What class and mastery should you play in Last Epoch?

By James On Feb 26, 2024

“Which class should you play” is the first and most important question you should ask yourself if you are just starting out with an ARPG-like Last era. And with Last era‘s Mastery specialization system for each of its classes, it’s crucial that you know what you want to play before starting the game.

In this Last era In the guide we have provided a summary of all lessons and Masteries. We’ve also added details on how these Masteries work, so you can choose which class you want to play in Last era.

All classes inside Last era

Image: Eleventh Hour Games

Into the class system Last era is a bit complicated if you are used to just choosing a class in your game and continuing with it until you reach the maximum level. In Last eraselect your base class from five classes: Sentinel, Altar boy, Primalistic, Villainor Magician.

All Mastery classes in Last era

Once you’ve invested 20 points into your main class tree and sufficiently completed the main story quest, you’ll gain access to the three unique Mastery options for your class – essentially subclasses. They are as follows:

Altar boy: Lich, Necromancer, Wizard
Magician: Runemaster, Spellblade, Wizard
Primalistic: Shaman, beast master, druid
Villain: Blade dancer, marksman, falconer
Sentinel: Forge Guard, Void Knight, Paladin

Think of Masteries as a specialization route you want to take with your character, rather than an entirely new class. The bones of your original class will still be there when you choose your Mastery.

When will you unlock your Mastery in Last Epoch?

The player talks to Elder Gaspar in Last Epoch

(Spoiler warning: This section contains some minor story spoilers for Last Epoch.)

While Last era‘s main story, around level 17 — your level may vary depending on how many side activities you do — you get a quest called “Save last refuge”, which will lead you to a boss battle against The Husk or Elder Pannion. Defeat the boss and take the time rift to The End of Time.

Once you reach The End of Time you will be given a quest called “The power of mastery‘, then go upstairs to talk to Elder Gaspar. Gaspar then gives you the option to select a Mastery class so you can specialize. He will warn you that this is a permanent decision, so make sure you are ready before making a choice.

Once you’ve unlocked your new Mastery, you can return to your normal timeline and continue with the main mission of the game.

Which class suits you best in Last Epoch?

The class selection screen in Last Epoch

Last era features five classes, and each class has three different play styles. It is important to remember that once you have chosen a class, that choice is permanent and you’ll have to create a new character if you want to try something different. Your Mastery selection is also permanent, so choose wisely.

In general, provided you are familiar with the genre, take the lessons Last era are similar to classes from other ARPGs, MMOs and TTRPGs. Considering what you tend to gravitate toward in other RPGs (like Diablo 4, Path of exile, World of Warcraftor even Dungeons and Dragons) can indicate in which class you should play Last era.

If you are a fan of witches, warlocks, wizards or necromancers in other RPGs the Altar boy could be a good choice for you Last era.
If you like classes like wizards, sorcerers, shamans or elementalists in other RPGs you will find something to enjoy with the Magician.
If you are a fan of Barbarians, Fighters, Druids, Rangers or Shamans in other RPGs you can’t go wrong with the Primalistic.
If you are a fan of Rangers, Assassins, Demon Hunters, Hunters or Engineers in other RPGs you might consider going for the Villain.
If you are a fan of Warriors, Paladins, Crusaders or Fighters in other RPGs, Sentinel is definitely worth it.

If you are still not sure which class to play in Last eraBelow we take a closer look at each of the five classes, including extensive details on all three Masteries for each class.

Acolyte (Lich, Necromancer, Warlock)

The Acolyte selection menu in Last Epoch

The acolyte is a spellcaster, just like the Mage class, but there are some pretty significant differences between the two – especially since the Acolyte uses what some might consider ‘evil’ magic. The playstyle for the Acolyte is a mix between managing undead summons and casting spells.

The Body mastery is all about playing with your own HP to deal a lot of damage to your targets. You can poison yourself to deal even more poison damage to your enemies, or you can turn into a giant reaper and defeat enemies in exchange for some health. It is a playing style between risk and reward.

The Necromancer Mastery is quite simple. Your goal is to summon an army of undead minions to command for you and overwhelm your enemies. There are of course more nuanced things you can do to keep your playstyle active, like sacrificing your minions to deal damage or combining them into one super minion.

