Best Mage builds and skills in Last Epoch
Wondering what the best Acolyte skills and builds are in Last Epoch?For big magical power inLast Epoch, there’s no beating the Mage. This crafty spellslinger is the archetypal wizard seen in other RPGs, and while the in-game character model representing the Mage is noticeably older than his peers, there’s no denying that this wizened elder can still whip the rest of his party into shape.
The Mage has a nearly endless array of options at their disposal, making them one ofLast Epoch’s most versatile, and potentially complex, classes. Whether you want to study runes, go for broke with big AoE blasts, or wield a spell-infused sword, there’s something for you when it comes to the Mage’s three Masteries: the Runemaster, the Sorcerer, and the Spellblade. Below, we’ve outlined our preferred builds for each Mastery, along with the right Skills, Specialization Tree nodes, and Passives for each. Read on to learn the true might of magic.
Last Epoch Best Mage Runemaster build
The Runemaster is an interesting Mastery that’s all about setting up ward (basically a temporary shield that boosts your existing health) and paying attention to different combinations of runes. Put the right runes together, and you can inflict devastating damage and light up a battlefield with the equivalent of element-shooting cannon blasts. For players who enjoy a bit of crunch to their spell management and don’t mind the idea of keeping track of runic symbols, thisHydrahedron RunemasterMage build will impress like nothing else.
To begin your Runemaster build, Specialize in theFlame RushSkill to get around and create searing hot explosions in your wake. This Skill generates Fire runes and will come in infinitely handy for Runic Invocation, described below.
For nodes on the Skill Specialization Tree, I recommendBlazing Fluxto ensure that Flame Rush costs less mana and has a briefer cooldown.Runic Eclipseis an excellent way to ensure you take less damage while using your Flame Rush, andLunar Protectionwill generate ward whenever you use Flame Rush.
Ward in Last Epoch normally acts as a defensive measure, butFlame Wardadds a little twist by not only giving you a burst of 400 ward and decreasing your damage by 30%, but also creating a retaliatory flame burst to every hit you take for three seconds.
To ensure that you can tank decently with this Skill, get to theDual Aegisnode as soon as you can. This will allow you to use Flame Ward twice before you need to wait through a cooldown.InfusionandDilationare also good choices to make Flame Ward hit harder and cost less mana.
Frost Wallnormally sets up a wall of ice that lasts for six seconds, putting major chill into any enemy that happens to be in the area of effect. We’re going to tweak the ice in this build for the purposes of creating bigger damage with Runic Invocation, converting it to fire instead.
To do so, take thePyroglassnode, which swaps Frost Wall’s cold damage to fire. Combine this with theBiting Limitnode to shred through any fire resistance that enemies might have when they come into contact with your ice-turnt-flame boundary.
Runeboltserves as a handy means of spamming projectiles. It normally fires off a fire burst, followed off by a lighting burst, and then a cold burst. We’re going to make them all lighting, and you’ll see why when we delve into Runic Invocation below.
For your all-lighting setup, you’ll need to take theJolting SparkandLighting Spearnodes. You’ll also want to take theArcane Restorationnode to gain back some mana every time you hit an enemy with Runebolt.
Here we reach the crucial skill of our build.Runic Invocationgenerates runes that sit atop the screen (or above your Mage’s head if there are already other items on the top of the screen, like a boss' healthbar) passively whenever you cast elemental spells. You can activate this Skill to unleash those runes in a Runic Invocation, which in our case will be Hydrahedron - a deadly mass that erupts fire at everything surrounding it. Invoking Hydrahedron, which will be your main damage dealing attack, requires a Lighting, Fire, and Fire rune combo. Now you can see why we’ve been changing the elements of previous Skills above!
To make Hydrahedron even more potent, pour some of your Specialization points intoDevastating Starfall,Unbridled Ruin, andRunic Energy.Transcriber of Poweris also a good choice for gaining more spell damage and casting speed after activating Runic Invocation.
To maximise your potential with the Hydrahedron Runemaster build, we recommend the following Passives:
The Sorcerer is the Mastery to go for if you want to light up your Last Epoch screen with big AoE spells that wreck all foes within a close radius. The followingGlacier Sorcererbuild is an especially strong one that lets you keep your mana flowing while you turn enemies into ice sculptures. Get started on the pathway of cold vengeance by Specializing in the following Skills and Passives.
As with our other builds listed here,Flame Wardis an all-around stellar Skill for giving you 400 ward plus a nice damage reduction every time you pop it. It might seem funny for a Glacier Sorcerer to have a Flame Ward Skill, but who said that fire and ice don’t occasionally mix?
You’ll needDual Aegisto store an additional charge of Flame Ward, or else you’ll only be able to use it once before waiting through an annoying cooldown. Other useful nodes includeDilationandBarrier.
Focusis a useful defensive Skill that’ll always keep your mana high. While channeling this Skill, you’ll get 100% increased mana regen as well as ten ward per second, which will come in infinitely handy for the big damage spells that this build relies upon.
