Last Epoch is everything I wished Diablo 4 was, and the first ARPG to drag me away from Path of Exile in over a decade

Path of Exile has been a constant in my life for the last decade. Grinding Gear Games managed to craft a true Diablo-slayer with its inconceivably brilliant passive skill tree, elaborate loot, a gem system that serves as a fantastic alternative to traditional active skill progression, all of it wrapped up in an adventure with an oppressively moody atmosphere harking back to the good ol’ days of Diablo 2. Throw on top seasonal leagues that introduce dramatic new mechanics, which then get bundled into the core game, and you’ve got an ARPG that never stops being relevant. But after so many years of being smitten, I’m now cheating on it with Last Epoch. 

I’ve dabbled in plenty of other ARPGs since my obsession with Path of Exile began, from the excellent Grim Dawn to the nostalgic Titan Quest remaster. And then there’s Diablo. Diablo 3 had a lot of detractors, but after Reaper of Souls I’d argue it has as much going for it as Diablo 2, and considerably more than Diablo 4, which I tried so hard to get into, only to get so bored that I could barely finish the campaign. It looks great, is overflowing with gothic atmosphere, and finally lets me ride around on a horse, but it’s just so safe, so dull. In every instance, I rushed back to PoE, but since I started playing Last Epoch I’ve hardly given my favourite ARPG a second thought. 

I’ve still got a lot of Last Epoch to go—I just reached the endgame the other day and it’s already got its hooks in me deep—but I think it might have all of them beat. I’m absolutely lapping it up. I’ve even had to take a break from the infinite war of Helldivers 2, which has consumed so much of my time this month. 

Jody was not so impressed, giving it a 60 in his Last Epoch review, and he’s not wrong about the action not packing the same wallop as Diablo 4. Where we differ is the importance placed on the quality of the animation and visual feedback in ARPGs. I really don’t care about it at all. I mean, sure, it would be great if Last Epoch had the same level of presentation as Blizzard’s latest, but I’ll take less panache for more meat, and that’s what Last Epoch offers.