Time Rot in Last Epoch is a powerful Damage over Time (DoT) status effect that deals Void damage and slows melee attack speed of enemies it affects. It is a core mechanic in several Void Knight builds, especially those focusing on sustained damage and crowd control Last Epoch Gold.

How Time Rot Works
Time Rot is inflicted on enemies as an on-hit effect by certain skills and gear affixes. When applied, it deals continuous Void damage over time and reduces the melee attack speed of affected enemies, making it both an offensive and defensive tool in combat. The damage and duration of Time Rot can be significantly increased through gear, idols, and skill passives.

Popular Builds Using Time Rot
1. Devouring Orb Time Rot Void Knight: This build revolves around generating and consuming orbs with Devouring Orb, applying stacks of Time Rot to enemies. The rotation involves casting Volatile Reversal to generate echoes and orbs, then using Devouring Orb to consume them for massive damage. Key gear includes the Forgotten Knight set and Rot Grip, which boosts Time Rot chance and damage. Balancing cast speed, melee attack speed, and throwing attack speed is crucial since the lowest of these speeds governs damage scaling.

2. Javelin Time Rot Void Knight: This build uses Javelin to apply Time Rot stacks and Void Cleave for mobility and triggering Abyssal Echoes. The rotation includes consistent Javelin throws, maintaining Time Bubble with Anomaly, and using Devouring Orb automatically while moving. Important gear includes Black Blade of Chaos for high Time Rot chance and void penetration, Atrophy gloves for increased Time Rot duration, and Vipertail for slow chance. Defensive layers come from items like Anchor of Oblivion and Red Ring of Atlaria.

Gear and Affixes for Time Rot
1. Rot Grip: A key item that scales Time Rot damage by increasing chance to inflict Time Rot and slow chance on hit with void skills.
2. Forgotten Knight Set: Provides bonuses to Time Rot chance and void penetration, increasing damage per stack of Time Rot on enemies.
3. Atrophy Gloves: Increase Time Rot duration, allowing longer uptime on enemies.
4. Black Blade of Chaos: Grants increased Time Rot chance and void penetration based on Dexterity.
Additionally, idols with affixes that increase Time Rot chance and duration are highly sought after to maximize damage output.

Playstyle and Scaling
Time Rot builds require balancing attack/cast speeds since the lowest of melee, throwing, and cast speeds affects damage scaling. Cooldown recovery speed is also important to apply Time Rot frequently buy Last Epoch Gold. Defensive stats like health, armor, endurance, and leech are essential to survive while applying sustained damage.