Make the most of Focus by investing in theRevelation,Iron Stance, andMana Floodednodes.Desperate Meditation,Null Profusion, andNull Infusionare also great picks that’ll keep you going if you ever run into negative mana.
As you might’ve expected from the name of this build, Glacier is the Sorcerer’s main method of bringing the frosty hurt. It also looks very cool, since you’ll be channeling not one, not two, but three icy explosions that travel in the direction of your choice and deal increasingly larger damage.
Put your points into as many damage-boosting nodes as you can to make sure that nobody will be able to recover from your Glacier assault.Greater Destructionwill make Glacier’s largest explosion inflict more damage, whileMorditas' Baneups Glacier’s potency against rare enemies and bosses. To gain mana with your kills, takeCold VictoryandCritical Rejuvenation, which will work well alongside your Focus Skill.
For a quick dose of sharp icicles to the face,Ice Barrageis just what you need. This Skill opens a rift that continuously launches icicles from it for five seconds. It’s a stellar DPS Skill, and while Glacier will be your best way of massacring a group, Ice Barrage is your go-to for single targets.
Be sure to take theNailed Shotnode to give your icicles the ability to pierce through enemies. You’ll also wantCryogenesis, which makes Ice Barrage deal more damage for the price of a slightly shorter duration.
UseTeleportto move around in a jiffy. This Skill will be particularly useful when you’ve got to navigate behind a group of mobs to nail them with Glacier or Ice Barrage.
To reduce Teleport’s cooldown, takeComet Rush. Then go for theCrystaline Passagenode to grant yourself higher cold resistance and armour if Teleport was cast within the last four seconds, before finally moving on towardsTime Dilation,Mana Tunnel, andTunnel Finderto keep your mana flowing and your Teleport cooldown low.
To maximise your potential with the Glacier Sorcerer build, we recommend the following Passives:
The Spellblade is a magus who’s just as capable with a sword as a spell. This Mastery is perfect for Last Epoch fans who like the idea of the Mage’s magic but want a fighting style that’s a little more in-your-face and personal. TheShatter Strike SpellbladeMage build that we’ve outlined here fits the bill with a great array of cold attacks that will freeze single targets, shatter their remains, and make for very easy playing.
You’re going to be relying on melee attacks way more with the Spellblade than any other Mage Mastery, so it’s totally worth your time to Specialize inEnchant Weapon. Your melee attacks will always deal 15% more elemental damage passively, and whenever you activate this Skill, you’ll bump that up to 50% damage for five seconds.
TakingConcentrationto make Enchant Weapon last longer is a necessity, as isCelerityfor increased melee attack speed. Since this is a cold-focused build,Frostbrandis also needed for additional melee cold damage.
Flame Wardwill serve as your defense as you wade in the thick of things to get your weapon dirty. Activating this Skill will grant you 400 ward atop your regular health and a damage reduction. We’ll also change the flames generated by this Skill to cold with a few important node choices.
First off, takeDual Aegisfor the ability to pop Flame Ward twice before a cooldown kicks in, and thenDilationto make the Skill cost less mana and last longer. Following these nodes, grabInfusion, which grants an overall damage increase, and thenFrost Ward, which switches Flame Ward into a Cold Ward.
Mana Strikesends a arc-shaped attack wave outwards from your mage, returning 15 mana to them if enemies are in the line of fire. This Skill will be your reliable go-to for gaining back lost mana during your attacks, and is critical for ensuring that your Spellblade never runs out of energy while facing down an angry mob.
Arcanist’s Blade,Mana Drain, andCritical Manaare the most important nodes to fill out on the Mana Strike Specialization Tree.Swift Sapis also handy for increased attack speed, and if you want to deal damage to a larger area, takeSprite Blade.
The bulk of your damage will be dealt viaShatter Strike, which sees your Spellblade generating a huge circle around them that whallops for a truly intimidating barrage of cold damage. Even better - you’ll instantly kill any enemy below 100 health who’s frozen.
Taking nodes that build upon Shatter Strike’s already considerable damage is the priority here.Cold Steelis great for a critical multiplier, whileAbsolute Zerooffers up more damage with the only tradeoff a 20% drop in attack speed, which can be balanced out by takingBreadth of Cold,Whiteout, andIceblink.
Of all the Mage Masteries listed here, the Spellblade is the most in need of a good traversal Skill to dash out of the reach of bosses or troublesome AoE attacks.Teleportis your go-to.
Your nodes here are going to look very similar to the ones we recommend for the Glacier Sorcerer - these are both icy character builds, after all. In short, maximise theComet Rushnode for a shorter Teleport cooldown and thenCrystaline Passagefor higher cold resistance and armour if Teleport was cast within the last four seconds.Time Dilation,Mana Tunnel,Tunnel Findershould be your next nodes.
To maximise your potential with the Shatter Strike Spellblade build, we recommend the following Passives:
That finishes our look at the best builds available for the magical maestro that is the Mage. For more on all the class options available to you in Last Epoch, keep an eye on Rock Paper Shotgun in the coming days as we proceed to delve into the thegothic Acolyte, thebrutal Primalist, theshifty Rogue, and thenoble Sentinel.
