connection drops and long loading times (via Gamestar).
The first voices about the game are positive
How is the game received? Although there are still technical issues, the general sentiment towards the game is positive. Looking at critic reviews, Last Epoch currently has 73 points on Metacritic. This roughly corresponds to the user ratings on Steam, which stand at 77% (about 9,000 reviews) and are “Mostly Positive”.
When looking at player reviews, many comparisons to the two other genre giants, Diablo 4 and Path of Exile, stand out.
- User Skadi writes: “Doesn’t insult your intelligence like Diablo 4, but you also don’t need a PhD like in Path of Exile. Perfect!”
- Wirep also sees Last Epoch somewhere between Diablo and Path of Exile: “22 hours in, and I feel like I’m just scratching the surface! If you were disappointed by Diablo 4 and overwhelmed by PoE, you will find a good middle ground here!”
- “The game is great for 35 euros [currently 33.99 euros, editor’s note]. It’s a pity that the launch didn’t go smoothly, but we’ll all be able to play soon,” says Hatake Kakashi.
- HaeeReborn also gives a mild review on Steam: “The game doesn’t deserve the hate due to server issues. It’s nothing new that a launch doesn’t always go smoothly. The game is a gem and has everything that will please ARPG fans.”
- The game also has a good offline mode, emphasizes Reddit user havenstar. This allows players to bridge the server downtime.
The community’s reaction is thus initially positive. Most players do not seem to hold the technical issues against the developers. One of the biggest Twitch streamers is even switching from Diablo 4 to Last Epoch.
The developers address the issues on Reddit
What do the developers say? The game director of the game, Judd Cobbler, spoke today on Reddit with a statement. In it, he reflects on yesterday’s launch day. Cobbler first thanks the community for their patience, but also for the enthusiasm with which the game is being received.
Within the first 20 minutes, 150,000 players wanted to log in. The team believed they were well prepared for the influx of players. Cobbler refers to an older Reddit post that details the preparations the team made. The servers had been tested for months, yet they could not withstand the launch.
All problems are being discussed internally in what is called the “War Room,” and a solution is being worked on. The team considers it important to remain in constant communication with the community. Judd Cobbler emphasizes that he was a player for a long time himself and understands that players want to know the current status. Interested parties can find regular update posts in the Last Epoch Discord channel.
When is the next update coming? Cobbler announces the next hotfix for tomorrow, February 23, 2024. This is expected to shorten scene transitions and resolve other emerging problems. Hopefully, the servers will also be stable by then.
The reaction of the developers shows that they did not expect the enormous influx and are ready to resolve the issues as quickly as possible. We have summarized what the patch for the release includes on MeinMMO.
