Marksman Mastery Leveling Build for Last Epoch (Patch 1.0) (2024)

Class PassivesSkill Passives

RogueMarksman

Cinder StrikeShiftShurikenAcid FlaskSmoke Bomb

The Rogue Passive Tree only has a few nodes that we actually want. Everythingin this kit scales off Dexterity, making Steady Hand an easychoice. Likewise, Agility has a chance to grant Haste on hit,which will make walking through maps that much faster.

We've taken more than the necessary 20 points to unlock Mastery Trees, with Critical Precision removing8 points from our Passive pool. While this node is extremely important, don't feel the need to put points into it immediately.Especially at low levels, the increased Critical Hit Rate may not be noticeable and nodes in the MarksmanTree will likely provide something more useful.

The remainder of our points will be placed directly into Marksman, ignoring Bladedancer for the sakeof the leveling experience. This Passive Tree provides a substantial bonus to our Critical Strike statthrough the nodes connected to Assassin's Quiver, as well as augment our Mastery Bonus by addingCritical Chance and Critical Multiplier to Bow Mastery.

Very rarely will you be in harms way, but to provide a bit of sustain, 10 points are placed intoThief's Quiver, allowing Cinder Strike to leech health as damage dealt.

Cinder Strike will be your most used skill in this build. Due to the combo systemon it, with the first hit being AoE and dealing extra damage, it works extremely well for bothsingle-target and AoE. Pathing towards Inferno and Cauterize are fairly self explanatory.Extra Fire Damage and extra Critical Multiplier synergizes well with the build. For the late leveling experience,we have opted to take Burning Daggers. These have the ability to hit critically, triggering the unique effectfrom the bow that is suggested to be used with this build. If you do not have the bow, you should still use these nodes,as the extra damage is still worth it.

While at its core, Shift is a Traversal skill, this dash will be responsible for a large portion ofboth this build's damage and survivability. Both Shurikens and Acid Flask are auto-cast off this skill,so you'll be using it frequently to both get around maps quicker, but also demolish mob groups before they even noticeyou're there.

Other than the nodes taken to synergize with other skills, the selection above ensures Shift willbe more readily available by reducing its cooldown and reducing the Mana requirement on it.Prioritize Sleight of Hand first, then path towards Arrival Gift, as Shurikens has more valuedefensively than Acid Flask.

When you think of throwing stars, you may not think of the application they'll be usedfor with this build. Rather than throw them at our enemies, every time we use Shift,we'll be throwing them around our own character! The throwing stars will circle our characterfor roughly 4 seconds, providing a boost in Armor, as well as damaging any enemy they touch. Withthe timer being extended on Shuriken, and the timer on Shift being reduced, it's possible to havefull uptime on this skill and reap the defensive benefits permanently, so long as you'recomfortable dashing around the map during fights.

Focus the nodes on the pathing for both Floating Blades and Bladed Armor, while maxingJagged Edges last. All 4 points should be placed into Ethereal Blades before the next nodeis touched, as you don't want the throwing stars disappearing instantly every time you Shift intoenemies.

Acid Flask is not, and should not, ever manually used by the player for this build.It gets auto-casted off Shift, dropping a flask both at the starting and ending locationof using the dash. It deals a decent amount of damage in a moderately sized AoE,and applies Fire Resistance Shred to all enemies hit. If enemies haven't died from theinitial burst of damage, you'll now be in a prime position to finish them off withCinder Strike.

Focus on taking the nodes dealing with Fire Damage first, prioritizingspecifically Smoulder. Move back to the left side and takeTempered Glass for the extra Fire Resistance Shred, then continue taking theFire-based nodes on the right.

Smoke Bomb has a dual purpose for this build, first and foremost providinga substantial amount of Dusk Shroud stacks for our own survivability,but also ensuring out hits deal critical damage when you strike.

Prioritize Shadow Hunter before anything else, then head over toRapid Concealment. Cleansing Steam should be taken last, asthe nodes over on the right side merely provide a bit of extra Dodge and the ability to self-cleanse,which will not be entirely important while leveling.