last-epoch Last Epoch Reveals Item Factions System for Trade and Loot

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Last Epoch introduces a new system that lets you choose between two factions that offer different benefits for item acquisition and trading.

Eleventh Hour Games has revealed its plans for implementing trade and loot mechanics in Last Epoch. In a new forum post from the developers, the studio announced the Item Factions system, which will allow players to choose between two factions that offer different benefits and services related to item hunting and exchange.

The two factions are the Merchant's Guild and the Circle of Fortune. You can join a faction in the Upper District of the mercantile city of Maj'Elka.

• The Merchant's Guild is a faction that grants trade between players through the Bazaar, as well as player-to-player.
• The Circle of Fortune is a faction that boosts the loot you find yourself through Prophecies, and passive bonuses

Each character can only join one of these factions at a time, and you will have the possibility to switch between both factions. However, leveling each faction's rank takes quite some time, so you should choose early on which faction you prefer, in order to get the most out of it. Each faction has two important components: Reputation and Favor. Reputation is a measure of your character's rank within the faction, which unlocks new perks and rewards. Favor is a currency that can be spent on the faction's services and rewards. There are a total of 10 Ranks to achieve with either faction.

The perks and rewards of each faction are tailored to their respective playstyles. For example:

• The Merchant's Guild offers access to an auction house (the Bazaar), where you can buy and sell items.
• The Circle of Fortune offers increased item quantity and quality, as well as exceptionally powerful passive bonuses. This faction offers access to the Observatory, where you can use telescopes to observe the heavens and exchange your Favor for Prophecies.

The Item Factions system will be available in both the Cycle and the Legacy (non-Cycle) modes of the game. Cycles are an upcoming seasonal mode that resets every few months, while Legacy is the permanent mode that does not reset. The faction progress will be shared account-wide within Cycle mode, but will be character-specific in the non-Cycle (Legacy) mode. Furthermore, please note that the faction ranks are only shared between characters of the same game mode. If you have a Hardcore character and a normal character, they will not both benefit from the shared faction.

This new trading system is designed to accommodate different preferences and playstyles of players, while also preserving the core gameplay loop of slaying monsters and finding loot. Eleventh Hour Games stated that they want Last Epoch to be "the ARPG that rewards you for hunting items the way you most enjoy, no matter which side of the trade conversation you're on."

Another new feature that will be introduced with the Item Factions system is Resonances. Resonances are special items that drop when you have played with another player for quite some time. You can use a Resonance on an item to gift it to that player, even if they were not online when the item dropped. This way, you can share your loot with your friends and help them with their builds. However, Resonances are specific to the item rarity, so you will need the right type of Resonance to gift a certain item. 

The Trade & Item Factions system is expected to launch with the full release of Last Epoch on February 21st, 2024. The game is currently in early access and can be purchased on Steam or the official website.

There are many more details about the Item Factions system, so if you are interested in learning more, please visit the official forum post and join the discussion with other players and the developers.