When you enter the Monolith of Fate, you'll see a massive network of islands called timelines. Think of the Monolith as a library and each timeline as a different book - each with its own story, maps, and rewards. Your first goal is to Last Epoch gold unlock the Empowered versions of these timelines, as they contain vastly better loot, challenges, and progression potential.
Every timeline boss drops Blessings, permanent bonuses that boost your character's power. The first time you beat a boss, you can choose one of three Blessings. Rerunning that same timeline unlocks exclusive, more powerful Blessings unavailable elsewhere.
Here's a secret the pros don't tell you: the right-side timelines of the Monolith map hold the most valuable, S-tier Blessings - things like increased damage, resistances, and drop rates. The left-side timelines mostly offer side content. So, when you're moving toward Empowered timelines, stay on the right path and focus on unlocking those top-tier Blessings early.
Why Normal Timelines Are a Trap
If you're still grinding Normal timelines, stop. You're wasting time farming scraps. Empowered timelines are where the real game begins - where corruption scales infinitely, loot tables get juiced, and every Echo can drop screenshot-worthy treasures.
Want to target farm 4 LP uniques? Need high-roll exalted gear that makes your friends jealous? Looking for bosses that actually test your build instead of tickling it? Empowered timelines are where all that happens. Once you make the leap, you'll never go back.
Unlocking Empowered timelines is now easier than ever. This season, you only need to complete one level 90 timeline to access them, instead of three. That saves hours of grind. And don't worry if your character level feels low - difficulty scales primarily with corruption, not enemy level. So, don't waste time overleveling in normal timelines. Beat the bosses, grab your Blessings, and jump into Empowered mode.
Corruption: The True Endgame Power Curve
Corruption determines everything - loot quality, experience gain, and encounter difficulty. Normal timelines start at 0 corruption (capping at 50), while Empowered ones begin at 100 and can scale infinitely. The higher your corruption, the tougher the enemies, but the richer the rewards.
Here's how to raise it efficiently. As you run Echoes, you'll earn Stability, which lets you challenge the timeline boss. Beating that boss grants Gaze of Orobyss, a stackable resource that increases corruption when consumed by defeating the Shade of Orobyss, a powerful optional boss found at the edges of your Echo web.
Always defeat your timeline boss before killing the Shade - otherwise, you'll reset your Echo web and lose all progress. Painful lesson, trust me.
The Fast Corruption Farming Trick
Farming Stability can feel tedious, but there's a pro trick that speeds the process up tenfold. It revolves around two key items: the Temporal Keystone and the Harbinger's Needle.
Temporal Keystone (new in Season 3) instantly grants 150-210 Stability with no Echo grinding required. They drop frequently from enemies, so stockpile them.
Harbinger's Needle is a unique Idol that breaks upon killing a timeline boss, giving multiple Gazes of Orobyss instead of one.
Here's how to turbocharge your corruption:
Pop your Temporal Keystones to gain instant Stability and unlock the timeline boss.
Equip a Harbinger's Needle before entering the boss arena.
Summon a Harbinger upon boss kill to refund the Needle, keeping your supply going.
Farm eight Gazes of Orobyss before fighting the Shade. Once you have eight, your next Echo will automatically spawn a Shade closer to your location - no more trekking across the map.
Kill the Shade, collect your corruption boost, and repeat.
Dying to the Shade costs one Gaze, so play it smart. Done correctly, this method can push you past 1,000 corruption in record time.
Finding the Sweet Spot
While it's tempting to push corruption endlessly, higher isn't always better. At 200 corruption, you unlock all Shade-exclusive uniques. 300-400 corruption is considered the sweet spot - excellent loot with manageable difficulty. Beyond 700, the returns shrink dramatically.
If you're farming specific bosses or playing Hardcore, stick around 300-500 corruption to maintain balance between safety, speed, and loot. Only go higher if your build can handle it comfortably.
Using Catch-Up Mechanics
Here's another pro secret: once you've juiced a timeline to high corruption, other timelines can quickly catch up. For example, if your highest corruption is 300, entering a new Empowered timeline and completing one Echo will spawn a Shade that instantly boosts your corruption close to 95% of your highest value - around 285 in buy Last Epoch gold this case.