Summary
Back whenDiablo 4was announced and more bits of gameplay and story were revealed, it was clear it was going to make or break the action RPG genre, and players were eager to discover how it would compare to pastDiablogames as well popular competitors, such asPath of Exile,Grim Dawn, andLast Epoch. In the case ofLast Epoch, there are many differences when pitted againstDiablo 4, starting with the scope of the games and how their development process went and is still going. A big criticism moved towardsDiablo 4is that it can feel a bit shallow in terms of build customization, at least outside of items, and that’s something thatLast Epochinstead nails perfectly.
Builds and skill trees are the bread and butter of some of thebest action RPGs, and theDiabloseries is no exception.Diablo 4takes a lot of cues from one of its earlier predecessors,Diablo 2, and that shows both in the class archetypes used in the game and the way its skill trees are shaped. However, skill trees in Blizzard’s latest game are arguably a tad bare-bones, having limited options both in terms of skills available and how to improve them. EnterLast Epoch, which not only has class and Mastery skill trees, but it also has over 100 unique Skills, and each of them can be customized with its own skill tree.
Diablo 4’s Classes and Skills Don’t Hold a Candle to Last Epoch’s
Last Epoch’s 1.0 update was released recently, and with it, the game was fully released and new features were added. As it stands,Last Epochhas five classes much likeDiablo 4’s class system, but unlike it, it also features three Masteries for each starting class. This translates into much more variety from the get-go, as players not only have to choose a starting character, but they also have to then choose one of the Mastery classes to specialize in.
Although players can respec their skill points in Last Epoch, the choice of one’s Mastery class cannot be changed.
This alone givesLast Epochplayers a much wider choice in terms of what they want to try and achieve with their characters, as each base class comes with a selection of Skills that is later improved when players unlock their Mastery and/or level up.Diablo 4’s skill treeis fairly straightforward across all five classes, and it mainly encompasses active skills, two different upgrades for each, passives, and Ultimate abilities.
Last Epoch’s Skills and Classes Offer Much More Than Diablo 4’s
Last Epoch Takes Skills and Classes to The Next Level
Last Epoch’s approach is much more similar to that ofPath of Exile’s classes, which are bound to a given starting point, but are mostly blank slates in terms of customization. This is a big upgrade for action RPG fans, as it means having a lot of freedom with every choice as well as more replay value, making each choice matter.Diablo 4is not in a great state at the moment, and for those who wish to try something new,Last Epochmight just do the trick and then some.
Players have up to 113 Passive Points to distribute across their trees, and even when selecting a Mastery class, they can still invest in the other Masteries' own skill trees. One can choose just how far they’re willing to spec into a given class and Mastery trees, and with a vast array of skills to choose from, each featuring multiple nodes providing big upgrades and changes to their behavior, the possibilities are nearly endless. Plus,Last Epoch’s full releasedoesn’t mean the game is stopping there, and instead, Eleventh Hour Games will still have regular patches and updates for the ARPG moving forward.
Last Epoch
WHERE TO PLAY
Last Epoch combines time travel, exciting dungeon crawling, engrossing character customization and endless replayability to create an Action RPG for veterans and newcomers alike. Travel through the world of Eterra’s past and face dark empires, wrathful gods and untouched wilds – to find a way to save time itself from The Void.Embark on your adventure as one of five powerful classes and, through your journey, ascend into a unique Mastery Class that unlocks more specialized abilities and build-options.
