Is Last Epoch pay-to-win?

Last Epoch is all set to become the next Wonderchild in the ARPG market. With Diablo 4's disappointing Season 3 and Path of Exile reaching its end of the Affliction League, the Eleventh Hour Games couldn't have picked a better time to release their project. It is no surprise that the game has taken a lot of people by surprise, leading many to wonder how multiple in-game core mechanics work.

The main focus of this article will lean towards a different aspect of Last Epoch and explore if there is anything that can label this game as a pay-to-win title.

Fortunately, many players will be pleased to know that Last Epoch is not a pay-to-win title by any means, and everything, from Stash tabs to Unique items, can be obtained with either in-game farmable currency or by running endgame activities.

The only time players need to spend their money on anything is while purchasing the game or cosmetics from in-game shops.

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Last Epoch is not a pay-to-win title

As mentioned, Last Epoch won't allow players to pay for any convenience in the game. There is no way to pay for faster progression or even in-game currencies such as Gold or Faction Tokens. Everyone must make a character in a Cycle, play through the campaign, equip the correct items for their builds, and farm the rest in the endgame activities.

The new Factions, Trading Merchant and Circle of Fortune, will modify the player experience, allowing them to easily target the items with the affixes they want. However, there will be no real-life money involved while practicing these different Faction mechanics.

Trading merchant (Image via Eleventh Hour Games)

Additionally, Stash tabs will be purchasable via in-game Gold, which can be obtained anywhere in the game. Purchasing different tabs and categories for those Stash tabs can be done solely via Gold, as was always the case in early access.

Purchasing Stash tab (Image via Eleventh Hour Games)

Selecting Mastery for a class requires players to complete a specific story chapter. Doing so will lead you to a certain NPC, allowing you to choose a Mastery for your selected class. Again, no real-life money is required to unlock a Mastery, as there is no option present in-game for such purchases.

All masteries (Image via Eleventh Hour Games)

Lastly, players will find different Blessings or Shrines while running endgame Monoliths Echoes. They often provide a permanent or temporary buff for increased EXP gain upon kills. Hence, you won't be able to cheese your way to the maximum level just by spending a few bucks.

Edition upgrade shop (Image via Eleventh Hour Games)

Note that a few things can be bought using real-life money in Last Epoch. However, all of them are cosmetics and by no means affect anyone's gameplay regarding damage, EXP, or other conveniences.

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Eleventh Hour Games, the developers behind Last Epoch, have ensured that the title won't be getting a Battle Pass system anytime soon or a pay-to-win mechanic within the core systems.