The new season of Last Epoch Cycle 1.1, titled Harbingers of Ruin, brings over 30 unique items and significant skill reworks for all classes. This Last Epoch 1.1 Tier List details the best builds for this season, considering their overall performance in leveling, speed farming, bossing, and hardcore running.
1. Shield Bash Forge Guard
The Dual Wield Shield Bash Forgeguard leverages the new unique item, Monument of Protection, which is classified as an axe but has all the stats of a shield. This allows the Forgeguard to dual wield shields, adding substantial flat melee damage to both Shield Bash and Shield Rush, along with a significant boost to endurance. By focusing on spamming Shield Bash, which becomes available without cooldown through specific nodes, this build can dish out consistent, high melee damage. Shield Rush enhances mobility, while Multistrike serves as a mana-free filler. Defensively, Ring of Shields and Sigils of Hope provide substantial buffs, with Orion Sun Seal ensuring the uptime and effectiveness of Sigils. This combination makes the build both offensively powerful and defensively resilient.
2. Lightning Samurai Bladedancer
Using the new two-handed sword, Black Blade of Chaos, this build turns Lethal Mirage into a powerhouse, adding flat lightning and void damage with extra penetration. The ability to reset Lethal Mirage's cooldown on melee hits allows for constant spamming of this skill, making it highly effective in both clearing mobs and dealing single-target damage. By converting Puncture to maximize single-target damage and using Explosive Trap for additional burst damage, this build creates a dynamic and powerful playstyle. Defensively, Smoke Bomb and Decoy provide utility and survivability, making this build a balanced and formidable option.
3. Shadow Daggers Falconer
The Shadow Daggers Falconer build excels in Last Epoch 1.1 due to its exceptional speed, high damage output, and robust defensive capabilities. Utilizing Aerial Assault for rapid movement and Umbral Blades to proc Shadow Daggers, the build clears large areas efficiently and handles single-target threats with ease. Defensive layers such as Dodge, Silver Shroud, and various buffs from Smoke Bomb and Decoy ensure survivability. The build's versatility makes it effective in all content types, from Monolith Echoes to Dungeons and Arena. Additionally, the simplified skill rotation and lack of reliance on specific uniques make it accessible and easy to use, providing a fast-paced, dynamic playstyle that is both powerful and fun.
4.Frostbite Frost Claw Sorcerer
The Frostbite Frost Claw Sorcerer excels in Last Epoch 1.1 due to its potent combination of high damage output, crowd control, and robust defenses. Utilizing Frost Claw to release a barrage of projectiles that apply Frostbite and freeze enemies, the build ensures a relentless offensive while maintaining significant ward generation for defense. Elemental Nova procs from Frost Claw enhance both area-of-effect and single-target damage, making it versatile for all content types. Key defensive skills like Flame Ward provide substantial damage reduction and survivability, while items like Snowdrift and Frostbite Shackles amplify damage potential. The build's ability to almost permanently freeze enemies offers exceptional crowd control, making it a strong choice for both hardcore and softcore players. Overall, the Frostbite Frost Claw Sorcerer is easy to play, highly tanky, and exceptionally effective at handling all game content.
5. Glacier Sorcerer
The Glacier Sorcerer in Last Epoch 1.1 is a powerhouse build that excels in both offense and defense, making it highly effective across all game content. The build revolves around the Glacier skill, which unleashes massive cold explosions capable of obliterating enemies, while Ice Barrage supports with additional DPS and crowd control. This setup benefits from stacking Mana to synergize with Glacier's Critical Rejuvenation node, which helps sustain mana and boost damage. Defensive layers are robust, thanks to skills like Flame Ward for damage reduction and ward generation, and the use of Frost Wall for utility and further protection.
6. Plasma Orb Runemaster
The Plasma Orb Runemaster is an exceptional build in Last Epoch 1.1 due to its combination of robust defense, high damage output, and engaging gameplay mechanics. This build utilizes the power of combining Fire, Lightning, Fire (F, L, F) Runes with Runic Invocation to conjure Plasma Orbs that deal significant Lightning damage. The build's core skills include Runebolt for generating Fire Runes and Mana, Static Orb for generating Lightning Runes and applying debuffs, and Flame Rush for mobility and additional buffs. Defensive capabilities are further enhanced through skills like Flame Ward, which provides substantial damage reduction and ward generation.
7. Shatter Strike Spellblade
The Shatter Strike Spellblade build focuses on using Shatter Strike with high attack speed and critical strike chance to maximize damage output. By leveraging new passive nodes like Defender of Welryn and Prodigy, the build achieves high critical strike chance without needing to invest heavily in crit gear. This setup allows for high burst damage in both clearing and single-target scenarios. Defensive capabilities are enhanced through ward generation and other defensive nodes, ensuring that the build can handle tough encounters. This combination of high damage and robust defenses makes the Shatter Strike Spellblade a strong and reliable option for the new season.
