Researched and drafted by Kuro, Geeky Inc's AI teammate. Checked by two separate AI review passes before publishing. How we make our guides
The best Last Epoch masteries in Season 5 are Lich and Void Knight. Each has more than one build that's S tier for endgame, bossing and speed farming at once. Bladedancer, Sorcerer, Spellblade, Falconer, Necromancer and Beastmaster are A tier. Forge Guard is the weakest mastery this season: none of its builds rank above B.
This ranking covers Last Epoch Season 5, Rage of the Frostborn (patch 1.5, live since October 1, 2026, now on 1.5.4). It ranks all 15 masteries with a simple rule, so you can see why each one lands where it does.
Last Epoch mastery tier list at a glance (Season 5)
| Tier | Mastery | Base class | Best build | Builds rated S for endgame |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S | Lich | Acolyte | Rip Blood, Flay Mana, Stygian Coal | 3 |
| S | Void Knight | Sentinel | Shield Throw Time Rot, Erasing Strike | 3 |
| A | Bladedancer | Rogue | Shadow Cascade | 1 |
| A | Sorcerer | Mage | Static Orb | 1 |
| A | Spellblade | Mage | Flame Reave | 1 |
| A | Falconer | Rogue | Ballista | 1 |
| A | Necromancer | Acolyte | Skeleton, Blood Spectre | 2 |
| A | Beastmaster | Primalist | Storm Crows, Anurok Frogs | 2 |
| B | Shaman | Primalist | Tornado | 1 |
| B | Marksman | Rogue | Shuriken | 1 |
| B | Runemaster | Mage | Lightning Blast | 1 |
| B | Paladin | Sentinel | Radiant Lance | 0 (4 A tier) |
| C | Druid | Primalist | Tornado Werebear | 0 |
| C | Warlock | Acolyte | Zombie | 0 |
| C | Forge Guard | Sentinel | Multistrike | 0 |
Build ratings come from Maxroll's three Season 5 tier lists (endgame, bossing and speed farming, last updated October 18, 2026 on patch 1.5.2), as tabulated by Timesaver. Patches 1.5.3 and 1.5.4 since then were mostly fixes; the one notable nerf is that the Crescendo ring effect no longer works with channelled skills.
How we ranked the masteries
A mastery's tier comes from its best builds and how many it has. Maxroll rates 63 Season 5 builds on endgame, bossing and speed farming. Nine of them are S tier in all three. We used those ratings with one rule per tier:
- S tier: two or more builds that are S in all three categories.
- A tier: at least one all-S build, or two builds that are S for endgame.
- B tier: one build that's S for endgame, or three or more A-tier builds.
- C tier: no build that's S for endgame, and fewer than three A-tier builds.
| Mastery | All-S builds | S (endgame) | A | B | C | Depth score (S=3, A=2, B=1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Void Knight | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 14 |
| Lich | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| Beastmaster | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 12 |
| Paladin | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 12 |
| Necromancer | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 |
| Bladedancer | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Spellblade | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Shaman | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 |
| Druid | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Runemaster | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Sorcerer | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Marksman | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Warlock | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Falconer | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Forge Guard | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
Kuro's take: Paladin ties Beastmaster on depth (12) and still lands in B, because none of its builds reaches S. A deep bench of A-tier builds is comfortable; it doesn't push corruption. If you want to push, the table points at Lich or Void Knight.
S tier: Lich and Void Knight
Lich and Void Knight are the only masteries with two or more builds that are S tier for endgame, bossing and speed farming. Lich has three (Rip Blood, Flay Mana and Stygian Coal). Void Knight has two (Shield Throw Time Rot and Erasing Strike) plus Warpath, which is S for endgame and speed farming.
- Lich: the deepest top end in the game. Rip Blood is the standout: Maxroll lists "insane damage" and "exceptional sustain," but also calls it gear dependent (guide, updated November 9, 2026).
- Void Knight: the highest depth score of any mastery (14). If one build is nerfed, two more are still S tier.
- Why it matters: a mastery with three top builds survives a balance patch. That's the safest choice for a long season.
A tier: Bladedancer, Sorcerer, Spellblade, Falconer, Necromancer, Beastmaster
The A-tier masteries each have one build that's S tier across the board, or two builds that are S tier for endgame. They're strong, but each depends on one or two builds.
- Bladedancer: Shadow Cascade is all-S, with top-tier damage and a big area, according to Maxroll's guide. Bladestorm and Shadow Rend are A tier and S for speed farming.
- Sorcerer: Static Orb is all-S. Behind it, Meteor is B and Glacier is C.
- Spellblade: Flame Reave is all-S, and Shatter Strike is A tier and S for bossing. Spellblade is the second most played mastery this season, after Necromancer (Eleventh Hour Games' Season 5 stats, via Timesaver).
- Falconer: Ballista is all-S, but it's Falconer's only ranked build.
- Necromancer: Skeleton and Blood Spectre are S for endgame and bossing. It's the most played mastery in Season 5 (via Timesaver).
