Are you struggling to settle on a class to play in Last Epoch 1.0?

Join the club.

One of Last Epoch’s strengths is its ability to make all of its 5 base classes and 15 of its mastery classes viable, but also a lot of fun.

You have a normal selection from ARPG melee-centric, magic-wielding, agile rogue and fierce beastmaster-type archetypes. But the sheer amount of customization and mixing of skills (not even including the gear) you can achieve in the game is mind-boggling.

Our guide to choosing a Last Epoch class breaks down the core gameplay, strengths and emphasis of each class to help you find the perfect match for your personal playstyle preferences.

Last Epoch Primalist

The primalist class taps into elemental and natural magic, granting abilities focused on all things related to the primal forces of the world. You can choose to specialize your primalist through three potential masteries.

Shaman: Totems, Elemental Damage & Burst Spells

As a shaman, you’ll gain access to a wide array of elemental spells that deal fire, ice, lightning and earth damage. Popular abilities include:

• Earthquake: Slam the ground to trigger a destructive burst of earth energy
• Totems: Summon elemental totems that provide auras and deal damage
• Lightning Blast: Zap enemies with a devastating bolt of electricity

The shaman also struggles a bit with melee combat compared to other primalist builds. But the sheer magical devastation you can wield with the elements at your command is incredibly fun and rewarding to master.

Beastmaster: Animal Companions & Summoner Playstyle

If you prefer having computer-controlled allies fight at your side, the beastmaster mastery allows you to summon and command various animals to attack your foes. With wolves, raptors, undead creatures and more at your disposal, you can overwhelm enemies through strength in numbers.

This mastery delivers a strategic, minion-focused playstyle similar to the classic necromancer from other ARPG titles. If you enjoy controlling the battlefield through hordes of smaller units, it offers fantastic diversity in available creatures to utilize.

Druid: Fluid Shapeshifting Across Multiple Animal Battle Forms

Druids serve as Last Epoch’s quintessential shapeshifting class, metamorphosing into different animal forms that each deliver unique combat abilities and strengths:

• Werebear: Focus on mauling enemies with vicious melee & bleed damage
• Werewolf: Rip enemies apart with fast melee claw attacks
• Storm Crow: Attack from range with lightning strikes while flying

A major appeal of the druid lies in their versatility – you can seamlessly adapt to any battle scenario by shifting across various forms on the fly. Whether you prefer to tank hits as a Werebear, shred foes at top speed as a Werewolf or blast them from safety as a Storm Crow, the flexibility is amazing.

Just be prepared to occasionally struggle with the limited pool of melee spell options when not shapeshifted, making creative build synergy extra important for this class.

Last Epoch Mage

If you simply wish to directly wield the mystical forces of the elements with barely anything held back, the mage class enables you to unleash pure unadulterated magical destruction upon your foes.

Boasting one of the most flexible and open-ended selections of spells, popular mage abilities include:

• Fireball / Flame Reave: Deal scorching inferno damage
• Ice Barrage: Slow enemies while damaging them with frigid cold
  –Lightning Blast / Ball Lightning: Jolt foes with electrifying shocks
  –Ward: Absorb damage & regenerate mana as a defensive buff

The mage caters nicely to players who enjoy slinging manifold flavors of elemental projectile magics. Just be ready to juggle mana consumption and sometimes be squishy. You can choose to specialize your mage through three masteries:

Runemaster: Create custom runes to manifest unique spells

The Runemaster is a Mage specialization focused on runic magic. These scholars master indivisible runes, altering arcane flows to manifest unique spells.

Their playstyle revolves around collecting elemental runes through corresponding spells to unlock rumic powers. Runes passively enhance damage and defense.

Actively, runes stack as temporary buffs called Runewords. With enough runes channeled, Runemasters invoke signature Runic Invocations – specialized casting of three runes in sequence to trigger custom spells.

Sorcerer: Manipulate raw arcane energies for devastation

The Sorcerer is a Mage specialization focused on unleashing raw elemental energies offensively. From afar, they barrage targets with frigid blizzards, searing firestorms, and volatile lightning strikes.

