Last Epoch’s Base Class and Masteries Explained

Highlights

• Last Epoch offers a unique blend of Diablo 4’s streamlined experience and Path of Exile’s deep complexity in the ARPG genre.
• Players can choose from five classes with three masteries each, allowing for a wide variety of build options in the game.
• Whether players prefer to wield heavy weapons as a Sentinel, harness the power of the void as a Void Knight, or rain down destruction as a Mage, Last Epoch has a class for every playstyle.

Last Epoch is a relative newcomer to the ARPG genre, officially coming out of Early Access on February 21st, 2024. Sitting somewhere in between the streamlined experience of Diablo 4 and the deep complexity of Path of Exile, Last Epoch offers its own, unique spin on the hack-and-slash formula.

Players can choose between Last Epoch‘s five classes—Mage, Rogue, Primalist, Acolyte, and Sentinel—with each one having three different masteries. Unlocked once the player reaches the end of Chapter 2, these subclasses further define the player character, enabling a myriad of different builds.

Last Epoch’s Sentinel, a Tried and True Warrior

First, Last Epoch‘s Sentinel is the quintessential warrior class. Whether wielding a variety of heavy weapons or using their shield to plow through enemies, the Warrior has staying power. A very versatile class, it breaks the mold of just being “the big guy with the big weapon”, being able to fulfill a variety of roles within a party—from tanking and damage to support and healing.

Void Knight

The Void Knight is all about using the power of the all-consuming void to literally erase enemies out of existence. It is a damage-based mastery, with strong AoE capabilities and crowd control to make wading into an army of monsters more manageable. If cutting the fabric of space-time with a swing of a sword sounds awesome, then the Void Knight will not disappoint.

Forge Guard

The Forge Guard is a heavy tank that, even if going solo, brings its own party with itself. The Forge Guard can summon shields and animate armor to fight and protect what is needed. It combines the staying power and heavy hits of a warrior, with the minion-based support of a summoning class.

Paladin

The Paladin is a holy warrior, able to tear through the forces of darkness and heal their party members in equal measure. The Paladin mastery brings with it an arsenal of AoE buffs, healing, and damage, making them a powerhouse, no matter the size of the party, which is able to stand in the middle of an enemy tide and not move an inch.

Last Epoch’s Mage, Master of the Arcane

Wielding arcane power, the Mage rains down death and destruction from the aether. The Mage can be a fast and deadly combatant, get up close and personal, or keep their distance from the enemy, all the while dropping a burning space rock on their heads. Whichever way seems the most fun, the Mage brings a ton of utility and raw power to the game.

Sorcerer

The Sorcerer brings forth the elemental forces to decimate their foes. Focusing on high damage, high cost, AoE spells, the Sorcerer is at its strongest when the enemies are far away and tightly packed, which is why the Black Hole spell exists. Able to dish out a massive amount of damage over a large area, the Sorcerer has one of the strongest mob-clearing potential out of all classes.

Spellblade

The exact opposite of the Sorcerer, the Spellblade runs straight into their enemies, brandishing blades infused with elemental power to tear a magical swathe through them. A high-risk, high-reward mastery, the Spellblade zips around the battlefield with a combination of close-range AoE, high mobility, and layered defenses. It brings with it the fast-paced gameplay of a rogue, infused with the elemental power of magic.

Runemaster

Potentially the most complicated and most powerful mastery, the Runemaster uses runes to create spell effects on the fly. By using skills, the Runemaster creates a rune of the corresponding element, and by combining several different runes, they can create over 20 different spell effects; freezing, burning, and frying foes. The Runemaster is definitely a mastery with a high skill ceiling, simply from the number of spell effects the player has to keep track of, but undoubtedly one of the most rewarding.

Last Epoch’s Rogue, Swift and Deadly

Be it with a blade or bow, the Rogue deals death to their foes with quick, precise strikes. This class specializes in shredding enemies using high attack speed, evasive maneuvering, powerful DoT skills, and debuffs. Even though all classes can focus on mob clearing or single target damage, no one can melt through a boss’s health as fast as a Rogue.

