Last Epoch: Runes of Power — Everything We Know

It's not uncanny for games to stay in early release for prolonged periods. Developers use this duration to fine-tune games to suit their audience. But Eleventh Hour is taking this approach a notch higher. 

Last Epoch launched on April 30, 2019, on Steam Early Access. The game instantly garnered approval ratings from users and, to date, has sold more than 800,000 units. For a game that is still in the works, this is very impressive. 

However, the wheel is still turning for this upcoming ARPG. During the Gamescom 2023 Opening Night live, Eleventh Hour Game's CEO revealed the release of patch 0.9.2, Runemaster Class, in September. 

So, what does this mean for ARPG lovers? Let's find out below in Last Epoch: Runes of Power– Everything We Know.

 What is Last Epoch: Runes of Power?

Last Epoch is a community-powered ARPG developed by Eleventh Hour Games. The online game takes place in an environment with plenty of character-building, time travel, crafting, and dungeon crawling. The game's concept saw the light of day in 2017, aiming to create a unique hack-and-slash game. The developer secured Kickstarter funding in 2018, which set everything in motion.

The game's recent highlight is the upcoming Runemaster class, which will heighten the game's experience for players. The update will also localize the game, making it available in Spanish, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, German, French, and Chinese. 

Story

Last Epoch takes place in the world of Ettera. Your world is in ruins, immersed in a total Void. The Immortal Empire's oppression is what stands between you and victory. You must stand firm against the gods as you uncover the fate of your world and the Void's darkest secrets.

In peeling back the onion layers of the world's mystery, you must travel back and uncover historical events. Returning to the Ancient era, you'll discover a lush-filled world and impeccable visual contrast. In the Warring Gods era, the undead rise, while the Ruined era holds plenty of chaos. This is where the Void is slowly consuming the world.

Gameplay

Last Epoch is an action RPG made by the community for the community. You start the game by choosing your class from a roster of five: Rogue, Knight, Mage, Acolyte or Primalist. As you progress, the roster grows to ten mastery classes, including Bladedance, Sorcerer, Spellblade, Necromancer, Druid, Warlock, Void Knight, Paladin, and Marksman. All skills in the game evolve into their own skill tree. The game has a total of 110 skill trees.

Moreover, the game's intuitive crafting system lets you build and develop your character from the start. You don't need to rely on drops by the enemy. However, the RNG drops are an impeccable way of complementing your inventory. As Eleventh Hour CEO Judd Cobler noted, this is at the core of the game and keeps players engaged. There's nothing better than hunting for a specialized item that elevates your game style.

Also, if you're wondering about the combat systems, hack and slash is your way to go. You can execute a series of attacks and use special moves to defeat enemies. For the perfect kill, great timing, precision, and chaining attacks together are essential for success.

Finally, the game will also feature time travel. This allows you to take in the entire game's world map instantly. You can easily traverse from the Warring Gods era to the Ruined era. Bouncing back and forth allows players to appreciate the world's contrast. If you've played Path of Exile or Diablo, this game will be a great addition to your collection.

The v0.9.2 update will add Runemaster, a new Mastery Class for Mage. The class is the most customizable and robust in the history of ARPG. The update will include Rune Prison- a new random event, new adversaries, and items.

Development

Eleventh Hour's journey in developing the Last Epoch has been fascinating. The studio started with a team of eight and is continuously growing. Cobler notes, “From the beginning, we wanted to create a different kind of studio that involved the player base in fundamental design decisions. It's fair to say that the 800,000+ gamers who've purchased Last Epoch have enjoyed unprecedented levels of communication and collaboration with us.”

Moreover, as the gaming community actively develops the game, Cobbler notes that the team is the ultimate RPG leader.  

“It's worth reiterating that not only is Last Epoch a game made by the players for the players, we really are the action RPG community. We are a band of action RPG players who were so passionate about the genre that we banded together in this attempt to make the next great action RPG that perfects the formula that makes these games so great. We spent a very disproportionate amount of time communicating with and soliciting the feedback and ideas of the community because that's the whole reason Last Epoch exists.

He further adds,

“This has been fantastic for the game. Thanks to our close relationship with the community, we've been able to iterate on and find ideas and features that we believe will push this genre forward. This is something that we intend to continue to do in the future.”

Trailer

Eleventh Hour released a reveal trailer for the upcoming update. It reveals the gameplay and reminds us of the significant elements of every ARPG. You can watch the trailer above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Last Epoch will be fully available in late 2023. The game will launch on PC via Steam. However, players can access the upcoming Runemaster update on September 7, 2023. 

There's still no word on special editions. You can, however, access the latest updates and the game's progress by following the developer's official handles here. Rest assured, once the developer issues a concrete release date, we will promptly notify you right here on gaming.net.

So, what's your take on Last Epoch: Runes of Power? Are you excited to experience the one-of-a-kind ARPG? Let us know your thoughts on our socials here.