The Classes and Masteries in the explosively popular top-down ARPG Last Epoch offer a ton of diversity, from combat skills and passives to designs and aesthetics.
But with so much diversity comes the burden of choosing the best Class and Mastery as a new player. Fear not, though, as we’ll give you the low down on every Class and Mastery in Last Epoch.
All Classes and Masteries in Last Epoch
Last Epoch lets you choose one of five different Classes at the start of the game, then you can specialize by choosing a Mastery when you reach the end of chapter four, when you’re roughly level 15. Each Class has three Masteries, and we’ll explore what each of them does.
1) Primalist
The Primalist Class in Last Epoch is versatile and encompasses various roles through its Masteries: The Beastmaster, focusing on pets and melee damage; the Shaman, specializing in Totems; and the Druid, the primary shapeshifting Class. The Primalist offers diverse damage types—Physical, Lightning, Cold, and Poison—and provides robust defensive options, including the highest support for Endurance among Classes.
Below are the three Masteries of the Primalist in Last Epoch:
Beastmaster
The Beastmaster views his Companions as invaluable allies. Companions under the Beastmaster’s command have their own active skills, and should a Companion fall in battle, they can be resurrected. While any Primalist can employ Companions, the Beastmaster excels in this domain, enjoying increased support and the ability to command a greater number of Companions than other Masteries.
Shaman
The Shaman takes center stage as the primary Totem user in Last Epoch, showcasing exceptional prowess in Totem manipulation and spellcasting. While specializing in Cold and Lightning damage types, the Shaman also exhibits proficiency in Physical damage. Utilizing Totems, the Shaman can inflict direct damage or bestow buffs with Spells, Melee Skills, and even Companions.
Druid
The Druid stands out with its distinctive feature—shapeshifting into Werebear Form, Spriggan Form, or Swarmblade Form, with Werebear and Swarmblade being exclusive to this Mastery. An intriguing aspect of the Druid’s toolkit is the capacity for “stance dancing,” allowing seamless transitions between multiple forms and gaining buffs through this dynamic maneuver.
2) Acolyte
The Acolyte, a wielder of dark magic in Last Epoch, excels in Blood, Necrotic, and Poison damage, employing curses to weaken foes before unleashing her power. This Class specializes in controlling minions and can use her health as a resource for her abilities.
Below are the three Masteries of the Acolyte in Last Epoch:
Lich
The Lich, a master of the Dark Arts in Last Epoch, is proficient at casting Physical spells through blood magic, along with Necrotic and Poison spells. Despite frequently using ranged skills, the Lich is adept in melee combat. The Lich also can also deploy and harness the power of minions, like other Acolyte Masteries. A distinctive aspect of this Mastery lies in the ability to sacrifice the Lich’s own health to augment her power, introducing an intriguing risk/reward dynamic to her playstyle.
Necromancer
As the quintessential minion class, the Necromancer in Last Epoch can command vast armies, deploy a single but formidable minion, or sacrificially unleash their destructive potential. With a diverse array of supported damage types for her minions, the Necromancer allows for a wide variety of build options.
Warlock
The Warlock in Last Epoch is a spellcasting manipulator with a focus on Curses. This Class centers around weakening enemies to enhance its own abilities, employing a combination of Curses, buffs, and debuffs to leverage substantial damage synergies for optimal combat performance. The Warlock’s versatile abilities allow for both long and short-range engagements, with a selection of crucial escape skills to navigate challenging situations if the need arises.
3) Sentinel
The Sentinel, a classic Warrior or Knight-type Class, excels in melee combat, supports dual-wielding, and favors a “Bruiser” playstyle. With strong armor and shield capabilities, he also has significant support for Throwing Attacks.
Below are the three Masteries of the Sentinel in Last Epoch:
Paladin
The Paladin Mastery in Last Epoch centers on Fire Damage and Healing. Support for this Mastery encompasses Fire and Healing, along with additional Block, Armor, and Health, and even some Bleed and Lightning Damage. A distinctive mechanic of the Paladin involves his ability to scale Adaptive Spell Damage while wielding a shield, facilitating a tanky spellcaster playstyle that synergizes effectively with skills like Judgement and Smite.
