Esseb Tarosh
"Not monster, native, prisoner, or crew, this strange apparition seems to belong to the ruins in a way that nothing else does. Any understanding of its powers and its origin are less important, however, than the simple fact that it is intelligent, useful, and does not want to eat you."
Overview[]
Esseb Tarosh appeared in the game during the Endless Day, when Amplitude Studios celebrated their 4th anniversary on the 21. January 2015.
Quite mobile with starting Scamper and increases each level focusing on physical stats, Esseb Tarosh makes for a pretty good scout, especially in the late game when he gets access to Pilfer. What really makes him stand out, and could make him a staple in many people's teams, are his two unique active abilities: Dust Drainer increases Dust loot probability in the entire floor for the duration, which includes rooms with only minor modules, while Endlessly Adaptive is currently the only way to repair a research Artifact.
Stats[]
| Level | Hit Points | Defense | Speed | DPS | Attack Power | Attack Cooldown | Range | Wit | Skills | Cost to Recruit / Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 500 | 19 | 32 | 32 | 45 | 1.4 | Long (4) | 8 |  |
18 |
| 2 | 538 | 20 | 32 | 33 | 46 | 1.4 | Long (4) | 8 | 35 | |
| 3 | 580 | 21 | 32 | 36 | 50 | 1.4 | Long (4) | 8 |   |
45 |
| 4 | 626 | 22 | 32 | 37 | 52 | 1.4 | Long (4) | 8 | 55 | |
| 5 | 676 | 23 | 32 | 39 | 54 | 1.4 | Long (4) | 8 |  |
67 |
| 6 | 730 | 24 | 32 | 40 | 56 | 1.4 | Long (4) | 8 | 79 | |
| 7 | 788 | 25 | 32 | 41 | 58 | 1.4 | Long (4) | 8 |   |
93 |
| 8 | 850 | 26 | 32 | 44 | 61 | 1.4 | Long (4) | 8 | 107 | |
| 9 | 916 | 28 | 32 | 46 | 64 | 1.4 | Long (4) | 8 |  |
123 |
| 10 | 986 | 30 | 32 | 48 | 67 | 1.4 | Long (4) | 8 | 139 | |
| 11 | 1060 | 32 | 32 | 50 | 70 | 1.4 | Long (4) | 8 |   Dust Drainer lvl 2 |
157 |
| 12 | 1138 | 34 | 32 | 52 | 73 | 1.4 | Long (4) | 8 | 175 | |
| 13 | 1220 | 36 | 32 | 54 | 76 | 1.4 | Long (4) | 8 |  Defender of the Past lvl 2 |
195 |
| 14 | 1306 | 38 | 32 | 56 | 79 | 1.4 | Long (4) | 8 | 215 | |
| 15 | 1396 | 40 | 32 | 59 | 82 | 1.4 | Long (4) | 8 |   Endlessly Adaptive lvl 2 |
237 |
The above table is accurate, as of update [1.0.15] Weapon: Sword
ID: H0020
Strategy[]
Esseb is fairly average overall but has some powerful unique abilities that aid the team significantly, mainly revolving around Dust and Research. His unique skill Dust Drainer powerfully aids in dust generation, being the single most consistent active to gain the resource, easily beating out War Profiteer and Cooking with Gas for sheer gain. It also acts as a radar, allowing enemies to be seen even in dark rooms during its extremely generous 11-second window. His other active Endlessly Adaptive is also unique in that the floor-wide regen it gives to all modules is the only way in the game to repair a damaged Artifact. He uniquely also is the only hero that uses a melee weapon but has a ranged attack. Swords tend to increase survivability compared to other weapons, which can definitely be a bonus for Esseb. Scamper and Pilfer make him an ideal door opener despite his average speed, which the survivability gain from a sword can help compensate. Two levels of Defender of the Past are always useful though not always applicable.
Overall, Esseb is useful though not always radically so, and despite his unique abilities many other heroes have a more dedicated niche that may be more desired. It is unfortunate that he doesn't have Operate, as he has the highest wit stat of any non-operator (especially if one can acquire an Occam's Gouge). Keep an eye open for a Scope. He also is a fairly mediocre scout, being slowish and gaining Pilfer much later than Max. He is also an incredibly average combatant.
Story Events[]
Esseb Tarosh is currently involved in the following events:
- N/A
Quotes[]
When found in a dungeon:
- "It is an interruption to my task, but I see you are in need of aid."
- "My services are not for sale; I join you in the interest of saving these halls."
- "I see your team could use a guide - and perhaps a touch of wisdom..."
When opening a door:
- "Behind each door lost tales and remnants of civilization..."
- "I open, I learn, I remember."
When repairing modules:
- "Simple things to fix, given the artifacts and materials on hand."
When low on health:
- "Unimportant. The body is not eternal."
- "You interrupt my work!"
When carrying the crystal:
- "Simple and brutish technology, but too valuable to leave behind."
Trivia[]
Esseb Tarosh is an Ended (part of the Haunts, a minor faction on Auriga), albeit not an ordinary one. He's basically a damaged Virtual Endless, a survivor of the Dust Wars, when the Virtuals and the Concretes destroyed each other. He's also an Archivist, part of a group of Endless that dedicated their entire lives to find and preserve as much knowledge as they could.
Three more Archivists appear in the other Endless games, Tarosh Emlek in Endless Space, Eslek Tarosh in Endless Legend, and Esseb Veltaros in Endless Space 2.
How to Unlock[]
Esseb Tarosh appears in players' hero selection screen when starting a new game between 21st - 25th January (Endless Day Celebrations). He has to survive the normal 3 floors to unlock permanently.
People who missed the chance to unlock him during the event can still unlock him by changing their PC clock to that date. Just remember to change it back afterwards.
Additionally, starting and finishing a game within that time period that includes Esseb Tarosh in your party will unlock the Endless Day achievement. Esseb Tarosh must survive to the end of the run.