Last Epoch: Best Mage builds and skills

Best Mage builds and skills in Last Epoch

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Eleventh Hour Games

Wondering what the best Acolyte skills and builds are in Last Epoch? For big magical power in Last 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 of Last 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
• Last Epoch Best Mage Sorcerer build
• Last Epoch Best Mage Spellblade build

Last Epoch’s launch trailer shows off the game’s classes as well as its time-travelling theme.Watch on YouTube

Last Epoch Best Mage Runemaster build

Pay close attention to the rune symbols that appear above your Runemaster’s head - they represent the element associated with the last Skill you used. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Eleventh Hour Games

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, this Hydrahedron Runemaster Mage build will impress like nothing else.

Flame Rush

To begin your Runemaster build, Specialize in the Flame Rush Skill 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 recommend Blazing Flux to ensure that Flame Rush costs less mana and has a briefer cooldown. Runic Eclipse is an excellent way to ensure you take less damage while using your Flame Rush, and Lunar Protection will generate ward whenever you use Flame Rush.

Flame Ward

Ward in Last Epoch normally acts as a defensive measure, but Flame Ward adds 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 the Dual Aegis node as soon as you can. This will allow you to use Flame Ward twice before you need to wait through a cooldown. Infusion and Dilation are also good choices to make Flame Ward hit harder and cost less mana.

Frost Wall

Frost Wall normally 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 the Pyroglass node, which swaps Frost Wall’s cold damage to fire. Combine this with the Biting Limit node to shred through any fire resistance that enemies might have when they come into contact with your ice-turnt-flame boundary.

Runebolt

Runebolt serves 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 the Jolting Spark and Lighting Spear nodes. You’ll also want to take the Arcane Restoration node to gain back some mana every time you hit an enemy with Runebolt.

Runic Invocation

Here we reach the crucial skill of our build. Runic Invocation generates 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 into Devastating Starfall , Unbridled Ruin , and Runic Energy . Transcriber of Power is also a good choice for gaining more spell damage and casting speed after activating Runic Invocation.

Passives

To maximise your potential with the Hydrahedron Runemaster build, we recommend the following Passives:

• Mage Passives: Max out Arcanist and then put some points into Elementalist , focusing on Arcane Flames afterwards. When you can, take Knowledge of Destruction for greater critical strike chances.
• Runemaster Passives: Arcane Focus and Edict of the Scion are must-haves. Never Late will nicely supplement your Flame Rush, and Decree of the Burning Wind , Jagged Veil , and Runeword: Inferno are fine choices on the other side of the Passive Tree for helping you deal more damage to bosses, gain ward, and buff your fire potency.
• Sorcerer Passives: The Sorcerer Passive Tree offers up some good options for a Hydrahedron Runemaster, namely Arcane Momentum , Essence of Celerity , and Calculated Destruction .
• Spellblade Passives: There’s no need to invest in the Spellblade tree, since you aren’t going to be relying on melee attacks with this build. Arcane Warden is okay, but not a priority by any means.

Last Epoch Best Mage Sorcerer build

With this Glacier build, all foes will tremble (and then freeze) in your path. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Eleventh Hour Games

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 following Glacier Sorcerer build 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.

Flame Ward

As with our other builds listed here, Flame Ward is 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 need Dual Aegis to 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 include Dilation and Barrier .

Focus

Focus is 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 the Revelation , Iron Stance , and Mana Flooded nodes. Desperate Meditation , Null Profusion , and Null Infusion are also great picks that’ll keep you going if you ever run into negative mana.

Glacier

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 Destruction will make Glacier’s largest explosion inflict more damage, while Morditas’ Bane ups Glacier’s potency against rare enemies and bosses. To gain mana with your kills, take Cold Victory and Critical Rejuvenation , which will work well alongside your Focus Skill.

Ice Barrage

For a quick dose of sharp icicles to the face, Ice Barrage is 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 the Nailed Shot node to give your icicles the ability to pierce through enemies. You’ll also want Cryogenesis , which makes Ice Barrage deal more damage for the price of a slightly shorter duration.

Teleport

Use Teleport to 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, take Comet Rush . Then go for the Crystaline Passage node to grant yourself higher cold resistance and armour if Teleport was cast within the last four seconds, before finally moving on towards Time Dilation , Mana Tunnel , and Tunnel Finder to keep your mana flowing and your Teleport cooldown low.

