Last Epoch's Orobyss Expansion Will Be Free
The action RPG Last Epoch is getting a major expansion called Orobyss, and the developers at Eleventh Hour Games have finally cleared up the biggest question around it. If you already own Last Epoch, you will not have to pay anything extra for the Orobyss expansion. The new content will be included for current owners and also bundled into the base game for anyone who buys it after the expansion releases.
This is significant because the studio originally built its community on the promise that all expansions would be free. That commitment goes back to its 2018 Kickstarter, when Last Epoch was still an indie dream project instead of a full launch title backed by a major publisher.
Recently there had been some doubt. Studio founder Judd Cobler mentioned that the first three seasons of the game had not been profitable and hinted they might need to charge for Orobyss. Many players were worried that the original promise had quietly expired. The latest announcement confirms that Eleventh Hour Games is sticking to its word and keeping expansions free, even as the game grows and costs rise.
Orobyss is planned for release next year, and it will arrive after two more seasons that are set to bring plenty of updates to the base game. The team admits that the gaps between seasons are still longer than they would like, but that is partly because the studio is ramping up hiring and preparing for the PlayStation 5 launch. More developers and more platforms usually mean more work but also the potential for more content in the long run.
Paradox Classes Bring Paid Content And Player Concerns
There is one catch that has sparked a lot of debate. Alongside the free Orobyss expansion, Eleventh Hour Games is introducing something new called a Paradox class. This is not just a cosmetic or a small tweak to an existing character archetype. The developer describes it as a fully alternate playable class built on systems that work differently from anything else currently in the game.
The Paradox class that arrives with Orobyss will not be free. It will be premium content with its own price tag, although the studio has not yet revealed what that price will be. On top of that, the team plans to add more Paradox classes in the future as they experiment with new and innovative ways to design characters.
That decision immediately set off speculation. Some fans worry that Paradox classes are a backdoor way to charge for what would normally be considered part of an expansion. Others fear a slide toward pay to win if these paid classes end up more powerful or more efficient at farming loot than the standard options.
It is worth remembering what kind of game Last Epoch is. This is a cooperative action RPG focused on smashing monsters and hoovering up loot, not an ultra competitive player versus player scene where balance directly impacts ranked rewards. Any overpowered paid class would mostly cause jealousy and frustration among players who do not buy it rather than break an esports ecosystem.
Still, the principle matters to a lot of players. When you see a new, flashy class that does not just look different but plays on entirely new systems, it is natural to feel that you are missing part of the game if it is locked behind a separate purchase. The Diablo 4 example shows how tense this can get. Blizzard launched a very strong new class as part of a paid expansion and promised not to nerf it until the next season, leading to accusations that power was being sold instead of earned.
For Last Epoch, the long term health of this model will depend on how carefully Eleventh Hour Games balances these Paradox classes and how transparent they are about what players are getting for their money. If paid classes end up feeling like optional twists instead of mandatory upgrades, the community may accept them as a way to keep expansions free while still funding ongoing development.
Krafton Ownership And The AI First Worries
All of this is happening under the shadow of Eleventh Hour Games new owner, Krafton. The publisher bought the studio in July and has loudly declared itself an AI first company, committing around 70 million dollars to a massive GPU cluster to drive what it calls agentic AI. That kind of investment has made a lot of players nervous about how heavily AI might influence game development going forward.
The fear is that studios under Krafton might be pushed toward heavy automation or AI generated content rather than the handcrafted design that makes games like Last Epoch stand out. Those concerns are especially strong among fans of titles like PUBG and the upcoming Subnautica sequel who do not want their favorite games turned into tech demos.
In the latest update, Judd Cobler directly addresses those concerns. He states that Eleventh Hour Games development approach is not changing. The team remains focused on building Last Epoch with the same hands on philosophy it has always used. There is no indication that AI driven tools or systems are taking over their workflow.
For now, that reassurance is one of the few truly positive pieces of news tied to Krafton. With so many headlines revolving around its AI plans, it is a relief for players to hear that Last Epoch is still being shaped by human designers who care deeply about the feel of each skill tree, the pacing of each season, and the overall experience of grinding for better loot.
In the near future, players can look forward to two more seasons, a free Orobyss expansion packed into the base game, and the controversial but intriguing arrival of Paradox classes. If Eleventh Hour Games can strike the right balance between free content, paid extras, and honest communication, Last Epoch could keep growing without losing the trust it built as a Kickstarter underdog.
Original article and image: https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/despite-krafton-ownership-last-epoch-dev-wont-charge-for-its-first-expansion-and-isnt-pivoting-to-ai-to-be-clear-our-development-approach-is-not-changing/
