New Player Guide for the Campaign and Timelines in Last Epoch
Last Epoch invites you to explore four different eras of Eterra, each with its own challenges, enemies, and loot. You can travel through time, alter your past and your future, and shape a world where everyone can thrive. You can even venture into ancient times, where dinosaurs still roam the land. In this guide, we will help you navigate the different campaign timelines, as well as important key locations and what to look out for.
Introduction
Last Epoch is an action role-playing game (ARPG) that features time travel as a core mechanic. The game allows you to explore the world of Eterra in five different eras: the Divine Era, the Ruined Era, the Imperial Era, the Ancient Era, and the End of Time.
During and after the campaign, players can travel through time with the aid of the Epoch, and unlock new skills, items, and endgame content as they progress.
It is important to note that you should play through the entire campaign at least once, especially on your first character. Playing through the story and finishing important quests will unlock Passive Points and Idol Slots. You can check your progress by opening the map (M on the keyboard) and checking the bottom left corner.
Campaign
The campaign covers the main story of the game, where you can follow the plot and learn about the history and lore of Eterra. It consists of nine chapters, each presenting unique challenges, enemies, and lore.
The Epoch, created by the Goddess Eterra, was meant to provide Humanity with a way to prevent the end of times from happening. It is a blue crystal artifact that can control time and is as capable of keeping timelines stable, as it is of altering them. Whoever would own the Epoch, also possesses supreme power over the world and its residents.
The main objective of the campaign is to stop the Void from destroying Eterra and to restore the harmony of the timelines. The Epoch was fragmented in order to hinder anyone from using its full potential, however, those fragments still contain immense power, such as the possibility to cleanse corruption and drive away the Void, a mysterious dark force that is slowly taking over the world, until nothing is left.
Players will have to find and make use of the fragments with great care, in order to save humanity from the Void. They will use the Epoch fragment to travel through time and visit different eras, and timelines!
Playing through the campaign is a great way to experience the story and the world of Last Epoch, as well as to prepare yourself for endgame content.
Timeline Overview
Last Epoch has five different timelines that players will visit throughout the campaign:
Click the image for a full view of the timeline.
Divine Era
The Divine Era is the original timeline of Eterra, where humans and gods coexist in harmony. The gods granted humans the power of attunement, which allowed them to manipulate the elements and create wonders. For instance, humans built the Great College of Welryn, a center of learning and magic, and the Solarum Temple, a monument to the sun god Rahyeh. However, some became corrupted by their power and sought to overthrow the other gods. This led to a war between gods and other rebels. Players start the game in this Timeline era and travel through time to prevent the apocalypse.
Main Events:
- Creation of the world by the gods and emergence of the Void.
- Rahyeh declares war against the other gods.
Key Locations:
- The Keepers Camp, home to the Keepers of the Epoch.
- Heoborea, Heorots Land that was threatened by Rahyeh.
Click the image for a full view of the map.
Ruined Era
The Ruined Era is the era when the world was devastated by the Void, which broke through the defenses of the empire and unleashed a cataclysm that destroyed most of civilization. The survivors fled underground or to remote areas, facing constant threats from the Void and its minions. Players must uncover the secrets of the past and find a way to reforge the future. Along the way, they encounter various enemies such as voidlings, wraiths, shades, and void horrors.
Main Events:
- Destruction of the World by the Void.
- Survival of humans in the Last Refuge, a hidden city in the mountains.
Key Locations:
- Last Refuge, Last city hiding underground in the mountains.
- Welryn, where the Ruins of the Temple of Eterra rests.
- Lightless Arbor Dungeon.
- The Temporal Sanctum Dungeon.
Click the image for a full view of the map.
Imperial Era
The Imperial Era is a time when humans are ruled by the Immortal Emperor, a powerful and prosperous Undead character. He took control from the Gods, and reigned over undead, living creatures, and humans. He built a massive empire that spanned across continents and oceans, and also created the Immortal Citadel, a floating fortress that housed his army and his throne. After an encounter with the time traveling player, he will be imprisoned in ice by Yulia, a mysterious woman. With her help, players might have the chance to change fate.
Main Events:
- Rise of the Undead Empire.
- Decline of Mankind.
Key Locations:
- The Immortal Citadel, an ancient Imperial Citadel.
- The Great College of Welryn, the last place holding the information needed to defeat the Immortal Emperor.
- Soulfire Bastion Dungeon.
Click the image for a full view of the map.
Ancient Era
The Ancient Era is a prehistoric timeline that predates the Divine Era. It is a time of primitive civilizations and ancient beasts. The player visits this era to learn more about the origins of Attunement and the first humans who wielded it. It is here, that the players will discover that Attunement was a gift from Eterra, the Goddess of Nature, who created humans as her children. Players will also face some of the most fearsome creatures in Eterra's history within the Ancient Era, such as dinosaurs and dragons.
Main Events:
- Development of the first civilizations.
- The Crash of the Temple of Eterra.
Key Locations:
- Temple of Eterra, where the Goddess kept Humans to keep them safe.
Chapters: Ancient Era can be visited through a side quest called An Ancient Hunt given by the Chronomancer, who will send players on a hunt for Time Rifts.
Click the image for a full view of the map.
End of Time
The End of Time is a timeless realm that exists outside of any era. It is a place where all timelines converge. The End of Time serves as a hub for players, where they can meet other travelers, and access different eras and different game modes, such as the Monolith of Fate.
Main Events:
- World and timelines consumed by the Void.
- Fall of the Last Refuge.
Key Locations:
- The End of Time.
- The Monolith of Fate.
Chapters: The End of Time is considered as the main Hub for players, and will be visited multiple times throughout the campaign.
Progression Through Timelines
Begin in the Divine Era, the earliest timeline, and progress sequentially through campaign chapters by following the main story quests. During the campaign, players will essentially visit different eras in the following order:
- Divine Era
- Ruined Era
- Imperial Era
- Back to the Divine Era
- End of Time
Note: Players can visit the Ancient Era in between/during campaign playthroughs, but it is not necessary to finish the main storyline. The Ancient Era is part of a side quest called An Ancient Hunt.
Accessing Timelines
In the story, the traveler is using the Epoch Shard to open Time Rifts in order to enter different timelines. In certain areas like the Ancient Era area, rifts can be found in specific locations. On the players side, once a timeline has been accessed for the first time, they can use waypoints to travel between the areas.
Unlocking Endgame
Complete the campaign up to chapter 3 to unlock the Monolith of Fate and gain access to this endgame mode. For your second character or future alts, you can simply quest until the Monolith is unlocked, as you gain access to the Monolith after finishing chapter 3, and do not have to complete the campaign unless you want to.
Endgame
Unlocked after completing the campaign, Last Epochs main endgame invites you to explore alternate timelines through the Monolith of Fate, which is a device that allows the player to enter different timelines, each of which tells an alternate flow of events that could have happened in the history of Eterra, and is located on the upper right (eastern side) of The End of Time.
Shape the course of events in various timelines by completing Echoes, challenging bosses, and venturing into the Arena for an ultimate test of your skills and gear.
If you want to skip the campaign and jump straight into endgame content, there is ways to do so. Click on the following link to learn how to access different dungeons, in order to bypass parts of the campaign and reach endgame (the Monolith of Fate) quicker.
Changelog
- 15 Nov. 2023: Guide Added.
This guide has been written by Neviriah. Neviriah is a huge Diablo and World of Warcraft fan with thousands of hours invested into the games. If you have any question about her guides or even Diablo Lore, you can find her on Youtube, Twitch and Twitter.
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