Indie ARPG Last Epoch has earned itself a notable achievement on Steam during itsfirst week of official release, with the game beating Path of Exile’s all-timeplayer count.
But despite a long wait, players were keen for the launch. The game’s popularity with ARPG fans sawservers fold under concurrent player countsof over 150,000 on the first day.
Nowservers are stable, and Last Epoch’s has managed to secure a significant milestone. The game officially passedPath of Exile’s recordfor all-time players on Steam by almost twenty-two thousand players on February 25 — just four days after its full release.
Celebrations aside, it’s important to note that Path of Exile also has its own game launcher, separate from Steam. These players won’t be taken into account by sites like SteamDB.
It’s generally believed Steam players count for aroundtwo-thirds of PoE’s total player base, so Last Epoch still has some bodies to bring in to beat the total all-time player count. But it’s still an impressive feat for an indie game to achieve, especially so soon after facing launch struggles.
“No wonder they experienced technical issues. Who would expect to beat POE player count on day 1?” came the reaction fromone surprised fan.
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The achievement also feels like a victory for some ARPG fans who are hoping the uptick in interest and surge of popularity for Last Epoch spells a renaissance for the genre.
“Arpg fans eating good this year. LE 1.0, PoE2 in summer,”said one user, referring to Last Epoch and the upcoming Path of Exile 2 beta in June.
“It’s so exciting to see all the great options that are evolving in the ARPG space now. I hope we continue to see the space grow!”agreed another.
Despite its rocky start, Last Epoch seems to have found itself on solid ground now.
Eliana was formerly a staff writer on the Australian Dexerto team. A freelance journalist for a decade, she earned her master’s in international journalism from the University of Western Australia. She has written for a range of outlets and most recently served as a founding member of the editorial team for esports news and leaks website, BLIX.GG. A lover of JRPGs and strategy MOBAs, when she’s not writing you’ll most likely find her playing Dota 2 or FFXIV.