The Mastery of the warlock is your straight-up demonic, necrotic wizard subclass. You can throw arrows of death magic or open rifts in the ground to destroy your targets. As a Warlock, you trade a unique gimmick for the ability to destroy targets with spell after spell after spell.

Mage (Runemaster, Spellblade, Wizard)

The Magician is a wizard, just like the Acolyte. The Magician, however, is more about casting spells that utilize the arcane and elements found in our world. Most spells involve fire, ice or lightning. Ranged spellcasting is the main playstyle here. However, there are options to get into melee if that is your preference.

The Runemaster Mastery is an interesting specialization that allows you to combine your skills to create powerful runes through Runic Invocation. By casting your spells in a specific order you can create interesting new magic, giving the class an almost improvisational feel.

The Spellblade Mastery gets you a little closer to the action than you might think on a spellcaster like the Mage. Most of your specialized abilities affect your immediate environment, and you can imbue your weapons with magical power, turning your sword into a spell weapon.

The Mastery of sorcerers sees you leaning even more on the elemental things of the Magician. You can shoot giant flaming meteors or ice rockets with your fingertips. You can even create a black hole that freezes your enemies as it sucks them into the center.

Primalist (shaman, beastmaster, druid)

The Primalist selection screen in Last Epoch

The Primalist is an interesting mix between a brutal close-quarters fighter and things you might associate with a more natural spellcaster or ranged character in another game. The playstyle here is a mix between managing summons such as pets or totems and melee combat.

The Shaman mastery is all about summoning totems (essentially immobile turrets) and using elemental magic to decimate the battlefield. This is a spell-focused version of the Primalist, but one where you still address enemies to their faces.

The Beastmaster mastery allows you to summon more pets to your side to fight with you. These pets follow you and attack your targets, while also providing active abilities that you can use to occasionally increase their power. In addition to the basic wolf pet you can get as a primalist, you get access to more animals like bears or even a bird of prey.

The Druid Mastery is all about shape-shifting for different situations. You can change your form into a werebear to gain powerful bear-like powers, making you a melee powerhouse. Or you can become a tree person to increase your spellcasting skills.

Rogue (Blade dancer, marksman, falconer)

The Rogue selection screen in Last Epoch

The Rogue is the classic bow and dagger-wielding class that offers a mix between subterfuge and sniping. The playstyle it offers is an option between close-range dagger combat and long-range bow combat.

The Bladedancer mastery becomes your melee-focused Rogue, with abilities that let you dash out of the shadows, stab daggers into enemies to deal massive damage, and then get back out of the fight. It’s a class that can deal high damage, but requires you to be in the danger zone of a class that doesn’t have as much HP as a Primalist or Sentinel.

The Marksman mastery is your classic archer class and gives you the ability to deal decent damage from a safe distance. All of your skills require you to use a bow, and you must position yourself well to stay safe and achieve your goals.

The Falconer mastery is a bit different from the other two specialized Rogue classes. It gives you the falcon pet, which has its own skills that allow you to torment your enemies. But the main skills – which emphasize the falcon – don’t require you to use a bow or dagger like the other two Masteries, giving you some flexibility and an avian friend to adventure with.

Sentinel (Forge Guard, Void Knight, Paladin)

The Sentinel selection screen in Last Epoch

The Sentinel will fulfill all your ‘Sword and Board’ fantasies. This playstyle will be primarily melee-based, with a greater focus on defense.

The Forge Guard Mastery is about summoning the power of the forge to defend yourself and deal powerful fire damage. This Mastery has a summoner quality that makes it a little different from the other Sentinel classes, as you can summon magical armor, weapons, or shields to follow you.

The Void Knight Mastery is the class of sorcerer-knights who use void magic to destroy and erase their enemies from time. The Void Knight’s abilities emphasize both movement and control, allowing you to banish enemies, teleport yourself, or block certain areas with orbs of destruction.

The Paladin Mastery is a classic archetype. The Paladin here offers a holy knight style of play that is all about defeating your enemies while keeping yourself and your allies safe. Many Paladin skills have the “hurt the enemy while helping me and my friends” support combo. Your judgment skill is able to consecrate the ground to damage enemies and heal allies. Smite has a similar effect, but with a beam of holy power from the air.