8. Toxic Serpent Swarm Druid
The Toxic Serpent Swarm Druid build utilizes the new spear, Plague Dragon's Tongue, to summon an army of locusts with Serpent Strike, significantly increasing poison skill levels. The primary goal is to stack as much poison as possible through a swarm of small pets like locusts and baby scorpions. Serpent Strike is the main damage skill, and key nodes like Primal Serpent and Serpent Venom enhance its effectiveness. Swarmblade Form and Summon Scorpion provide additional minions that spread poison, while Summon Spriggan and Entangling Roots offer utility and healing. Venom Sting in Entangling Roots is particularly crucial, tripling the poison chance for serpents and scorpions, allowing for rapid stacking of poison damage, making this build both fun and highly effective.
9. Avalanche Quake Shaman
The Avalanche Quake Shaman benefits from the reworked Avalanche skill, which now offers no cooldown and higher damage output. Avalanche creates a series of boulders that can target enemies in a circular area, making it a versatile and powerful skill. The build focuses on proccing Upheaval and Earthquake through Avalanche, creating a chain of devastating effects. Nodes like Crater and Excavation are essential for maximizing these procs. Upheaval and Earthquake are converted to cold to synergize with Avalanche, while War Cry and Maelstrom provide additional buffs and utility. This build transforms the Shaman into a formidable force with the ability to deal continuous, high damage while maintaining flexibility and defensive strength.
10. Lightning Disintegrate Sorcerer
The Lightning Disintegrate Sorcerer is a variation of the Fire Disintegrate build, focusing on converting Disintegrate to lightning. This build uses the new unique wand, Tribo Electra, which enhances lightning spells and adds static orb casts. By specializing in nodes like Tendrils to cast Lightning Blast and Unleashed Power to cast Static Orb, this build turns Disintegrate into a lightning-spewing powerhouse. Lightning Strike and Static Orb replace Volcanic Orb and Fireball from the fire variant, providing continuous lightning damage. Defensive skills like Flame Ward and Focus, or even Arcane Ascendants for late-game mana management, ensure that the build remains resilient while dishing out impressive damage.
11. Fire Disintegrate Sorcerer
The Fire Disintegrate Sorcerer benefits from significant buffs to Disintegrate, including changes to channeling mechanics and a substantial increase in damage output. This build focuses on converting Disintegrate to fire using the Infernal Ray node and leveraging new nodes like Unleashed Power and Flame Vent to proc additional skills such as Volcanic Orb and Fireball. This setup allows for continuous, high-output damage while channeling Disintegrate. Flame Ward provides defensive capabilities, and Focus ensures that mana regeneration keeps up with the demands of the build. This combination of continuous fire damage and defensive buffs makes the Fire Disintegrate Sorcerer a powerful and fun option for the new season.
12. Storm Totem Shaman
The Storm Totem Shaman build benefits from the new Thunder Totem node, which significantly increases the health, damage, and duration of Storm Totem when consuming other totems. This build focuses on summoning a powerful Storm Totem, buffed by Storm Crows and Upheaval. By utilizing the Thunder Totem node, the totem gains substantial enhancements, making it a formidable damage dealer. Additional nodes in Storm Totem and Upheaval provide further damage multipliers, while Iron Bark and other defensive nodes ensure the build's survivability. This combination of high damage output and robust defenses makes the Storm Totem Shaman a strong contender in the new season.
13. Meteor Sorc
The Meteor Sorc build focuses on leveraging the changes to arcane mage mechanics, allowing for substantial mana stacking and damage output. This build uses Meteor as the main damage source, with Mana Strike and Focus providing early-game mana regeneration. As the build progresses, Arcane Ascendants can be used for late-game mana bursts, ensuring that Meteor can be spammed continuously for maximum damage. The build benefits from the inherent high damage of Meteor, combined with the ability to regenerate mana quickly, making it a powerful and sustainable option for both clearing mobs and dealing with bosses.
14. Spellblade Enigma Spark Charges
The Spellblade Enigma Spark Charges build uses Spellblade mechanics for high spark charge damage. This build focuses on using Mana Strike as the main damage source, with Spark Charges providing additional damage through rapid hits. Frost Claws add further damage scaling, creating a powerful combination of melee and elemental damage. Defensive capabilities are enhanced through ward generation and other defensive nodes, ensuring that the build can handle tough encounters. This combination of high damage and robust defenses makes the Spellblade Enigma Spark Charges a powerful and versatile option for the new season.