Passives

To maximise your potential with the Glacier Sorcerer build, we recommend the following Passives:

• Mage Passives: Arcanist is a good Passive for the additional intelligence and elemental resistance. Since this is a heavy DPS build, Mage Flurry is the other Passive you should focus on, though you can also put a smattering of points into Knowledge of Destruction if you’d like to up your critical strike chance.
• Runemaster Passives: There are a fair number of Runemaster Passives worth taking here, including Sphere of Protection for a health bump, Edict of the Scion for increased spellcasting area, and Inscribed Instruments for great buffs when you use a wand, sceptre, or staff.
• Sorcerer Passives: You’re going to want Arcane Momentum , Calculated Destruction , Mana Shell , and Wisdom at your disposal first and foremost. Following these, invest in Chill to the Bone , Crackling Precision , Arcane Obliteration , Archmage and Recollection
• Spellblade Passives: Aside from placing a point or two into Elemental Affinity there’s not much here for you, Sorcerer - the Spellblade’s all about weapon attacks, and that’s just not your style.

Best Mage Spellblade build

Mages don’t have to be squishy - just take the Spellblade Mastery and show ’em that you too can take care of the frontlines. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Eleventh Hour Games

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. The Shatter Strike Spellblade Mage 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.

Enchant Weapon

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 in Enchant 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.

Taking Concentration to make Enchant Weapon last longer is a necessity, as is Celerity for increased melee attack speed. Since this is a cold-focused build, Frostbrand is also needed for additional melee cold damage.

Flame Ward

Flame Ward will 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, take Dual Aegis for the ability to pop Flame Ward twice before a cooldown kicks in, and then Dilation to make the Skill cost less mana and last longer. Following these nodes, grab Infusion , which grants an overall damage increase, and then Frost Ward , which switches Flame Ward into a Cold Ward.

Mana Strike

Mana Strike sends 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 , and Critical Mana are the most important nodes to fill out on the Mana Strike Specialization Tree. Swift Sap is also handy for increased attack speed, and if you want to deal damage to a larger area, take Sprite Blade .

Shatter Strike

The bulk of your damage will be dealt via Shatter 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 Steel is great for a critical multiplier, while Absolute Zero offers up more damage with the only tradeoff a 20% drop in attack speed, which can be balanced out by taking Breadth of Cold , Whiteout , and Iceblink .

Teleport

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. Teleport is 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 the Comet Rush node for a shorter Teleport cooldown and then Crystaline Passage for higher cold resistance and armour if Teleport was cast within the last four seconds. Time Dilation , Mana Tunnel , Tunnel Finder should be your next nodes.

Passives

To maximise your potential with the Shatter Strike Spellblade build, we recommend the following Passives:

• Mage Passives: Scholar and Arcanist are both necessary picks. Put a point into Reactive Ward so you can get Warden , then max out Mage Flurry .
• Runemaster Passives: The only Passive that should fall on your radar is Sphere of Protection - you’re going to be inflicting the cold conditions on enemies with this build, so it’s handy to not have to take damage from them!
• Sorcerer Passives: Mana Shell is a useful pick for a Spellblade, thanks to the extra mana and armour boost it provides.
• Spellblade Passives: You’ll need Infused Weapon and Arcane Warden for sure. Arcane Shielding should be your next bet, along with Shattered Aegis . Aside from those, the other most useful Spellblade Passives are Mana Reaver , Gemini , Prismatic Blade , Mental Fortitude , and Prodigy .

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 the gothic Acolyte , the brutal Primalist , the shifty Rogue , and the noble Sentinel .

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All 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints and where to get them

These areas have the highest chance of giving you Blueprints

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Looking for more Arc Raiders Blueprints? It’s a special day when you find a Blueprint, as they’re among the most valuable items in Arc Raiders. If you find a Blueprint that you haven’t already found, then you must make sure you hold onto it at all costs, because Blueprints are the key to one of the most important and powerful systems of meta-progression in the game.

This guide aims to be the very best guide on Blueprints you can find, starting with a primer on what exactly they are and how they work in Arc Raiders, before delving into exactly where to get Blueprints and the very best farming spots for you to take in your search.

We’ll also go over how to get Blueprints from other unlikely activities, such as destroying Surveyors and completing specific quests. And you’ll also find the full list of all 75 Blueprints in Arc Raiders on this page (including the newest Blueprints added with the Cold Snap update , such as the Deadline Blueprint and Firework Box Blueprint), giving you all the information you need to expand your own crafting repertoire.

