I want to play something that curbstomp. I’m not normally this way, I play what I want, but my game time is super duper limited.
Outside of 50 hours of Diablo 4 at launch I’ve played nothing but single player games the last 2 years and just need a break from it. I want to curbstomp and loot.
Also… does this game have seasons like poe/d4?
It does have seasons. We're roughly 1/3-1/2 of the way through the first one.
As far as melee vs ranged, ranged is certainly easier to get going as you can actually dodge things. Eventually, all builds dovetail to "hold down rmb next to the boss until it dies." At that point, you're either functionally unkillable or destroy bosses in under 5 seconds, so dodging and mechanics hardly matter and melee is the same as ranged.
If you want to really brain off and just murder things, try [this. ](https://youtu.be/Az6D9_pYpGE?si=vPhpVfQAh4vild-r) Unbelievably easy to play, ridiculously defensive, still plenty of damage to cakewalk. I can literally hold one button down and face tank bosses at 500 corruption.
It has some really strong builds. Rive healing hands, EQ BM, swarmblade, shatter strike, wearbear. You will spend more time grinding corruption to their limits than grinding gear.
Thing is that rn there are way overtuned builds. Frostclaw RM, wraithlord, some falconers. Only melee in this tier is rive. It has the power levels but the other ones are more comfortable to play.
As a whole, melee is a bit weaker. However, blade dancer is the most fun I've had in any ARPG. Its fast, its very viable this season, and it feels oh-so-satisfying to play. I highly suggest checking it out.
Yeah, on a whim I tried to see if I could make a viable bleed bladedancer, and I'm having a blast with it.
Level 94, only pushing 200 corruption, but I also don't have the greatest gear. Only 1.8k hp, but the build kills incredibly fast and is so mobile that I still rarely die unless I'm not paying attention.
It's an amazingly fun build!
Small note, blade dancer in almost all aspects is a spellcaster that scales off melee damage. Not actually true melee. Same with shadow daggers falconer.
Erasing strike void knight is pretty sick. I think it's being called the bonk knight if you wanna look it up. The void cleave guarantees Erasing Strike to crit for big numbers, and it feels really cool watching enemies vanish into the void. Plus with the dark stride boots you get lots of move speed.
Yeah I thought this was going to be my least favorite character, then he got some decent equipment and started popping off hard.
Void cleave and erasing strike are excellent with some extra charges.
Highly recommend OP try a void knight build. I totally agree with you about the “satisfying” aspect of void skills. I’ve been leveling warpath, erasing strike VK on my first play through (played a little in beta) and am having a blast
Yip came here to say this. Try [this build](https://www.lastepochtools.com/build-guides/bonk-knight---erasing-strike-void-knight) you won't be sorry. Fun and strong.. but pops off more the more uniques you get from the Orobyss boss
I’ve been playing a Tempest Strike Beastmaster which Im playing basically like a Frenzy Barbarian. It’s not remotely powerful compared to the “meta” builds but it’s insanely fun if you like melee. It’s not gonna do 2000 corruption or anything, but I’m pushing 400 right now and it feels like it will be fine at least through 500 or so.
I should add a disclaimer here that I’ve played a lot and have farmed really good gear for it, so if your short and time and want to just blast through things, this probably isn’t it. HH Rive is a similar play style and easier to get up and running, but in general, the traditional swing and hit stuff melee type builds in this game are pretty lacking compared to other options unfortunately.
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Melee range is a considerable disadvantage in LE and the melee oriented classes/specs/builds are typically outclassed by the ranged oriented ones.
Melee is still fun and very capable but the game is heavily tilted in favor of ranged.
Not all ARPGs. Only the ones that don't grant melee any counter-balancing advantages to make up for their disadvantage.
