Last Epoch Season 3 sharpens the hunt with Beneath Ancient Skies — and a shot at PoE refugees

Why Season 3 grabbed my attention

With Diablo 4’s next season still weeks out and Path of Exile 2’s The Third Edict looming, Last Epoch needed more than a new ladder reset to keep momentum. Season 3, Beneath Ancient Skies, actually delivers. Between the Primal Hunt endgame loop, a full new story chapter, and real quality-of-life upgrades to loot, stash, and crafting, this update reads like Eleventh Hour Games doubling down on what makes Last Epoch click. The studio also says it’s passed three million copies sold, which tracks with what I’ve seen in my friends list: more ARPG diehards giving it a spin between PoE leagues and D4 seasons.

Key Takeaways

• Primal Hunt is a fresh “chase the boss” loop that you can tune, break, and reset for escalating rewards.
• Acolyte gets a dramatic overhaul (notably Lich and Necromancer), opening up new build paths without losing its identity.
• Loot filter, stash, and crafting all get meaningful usability upgrades-less menu wrestling, more blasting.
• Chapter 10 goes prehistoric, and the overall visual polish step is noticeable in motion.

Breaking down the Primal Hunt

The headline feature is the Primal Hunt: you track a Rift Beast through time, fight it, then decide how it evolves for the next encounter. Every victory lets you nudge its lineage-stacking on new traits, nastier move sets, and bigger payouts. Push too far and it can outscale you; smart players will know when to bank rewards and reset the chain. It’s the kind of opt-in difficulty curve ARPGs need: agency and risk, not just flat numbers.

Materials you gather feed into Wengari Hunt Master Skarven Bloodthorn (great name), unlocking “primordial gear.” The twist: you can only equip one piece of this ultra-powerful stuff at a time. I like this call. It avoids the PoE pitfall of a new system invalidating entire item slots, and it forces interesting decisions-do you shore up defenses for red-map equivalents, or go full glass cannon for speed farming?

It also slots cleanly next to Last Epoch’s existing endgame—Monolith of Fate timelines, dungeons, and arena—without feeling like a replacement. If you bounce off static farming loops, the evolving-beast chase might be the spice you needed.

Acolyte reworks: new tricks for Lich and Necromancer

Acolyte has always been one of my favorite classes here because it splits the difference between self-decay caster and minion overlord. Season 3 gives it a serious tune-up at the base level and across Lich and Necromancer. Expect new skills, key reworks, and passive tree adjustments aimed at smoothing early leveling while adding late-game ceiling. The big question I had: does this tilt the meta toward one playstyle? From what I’ve tested so far, it broadens options rather than picking a winner. Lich still plays the razor’s edge sustain game; Necro gets cleaner minion management and better payoff for commitment.

For buildcrafters, this is the good kind of shakeup. Enough change to justify new characters, not so much that your old gear is junk. And if you’re coming from Diablo 4, you’ll appreciate how quickly Last Epoch lets you specialize via skill trees without needing a PhD in currency or vendor recipes.

The gamer’s gravy: loot filters, stash, and a smarter forge

Let’s be honest: the “feel” of an ARPG lives and dies in the menus. Last Epoch already had the best in-game loot filter in the genre—fully customizable, readable, and you don’t need a third-party app. Season 3 adds custom light beams and sound cues, which sounds minor until you realize how much faster you parse the screen. Fewer pauses, fewer “did I miss a T7 affix?” moments.

The stash, already comically generous with its tab system, picks up new macros and better search/sort options. It’s the difference between hoarding and curating, and it’s a nudge toward actually using the items you save for alts.

The forge remains my favorite ARPG crafting model because it’s transparent. You strip modifiers off junk, apply them to what you care about, and use special items to tilt RNG. Season 3’s clearer indicators make the before/after impact of each craft obvious. It’s a small UX win with big long-term effects—you spend more time theorycrafting and less time alt-tabbing to spreadsheets.

Industry context: the ARPG arms race

Eleventh Hour Games says Last Epoch has sold three million copies, which is a healthy base in a suddenly crowded space. PoE 2 is chugging toward its next milestone, Diablo 4 is slowly rehabbing its endgame reputation, and Grim Dawn still punches above its weight. Season 3 feels like EHG staking a claim: approachable systems, frequent polish passes, and a power curve that respects your time.

I’m also watching the live-service fundamentals. Last Epoch’s 1.0 launch had rough server queues; subsequent seasons have been smoother, and there’s always offline mode if you want a zero-lag safety net. Monetization remains cosmetics-only, which helps goodwill—especially with a new chase system that could’ve been an obvious cash-grab hook in lesser hands.

What to know before you jump in

Season 3 kicks off Thursday, August 21 at 9am PDT / 12pm EDT / 5pm BST / 6pm CEST after brief maintenance. Alongside the Primal Hunt, you’re getting Chapter 10 of the campaign—back to the Ancient Era with a gorgeous, dinosaur-filled biome and a noticeable global graphics touch-up. If you’re brand new, the campaign is a brisk on-ramp to a deep endgame; if you’re returning, you can race to maps and immediately engage with the new hunt loop.

Two cautions. First, class reworks always bring a week or two of balance churn; don’t marry a build before the dust settles. Second, primordial gear being limited to one piece is a clever balance check, but it also means the chase will be more about the “right” piece than stacking a set—manage expectations accordingly.

TL;DR

Beneath Ancient Skies is the right kind of Season 3: a new endgame chase with agency, a meaningful class refresh, and QoL that respects your time. If you’re between PoE and D4 seasons—or just want an ARPG that’s deep without being inscrutable—Last Epoch earns your weekend.