Promising to be one of the biggest contenders to Diablo 4’s throne, Last Epoch is almost here as the indie ARPG prepares for its 1.0 launch in just a few days. Ahead of that, however, a slightly surprising collaboration has been announced – although perhaps less so for those of us who’ve been watching the exploits of Stranger Things actor David Harbour closely. Harbour has previously been rather enthusiastic about his love for the early access indie RPG, and now developer Eleventh Hour Games announces a special gift to say thanks.
The Last Epoch release date is set to arrive next week, after nearly five years in Steam Early Access. Promising to offer more build variety than Blizzard’s Diablo 4 but a in much more approachable format than the complexity incarnate that is Path of Exile, Last Epoch looks to be a perfect middle ground and a genuine contender to stand among the best loot-grinding RPG games in 2024.
Speaking to Kotaku Australia in August 2023 (seen below), Harbour mentions, “I’m playing a little bit of Diablo 4, I like the RPG type games. There’s also another really interesting game called Last Epoch that I mess around with.” He also namedrops both Hades and Binding of Isaac, adding, “I like these indie games.” The video was certainly welcomed by the Last Epoch community, who relished the unprompted name drop from a famous face.
@kotakuau We stan David Harbour, the Hades fan. #davidharbour #granturismo #granturismomovie #gamingontiktok ♬ original sound – Kotaku AU
Fast forward to now and Harbour has officially partnered with Eleventh Hour Games to create his very own in-game unique item. That’s right; while we don’t yet know exactly what it is, you’ll now be able to find a Harbour-crafted Last Epoch unique once the full 1.0 release lands on Wednesday February 21.
“Look, in the nature of full disclosure this is an ad,” Harbour writes, “but truly, truly, truly I love the hell outta this game. This game is unique and extraordinary and I have way too many played hours in it. Created by fans of the genre and in pre-release for years being refined and [having] love poured into it – I love Last Epoch.”
As for what the item is, we don’t get details but we do get to see it. It’s obviously a helmet, and one for the Acolyte class. The shattered skull face plate suggests that it’ll probably involve minions in some form, likely skeletons, so expect it to be a good fit for the Necromancer mastery. The deep green of the cloth, meanwhile, implies it might boost necrotic damage in some form (or, failing that, perhaps poison).
While this is tagged as a sponsored post, Harbour’s previous enthusiasm for the game is on record as very genuine, so I’m happy to take this as a lovely gesture of thanks from the team at Eleventh Hour. The team has also worked with some of its most prominent community members and leading Kickstarter backers to create their own unique items, something that’s long been done by Grinding Gear Games for Path of Exile.
If you’re curious to get hands-on with Harbour’s helmet, you’ll be able to do so when Last Epoch 1.0 arrives. Until then, we’ve got more of the best games like Diablo for you to try. Or, if you are David Harbour or you have a similar passion for the best indie games, we’ve rounded those up as well.
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