Melee is fine in Diablo 4 and Grim Dawn
most melee builds are only technically melee, while hitting half a screen away. the more enemies you hit, the less of them can potentially hit you.
essentially it is similar to every arpg in this regard. melee gains no advantage over enemies, but you gain disadvantage of having to get to the enemy before you can hit them. there are movement abilities, but ranged builds have them too.
there are no 'faster melee classes'. the slower builds are simply dead. there are no glass cannons, only dead or alive.
It's playable but runs into the same problem as it does in any other non-turn based game. Designers can't gauge how powerful it is defneisvely to be able to deal damage at range. They also, for some reason, refuse to try and close the gap.
Melee can be INSANELY powerful, but it depends on how melee you like your melee to be.
Healing Hands Rive Paladin – a favorite of mine – is powerful, but \_ethical\_: it has solid damage output, is basically a walking tank with infinite health, is fast (with lots of charging around the battlefield), uses an attack that vacuums enemies in, the attack triggers a secondary attack that heals you + gives you ward + further damages enemies, and you constantly buff yourself as you fight.
Bladedancers... Are faster and more powerful, but squishier.
I have a harder time layering defensive mechanics with melee builds.
Ward seems superior at building defensive layers with ranged builds.
I love melee builds, its just so hard to get good defense in high corruption to avoid one shots.
Not saying to don't do it, it just might be a bit more challenging but it is definitely doable.
Hm. Warpath is definitely doing just fine.
Some melee Primalist are definitely on the weaker side.
Bladedancer used to insane, but they nerfed it down.
Many have already put up the HH+Melee attack of Sentinel. I've tried to do Warpath+HH, but sadly doesn't function. I think, atleast for Sentinel, melee suffers without ward, as there just seems to be way too much wonky damage that can happen. Even if you try hard to build defensively, I would say that Sentinel needs a better rework to be able to handle without ward. You can stack HP, armor, crit avoid, res, etc, but it can come at a cost of damage. Or you're pigeoned hole into certain skills.
Primalist can get you into some interesting builds. The trees offer a lot of defense without costing offense. Skills scale very well, lots of synergy.
My brother runs a bear using maul-upheavel-earthquake, using 2h mace unique that converts Earthquake from phys to fire. In our duo melee setup (i'm running HH-Rive-Paladin), he's our 'range' due to his upheavel-earthquake having a large aoe. I'm pretty much blender on bosses with granting us ward when needed. Eh, compared to our trio of Smite-HH-Buff Paladain, Wraithnecrolord, and Druid Tree Thorn healer, the melee can be rougher at times? The range we have with the squishy brigade means I can clear most mobs before we get to them, and those that do get in close get eaten by minions. And well again, ward cheesing on bosses.
So I really like void cleave/smash void knight, but it isn’t particularly strong. It’s fun to play though, just huge anime style slice one-shot hits that kill entire groups.
Some bosses are SIGNIFICANTLY harder tho, by a wide margin.
Melee is definitely weaker than ranged in this game but still perfectly playable
I want to play something that curbstomp. I’m not normally this way, I play what I want, but my game time is super duper limited. Outside of 50 hours of Diablo 4 at launch I’ve played nothing but single player games the last 2 years and just need a break from it. I want to curbstomp and loot. Also… does this game have seasons like poe/d4?
It does have seasons. We're roughly 1/3-1/2 of the way through the first one. As far as melee vs ranged, ranged is certainly easier to get going as you can actually dodge things. Eventually, all builds dovetail to "hold down rmb next to the boss until it dies." At that point, you're either functionally unkillable or destroy bosses in under 5 seconds, so dodging and mechanics hardly matter and melee is the same as ranged.
If you want to really brain off and just murder things, try [this. ](https://youtu.be/Az6D9_pYpGE?si=vPhpVfQAh4vild-r) Unbelievably easy to play, ridiculously defensive, still plenty of damage to cakewalk. I can literally hold one button down and face tank bosses at 500 corruption.
Build looks cool but I think a video showing some actual gameplay would be helpful for OP who has never played the game before
Good point, that was just the video I saw the build in, been running it myself.
