Last Epoch Dev Teases Major Buffs: Black Hole DPS and Skeleton Archer Reworks Incoming
Published on: 1/18/2026
Eleventh Hour Games (EHG) developer "EHG_Justin" has taken to Reddit to share a sneak peek at changes coming in the next Last Epoch season. The posts outline significant buffs aimed at transforming the Sorcerer’s Black Hole into a viable main damage skill and a rework for the Necromancer’s Summon Skeleton—specifically targeting archers and rogues.
Black Hole: From Utility to Main DPS
Historically used primarily for crowd control, Black Hole is receiving a massive damage injection to make it a competitive primary skill.
Damage Buffs: The skill’s base damage is increasing from 120 to 160 per second, while its damage effectiveness is jumping from 600% to 800%.
Cooldown Rework: The Recurrence node is being mathematically buffed. Instead of granting "increased cooldown recovery speed," it will now grant 15% reduced cooldown per point.
Why this matters: "Reduced cooldown" is a stronger stat than "recovery speed" as it does not suffer from diminishing returns when stacked with other gear. Justin noted that with 4/4 points in Recurrence and 100% cooldown recovery speed from gear, Black Hole could reach a cooldown as low as 2.8 seconds.
New Node: A new node called Pocket Dimension (requires 4 points in Recurrence) will allow Black Hole to store an additional charge.
Summon Skeleton: Archer and Rogue Overhaul
Justin admitted that planned changes for Summon Skeleton missed the deadline for the previous update, but the team is making up for it in the next season with a focus on Skeleton Archers.
No More Cooldowns: The Fire Arrow and Ice Arrow abilities will no longer have cooldowns. Instead, they will replace the skeleton's basic attack entirely. These new attacks will be slower but more powerful, with base damage fully converted to the relevant element.
The "Lightshow": A new option will allow archers to randomly alternate between Fire and Ice arrows for players who want a chaotic elemental mix.
Additionally, several nodes are receiving attention:
Individual Operator: This node is being simplified. It will strictly limit you to one Rogue skeleton, but that single rogue will be made "much more powerful."
General Buffs: Nodes such as Dread Phalanx and Unbound Necromancy are slated for buffs.
Subject to Change
As always, EHG notes that these values and mechanics are subject to change before the season launches. However, the intent is clear: the developers are looking to open up new build archetypes for both Sorcerers and Necromancers in the near future.
