[2019] Early Access Development Forecast

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Q&A

 

Click on a question below to see its answer. We may add additional questions to this post over time for visibility if we see specific questions being asked frequently.
 

What do the phases represent?

The goal of the Early Access Forecast is to help communicate in which order various features, classes, and mechanics will be implemented. We expect most items from a phase will be implemented before items from later phases start being made available.

The Forecast is constructed in large part by assessing the order in which members of the team will be working on their tasks. New people joining the team may expedite some work being done, while issues being found in our internal QA may delay some releases.

Consequently, the Forecast shouldn’t be seen as something written in stone. Rather, we’re showing you our plans for the sake of transparency. If changes arise, we’ll continue to act in that spirit by informing you of those changes and explaining why they occur.

What is the Eternity Cache?

This system involves placing equipment and various rare components into special chests. The contents of these chests will be abnormally impacted by the passage of time and may become extraordinarily powerful. It could be easier to place items there than to retrieve them, however - as other denizens of Eterra could be drawn to them in your absence.

    You can also read about this on our Items page or our KickStarter page.

What are the Gates of Memorium?

The Gates of Memorium system is the primary means through which you will access the storyline content after having completed it. Inspired by both fond memories of boss runs in Diablo II, and the desire for freedom to explore the game’s content, this system will allow you to journey through your memories to face against past challenges again.

Be careful; no memory is perfect, and enemies you face may be more dangerous than when you previously encountered them. Perhaps some foes are better left forgotten…

    You can also read about this on our End-game Systems page or our KickStarter page.

What is the Epoch's Call?

The Epoch’s Call is a directive to locate and eradicate a threat to the world of Eterra. Perhaps a number of Time Rifts have been sighted close to Last Refuge and there is a need to investigate before the Void’s machinations can come to fruition. Or maybe there are reports of another time traveller - one whose allegiance is unknown and must be uncovered.

    You can also read about this on our End-game Systems page or our KickStarter page.

What are Time Rifts?

`Time Rifts are tearing a portal through the eras of time. You will encounter Time Rifts throughout your travels, and your Epoch will open them to transport your to the same location in different eras. These zones you access through time rifts act as side zones displaced by time rather than location and contain added loot, rewards, and challenges.

How will trading work in Last Epoch?

Trading in Last Epoch will be possible both directly between friends, and by listing items for sale on the Bazaar. Other players will be able to bid on items in the Bazaar, and you will be able to view the status of your current listings anywhere by opening a UI window.

Our Developer Blog from last year is great for getting a high-level view of the Bazaar. Individual details, such as specific limitations, may change between now and it being implemented.

    You can also read our Developer Blog about this.

What is the difference between base classes and mastery classes?

Each base class has three mastery classes.

Both base classes and mastery classes have active skills and passives that no other class has access to. By release each base class will have ten active skills, while each mastery class will have six. Your character will have access to the entirety of its base class and its chosen mastery class, as well as the first half of the remaining mastery classes.

    You can also read about this on our Classes page.

What differentiates Legendaries from Uniques?

Unique items are items with predetermined stats. Their role in the game is to have unique item properties which could never exist within the usual affix pool due to balance concerns, to broaden the number of options available to you when you are choosing equipment. It is not our intention for them to be flatly superior to a strong Rare item.

The planned role of Legendary items has changed as we iterate throughout development, and you can expect us to post a Developer Blog about them closer to their implementation.

What are Lost Memories?

Lost Memories will be a key part of our item updates coming later at a later stage of our beta, focused around items used as components for crafting and socketables. We’ll announce more information on the final iteration of this system closer to it being made available.

What are Challenge Modes?

Challenge modes are options available at the time of character creation which alter aspects of the game for that character. For example, Hardcore mode makes deaths permanent.

 
Additional Questions

How many chapters are currently implemented?

In Patch 0.7 we announced that we would be finishing Chapter 3, adding Chapter 4, and adding a new chapter played immediately after character creation. Going forwards, we will be referring to this new chapter as Chapter 1, with subsequent chapters named appropriately.

