07-04-2025, 08:53 AM
As you approach the latter stages of your journey through Eterra in Last Epoch, a new and infinitely replayable challenge awaits: the Monolith of Fate. Far from being a mere post-campaign afterthought, the Monolith is the true heart of Last Epoch's endgame, a dynamic, ever-evolving labyrinth of timelines and encounters where your build is truly tested, and the most coveted rewards are found. Understanding its intricate mechanics is key to unlocking your character's full potential and securing the best gear Last Epoch Gold.
Navigating the Echoes: Basic Mechanics
Upon completing the main campaign, you'll gain access to the Monolith from the End of Time hub. Each Monolith instance represents a "Timeline," featuring a unique boss and a specific theme. Initially, you'll start with a few accessible Timelines, such as "The Last Ruin" or "Fall of the Outcasts."
Your goal within a Timeline is to complete "Echoes." These are self-contained missions with varying objectives – defeat all enemies, protect an NPC, survive waves, etc. Each completed Echo grants "Stability" for that Timeline. As you accumulate Stability, you unlock access to the Timeline's main Boss encounter. Defeating the Boss allows you to claim a powerful "Blessing," a permanent stat bonus or unique effect for your character, before resetting your Stability and allowing you to farm the Timeline anew or progress to the next.
Key Components of the Monolith
Echo Modifiers: Prior to initiating an Echo, you will encounter a list of modifiers that influence the encounter. These modifiers can either be advantageous (for instance, "Enemies have reduced health") or harmful (for example, "Players incur increased damage from critical hits"). It is essential to select your path judiciously, taking into account the strengths and weaknesses of your build. The further an Echo is positioned from the initial point on the web, the more potent (and frequently more rewarding) its modifiers tend to be.
Corruption: This represents one of the most critical mechanics for progression in the endgame. Corruption serves as a global difficulty modifier for a Timeline. As Corruption increases, the enemies become more formidable, but the rewards also escalate (including enhanced item rarity, experience, and Gold). You can elevate Corruption by vanquishing specific "Shade of Orobyss" encounters within the Monolith, which appear after achieving a particular Corruption threshold. Advancing Corruption is the method by which truly powerful characters set themselves apart and discover the finest loot.
Blessings: After defeating a Timeline Boss, you're presented with a choice of Blessings. These permanent bonuses can range from increased critical strike chance, resistances, or damage types to more specific effects like increased item drop rarity for certain item types. Carefully selecting Blessings that complement your build is vital for optimization. You can re-fight bosses to try for a better roll or a different Blessing entirely.
Empowered Monoliths: Once you've cleared the three initial Timelines and defeated their respective bosses, you unlock the "Empowered Monoliths." These are 100-level versions of all Monolith Timelines, significantly harder than their standard counterparts but offering vastly superior rewards, including unique item drops that only appear in Empowered Timelines, and the ability to push Corruption almost infinitely. This is where the true endgame grind begins.
The Endless Rewards
The Monolith of Fate serves as the main source for the most sought-after items in Last Epoch. You will encounter:
Unique Items: These unique items, which are essential for building effective character setups, frequently drop from specific Timeline Bosses or are more prevalent at elevated Corruption levels.
Exalted Items: These rare items possess one or more affixes that exceed the standard T5, reaching up to T7. They are vital for crafting exceptionally powerful equipment.
Set Items: Gather components of potent sets that provide bonuses when equipped collectively.
Crafting Materials: Shards, Glyphs, and Runes are plentiful, enabling you to continuously enhance your gear.
Experience & Gold: Maintaining a consistent clear speed in the Monolith is the quickest method to level up and gather buy Last Epoch Gold for all your in-game requirements.
The Monolith of Fate is more than just an endgame activity; it's a core design philosophy of Last Epoch. Its dynamic nature, combined with the depth of the item and crafting systems, ensures that there's always something new to chase, a new build to try, and another layer of power to unlock.
Navigating the Echoes: Basic Mechanics
Upon completing the main campaign, you'll gain access to the Monolith from the End of Time hub. Each Monolith instance represents a "Timeline," featuring a unique boss and a specific theme. Initially, you'll start with a few accessible Timelines, such as "The Last Ruin" or "Fall of the Outcasts."
Your goal within a Timeline is to complete "Echoes." These are self-contained missions with varying objectives – defeat all enemies, protect an NPC, survive waves, etc. Each completed Echo grants "Stability" for that Timeline. As you accumulate Stability, you unlock access to the Timeline's main Boss encounter. Defeating the Boss allows you to claim a powerful "Blessing," a permanent stat bonus or unique effect for your character, before resetting your Stability and allowing you to farm the Timeline anew or progress to the next.
Key Components of the Monolith
Echo Modifiers: Prior to initiating an Echo, you will encounter a list of modifiers that influence the encounter. These modifiers can either be advantageous (for instance, "Enemies have reduced health") or harmful (for example, "Players incur increased damage from critical hits"). It is essential to select your path judiciously, taking into account the strengths and weaknesses of your build. The further an Echo is positioned from the initial point on the web, the more potent (and frequently more rewarding) its modifiers tend to be.
Corruption: This represents one of the most critical mechanics for progression in the endgame. Corruption serves as a global difficulty modifier for a Timeline. As Corruption increases, the enemies become more formidable, but the rewards also escalate (including enhanced item rarity, experience, and Gold). You can elevate Corruption by vanquishing specific "Shade of Orobyss" encounters within the Monolith, which appear after achieving a particular Corruption threshold. Advancing Corruption is the method by which truly powerful characters set themselves apart and discover the finest loot.
Blessings: After defeating a Timeline Boss, you're presented with a choice of Blessings. These permanent bonuses can range from increased critical strike chance, resistances, or damage types to more specific effects like increased item drop rarity for certain item types. Carefully selecting Blessings that complement your build is vital for optimization. You can re-fight bosses to try for a better roll or a different Blessing entirely.
Empowered Monoliths: Once you've cleared the three initial Timelines and defeated their respective bosses, you unlock the "Empowered Monoliths." These are 100-level versions of all Monolith Timelines, significantly harder than their standard counterparts but offering vastly superior rewards, including unique item drops that only appear in Empowered Timelines, and the ability to push Corruption almost infinitely. This is where the true endgame grind begins.
The Endless Rewards
The Monolith of Fate serves as the main source for the most sought-after items in Last Epoch. You will encounter:
Unique Items: These unique items, which are essential for building effective character setups, frequently drop from specific Timeline Bosses or are more prevalent at elevated Corruption levels.
Exalted Items: These rare items possess one or more affixes that exceed the standard T5, reaching up to T7. They are vital for crafting exceptionally powerful equipment.
Set Items: Gather components of potent sets that provide bonuses when equipped collectively.
Crafting Materials: Shards, Glyphs, and Runes are plentiful, enabling you to continuously enhance your gear.
Experience & Gold: Maintaining a consistent clear speed in the Monolith is the quickest method to level up and gather buy Last Epoch Gold for all your in-game requirements.
The Monolith of Fate is more than just an endgame activity; it's a core design philosophy of Last Epoch. Its dynamic nature, combined with the depth of the item and crafting systems, ensures that there's always something new to chase, a new build to try, and another layer of power to unlock.