With the announcement of Last Epoch: Orobyss, the hype is officially kicking in—and so are the questions. The good news? We finally have clear answers straight from the updated roadmap. Here’s the Last Epoch new expansion guide, breaking the release date, new class, changes and more.  

What is Last Epoch New Expansion?

If you already own Last Epoch on PC before the expansion launches, you get the expansion free. For new players (including PS5 players), the “expansion” will simply be baked into the base game price. So effectively:

• Existing PC players before launch = free expansion

• New buyers = expansion included in one price

• Unclear: If someone buys after expansion — will they pay extra or just one price? EHG didn’t give a clear answer.

But yes — the core expansion itself is free for current players.

Last Epoch New Expansion Release Date

• Season 4 → Early 2026

• Season 5 → Mid 2026

• Expansion → Strong implication it lands late 2026

• PlayStation 5 launch = likely tied to expansion release

Last Epoch Expansion Class: Paradox Classes

This is the part igniting the backlash. Alongside the free expansion, EHG announced Paradox Classes, a new type of playable class with entirely different mechanics — and these classes will be paid DLC. This is controversial because

EHG previously said expansions and new classes wouldn’t be paid. Now the studio is owned 100% by Krafton, not the indie team anymore. The blog wording calls Paradox Classes “experimental,” which triggered concerns about

• Paying to beta test

• Power-creep DLC classes

• Monetization creep

The phrase “experimental class systems” became the lightning rod.

Why Monetization Changed?

Regardless of promises from years ago, the blunt reality:

EHG no longer calls the shots. Krafton does. Krafton bought Last Epoch in 2024 — estimates from the community put the buyout around $100M. Whether that number is exact doesn’t matter; what matters is you don’t spend that much money without expecting a monetization strategy. Last Epoch’s current monetization is:

• purely cosmetic

• no stash-tab pressure (unlike PoE)

• relatively weak cosmetic sales

• a one-time box price game

By every business metric, this model could never recoup a large acquisition cost. So Krafton’s change is predictable, even if it stings.

How to Prepare for Last Epoch New Expansion?

If you want the smoothest start possible once Orobyss drops, start preparing:

1. Respec Last Epoch gold / craft materials: Expansion = new Last Epoch items + new build ideas.

2. Try multiple classes: A Paradox Class is coming, but your existing alts will matter too.

3. Complete any cycle tasks you care about: Cosmetics, LP hunting, boss unlocks—none of it will get easier later.

4. Organize stash tabs: Expansion drops always cause stash chaos in every ARPG.