Last Epoch is Good... but NOT Great (Review)

we'll see if that changes down the road.

[mythun]

The problem with Path of Exile is that it is far too intimidating for me to get into as a new player who doesn’t want to pour in tons and tons of hours to learn it. This not being as complex or not having enough to last more than a couple dozen hours is actually a huge selling point for me, but that’s obviously not the same for everyone.

[cookieeaturface]

It feels like the ideal middle-weight ARPG, which is a niche that desperately needed filling. Satisfying but not dizzying complexity, and good build variety with distinct flavor and feel. Takes only a few hours for you to get a taste of initial synergies coming together and your character beginning to feel powerful. I dunno, to me it feels like an ARPG that values your time and is designed to meet you where you're at

[TheJols]

My thoughts is that it's great. Its the game to play for people that love ARPGs but can't no-life POE.

[CakeDayZ]

I think the itemization is FAR better than diablo 3/4. It's good to have simple modifiers. I love having simply "fire damage" instead of Diablo 4's garbage "Damage to bleeding enemies while it's raining on a tuesday". The multiple defensive layers also is great for itemization. For suffixes I am constantly juggling resistances, health, armor/dodge, endurance/threshold, and block/effectiveness, glancing blows, etc etc. Poe has those same mechanics, but to get them from rare items instead of a keystone or unique is wonderful. In Poe I just get life+res on all rares.

The unique/set situation I agree with tho. I've only used 3 for purely stats not really changing anything, Ruby Fang Cleaver (1h-axe with good fire damage/poison resist), Isadora's Belt Binding (GREAT armor belt), Sunwreath (Fire/ignite damage ring).

[Creslin]

I tried getting into PoE but it has two key issues that keep me from enjoying it.

1. Incredibly complicated progression with a very punishing respec system.

This means that you can’t just experiment around and figure things out. You basically have to use a guide unless you want to have a garbage build.


2. Skill gem system that encourages one button builds. Because support gems all support the active skills on the same gear piece, you’re basically encouraged to super buff up one skill and then use that skill for everything. Early on in PoE I had a few different active skills that I used for different situations, it was fun.

But once I got further, I just had one damage skill that took care of everything. Any other skills I had were utility.

It’s just kind of boring gameplay wise to always be spamming the same skill.

[Muramusa]

A game not having enough depth to be your new main game doesn't necessarily mean it isn't great, and feels like kind of a disingenuous thing to base a review on. A lot of people specifically stay away from PoE because of how much more planned, involved, complex, and time-consuming it is as far as buildcrafting and itemization goes. Where Last Epoch lacks for you, it provides a wonderful middle-ground between what D4 and PoE offer to many. Last Epoch, a game made by ~50 people in 5 years, could never realistically compete with PoE which has been in development for 14 years by a significantly larger team. The game isn't "not great" just because it can't live up to your impossible standard that PoE sets for the genre. No other ARPG can either, and even PoE2 might fail to do so.

[Freyii]

Sorry I don't want to get a PhD to play POE.

[BobaO]

I’m cool to have an Arpg that I get to a point in the endgame where I feel like I’ve experienced everything and can uninstall without needing to put hundreds of hours in.

[DirtRabbit]

I can’t take this seriously. It’s entirely biased towards PoE. Don’t get me wrong, I play PoE too. Just a bit disingenuous to say “it has way less content than Poe and it will never get there” when PoE itself started with significantly less content than it has now, and I’d argue less content than what is available in LE at launch. Will it ever have as much content as PoE? Maybe, maybe not.

This would be like comparing PoE now to PoE when it launched. How does that comparison make any sense?

Glad you have your main game. But either learn how to judge a game objectively or don’t bother judging it at all. Didn’t need a whole video just to say “my game is my favorite game and other games don’t compare”.

[sebbo]

"Mash a single button and then use a couple extra ones occasionally for movement or buff purposes"
Oh you mean like exactly how PoE plays?