In this guide:

• What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?
• Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes
• Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders Blueprints obtained from quests Blueprints obtained from Trials Best Blueprint farming locations

What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?

Blueprints in Arc Raiders are special items which, if you manage to extract with them, you can expend to permanently unlock a new crafting recipe in your Workshop. If you manage to extract from a raid with an Anvil Blueprint, for example, you can unlock the ability to craft your very own Anvil Pistol, as many times as you like (as long as you have the crafting materials).

To use a Blueprint, simply open your Inventory while in the lobby, then right-click on the Blueprint and click “Learn And Consume” . This will permanently unlock the recipe for that item in your Workshop. As of the Stella Montis update, there are allegedly 75 different Blueprints to unlock - although only 68 are confirmed to be in the game so far. You can see all the Blueprints you’ve found and unlocked by going to the Workshop menu, and hitting “R” to bring up the Blueprint screen.

It’s possible to find duplicates of past Blueprints you’ve already unlocked. If you find these, then you can either sell them, or - if you like to play with friends - you can take it into a match and gift it to your friend so they can unlock that recipe for themselves. Another option is to keep hold of them until the time comes to donate them to the Expedition.

Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes

Below is the full list of all the Blueprints that are currently available to find in Arc Raiders, and the crafting recipe required for each item:

Note: The missing Blueprints in this list likely have not actually been added to the game at the time of writing, because none of the playerbase has managed to find any of them. As they are added to the game, I will update this page with the most relevant information so you know exactly how to get all 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints.

Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders

Below is a list of all containers, modifiers, and events which maximise your chances of finding Blueprints:

• Certain quests reward you with specific Blueprints .
• Completing Trials has a high chance of offering Blueprints as rewards.
• Surveyors have a decent chance of dropping Blueprints on death.
• High loot value areas tend to have a greater chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Night Raids and Storms may increase rare Blueprint spawn chances in containers.
• Containers with higher numbers of items may have a higher tendency to spawn Blueprints. As a result, Blue Gate (which has many “large” containers containing multiple items) may give you a higher chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Raider containers (Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, Medical Bags, Grenade Tubes) have increased Blueprint drop rates. As a result, the Uncovered Caches event gives you a high chance of finding Blueprints.
• Security Lockers have a higher than average chance of containing Blueprints.
• Certain Blueprints only seem to spawn under specific circumstances: Tempest Blueprint only spawns during Night Raid events. Vulcano Blueprint only spawns during Hidden Bunker events. Jupiter and Equaliser Blueprints only spawn during Harvester events.

Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, and other raider-oriented container types have a good chance of offering Blueprints. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints have a very low chance of spawning in any container in Arc Raiders, around 1-2% on average. However, there is a higher chance of finding Blueprints in particular container types. Specifically, you can find more Blueprints in Raider containers and security lockers.

Beyond this, if you’re looking for Blueprints you should focus on regions of the map which are marked as having particularly high-value loot. Areas such as the Control Tower in Dam Battlegrounds, the Arrival and Departure Buildings in Spaceport, and Pilgrim’s Peak in Blue Gate all have a better-than-average chance of spawning Blueprints somewhere amongst all their containers. Night Raids and Electromagnetic Storm events also increase the drop chances of certain Blueprints .

In addition to these containers, you can often loot Blueprints from destroyed Surveyors - the largest of the rolling ball ARC. Surveyors are more commonly found on the later maps - Spaceport and Blue Gate - and if one spawns in your match, you’ll likely see it by the blue laser beam that it casts into the sky while “surveying”.

Surveyors are quite well-armoured and will very speedily run away from you once it notices you, but if you can take one down then make sure you loot all its parts for a chance of obtaining certain unusual Blueprints.

Blueprints obtained from quests

One way in which you can get Blueprints is by completing certain quests for the vendors in Speranza. Some quests will reward you with a specific item Blueprint upon completion, so as long as you work through all the quests in Arc Raiders, you are guaranteed those Blueprints.

Here is the full list of all Blueprints you can get from quest rewards:

• Trigger Nade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Sparks Fly”.
• Lure Grenade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Greasing Her Palms”.
• Burletta Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Industrial Espionage”.
• Hullcracker Blueprint (and Launcher Ammo Blueprint): Rewarded after completing “The Major’s Footlocker”.