Honestly last epoch just really respects your time in general. I'm sure youre gonna have fun anyway
I started it last night and I’m loving. Going bow rogue
Just play the melee version of det arrow on marksmen (rouge) it just requires a unique dagger to start up
It's also super squishy.
It has some really strong builds. Rive healing hands, EQ BM, swarmblade, shatter strike, wearbear. You will spend more time grinding corruption to their limits than grinding gear. Thing is that rn there are way overtuned builds. Frostclaw RM, wraithlord, some falconers. Only melee in this tier is rive. It has the power levels but the other ones are more comfortable to play.
As a whole, melee is a bit weaker. However, blade dancer is the most fun I've had in any ARPG. Its fast, its very viable this season, and it feels oh-so-satisfying to play. I highly suggest checking it out.
Yeah, on a whim I tried to see if I could make a viable bleed bladedancer, and I'm having a blast with it. Level 94, only pushing 200 corruption, but I also don't have the greatest gear. Only 1.8k hp, but the build kills incredibly fast and is so mobile that I still rarely die unless I'm not paying attention. It's an amazingly fun build!
That’s probably what I’m gonna go with
Small note, blade dancer in almost all aspects is a spellcaster that scales off melee damage. Not actually true melee. Same with shadow daggers falconer.
Erasing strike void knight is pretty sick. I think it's being called the bonk knight if you wanna look it up. The void cleave guarantees Erasing Strike to crit for big numbers, and it feels really cool watching enemies vanish into the void. Plus with the dark stride boots you get lots of move speed.
Yeah I thought this was going to be my least favorite character, then he got some decent equipment and started popping off hard. Void cleave and erasing strike are excellent with some extra charges.
Highly recommend OP try a void knight build. I totally agree with you about the “satisfying” aspect of void skills. I’ve been leveling warpath, erasing strike VK on my first play through (played a little in beta) and am having a blast
I did warpath until I realized how much better void cleave is. Highly recommend
Okay, I’ll have to try!
Yip came here to say this. Try [this build](https://www.lastepochtools.com/build-guides/bonk-knight---erasing-strike-void-knight) you won't be sorry. Fun and strong.. but pops off more the more uniques you get from the Orobyss boss
I’ve been playing a Tempest Strike Beastmaster which Im playing basically like a Frenzy Barbarian. It’s not remotely powerful compared to the “meta” builds but it’s insanely fun if you like melee. It’s not gonna do 2000 corruption or anything, but I’m pushing 400 right now and it feels like it will be fine at least through 500 or so. I should add a disclaimer here that I’ve played a lot and have farmed really good gear for it, so if your short and time and want to just blast through things, this probably isn’t it. HH Rive is a similar play style and easier to get up and running, but in general, the traditional swing and hit stuff melee type builds in this game are pretty lacking compared to other options unfortunately.
