For the second day of Last Epoch‘s Season Two Hype Week, EHG have decided to share more about the complete Sentinel rework, and the new skill for the Rogue Marksman called Heartseeker! Here is a breakdown of the new skills and changes for the Sentinel, as well as a first look at the Rogue’s Heartseeker ability!
Heartseeker
The Rogue’s Marksman mastery is already covering the battlefield with massive AoE attacks such as Detonating Arrow, Multishot, or Hail of Arrows. However, it was lacking behind in terms of single target damage. This is why EHG introduces the Heartseeker ability.
Heartseeker allows you to launch an arrow with the ability to go back and force to the same target repeatedly. This skill can also work with DoTs. It becomes available after 30 points spent in the Marksman tree, making it exclusive to the Marksman Mastery.
Heartseeker also comes with a new mechanic: Recurve Chance. Recurve is different from your usual repeating attacks such as Shield Throw’s Ricochet or Shuriken’s Pierces. For Shield Throw or Shuriken you increase the number of effective hits, such as a +2 Ricochet. Recurve Chance means the arrow has a chance of coming back through the enemy again. When you use Heartseeker, it has a base 100% Recurve chance. This means it will seek out the heart of an enemy, and automatically recurve and strike again. Each time the arrow strikes, Recurve Chance is multiplied by 0.8. This means:
- It starts at 100% so it always recurves at least once
- If it hits again, you have an 80% chance for a second Recurve
- 64% for a Third Recurve
- and so on, until it fails to roll within the remaining percent chance, or there are no targets left
This means that if you increase your Recurve chance, the minimum amount of Recurves in each use of the skill will also increase. For example:
- 125% Recurve Chance guarantees at least two Recurve times
- 175% Recurve Chance means at least three guaranteed Recurve
One node can even allow Heartseeker to theoretically continue to Recurve until there are no longer any targets remaining. When your target dies, it does not cancel the Recurve. The arrow will continue as long as it finds targets nearby.
Talking about skill tree, here a few abilities you can pick from the Heartseeker skill tree:
- Shadow Weaver’s Grasp – Your Recurve Chance can never drop below 66% with this, meaning every time your arrow strikes, there is always a 66% chance for it to Recurve.
- Arrow of the Ravager – This is for amore Tactical use. It offers a large amount of both Recurve Chance, and damage multiplier, but adds a cooldown to Heartseeker. This node also links to additional charges or charge refreshers.
- Nimble Threads – Allows you to get a scaling source of Recurve chance through stacking Dexterity.
- Heartdrain – Turns Heartseeker into a generator and support skill. Grants mana and health.
- Exposed – Heartseeker will no longer seek new targets, but you have a chance to apply frailty and shred enemy armor.
- Damage Conversion – Heartseeker is a Physical attack, but you can turn it into either Fire or Cold.
On top of the skills, Heartseeker also comes with its own Unique item: Ravager’s Dart. This unique changes Heartseeker from a Bow attack to a Throwing attack.
Sentinel Rework
The Sentinel received some changes for Season Two as well! One of them is the change of the Volatile Reversal skill. While this skill was highly popular, EHG felt like it was not for the good reasons.
The current version of Volatile Reversal offers very powerful global bonuses. While having a supporting ability is nice, Volatile Reversal also has a very unique mechanic, that relocates you back in time. Players often felt forced to use it for its bonuses, but at the same time it was often unfun, or annoying to use as it would move you back in time.
Volatile Reversal has been reworked into a completely new skill for Season 2, with a new skill tree and new mechanics, but not only that: the Sentinel will also get overall changes, new skills and passives, so you do not have to rely on a single skill anymore. Here is a breakdown of some of the changes and additions:
- Volatile Reversal – A combo ability that jumps forwards in time to a target location and performs a melee attack on arrival. Recast within 3 seconds to jump backwards in time to your original location and perform a melee attack on arrival. Basically the skill is now a two-part combo: you cast it, it teleports you, attacks, you cast it fast enough again, it teleports you back to your original position and attacks again.
- Volatile Reversal Skill tree:
- Nether Convergence – When you jump it will pull your Devouring Orbs to you.
- Future Focus – If you do not want the skill to teleport you back to your original position, you can use this. You will be teleported two times forward instead.
- Reclaimed Action – Your next melee attack or spell is guaranteed to Echo if you travel far enough.
- Void Bolts and Incipient Void Bolt – Launches a set of three Void Bolts at the start of the movement, and end to barrage enemies with Void damage.
- Holding the Line – Allows you to spec into a more support Volatile Reversal.
- Anchored Timeline – Lower cooldown, but it is no more a traversal skill.
- And more!
- Symbols of Hope – The new version of Sigils of Hope. Since EHG plans on adding a Sigil system in the future, the name of the skill would have brought some confusion. Symbols of Hope now causes the player to gain Symbols passively over time. Activating the skill will consume the Symbols for significant temporary buffs.
- Orian’s Sun Seal Unique Item – Increases the rate you passively gain Symbols. Also offers a circuit breaker activating Symbols of Hope when you are left below your Endurance Threshold. You will automatically consume current Symbols for defensive and offensive bonuses.
- Time Rot – Time Rot is now a viable build path for Void Knights.
- And much more skill and passive changes!
Many more skills and passives from the Sentinel have received various changes, so if you are interested in all the details you can take a look at the Official Last Epoch Blog Post from Day 2 of Hype Week!