Falconer

One of the more unique masteries Last Epoch has to offer, the Falconer, uses its main feature, a falcon, to rain death from above. Primarily using a mixture of traps, as well as bombs, for crowd control and debuffs, coupled with the strong damage potential of the base class, the Falconer can control the battlefield, as much as they’re able to destroy anything upon it.

Marksman

Legolas can shoot two arrows at once, while The Marksman can shoot about a hundred. Always moving, looking for the optimal position to pepper foes with a barrage of arrows, the Marksman is a high-damage mastery. It offers players several flavors of archer, from the silent and deadly sniper that focuses a ton of damage in one shot, to the versatile archer who brings DoT’s and elemental attacks to bring down their enemies.

Bladedancer

Once the Bladedancer starts moving, they don’t stop until they’re the only thing on the map capable of moving. A fragile, but elusive mastery, the bladedancer combines a massive damage potential with extreme mobility. They’re able to disappear and reappear while tearing through anything around them, as well as utilizing shadow clones for extra damage and survival.

Last Epoch’s Primalist, Nature’s Rage Incarnate

The magical counterpart to the Sentinel class, Last Epoch‘s Primalist isn’t just capable of being in the middle of a storm and tanking the damage, it is the storm. From damaging spells, angry wild beasts, and supporting spells, the Primalist is a tanky mass of fury, with several distinct playstyles to choose from. Whether it’s behind a shield wall or in front of it, this class can do it all.

Shaman

The Shaman focuses, and expands, on the spells its base class offers: Totems that can damage, heal, and control, as well as AoE heavy hitters in the form of earthquakes, tornadoes, and avalanches. The Shaman can be utilized from afar, as a supporting caster, or up close and personal, as a raging mob clearer. This mastery offers a lot of flexibility, making it a good fit for Last Epoch‘s solo play or multiplayer alike.

Beastmaster

The name says it all. Not only is the Beastmaster followed by a couple of wild, furious animals, like a raptor or a bear, but the Primalists themselves are a furious beast in their own sense, relying on the spellcasting of the base class. Perfect for tearing through tough enemies, the Beastmaster relies on its animal companions to do the heavy lifting, all the while healing and buffing anyone in the vicinity.

Druid

The Druid decided that, instead of taming wild magical beasts, it would be easier just to become one. Keeping with the versatility of the Primalist, the Druid is capable of transforming into several different forms—Werebear, Spriggan, and Swarmblade—with each form having a different strength when it comes to tearing through the forces of evil. A jack-of-all-trades, the Druid can accommodate any playstyle in one mastery.

Last Epoch’s Acolyte, a Nexus of Dark Magic

While familiar to players who like their classes dark and necrotic, the Acolyte brings with it a wide choice of dark tools to survive and thrive. Whether it’s drowning enemies in a mass of flesh and bone by using minions, melting them with DoT and debuff curses, or simply draining their very souls to use as fuel for spells, the Acolyte caters to all brands of darkness.

Lich

A melee-focused mastery, the Lich thrives in the middle of battle, utilizing auras and powerful AoE spells, combined with DoT effects. The Lich is also able to transform into a shadowy Reaper Form, halting natural health regeneration, but gaining a strong life-draining spell. This mastery harvests as many enemies at once, empowering the Lich to keep reaping onward.

Necromancer

Just like the Beastmaster, the Necromancer is very straightforward in what it does. This mastery summons a ton of undead minions and unleashes them upon their unsuspecting foes. Strengthening the base class summons, as well as adding new ones, the Necromancer is content to stand behind their bone wall and let whatever is in front of them fall under the onslaught of their minions.

Warlock

The Warlock is a caster, wielding death and fire to clear out whatever is in front of them. With a strong synergy with curses, this mastery is focused on bringing pain from a safer distance but still offers rewarding skills for getting into the fray. The Warlock weakens their enemies before tearing into them with DoTs and pure damage, all the while relying on the life-draining powers of the Diablo-like’s base class.