Recently my good friend Gilgamesh102 jumped into the very deep pool that is Path of Exile. For those who aren’t in the know, PoE is an action RPG with some incredibly complex systems, including a massive currency system, complicated crafting mechanics, a skill tree with over 1325 nodes, and years worth of end game mechanics from various leagues all piled together. Gilgamesh102 has asked me for some tips. I am a player with over 1000 hours in-game, and while I still consider myself a journeyman in terms of expertise, I can gladly share some opinions.
Floaties or No?
There are two ways to experience PoE for the first time. If you jump in this pool without any support, you are probably going to drown, aka build a character that cannot reach what many consider the start of the end game, the map system. This is what I did. I did almost no research because I found it all way over my head, and just did what seemed right. I learned quite a bit, but felt frustrated that I had ‘wasted’ my time.
Now, that notion is a little silly since I’m playing a video game, it’s all kind of wasted time. But the next league I played, I struggled through following a guide I didn’t fully understand, and had quite a but more fun by the end. I had also progressed far further into the end game than I anticipated, and started to realize the vast scope of the game. I used to tell people that every 10 hours of gameplay I realized I didn’t know anything all over again.
Those periodic discoveries drove me to play more, so I can’t advise that someone do literally ALL the research and never experiment or try stuff, some things you’ll want to learn on your own. But for starters, I do think not building a bad character is more important than an organic experience, so pick a guide from Poe Builds you are interested in. These guides assume you know more about the game than you do, but pick one anyway, and follow it as best you can. The important things to follow are the skill tree and if they recommend different gems while leveling. This Storm Brand build from thi3n is the first guide I ever followed, and it has actual step by step instructions on what to buy and use throughout the campaign. Storm Brand has changed a lot since I used this guide, so YMMV.
Freestyle Tips
Even if you decide to press out on your own, there are still a lot of things you should know that a guide generally won’t provide.
First, there are a few 3rd party apps/add-ons you’ll eventually need. First, download Path of Builder, it’s a character builder that most guides use to show the skill tree and various metrics, don’t worry about all the crazy simulation stuff you can do for now. Next get Filterblade’s newest loot filter. Don’t mess with any of the settings, just link your PoE account and make sure you save it(or download it and stick it in the right folder on your desktop). This game drops so much loot you will eventually need a filter to be able to see shit. You don’t NEED the filter right now, but you’ll thank me later.
Next, make sure the character you’ve made is on Ritual League, and not Solo Self Found or Hardcore. If they aren’t bite the bullet now and switch.
While playing, gear choices aren’t as important early as skill tree and gem decisions. You can compare items if you like, but mostly they just get replaced quickly enough it isn’t worth the effort.
Don’t pick everything up. Sure if you’re barefoot pick up some boots, but looting everything will take forever, and as you’ll eventually learn, unless you’re just grinding out early currency for some reason, most white and blue items aren’t worth selling to vendors. Really all that stuff gets you are wisdom scrolls and orbs you generally sell for wisdom scrolls, so if you’re set on those, leave the litter on the ground.
When you get to a new area, hit “u” to look at the world map, if the place you’re at has a faint glowing bit in the circle, there’s a waypoint(fast travel) there somewhere, and you should find it before leaving. I don’t know how many times I logged in after a late night where I abruptly went to bed to find I had to trek through zones I’d already been through because I missed a waypoint.
The league mechanic, Ritual, will appear in every zone. Do it if you want, but I would focus on getting through the campaign. It’s good to try if your gear needs upgrading, and frankly is pretty fun. Other league mechanics will eventually start appearing as well.
If you want to buy things, you can do so on the trade website. Don’t worry too much about it early, as unless your build mentions getting something specific, you won’t need to use this. if you want to SELL however, you’ll need a premium stash tab, and this is where the monetization of the game comes in. Don’t buy anything right away, PoE does a good job of letting you organically realize you WANT a tab of some sort. This storefront is available in-game and shows the tabs you can buy. You’ll want to wait until they go on sale, which is relatively often. Then, if you’re going to buy anything(no one plays this game regularly without at least a few, I couldn’t imagine it), buy a currency tab and one premium stash tab. If you’re going deeper, get a map tab, and a fragment tab. Ignore the others, I bought like all of them and while I don’t exactly regret it since I put 1000 hours into this game, I don’t really use them. Do NOT buy regular tabs, they cost more to upgrade than just buying a premium straight up.
Use the global chat. Sure, there’s trolls and jerks, but if you ask a question you will probably get a reasonable answer the majority of the time.
Typing all this made me look back at my countless hours spent and feel pretty good. I know I likely missed some obvious stuff, and as more mechanics appear the game’s complexity will ramp up, so feel free to reach out in the comments with questions, or, if you’re Gilgamesh102, you know where to find me.
Delve rules.
Glimpsing the Unthinkable 