As an avid roguelite gamer and enjoyer I would like to add the suggestion of adding a gamemode that could transform the game into a roguelite, The idea is:
Have a gamemode set in a Tower with X levels (where X can be defined by either the player or the devs).
Initally a player would venture in it with a chosen class without any but 1 or 2 basic abilities and would gain XP by killing stuff. Upon gathering a set amount of XP a level up happens and the player can choose abilities to make his character.
Upon reaching the max number of abilities (5 i would say total), the next level up would allow the player to choose a specialization on the class he chose for that run, with the abilities chosen so far.
Further level ups from that point onwards would give modifiers to a player ability, or stats increase, such as +% all resistances, or +% to a specific resistance, or +% block, etc, you get it.
As you climb the difficult gets higher and higher but your character is also getting stronger and stronger.
This can be thought out to be as complex or as simple as one wants, and there are several opportunities to idealize from this point onwards.
As an inspiration for this I would recommend checking out the āDescentā mode from āThe Division 2ā ubisoft game. I would like to also add āHellclockā to be checked out as it uses the 4-5 ability layout like Last Epoch.
Iāve definitely wanted a more roguelike experience with ARPGs. I think the random aspects of these games donāt get well utilized because of how you have to plan out your build ahead of time. It would be more fun to be able to go with the flow based on what gear you find.
The trouble is, I donāt think itās particularly easy to retrofit an existing ARPG onto a rogue-like formula. Builds tend to be too specific in how theyāre constructed, so itād be hard to make a build you make as you go work. Youād have to redesign a lot of the skills/passives/itemization to make it work.
I was kind of disappointed by Hell Clock. Itās not really much of a roguelike. All of the interesting parts of your build are chosen before you enter a run. All you get as you go through a run is some stat upgrades and there are obviously correct choices to be made given the build you go in with. Which is sort of the pre-existing ARPG problem where all of the random elements donāt allow you to change your gameplay, you just get sad when you miss what you were looking for.
Runs might as well just be a map that just happens to periodically interrupt your gameplay with a UI element.
For me, what I want out of a roguelike is two main things:
Easy to start a run. The less setup there is, the more likely I am to go for one more run after losing one.
Varied build paths based on adapting to the random elements the game presents to you.
Iād love to see someone make that, but Iām not particularly hopeful that EHG will find the time to put in the work to make it a good mode when they seem to barely be able to keep up with the content for the main game.
I think Hell Clock has the grounds it needs to improve with time.
With Last Epoch I can say the same. Its true that they are still pushing out content and there are unfinished parts to the story, but that doesnt rule out the option of adding something like this in the future.
I think Last Epoch has some really good grounds to add a roguelite mode. It doesnt have to be anything complex. I really like how you said of having a more spontaneous build instead of a well thought out one. I think something of the sort could be applied with a gamemode such as this one.
Making it a mode more like the āDescentā from The Divisoin 2 would be easier has its a separate game mode that only adds to the game without harming anything thatās already there and using the already worked on stuff to build something new out of it that some might enjoy.
There are several games that can be described by what was said, hence the whole genre that comes with it. I wouldnāt say Striving for Light is what gets the closest to it though, but its a good shout.