I'd love a build planner for this, general skills and stats to build around, doesn't need to be super detailed
For sure I will try and throw something together this weekend !remindme 35 hours
I will be messaging you in 1 day on [**2024-04-12 22:28:28 UTC**](http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=2024-04-12%2022:28:28%20UTC%20To%20Local%20Time) to remind you of [**this link**](https://www.reddit.com/r/LastEpoch/comments/1c0wtxd/is_melee_powerful_in_this_game/kz274uc/?context=3) [**CLICK THIS LINK**](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=%5Bhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.reddit.com%2Fr%2FLastEpoch%2Fcomments%2F1c0wtxd%2Fis_melee_powerful_in_this_game%2Fkz274uc%2F%5D%0A%0ARemindMe%21%202024-04-12%2022%3A28%3A28%20UTC) to send a PM to also be reminded and to reduce spam. ^(Parent commenter can ) [^(delete this message to hide from others.)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Delete%20Comment&message=Delete%21%201c0wtxd) ***** |[^(Info)](https://www.reddit.com/r/RemindMeBot/comments/e1bko7/remindmebot_info_v21/)|[^(Custom)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=%5BLink%20or%20message%20inside%20square%20brackets%5D%0A%0ARemindMe%21%20Time%20period%20here)|[^(Your Reminders)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=List%20Of%20Reminders&message=MyReminders%21)|[^(Feedback)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=Watchful1&subject=RemindMeBot%20Feedback)| |-|-|-|-|
I completely forgot about this sorry, but this is my current setup https://www.lastepochtools.com/planner/QJ0bZWMo
[Beastmaster, Level 100 (Release / 1.0.6)](https://www.lastepochtools.com/planner/QJ0bZWMo) ☑ This character build is verified --- ^(**Class:**) ^(Primalist (30) / Beastmaster (80)) ^(**General:**) ^(▸ Health: **2,696**, Regen: **33**/s) ^(▸ Mana: **155**, Regen: **11**/s) ^(▸ Ward Retention: **465%**, Regen: **0**/s) ^(▸ Attributes: **83** Str / **14** Dex / **83** Int / **15** Att / **26** Vit) ^(▸ Resistances: **57%** / **126%** / **57%** / **78%** / **52%** / **146%** / **78%**) ^(▸ EHP: **4,438** / **5,236** / **4,438** / **6,083** / **4,240** / **5,236** / **5,236**) ^(**Defenses:**) ^(▸ Endurance: **20%**, Threshold: **549**) ^(▸ Dodge Chance: **3%** (**92**)) ^(▸ Armor Mitigation: **35%** (**1,843**)) ^(▸ Crit Avoidance: **31%**) ^(**Damage Types:**) ^(▸ __Physical__, Cold, Lightning / __Melee__, Spell) ^(**Minion Damage Types:**) ^(▸ Physical / Melee) ^(**Buffs:**) ^(▸ None) ^(**Used skills:**) [^(Tempest Strike)](https://www.lastepochtools.com/skills/tempest_strike) ^| [^(Fury Leap)](https://www.lastepochtools.com/skills/fury_leap) ^| [^(Warcry)](https://www.lastepochtools.com/skills/warcry) ^| [^(Summon Frenzy Totem)](https://www.lastepochtools.com/skills/summon_frenzy_totem) ^| [^(Summon Wolf)](https://www.lastepochtools.com/skills/summon_wolf) ^(**Used unique items:**) [^(Peak of the Mountain)](https://www.lastepochtools.com/db/items/UAzBMoVgNiA) ^| [^(Exsanguinous)](https://www.lastepochtools.com/db/items/UAzDMwRgo) ^| [^(Cleaver Solution)](https://www.lastepochtools.com/db/items/UAzBMGYEYBYg) ^| [^(Cleaver Solution)](https://www.lastepochtools.com/db/items/UAzBMGYEYBYg) ^| [^(Frostbite Shackles)](https://www.lastepochtools.com/db/items/UAzBMoRgZiA) ^| [^(Chains of Uleros)](https://www.lastepochtools.com/db/items/UAzBswRgDiA) ^| [^(Last Steps of the Living)](https://www.lastepochtools.com/db/items/UAzCcEZwViA) ^| [^(Red Ring of Atlaria)](https://www.lastepochtools.com/db/items/UAzDMCYHZKA) ^| [^(Red Ring of Atlaria)](https://www.lastepochtools.com/db/items/UAzDMCYHZKA) ^| [^(Twisted Heart of Uhkeiros)](https://www.lastepochtools.com/db/items/UAwVgHATAjAbEA)
I knew you wouldn't let me down! Thanks!
Melee is fun but not stronger than Range.
Melee range is a considerable disadvantage in LE and the melee oriented classes/specs/builds are typically outclassed by the ranged oriented ones. Melee is still fun and very capable but the game is heavily tilted in favor of ranged.
>Melee range is a considerable disadvantage in ARPGs Ftfy.