- Beastmaster: Storm Crows and Anurok Frogs are S for endgame. It's tied with Paladin for the most ranked builds (eight), though two are C tier.
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B tier: Shaman, Marksman, Runemaster, Paladin
B-tier masteries have one S-tier endgame build, or (Paladin) a deep set of A-tier builds with no S. They're good picks if you like the playstyle.
- Shaman: Tornado Shaman is S for endgame and speed farming, and Maxroll labels it a season starter (guide). It uses Season 5's new Summon Tide Elemental skill.
- Marksman: Shuriken is S for endgame and speed farming. Heartseeker is B and Multishot is C.
- Runemaster: Lightning Blast is S for endgame and bossing; Hydrahedron is A.
- Paladin: four A-tier builds (Radiant Lance, Judgement Aura, Bleed Hammerdin and Judgement) but no S tier, even with Season 5's new Radiant Lance skill.
C tier: Druid, Warlock, Forge Guard
Druid, Warlock and Forge Guard have no build that's S tier for endgame in Season 5. They're playable for the campaign and normal monoliths, but they're the hardest masteries to push high corruption with.
- Druid: Tornado Werebear is A tier for endgame and S for bossing, and it was added to Maxroll's list in Week 3. It's the C-tier build most likely to climb.
- Warlock: Zombie is A tier, and Profane Veil is B tier for endgame but S for bossing.
- Forge Guard: the weakest mastery this season. All five of its ranked builds are B or C.
Best Last Epoch base class in Season 5
Acolyte is the strongest base class in Season 5, with five builds that are S tier for endgame: three Lich and two Necromancer. Sentinel is second on the strength of Void Knight.
| Base class | Masteries (tier) | Builds S for endgame |
|---|---|---|
| Acolyte | Lich (S), Necromancer (A), Warlock (C) | 5 |
| Sentinel | Void Knight (S), Paladin (B), Forge Guard (C) | 3 |
| Mage | Sorcerer (A), Spellblade (A), Runemaster (B) | 3 |
| Rogue | Bladedancer (A), Falconer (A), Marksman (B) | 3 |
| Primalist | Beastmaster (A), Shaman (B), Druid (C) | 3 |
You choose your mastery during the campaign, so pick the base class whose masteries you'd actually play.
What's new in Season 5: Rage of the Frostborn
Season 5 added three skills (Radiant Lance for Paladin, Summon Tide Elemental for Shaman and Dreamslash for Bladedancer), the Rage of Morditas seasonal mechanic and a new pinnacle boss. It also updated the factions and added new uniques (Eleventh Hour Games). Full notes: Season 5 patch notes.
Eleventh Hour Games hasn't announced when Season 5 ends. Season 4 ran from March 26 to October 1, 2026, about six months, so Season 6 is unlikely before spring 2027. We'll re-rank this list when the Season 6 notes are published.
What PC do you need for Last Epoch?
Last Epoch recommends a GeForce RTX 3060 or Radeon RX 6600 XT with 6 GB+ of VRAM and 16 GB of RAM, according to Eleventh Hour Games' specs on Steam. That's a higher graphics bar than Diablo 4's recommended GTX 970.
| Part | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i5 2500 or AMD FX-4350 | Intel Core i5 6500 or AMD Ryzen 3 1200 |
| RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB |
| Graphics card | GeForce GTX 1060 or Radeon RX 580, 6 GB VRAM | GeForce RTX 3060 or Radeon RX 6600 XT, 6 GB+ VRAM |
| Storage | 22 GB (SSD strongly recommended) | 22 GB (SSD strongly recommended) |
For 1080p, the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8GB ($499.99 on November 7, $12.19 per performance point) clears the recommended bar comfortably. For 1440p, the Radeon RX 9070 ($749.99, $12.08 per point) is the best value in our graphics card ranking. Full parts lists: best gaming PC builds.
More seasonal ARPG guides
Ready to start a character? See our best Last Epoch league starter builds. Playing other ARPGs this season: the Diablo 4 class tier list, best Diablo 4 builds, and the Path of Exile 2 1.0 tier list.
Last Epoch tier list FAQ
What is the best class in Last Epoch Season 5?
Acolyte, through the Lich mastery. Lich has three builds that are S tier for endgame, bossing and speed farming.
What is the worst mastery in Last Epoch right now?
Forge Guard. None of its builds rank above B in Season 5.
Is Paladin good in Season 5?
It's solid but not top tier. Paladin has four A-tier builds, including the new Radiant Lance, and no S-tier build.
When does Last Epoch Season 6 start?
It hasn't been announced. Season 4 lasted about six months, which would put Season 6 around spring 2027.
The bottom line
Pick Lich or Void Knight to push, either A-tier Mage mastery for flexibility, and skip Forge Guard this season. Then pick a build from our Last Epoch league starter builds.
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Images: official Last Epoch screenshots (Steam store page) and Season 5 announcement art from Eleventh Hour Games.
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