Passives enhance spell damage and elemental ailment application like chill, burns, or shocks while skills manifest their incredible power into Ice Barrages, Static Orbs, and more.

Sorcerers wield the primordial forces – ice, fire and storm – as weapons through intricate spellcasting.

Specializing further, some root their magic in a single element, becoming cryomancers, pyromancers, or electromancers accordingly. Others harmonize all three, unleashing a kaleidoscope of deadly magic.

Spellblade: Merge martial skill with magic aptitude

The Spellblade is a Mage specialization combining martial skill with magic. Unlike pure casters, these hybrid battle mages augment their swords and shields with elemental enchantments, taking the fight directly to foes.

While great at classic destructive sorcery from a distance, their preference lies in single combat – frost or flame wreathed blades slicing targets at close quarters.

Passives bolster personal defenses allowing durable frontline spellcasting. Other augmentations enhance weapon elemental effects, like imbuing chilling fields, explosive ignitions, or thunderous impacts with each careful aimed strike.

Last Epoch Sentinel

Sentinels epitomize the heavily armored, weapon-based warrior archetype – drawing upon resolute virtues of valor, duty and courage while showcasing impressive toughness against all manner of attacks.

If you fancy slowly advancing against hordes of enemies while shrugging off their blows and cleaving through them with precise strikes, this stalwart knight class should appeal nicely.

Void Knight: Disrupt Space Itself Using Void Magic

The void knight mastery introduces a fantastic sci-fi twist by integrating reality-warping void magic into the sentinel’s skills.

Unique abilities include:

• Erasing Strike: Deal bonus void damage with a rift-opening strike
• Void Echo: Repeat certain void spells for massive impact
• Nullification Field: Generate a void aura that weakens enemies

These enable you to manipulate the fabric of space itself during combat. Blending physical weapons with reality-shattering dark magic creates a novel playstyle brimming with potential.

Paladin: Smite Foes & Support Allies with Holy Magic

If cosmic magics fail to entice, the paladin mastery offers a classic righteous warrior theme – drawing upon holy light to both vanquish enemies and heal teammates.

You gain access to various buffing spells like Holy Aura and Sigil of Hope that empower yourself and allies offensively or defensively. And signature holy attacks like Judgment and Fist of Heavens enable smiting clusters of foes at once with celestial might.

Built-in healing capacity also makes the paladin mastery shine within party play for buttressing companions. But sufficient damage and durability while solo ensures you can still prevail alone against the forces of darkness.

Forge Guard: Specialize in impenetrable physical defense

The Forge Guard is a Sentinel specialization dominating battles with heavy arms and impenetrable defenses. These warrior-smiths have perfected metalcrafting their own equipment.

Passives improve shields and damage while skills like Manifest Armor and Ring of Shields fortify their bulwark. Forgemasters shape molten steel with each swing of giant hammers or axes.

Slamming weapons to the ground, they summon rings of shields and erupting spikes to overwhelm opponents. Enemies break against their juggernaut charges clad in thick, masterfully forged armor.

While most Sentinels hold the line, Forge Guards smash through with raw force, impervious to all but the most piercing attacks

Last Epoch Rogue

For players wanting a highly mobile melee style demanding rhythmic dodging interspersed with lethal bursts of damage, the dexterous rogue class shines.

With an expansive arsenal of shadowy tricks enabling maneuvers like:

• Vanish: Temporarily turn invisible
• Lacerate: Cripple enemies with bleeding wounds
• Toxic Blade: Poison weapons for lingering damage over time

You can artfully weave between clusters of foes, capitalizing on openings to rapidly dish out brutal ambush strikes when they least expect it.

This hit-and-run approach hinges heavily upon properly balancing dodge chance, leech and other defensive layers though. When caught out of position, rogues risk getting burst down rapidly.

Falconer: Death From Above

Falconers form close bonds with deadly hunting falcons, which become their key weapon and partner.

Through training, they direct their falcon to blind enemies, herd them into vulnerable positions, and coordinate attacks for maximum damage.