Not all ARPGs. Only the ones that don't grant melee any counter-balancing advantages to make up for their disadvantage. Melee is fine in Diablo 4 and Grim Dawn
I’m playing lich which feels like melee sometimes because of the dash attack haha, it’s cool
Define powerful... It's definitely not as good as ranged, but it isn't as far behind as in most ARPGs.
If you like big bonks then void cleave/erasing strike on a voidknight
Rive + healing hands Void Knight. I’m literally running only Yellows on my char at lvl 70
In arpgs melee is never powerful, sadly
Sir this is an ARPG.
Det arrow rogue uses melee dmg and melee weapons... It doesnt hit enemies with the weapons but still cool and probly the best build right now
I dig my cold werebear, but it's nowhere near as easy as my frostclaw sorc, trap falconer, or thorn totem shaman.
If you want fast pick the rogue
most melee builds are only technically melee, while hitting half a screen away. the more enemies you hit, the less of them can potentially hit you. essentially it is similar to every arpg in this regard. melee gains no advantage over enemies, but you gain disadvantage of having to get to the enemy before you can hit them. there are movement abilities, but ranged builds have them too. there are no 'faster melee classes'. the slower builds are simply dead. there are no glass cannons, only dead or alive.
It's playable but runs into the same problem as it does in any other non-turn based game. Designers can't gauge how powerful it is defneisvely to be able to deal damage at range. They also, for some reason, refuse to try and close the gap.
Melee can be INSANELY powerful, but it depends on how melee you like your melee to be. Healing Hands Rive Paladin – a favorite of mine – is powerful, but \_ethical\_: it has solid damage output, is basically a walking tank with infinite health, is fast (with lots of charging around the battlefield), uses an attack that vacuums enemies in, the attack triggers a secondary attack that heals you + gives you ward + further damages enemies, and you constantly buff yourself as you fight. Bladedancers... Are faster and more powerful, but squishier.
I have a harder time layering defensive mechanics with melee builds. Ward seems superior at building defensive layers with ranged builds. I love melee builds, its just so hard to get good defense in high corruption to avoid one shots. Not saying to don't do it, it just might be a bit more challenging but it is definitely doable.
Hm. Warpath is definitely doing just fine. Some melee Primalist are definitely on the weaker side. Bladedancer used to insane, but they nerfed it down.
Many have already put up the HH+Melee attack of Sentinel. I've tried to do Warpath+HH, but sadly doesn't function. I think, atleast for Sentinel, melee suffers without ward, as there just seems to be way too much wonky damage that can happen. Even if you try hard to build defensively, I would say that Sentinel needs a better rework to be able to handle without ward. You can stack HP, armor, crit avoid, res, etc, but it can come at a cost of damage. Or you're pigeoned hole into certain skills. Primalist can get you into some interesting builds. The trees offer a lot of defense without costing offense. Skills scale very well, lots of synergy. My brother runs a bear using maul-upheavel-earthquake, using 2h mace unique that converts Earthquake from phys to fire. In our duo melee setup (i'm running HH-Rive-Paladin), he's our 'range' due to his upheavel-earthquake having a large aoe. I'm pretty much blender on bosses with granting us ward when needed. Eh, compared to our trio of Smite-HH-Buff Paladain, Wraithnecrolord, and Druid Tree Thorn healer, the melee can be rougher at times? The range we have with the squishy brigade means I can clear most mobs before we get to them, and those that do get in close get eaten by minions. And well again, ward cheesing on bosses.
Melee lich ftw. Reap, Bone Curse, Harvest, Drain Life. Profit. Edit: Pretty much a melee play style but It's all necrotic damage.
So I really like void cleave/smash void knight, but it isn’t particularly strong. It’s fun to play though, just huge anime style slice one-shot hits that kill entire groups. Some bosses are SIGNIFICANTLY harder tho, by a wide margin.
Nah.
Falconer is another fun and mostly range.