The latest patch 1.0.2 brings some changes to Last Epoch. One of them is likely to annoy many players: keys are now less valuable. The reason is allegedly that a few individuals exploited the faction system to get rich.
This is what Last Epoch changed:
- With patch 1.0.2, keys for the arena are now less valuable. You now only receive 175 Gold instead of 6,500 Gold when selling normal arena keys. The value of memory keys drops to 265 (previously 7,250). These are nerfs of about 97 and 96% respectively.
- By comparison: Rare items can be sold to vendors for 100 Gold or a bit more if you are lucky, Uniques for up to 500.
- Additionally, there were further changes to quests and UI, but no significant balance adjustments. The tier list of Last Epoch therefore does not change significantly.
You can find the official patch notes in English on page 2 of this article.
Why were keys nerfed specifically? It seems that there was a method involving keys to accumulate enormous amounts of money and exchange them directly for powerful items. Something that wasn’t really intended.
The reason for this is the two factions of Last Epoch: the Circle of Fate and the Merchant Guild. Members of the circle could farm significantly more keys through the faction mechanics and do so particularly easily.
The revenue they then received from selling to a vendor was used by a second character who is in the Merchant Guild. Because the gold is shared between characters.
In the Merchant Guild, you have access to the bazaar and can trade items with other players, buy and sell via the auction house. In this way, players who utilized this method quickly amassed gold and strong items.
In the video, we explain the factions in detail:
“You are punishing the honest players”
On Reddit and in the forum, people are now extremely angry about the change. They say: Only a few had done it that way, especially streamers and players who emulate them. Something should have been done to counter the “abuse” but not like this.
The nerf now punishes all players who are only in the circle and need the gold. In the Circle of Fate, you find plenty of items and need accordingly many slots in the chest, which will eventually become extremely expensive.
Merchant Guild players can easily obtain gold through items. Circle players have to farm it – and may need it more urgently. Accordingly, the reaction to the change is now very angry.
What particularly annoys the community is the nature of the change. There is no alternative or compensation, just the nerf. Possible solutions could be:
- Prophecies for circle players that yield a lot of gold as an alternative – which according to other players would not solve the problem
- Remove keys as a reward for the circle but keep the price as is
- Increase gold rewards from monoliths
However, the current “solution” punishes the majority of players for the fact that only a small part exploited a very specific loophole. After a strong start, Last Epoch faces more criticism regarding approaches to solving problems: Last Epoch removes a popular Steam feature because too many cheaters exploited it
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