15. Stygian Coal Lock
The Stygian Coal Lock build focuses on using the mechanics of Stygian Coal for high damage output. This build benefits from significant buffs to vessel changes, making it more effective in generating ward and enhancing survivability. The main damage source is Stygian Coal, supported by Wandering Spirits for additional damage output. Vessel of Strife is crucial for maintaining ward generation, ensuring that the build remains resilient in the face of challenging content. This combination of high damage and robust defenses makes the Stygian Coal Lock a formidable choice for the new season.
16. Multishot Marksman
Multishot Marksman received several buffs, making it a strong build for both clearing and bossing. This build focuses on using Multishot as the main damage skill, with key nodes enhancing its effectiveness. Smoke Bomb and Decoy provide defensive and utility benefits, allowing the Marksman to stay mobile and avoid damage. Puncture serves as an additional single-target damage skill, ensuring that the build can handle both large groups of enemies and tough bosses. The combination of high damage output and mobility makes the Multishot Marksman a versatile and powerful option for the new season.
17. Cheesy Avalanche Shaman
The Cheesy Avalanche Shaman build utilizes a unique interaction between Earthquake and Avalanche to create a continuous cycle of destruction. This build focuses on using Earthquake to generate boulders, which then trigger more Earthquakes and additional boulders. This cycle creates a massive amount of area damage, making it highly effective for both clearing and single-target scenarios. By leveraging high mana regeneration and attack speed, the build ensures that the cycle can be maintained continuously. This combination of high damage output and continuous cycling makes the Cheesy Avalanche Shaman a fun and powerful option for the new season.
18. Explode Necromancer
The Explode Necromancer build focuses on using Skeletal Mages and the Profane Oblation node to create powerful necrotic explosions. By summoning skeletons and having them explode through the Skeletal Mages, the build generates significant area damage. This setup leverages the high damage effectiveness of necrotic explosions to clear large groups of enemies effectively. Defensive capabilities are enhanced through ward generation and other defensive nodes, ensuring that the build can handle tough encounters. This combination of high damage and robust defenses makes the Explode Necromancer a powerful and fun option for the new season.
19. Combustion Ignite Lich
The Combustion Ignite Lich build focuses on using Combustion and Infernal Shade for strong ignite damage and effective clearing. This build leverages the unique mechanics of Infernal Shade, applying it to summoned zombies that spread the ignite effect. As the zombies die, they trigger Combustion, creating a powerful chain reaction of ignites. Flame Ward provides additional defensive capabilities, while Mana Ward adds a layer of survivability. This build excels in both clearing and single-target damage, making it a versatile and powerful option for the new season.
20. Brand Runic Gale Runemaster
The Brand Runic Gale Runemaster build utilizes the Branded Deception node for substantial lightning damage. Runic Gale serves as the main damage source, with Static providing additional damage multipliers. This build focuses on maintaining a high uptime of Branded Deception, ensuring continuous lightning damage output. Defensive capabilities are enhanced through Vessel of Strife, which generates ward and increases survivability. This combination of high damage and robust defenses makes the Brand Runic Gale Runemaster a powerful and efficient build for the new season.
21. Explosive Volcanic Orb Ignite Sorcerer
The Explosive Volcanic Orb Ignite Sorcerer focuses on using Volcanic Orb's explosive ground for high ignite damage. This build leverages the Volcanic Orb's ability to create explosive ground effects, which apply ignites to enemies. By combining this with Meteor for additional damage and mana recovery, the build can maintain a high damage output while managing resources effectively. Teleport provides mobility and further mana regeneration, ensuring that the build remains effective in both clearing and single-target scenarios. This combination of high ignite damage and resource management makes the Explosive Volcanic Orb Ignite Sorcerer a strong choice for the new season.
22. Ignite Warlock
The Ignite Warlock build focuses on high ignite damage with strong clearing and bossing potential. This build uses ignite as the main damage source, with Hungering Souls providing additional single-target damage. Cathonic Fissure is used for clearing, creating a powerful area-of-effect damage zone. Defensive capabilities are bolstered through ward generation and other defensive nodes, ensuring that the build can handle tough content. This combination of high ignite damage and robust defenses makes the Ignite Warlock a powerful and versatile option for the new season.
23. Chaos Bolt Harvest Warlock
The Chaos Bolt Harvest Warlock combines Harvest and Chaos Bolt for strong damage output. This build focuses on using Chaos Bolt as the main damage source, with Harvest providing additional utility and damage. Ward generation is crucial for maintaining survivability, ensuring that the Warlock can withstand challenging encounters. This combination of high damage and robust defenses makes the Chaos Bolt Harvest Warlock a powerful and effective build for the new season.
