Despite introducing paid class DLC, the studio reaffirmed its dedication to Last Epoch's long-term future. Eleventh Hour Games stated that they are committed to supporting the game with Last Epoch gold years of new story chapters, itemization improvements, onboarding enhancements, new systems, expanded seasonal mechanics, and quality-of-life upgrades.

In addition, the studio is actively hiring across multiple development fields. This includes general design, engineering, art, and live-service support roles-an indicator that Last Epoch is scaling up to handle consistent seasonal content releases.

Roadmap: Seasons 4 and 5 Leading Into the Expansion

Before the Orbus expansion lands, players can look forward to two more major seasons.

Season 4 (Early 2026)

Season 4 is slated for early 2026-likely January, based on typical industry timelines and the team's comments. The season will introduce a new seasonal mechanic, several long-requested updates, and the beginning of the buildup toward the Orbus release. The developers have stated that teasers, previews, and a firm release date will be shared soon through official streams and social channels.

Season 5 and Beyond

Season 5 will serve as another significant content update leading directly into the expansion. The team made it clear that while they want to shorten the time between seasons, quality comes first. They are upgrading internal tools, onboarding new staff, and preparing the game for its PS5 launch-all while shaping the seasonal pipeline.

The studio emphasized that speeding up development will not come at the cost of quality. Seasonal content must be "strong enough to be worthy of inviting players back," even if that means longer development cycles in the short term.

Clarifying the "AI-First" Concerns

Recent comments from studio leadership about becoming more "AI-first" sparked debate within the community, with some players worrying that AI might compromise Last Epoch's handcrafted design.

Eleventh Hour Games clarified that their core development philosophy is not changing. Their focus remains on crafting Last Epoch using the same hands-on, design-driven approach that has defined the game since its inception. AI may assist with workflow improvements, but not replace human-guided creativity in gameplay design.

Community Reactions to Paid DLC

A significant portion of the community discussion centers on the decision to introduce a paid class. While Eleventh Hour Games had previously suggested no paid DLC, the landscape of modern ARPGs is shifting. Optional paid classes may actually be less disruptive than expansion-locked maps or systems.

For many players, the logic is simple:

If you want the new class, buy it.

If you don't, your core experience remains unchanged.

The only concern is potential imbalance-if the paid class is significantly stronger, it risks being perceived as pay-to-win. The studio will need to demonstrate consistent balancing to cheap Last Epoch gold maintain player trust.