Last Epoch Trade and Item Factions Systems Detailed
Jan. 13, 2024Last Epoch Trade and Item Factions Systems Detailed
Last Epoch got many new details about the upcoming ARPG’s item factions and trading systems.
We also deeply dive into how the ARPG’s Trading economy will work. The age-old debate whether an ARPG should have trading, or if a character’s gear should be obtained entirely by blood, sweat, and pixels, is something that many games before have tried to answer. We remember Diablo 3’s introduction of the Real-Money auction house or the fact that some ARPGs have a “solo self-found mode” that restricts trading entirely. Last Epoch aims to create a beautiful middle ground that just might make everyone happy.
Trading in an ARPG has been big ever since the days of Diablo 2 and the open multiplayer lobbies. However not everyone agrees with that approach, so the developers did a poll during the Early Access campaign to see their fans’ thoughts on the matter. The results? Highly divisive – and it seems that the player base was almost clearly divided in the middle.
One immediate response that Eleventh Hour Games had up their sleeve was Item Gifting which would allow you to give items to people on your friend’s list. The community wanted more, so back to the drawing board, they went.
Out of the board room is a system they are calling “Item Factions” in Last Epoch. Instead of dividing the player base into servers that allowed or disallowed item trading, all characters can choose to join one of two factions – The Circle of Fortune or the Merchant’s Guild.
As the player goes through the game’s main campaign, they will eventually be given the choice to join one of the aforementioned factions. Players can freely swap between the two groups, but you can only ever represent one at any given time. You will be encouraged, however, to invest heavily in one group as you organically gain Rank and Reputation while playing, giving you access to more powerful perks.
Players also earn Favor, another new currency in Last Epoch, which they can use to interact or purchase things from each group. For example, you can trade with other players only when you have enough Favor and represent the Merchant’s Guild. You can also purchase Prophecies, a type of drop-enhancing item, when being part of the Circle of Fortune.
Another caveat is that any piece of gear you loot while representing a specific Faction will bind that item to that group. So if you get a super-cool Legendary item while you’re representing the Circle of Fortune, then that item is bound to you for eternity.
Players who choose to represent the Merchant’s Guild will spend most of their time in the Bazaar, which is filled with trade carts, stalls, and of course, merchants. Players can peruse the wares put up for sale by other players. If you have deep enough pockets, enough faction rank, and also Favor, you might even be able to purchase some of this epic loot. All types of items can be bought and sold in the Bazaar, as Last Epoch won’t restrict any types – except those that are from the Circle of Fortune.
Those starting in the Merchant’s Guild will only be able to buy and sell the most basic of items. As you go up in ranks and become more known, you can start buying set items, unique items, and more. Ultimately reaching Rank 10 in the Merchant’s Guild will let you buy and sell all types of Legendary Items in the game.
Selling items will also be quite intuitive, as you can hire someone to do the selling for you. You are given your stall where you can list all the gear you want to get rid of. The Merchant’s Guild will automatically assign a Favor cost to the item based on its strength. Players can then put an asking price in gold that they want to sell the item for. It is also worth noting that the Merchant’s Guild has no fees in an exchange of goods, so the price you put down will be the amount you ultimately receive.
While the Merchant’s Guild favors money and coin, those of the Circle of Fortune would rather focus on the nature of the heavens and changing one’s fate. Though they cannot trade gear as effectively, this is offset by the fact that they tend to find more items with better quality. Their unique item type, Prophecies, will influence the type of items that you ultimately get, allowing you to “target-farm” some pieces of gear.
Last Epoch’s Circle of Fortune’s faction perks revolve around increasing item drops by large percentages, making stats roll higher by being of “Exalted” quality, or even receiving more rewards for completing endgame activities. One of the more interesting perks comes at the 9th rank – whenever a Set Item drops, the entire set drops instead! Talk about efficiency!
Auberon
Writer at Fextralife. I really like vanilla ice cream.