The falcon strikes from the air while the Falconer eliminates targets on land with surgical precision. Together, the Falconer and their loyal bird of prey eliminate enemies with perfectly timed, devastating attacks from unexpected angles. For a more detailed look at this class, check out our recent Falconer guide.

Marksman: Pin enemies down with endless volleys of arrows

The Marksman is a Rogue specialization focused on ranged bow combat. Specializing in hitting enemies from afar, the Marksman rains down arrows from a distance.

Their passives improve concentration for accurate shots, unlock elemental arrow abilities, and bolster general bow mastery.

Unique skills like Dark Quiver and Multishot allow barrages of arrows to overwhelm opponents. Strafing between positions, the Marksman cripples targets before they can advance.

Bladedancer: Execute complex melee assassination techniques

The Bladedancer is a Rogue specialization focusing on precise, lethal melee attacks. Master assassins of the shadows, Bladedancers specialize in deadly cuts and slashes rather than brute force.

Their passive abilities improve dodge chance and damage, making them unpredictable and dangerous foes. Unique skills like Shadow Cascade and Synchronized Strike enhance their flurries of rapid strikes.

Weaving between shadows, Bladedancers quickly build charges of Arcane Power to unleash vicious special attacks.

Last Epoch Acolyte

Last Epoch’s darkest class, the acolyte embodies sinister blood magic and death itself – making it a top choice if you feel an urge to play the villain.

The Acolyte has abilities such as:

• Drain Life: Siphon health from enemies
• Call of the Grave: Summon undead minions
• Spirit Plague: Curse groups with spreading sickness

You can steadily whittle down opponents with agonizing attrition damage over time effects, while toughening your defenses using the lifeforce of enemies.

It’s a slow and insidious approach, but the attritional play makes success feel morbidly rewarding. Just know that you often must endure some ramp-up time before overwhelming foes, requiring patience.

Lich: Freeze enemies solid with magic

The Lich is an Acolyte specialization that embraces the corruptive nature of power through blood and death magic.

Feeding on the essence of the damned, Liches draw strength from consuming souls. Their twisted passives increase damage potential and health regeneration while warding off direct hits.

Unique skills like Aura of Decay and Soul Feast weaponize the suffering of fallen spirits. Channeling pain into aggressive spells, the Lich spreads disease and drains vitality from mighty foes.

Necromancer: Reanimate rotting corpses to fight for you

The Necromancer is an Acolyte specialization focused on commanding the dead. These masters of death magic can summon undead minions, empowering skeletal warriors or wraithly mages to fight alongside them.

They debilitate enemies with curses while buffing their own squads. Necromancers control the battlefield, overwhelming opponents through strength in numbers.

Specializing further, some emphasize reanimating hordes of corpse legions, others primarily channel magic to boost powerful wraith champions.

Both strategies give Necromancers dominance through their expendable pawn armies of the dead.

Warlock: Make pacts with otherworldly demons for power

The Warlock is an Acolyte specialization focused on forbidden curse and hex magic.

Delving deep into the twisted arts, Warlocks specialize in magically corrupting spirits and minds. Expert occultists, they weaken foes by afflicting them with an array of debilitating effects and madness.

Through pact rituals, the Warlock channels chaotic energies, infusing entropy and discord into targets. With each curse, they erode stability, conjuring extraplanar forces to possess and warp victims.

Find Your Last Epoch Class Based on Preferred Playstyle

Hopefully this overview of the classes in Last Epoch gives you a better sense of which archetype best fits your individual playstyle inclinations within the action RPG genre:

• Primalist: Master natural magic & summon animal allies
• Mage: Obliterate enemies with raw elemental spells
• Sentinel: Embody the stalwart knight with mighty melee attacks
• Rogue: Artfully dance across battlefields and stealthily backstab
• Acolyte: Slowly decay enemies using blood & death magic

There’s fantastic diversity across classes – each with its own flavorful combat style emphasizing particular themes, mechanics and strategies. And the multi-mastery specialization system enables further customizing your class to suit your preferences.

So reflect on whether you most enjoy throwing fireballs, summoning minions, tanking hits, dealing burst damage, enabling allies or decaying enemies from the shadows. Then select whichever Last Epoch class best channels your inner gameplay passion.