The arrival of Last Epoch Patch 1.1 adds a ton of new and improved content to the game. Among them, Nemesis is the new boss system implemented in Harbingers of Ruin update. What’s more, the update also introduces Cycle 2, which means that all players must create new characters in order to participate in the content.

Don’t worry, though. In this guide, we’ll go into detail about how this Nemesis Boss System works, what items players can get as rewards from it, and which Harbingers of Ruin builds players can choose to succeed in the new cycle. Without further ado, let’s get straight to it!

How Does Nemesis System Work?

As a new boss type, Nemesis is a challenging enemy with its own new loot system.

Throughout Campaign and Monolith of Fate maps, players will have the opportunity to fight one of these new bosses. Nemesis is somewhere between the difficulty of a normal enemy type and a Pinnacle Boss.

Since it can take a long time for new players to become strong enough to fight a Pinnacle Boss, the developers wanted to provide a challenge they would also see in regular play. What’s more, the fight with Nemesis is optional for players, and they can choose to ignore it if they don’t feel they are strong enough to defeat them.

Loot Drops

When players interact with a Nemesis found in Last Epoch, they will be shown the loot that will drop after they are defeated. Players will see three new loot options added in Harbingers of Ruin Cycle update. 

Banish

If the player chooses Banish option, the fight will be ignored. This will be your first choice, especially if your build is not strong enough to defeat Nemesis. However, when you have the right gear and skill points, choosing one of the other two options will have more benefits.

Challenge

When the player wishes to fight Nemesis, they will choose Challenge option. This option will initiate a boss fight, causing Nemesis to attack the player. If the player successfully defeats the challenged Nemesis, they will be rewarded with the loot shown to them before the fight.

Empower

If Empower option is chosen, Nemesis boss fight will be exactly the same difficulty as Challenge option. However, the slight difference is that once Nemesis is defeated by the player, they will disappear and can be fought again later at a higher power level.

Note that when Empower is chosen, Nemesis will not drop loot for the first defeat. However, when it is encountered and defeated a second time, it will drop enhanced loot.

Loot enhanced in this way may result in better Affix Tiers, Forging Potential, or Legendary Potential. You’ll also have the opportunity to gain upgrades that weren’t previously available in Last Epoch, such as Tier 6 and 7 Item Affixes, through these loot.

Best Build Choices

Given the complexity of the different skills and passives, it's hard to decide which builds to choose when you’re ready to take on Nemesis. To help players find the right choice, we’ve listed some of the best builds to try. Don’t forget to stock up on Last Epoch Gold if you want to get the most out of these builds!

Avalanche Shatter Shaman

Avalanche Shatter Shaman is a brand new build for Last Epoch Cycle 2. This is a powerful setup that will allow you to complete all of the early game content with a very simple play style. It’s recommended for both new and returning players.

This Shaman build relies on using Avalanche skill to activate Unyielding Storm and Excavation Passives. Activating these Passives will automatically cast your Upheaval skill four times in a row, giving you massive single target and AOE damage.

Mana Stacking Meteor Sorcerer

Mana Stacking Meteor Sorcerer build is great for new players just starting out with Harbingers of Ruin. It’s an easy build to learn, especially if you haven’t unlocked Last Epoch upgrade path and need to go through the major story.

This build uses Meteor as the source of almost all of its damage. In the past, Meteor was difficult to use because of its high mana cost, but the new passive has fixed that. The strongest synergy with this build is the new Archmage Passive, which makes up for Meteor’s high mana cost and allows for multiple consecutive casts.

Mana Lightning Sorceror

Mana Lightning Sorceror is also a standout because it requires almost no input if played correctly. Its auto-bombing style attacks also make it good at AOE damage.

Its two main abilities are Static Orb and Lightning Blast, which work together to create a lightning blast field around your character. By investing skill points into a Cloud Answer node, your Lightning Blasts can apply Spark Charges to anything they hit. These charges will cause your enemies to explode and spread damage to all monsters around them.

To make this build as powerful as possible, you will also need two Legendary items. The first item is a Fragment of the Enigma, an Off-Hand Catalyst. The second is Triboelectra, a new Wand added in Patch 1.1.

Avalanche Storm Bolt Shaman

Avalanche Storm Bolt Shaman is a simple and safe build that can be used until the end of the new patch.

Avalanche will become your primary skill. It synergizes with Maelstrom and also grants Storm Stacks when used. When you consume Storm Stacks with this build, you will have the opportunity to cast Maelstrom for free, which will greatly enhance your physical damage.

All skills and their passives will automatically work together, making your Avalanche an unstoppable and powerful skill for both AOE and single target.

Spark Charge Runemaster

Spark Charge Runemaster is unique because it can make up for the nerf to Sorcerer in Patch 1.1 update. It can give itself Lightning Aegis by using Static Orbs. And this build also stacks additional damage reduction, allowing you to safely focus on attacking.

Its key skill is Elemental Nova, a sendable AOE that can be used against all types of enemies. This build can use different legendary items such as Mad Alchemist’s Ladle and Prismatic Gaze to make it more powerful, but these are not absolutely necessary.

That’s all we know about Nemesis Boss system in Harbingers of Ruin update. I believe the arrival of this new mechanism will bring new fun to your open world journey! Have a nice day!