It's ARPG season!! xD
I've been waiting a couple of months for this one. Last Epoch's season two was originally scheduled to go live at the start of April, but alas, GGG decided to be dicks and unleash a PoE2 update upon the masses... and so, the devs of Last Epoch respectfully held back their update a few more weeks.
I don't begrudge them that. Still, a dick move on GGG's part.
ANYWAY!
Season Two of Last Epoch has finally released! And really, I appreciate this timing, I have 6 days off work in a row and I'm going to utilise every hour! 😆
Due to becoming a very joyful frost sorceress in the aforementioned PoE2, I decided I would try out a frost sorcerer in this game. Last couple of times I played, I chose a Warlock/Necromancer type of thing, so throwing ice around will be a nice change!
So I selected the weirdy beardy wizard, named him 'Xander,' and away we go, off on our new adventure! I'll be building this one, not following a guide or anything. So here's hoping I can get him through end-game nicely. 😅
First of all, I'd just to make note of the amazing job the devs have done with the server stability and game optimisation and performance since last time I played.
There is not a single stutter or frame drop. I have not had a single disconnection. The game flows buttery smooth and there's no hitches or annoyances.
That's a major kudos. Last time I played would've been about a year ago, and server stability and game optimisation was pretty... less-than-average. So I'm stoked to be playing this now perfectly!
I'm currently still in the midst of the campaign. But I've already noticed something that definitely wasn't in the game last time I played.... LOOT LIZARDS.
Last Epoch's version of treasure goblins.
I love them. There's a decent amount of them. There's a shrine that activates a bunch of them. And they're great! I've always enjoyed the Diablo Treasure Goblin and now we have the Last Epoch Loot Lizard to chase after.
They drop useful things too, and not just gear that you'll salvage or vendor. Yes, of course there's some gear, but more importantly there are runes for crafting!
Need ALL the crafting materials. I haven't played in an age, but I do remember crafting excessively.
Now, this part I'm not sure is just a "me" thing, or something that has changed for everyone.
First off, a lot of the content has become more streamlined which is nice. It's most notable at the Lagon fight where once you had to search for a couple of pearls to unlock the way to the temple and then navigate a labrynth to get to the thing. It's much better now and feels a lot more intuitive.
The fight though.
I distinctly remember the Lagon fight being a real PAIN IN THE ARSE. It used to basically be a skills check spot. Can the player dodge waves and tentacles at the same time? Can the player recognise that a giant red eye means move now or perish? Can the player do enough dps while following mechanics?
It was so notable that there are several forum posts and reddit threads and steam discussions about the fight.
So, I'm guessing that they reduced the difficulty for the campaign? Either that, or my frosty build surpasses the character I last played because dayum, I annihilated this guy in mere moments.
I'm just going to guess that they made him easier for the campaign and when we get to endgame bosses he's back to what he used to be.
They've added a new vendor type too! You can trade in three keys and just get a portal charm that leads straight to the boss chamber in one dungeon.
That sounds great. Especially when you're farming dungeon bosses for a specific piece of gear! And, it's a choice, so if you really want to do the entire dungeon, you can!
So, I've just defeated the lass boss before entering endgame... and this particular fight was more how I remembered it. But I'm certain Lagon's was definitely easier.
In saying that though, I did annihilate this last boss too. However, her mechanics were exactly as I remember them, unlike Lagon's.
Either way, I've hit endgame now! 😄
Let's see how far I can take my frosty sorcerer! I've never reached proper endgame in this, just the beginning monoliths, so I'm hoping this will be a grand adventure of progression and annihilation.
So far I'm really only using a couple of abilities, which I like, I hate using a million abilities, my fingers get confused.
So, I've got AoE Glacier, AoE Frost Claw, and Single Target Ice Barrage.
My Frost Claw also summons more Ice Barrages. And my Frost Claw also makes Glacier harder, better, stronger!
When I level up a bit more and get a few more skill points I'll re-spec everything a little, but at the moment it all seems to be going pretty swell.
We'll see how the progression goes! 😄
Until next time! ❄️⚔️