24. Tornado Shaman (HP Scaling)
The Tornado Shaman (HP Scaling) build utilizes Tornado and HP scaling for substantial damage and survivability. This build focuses on using Tornado as the main damage source, with Maelstrom providing additional damage scaling. By stacking health and health regeneration, the build ensures that it can sustain itself through tough encounters. Defensive capabilities are further enhanced through nodes that increase health and resilience, making this build both powerful and durable. This combination of high damage and survivability makes the Tornado Shaman a strong choice for the new season.
25. Electrify Smite Paladin
The Electrify Smite Paladin combines Smite and Electrify for high damage and survivability. This build focuses on using Smite as the main damage source, with Electrify providing additional damage through shock effects. Healing Hands enhances survivability, allowing the Paladin to sustain itself through tough encounters. Defensive capabilities are further bolstered through nodes that increase healing and resilience, making this build both powerful and durable. This combination of high damage and robust defenses makes the Electrify Smite Paladin a strong and reliable option for the new season.
26. Flameburst Warpath Paladin
The Flameburst Warpath Paladin combines Flameburst and Warpath for substantial damage and mobility. This build focuses on using Flameburst as the main damage source, with Warpath providing mobility and additional damage through continuous movement. Defensive capabilities are enhanced through nodes that increase healing and resilience, ensuring that the build can sustain itself through tough encounters. This combination of high damage and mobility makes the Flameburst Warpath Paladin a dynamic and powerful option for the new season.
27. Blitz Wolf Lightning Wolves Beastmaster
The Blitz Wolf Lightning Wolves Beastmaster utilizes lightning wolves for high damage output with Beastmaster buffs. This build focuses on summoning wolves as the main damage source, with lightning damage providing additional damage scaling. Beastmaster buffs enhance the wolves' damage and resilience, creating a powerful and durable pack of minions. Defensive capabilities are further enhanced through nodes that increase the Beastmaster's survivability, ensuring that the build can handle tough encounters. This combination of high damage and robust defenses makes the Blitz Wolf Lightning Wolves Beastmaster a strong choice for the new season.
28. Ignite Glyph of Dominion Runemaster
The Ignite Glyph of Dominion Runemaster uses Glyph of Dominion for high ignite damage. This build focuses on using Glyph of Dominion as the main damage source, with Runic Gale providing additional damage scaling. Ward generation is crucial for maintaining survivability, ensuring that the build can withstand challenging encounters. By stacking ignite damage and leveraging the Runemaster's unique mechanics, this build creates a powerful combination of continuous damage and robust defenses. This combination of high damage and survivability makes the Ignite Glyph of Dominion Runemaster a powerful and versatile option for the new season.
29. Volatile Reversal Paladin
The Volatile Reversal Paladin build focuses on utilizing Volatile Reversal's ability to reset cooldowns and increase damage taken by enemies. This build synergizes well with Sentinel skills, allowing for high burst damage and strong single-target capabilities. By leveraging the high mana cost of Shield Rush and combining it with Healing Hands and Flame Burst, the build achieves significant damage multipliers. This setup ensures that the Paladin can handle both clearing and bossing effectively, making it a versatile and powerful option for the new season.
30. Serpent Strike Druid
The Serpent Strike Druid build focuses on utilizing Serpent Strike and Swarmblade Form to apply massive amounts of poison and frostbite to enemies. This build leverages the new node, Shattered Immunity, which increases damage per poison and frostbite stack on enemies. By using tornadoes and Thorn Totems to apply additional poisons and frostbites, the build can achieve high single-target and area-of-effect damage. Defensive capabilities are enhanced through various nodes that increase health and resilience, ensuring that the Druid can handle tough encounters.
31. Tornado Storm Bear
The Tornado Storm Bear build combines Tornado and Werebear Form to maximize damage output. By casting tornadoes and then transforming into Werebear Form, the build benefits from increased lightning damage and mobility. This setup allows for high burst damage, especially in large groups of enemies. Defensive capabilities are enhanced through various nodes that increase health and resilience, ensuring that the build can handle tough encounters. This combination of high damage and mobility makes the Tornado Storm Bear a dynamic and powerful option for the new season.
32. Cookbooks Poison Scorp Beastmaster
The Cookbooks Poison Scorp Beastmaster build focuses on utilizing Summon Scorpion and Poison Nova for high poison damage. By summoning scorpions and leveraging their poison nova, the build can stack a significant amount of poison on enemies. This build benefits from Beastmaster buffs, enhancing the scorpions' damage and resilience. Defensive capabilities are further enhanced through nodes that increase the Beastmaster's survivability, ensuring that the build can handle tough encounters. This combination of high poison damage and robust defenses makes the Cookbooks Poison Scorp Beastmaster a strong choice for the new season.
These builds are some of the best options for the Harbingers of Ruin season in Last Epoch. Whether you prefer melee, ranged, or spellcasting, there's a build here that will suit your playstyle and help you conquer the new challenges this season brings.