Buffs Explained

Buffs are a vital part of any build in Last Epoch. They provide benefits to the player that are often unachievable through other means. There is a lot of variety in how Buffs work and what they offer, so knowing what synergizes best with your build and how to utilize it will allow you to get the most out of your build. Understanding how buffs work and where to get them will be a major factor in how successful you are fighting enemies in Eterra.

What Are Buffs?

Buffs are a temporary beneficial stat that is applied to the target. They can often be seen on your UI just above your skills, but not all buffs are displayed this way. While enemies can have buffs, players are far more likely to utilize them. Buffs are often applied to the same character who created them, but they can also be used to buff allies and minions. Some buffs will apply both to yourself and to your allies!

The number of Buffs in Last Epoch is large and growing and the effects from buffs are far ranging. They can be defensive, offensive or utility. Some stack while others can only be applied once. Some have cooldowns while others can have permanent uptimes. Buffs can be obtained from Passive, Skills, Gear, and even Shrines.

The mechanic as a whole provides players with a broad range of options and many builds will use multiple Buffs to great effect. Some builds will rely on them as permanent power increases through efficient rotations while others will use them situationally. Most builds have a variety of each, so you can expect to be engaging with Buffs a lot throughout the game!

Buffs vs Stats

Buffs and stats are very similar. They both provide benefits to the user and those normally come through Skills, Passives and Gear. For Maxroll, we differentiate the two by how they are obtained and how long they last. Stats from sources like Melee Physical Damage or Forbidden Knowledge are permanent improvements to your character. There is no condition that must be achieved in order to activate the stat; it's always there no matter what. Buffs like Argent Veil or Quicksilver Wind require something to happen in order to activate them and even then they only last for a period of time or until the condition is no longer met. This is why the first two are stats while the last two are Buffs.

Buff Types

The number of Buffs in Last Epoch is very large. Listing them all here would be overwhelming, so instead we provide a sample of buffs from each category so you can get a feel for what kind of options are at your disposal.

Offensive Buffs

• Aspect of the Crow: This buff is provided by the Primalist ability Summon Storm Crows. It causes some Crow hits on enemies to provide the player with additional Flat Melee and Spell Lightning Damage.
• Arcane Momentum: Found in the Sorcerer tree for Mage, this buff increases Cast Speed after casting a spell.
• Undisputed: This Unique increases your Melee Damage when hitting Bleeding enemies and stacks.
• Critical Shrine - This Shrine grants 100% Critical Strike Chance for 60 seconds.

Defensive Buffs

• Desperate Shroud: This is a Death Seal node that increases Armour and Stun Avoidance as long as the skill is active.
• Infinite Bulwark: This Forge Guard Passive provides additional Armour and Chance to Find Potions whenever a Potion is used, offering both Defense and Utility in one node.
• Ravenous Void: These Unique Gloves provide additional Damage Reduction as long as the player is above their Endurance Threshold
• Stunning Shrine: There aren't currently any true defensive Shrines, but this one provides additional CC by significantly improving Stun Chance and Duration for 60 seconds. The best defense is not taking damage in the first place!

Utility Buffs

• Momentum: This Buff from the Rogue skill Shift provides a large but short burst of Movement Speed.
• Silent Protector: Another Buff providing both Defense and Utility, this node in the Shaman Tree provides both Mana Regen and Armor when the player has an active Totem.
• Quicksilver Coil: This Unique ring has a chance to provide Haste for 1 second on hit. Haste is a Buff that provides 30% Movement Speed for the duration of the Buff.
• Water Shrine: This Shrine provides increased Mana Regen and Cooldown Recovery for 60 seconds.

Summary

• Buffs are temporary increases to the power of the buffed targets.
• Buffs can be accessed through Skills, Passives, Gear and Shrines.
• Buffs are generally placed on the same entity that created them, they can also be applied to allies and minions.
• There are a lot of Buffs in Last Epoch but they generally fall into three categories: Damage, Defense and Utility.
• Buffs are different from stats in that they are temporary and require a condition to be met in order to activate.

Video

Credits

Written by McFluffin.
Reviewed by Lizard_IRL, Aristotelian.