Edit: If people want a better review of the game and its mechanics I would recommend watching Zizarans first impression video and/or Mathils video.

[donovanhays]

Oh man, you mean a game that I can play and meaningfully progress in on my full time job and parent schedule? Count me in!

[thunderuck]

The thing about last epoch is that you can build your character how ever you want without having to follow a specific guide to be able to play the game and have fun. It’s fun to make different builds and try all the characters

[FunkyyCat_]

With all due respect, there's a lot I disagree with in this video but 4:30 takes the cake as an unnecessary comment that shows your bias the most. Yes they have been cooking the core game mechanics for 5 years, and they are absolutely fantastic. The skills, the crafting, the trade/ssf factions, etc. are all wonderful and PoE could learn a lot from them. They have also gone on record stating that the next cycle/league or two will be entirely dedicated to fleshing out the endgame.

Obviously no review can be completely unbiased, but this video is not it. Not everyone in this community will get the reference, but it reminds me of the way Genshin stans act whenever a new gacha game comes out like Wuthering Waves with its recent CBT.

[colejo]

Woolie, Ive been subscribed to you for about a year now and I like your videos, but I think this is a bad take. You gave it a 7/10, which I agree with you, I am only 30hrs in, but I would agree it is slightly above average. Maybe an 8/10. but you spend the whole video being very negative about the game. You obviously hold POE on a massive pedestal. Its your favorite game and you have thousands of hours in it... I got it... but your bias is showing. I think it would be an all-around better video, and less off-putting to everyone that isnt a massive POE stan if you just spoke on LE and gave the pros and cons without bashing it against POE with every single point you make.

[iTakerrr]

I'm gonna be honest here, It feels like you've sort of been blinded by PoE at this point with it hindering your ability to accurately review an ARPG. PoE can be as in depth as possible, it's never going to be a 9/10 or 10/10 because new players can't get into the game lol. Not every gameplay loop/endgame of every single ARPG needs to be a PoE clone. Every time you talk about ARPG's at this point you're doing some direct comparison to PoE, which just go play PoE if that's what you want out of a game. Games aren't going to be 1:1 clones of each other lol.

[timothykeller]

Been a long time sub, love your content. POE is only fun to those that have 1000s of hours in it and know it in and out and can experiment. LE, you can go in blind, theorycraft a build and be happy. POE has always had an awful new player experience and 10 years of bloat to add to it that make it probably the least approachable game in the genre. Where as with LE, you can know NOTHING about AARPG and have fun.

[menudoman]

I'm sure poe will fix melee. It's only been 34 leagues, surely they'll get right on the 35th one.

[NickyByloo]

How to break a build, rinse and repeat, play no life POE. How to enjoy any build all the time and still have a life, play LE.

[Baldosaurus]

I understand your endgame sentiment but wasn't path of exile in the same spot at its 1.0 10 years ago

[lvx]

Imagine if someone reviewing PoE was like "well I got to Yellow Maps and figured it was all gonna be the same shit for the next 100+ hours so I just stopped playing"... I mean I understand that if you find it boring its not worth pushing but at the same time the core of your dislike is simply "It's not PoE". PoE has spoiled us rotten when it comes to ARPGs.

Path Of Exile is a 10+ year old game and I don't like when other ARPG game reviews become framed around the content of Path of Exile. Last Epoch (or any newer ARPG) DOESN'T NEED TO COMPETE WITH POE... it's just needs to fill it's own space. I want games that aren't just rip-offs of PoE to exist... Lets face it there probably won't be a game that will ever beat PoE in the next decade outside of you know PoE 2... I wish these types of reviews were simply done in a bubble instead of a direct comparison to the current LITERALLY UNBEATABLE KING OF THE GENRE. How long would this review be if you cut out every section where you talk about PoE?

Also you didnt mention the Faction system once... it's such an awesome take on trading vs ssf and it's a shame you left out discussing some actually innovative mechanics for ARPGs.