Alas, that’s only 4 Blueprints out of a total of 75 to unlock, so for the vast majority you will need to find them yourself during a raid. If you’re intent on farming Blueprints, then it’s best to equip yourself with cheap gear in case you lose it, but don’t use a free loadout because then you won’t get a safe pocket to stash any new Blueprint you find. No pain in Arc Raiders is sharper than failing to extract with a new Blueprint you’ve been after for a dozen hours already.

One of the best ways to get Blueprints is by hitting three stars on all five Trials every week. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints obtained from Trials

One of the very best ways to get Blueprints is as rewards for completing Trials in Arc Raiders. Trials are unlocked from Level 15 onwards, and allow you to earn rewards by focusing on certain tasks over the course of several raids. For example, one Trial might task you with dealing damage to Hornets, while another might challenge you to loot Supply Drops.

Trials refresh on a weekly basis, with a new week bringing five new Trials. Each Trial can offer up to three rewards after passing certain score milestones, and it’s possible to receive very high level loot from these reward crates - including Blueprints. So if you want to unlock as many Blueprints as possible, you should make a point of completing as many Trials as possible each week.

Best Blueprint farming locations

The very best way to get Blueprints is to frequent specific areas of the maps which combine high-tier loot pools with the right types of containers to search. Here are my recommendations for where to find Blueprints on every map, so you can always keep the search going for new crafting recipes to unlock.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Dam Battlegrounds

The best places to farm Blueprints on Dam Battlegrounds are the Control Tower, Power Generation Complex, Ruby Residence, and Pale Apartments . The first two regions, despite only being marked on the map as mid-tier loot, contain a phenomenal number of containers to loot. The Control Tower can also contain a couple of high-tier Security Lockers - though of course, you’ll need to have unlocked the Security Breach skill at the end of the Survival tree.

There’s also a lot of reporting amongst the playerbase that the Residential areas in the top-left of the map - Pale Apartments and Ruby Residence - give you a comparatively strong chance of finding Blueprints. Considering their size, there’s a high density of containers to loot in both locations, and they also have the benefit of being fairly out of the way. So you’re more likely to have all the containers to yourself.

Buried City

The best Blueprint farming locations on Buried City are the Santa Maria Houses, Grandioso Apartments, Town Hall, and the various buildings of the New District . Grandioso Apartments has a lower number of containers than the rest, but a high chance of spawning weapon cases - which have good Blueprint drop rates. The others are high-tier loot areas, with plenty of lootable containers - including Security Lockers.

Spaceport

The best places to find Blueprints on Spaceport are the Arrival and Departure Buildings, as well as Control Tower A6 and the Launch Towers . All these areas are labelled as high-value loot regions, and many of them are also very handily connected to one another by the Spaceport wall, which you can use to quickly run from one area to the next. At the tops of most of these buildings you’ll find at least one Security Locker, so this is an excellent farming route for players looking to find Blueprints.

The downside to looting Blueprints on Spaceport is that all these areas are hotly contested, particularly in Duos and Squads. You’ll need to be very focused and fast in order to complete the full farming route.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blue Gate

Blue Gate tends to have a good chance of dropping Blueprints, potentially because it generally has a high number of containers which can hold lots of items; so there’s a higher chance of a Blueprint spawning in each container. In my experience, the best Blueprint farming spots on Blue Gate are Pilgrim’s Peak, Raider’s Refuge, the Ancient Fort, and the Underground Complex beneath the Warehouse .

All of these areas contain a wealth of containers to loot. Raider’s Refuge has less to loot, but the majority of the containers in and around the Refuge are raider containers, which have a high chance of containing Blueprints - particularly during major events.

Stella Montis

On the whole, Stella Montis seems to have a very low drop rate for Blueprints (though a high chance of dropping other high-tier loot). If you do want to try farming Blueprints on this map, the best places to find Blueprints in Stella Montis are Medical Research, Assembly Workshop, and the Business Center . These areas have the highest density of containers to loot on the map.

In addition to this, the Western Tunnel has a few different Security Lockers to loot, so while there’s very little to loot elsewhere in this area of the map, it’s worth hitting those Security Lockers if you spawn there at the start of a match.

That wraps up this primer on how to get all the Blueprints in Arc Raiders as quickly as possible. With the Expedition system constantly resetting a large number of players’ Blueprints, it’s more important than ever to have the most up-to-date information on where to find all these Blueprints.

While you’re here, be sure to check out our Arc Raiders best guns tier list , as well as our primers on the best skills to unlock and all the different Field Depot locations on every map.

ARC Raiders

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