Thus, at the time of this thread being posted, there are five chapters available.

Why will the Rogue class not be available sooner?

This question was originally asked on Reddit. I posted quite a thorough response to it, explaining our reasoning and what we would like for the initial release of the Rogue.

You can find this answer here.

When will each of the different phases begin?

Patch 0.7.2, scheduled for release during the first half of August 2019, will form part of Phase 1. Last Epoch will progress through each of the phases in order, until it is ready to be officially launched. The estimated release date for Last Epoch is April 2020.

Will every entry in Phase 4 be included in the beta?

Unfortunately, it’s too early for us to confirm this.

Patch 0.7.2 is due to release during the first half of next month and will be part of Phase 1.

We’ve got a patch coming down the pipe pretty soon here too.

So, as noted in those patch notes, in addition to Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 content, Patch 0.7 also introduced an additional chapter which is played immediately after character creation. Due to “Chapter 1” having previously been available, at times we’ve considered the new start to the game a “Chapter 0” of sorts - unfortunately this has resulted in inconsistent phrasing.

It’s awkward in that, for new players, logically the first chapter would be Chapter 1. Though for people who had played prior to the addition of the prologue chapter, there was already a chapter referred to as “Chapter 1”. Going forward we’ll be more consistently referring to the first chapter as Chapter 1, and renaming the subsequent chapters accordingly.

7 posts were merged into an existing topic: Trading! or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bazaar!

I’ve added the first couple of additional questions to our FAQ post above.

I’ve also moved some posts about trading to the Developer Blog. While it’s good to see feedback on such an important topic, the posts were beginning to derail the discussion about our roadmap posted above. Additionally, them being placed here would make it less likely that they would be found again when we discuss trading at future design meetings.

This is a forward-looking forecast.

Patch 0.7.2, which will be released later this month, forms part of Phase 1.

I think that this has been inevitable - at least to some extent.

The Bazaar is likely to be one of the features where pre-release testing is the least representative of how things will be long-term. This doesn’t apply to all feedback - criticism regarding the UI, for example - but the economy will work differently when it has substantially more people participating in it, so we’ve been anticipating the need for changes post-release.
 

Simplicity; giving prospective players one less thing to learn.

We try to make the game intuitive where possible. While whether a ‘prologue’ chapter is counted as being a chapter or not won’t make or break the game’s player comprehension, we think it would be expected, and we don’t see a pressing need to go against that expectation.

I’ve added another question to post #2 of this thread.

While not a question I’ve seen posed by the community, I have observed some confusion regarding the scope of the forecast - likely due to people assuming it was released alongside the game entering beta / Steam Early Access, rather than several months later.
 

What is the scope of this forecast?

Our Early Access Forecast was posted on the 30th of July.

We first released builds to the community during Last Epoch’s pre-alpha stage of development in late 2017, the game entered Steam Early Access on the 30th of April 2019, and it is scheduled to release in April 2020 with substantial, ongoing post-release development.

The Early Access Forecast focuses on development between the forecast itself being posted, and the game leaving Steam Early Access. The pre-alpha and alpha stages of development, updates to the game after launch, and beta content released between the game entering beta / Steam Early Access and the forecast being posted are all not reflected in the forecast.

Heyo.

We created the forecast as a way of communicating a list of items not presently in the game that we planned to add later in development. More recently, we have started using alternative bullet point styles to contrast items that are in the game with those that are not.

Something having the illumunated bullet point doesn’t mean we consider that aspect of the game to be complete. It just means that it no longer fits the bill of “not presently in the game”.

If sockets were planned, it is unlikely they would be listed separately alongside other entries that could conceivably include them, such as Item & Crafting Updates.

We haven’t cancelled Minion Stances; they just require the time of particular team members who are very busy, and whose other work it’s difficult to prioritize them against. It’s been a while since we’ve spoken about them internally, but I expect them to be implemented eventually.