Forge Guard
The Forge Guard Mastery in Last Epoch revolves around Physical Damage, incorporating the Bleed status ailment. This Mastery offers support for both two-handed playstyles and sword and board configurations. Forge Guard further distinguishes itself by providing minion support, making it an excellent option for players interested in utilizing Manifest Armor or any skill capable of creating Forged Weapons, like Forge Strike.
Void Knight
As expected, the Void Knight Mastery in Last Epoch specializes in Void Damage, being the sole Mastery with dedicated Void support. The Void Knight features nodes for leech, introduces a Void-based ailment called Time Rot, and offers damage increases for forgoing a shield. The Mastery’s standout feature is the ability to generate echoes, creating a copy of a skill shortly after its activation.
4) Mage
Last Epoch includes your typical Mage Class, employing elemental damage for Fire, Lightning, and Cold types, with a focus on Ward for defense. The Sorcerer Mastery aligns with the typical mage playstyle, emphasizing ranged spell damage, which makes him a safe bet for Last Epoch’s lengthy campaign. The other two Masteries are unique and have their own use cases.
Below are the three Masteries of the Mage in Last Epoch:
Sorcerer
The Sorcerer in Last Epoch epitomizes the classic spellcaster, excelling in ranged spells and delivering substantial elemental AoE damage, particularly in Fire, Lightning, and Cold. Sorcerer skills and passives strongly support Critical Strikes, and, although not as extensive as Spellblade, the Sorcerer also benefits from Ward support.
Spellblade
Personally, one of the coolest Masteries. Image via Eleventh Hour Games
Spellblades in Last Epoch bring to life the fantasy of spellcasting melee warriors. Armed with melee skills that can trigger spells, they seamlessly blend both playstyles into a satisfying combination. Similar to Sorcerers, Spellblades are themed around Fire, Lightning, and Cold damage, but they outshine in ward generation support, a crucial aspect given their propensity for melee engagement.
Runemaster
The Runemaster in Last Epoch introduces a unique playstyle to the genre. Casting elemental skills generates Runes corresponding to the element of the skill used. These Runes, in turn, can be utilized with Runic Invocation to select a spell to cast. The specific spell generated is determined by the combination of Runes created through the elemental skills, considering factors like the number of Runes (up to three), element type, and their order. This intricate system enables the creation of a total of 40 distinct spells, offering near-limitless possibilities from a single skill even before he reaches max level in Last Epoch.
5) Rogue
The Rogue in Last Epoch takes on the roles of a Ninja, Assassin, or Ranger throughout each of her three Masteries, offering versatility in shadow attacks, ranged bow strikes, and melee combat. Her focus on Physical and Poison damage, complemented by access to Fire, Cold, and Lightning, adds to her versatility. The unique Shadows mechanic creates a duplicate of the Rogue, mimicking the next skill used.
Below are the three Masteries of the Rogue in Last Epoch:
Bladedancer
The Bladedancer in Last Epoch is tailored for the Ninja or Assassin playstyle, evident in skills like Shurikens and Smoke Bomb that lean into this theme. Notably, this Mastery introduces a unique aspect with Shadow Daggers, an ailment guaranteed to Crit when triggered. While the Bladedancer primarily revolves around Physical and Poison damage, she also incorporates some support for Fire.
Marksman
In Last Epoch, the Marksman is the equivalent of the Ranger. Uniquely, the Marksman Mastery has exclusive access to Bows and Quivers, with a significant portion of their damage scaling exclusively with Bows. Notably, the Marksman achieves a more balanced support for various damage types compared to the Bladedancer, making her versatile with strong options for Physical, Poison, Fire, Lightning, and Cold builds in a party, whether or not you’ve hit the max party size.
Falconer
Last Epoch’s Falconer has a formidable companion—the Falcon, known for its invulnerability and remarkable flexibility. Players have the freedom to customize their avian partner in various ways, making sure there is synergy with melee, ranged, and throwing weapons. Notably, the Falcon scales with the player’s core stats, ensuring consistent investment and making it a formidable option across different situations.
