The first few hours of Path of Exile can be confusing for new players. Much of what developer Grinding Gear Games has put together will be familiar to anyone who has played an action role-playing game in the last twenty years. However, appearances can be deceiving, and it doesn't take long to realize that GGG has put a lot of effort into creating a one-of-a-kind experience for anyone brave enough to give Path of Exile a shot.
You think I'm brave? The game's free-form design, in contrast to a genre filled with games that hold your hand by providing stereotypical character classes with limited character choices, allows players to mold a unique character from hundreds of skills. With that freedom comes the possibility of making grave mistakes, which may force a player to start over with a new character.
Path of Exile is a game of layers, with each new layer adding a new facet to your character's design. Path of Exile is a game about layers. In this beginner's guide, we'll go over the basics of the first few layers. We hope that by having a clear understanding of how these initial decisions fit together, we can make your first few hours a more enjoyable experience. Exile, welcome to Wraeclast!
Selecting a League
When you create your character, the first decision you'll have to make is which League you want to participate in. There are several options available, each of which provides a slightly different experience, making it critical to choose the best one for you.
Standard League is a league that is based on a set of rules.
The Standard League has been around since the beginning of the game, and it is the most basic of the game modes. Other characters you meet along the way may already be extremely powerful. There is a well-established economy, and almost anything can be purchased for a reasonable cost. A price that you will most likely not be able to afford for some time.
Challenge League is a competition between teams.
Every few months or so, a new Challenge League in Path of Exile will begin its journey. These temporary leagues return all players to a level playing field, complete with level one characters and a fresh start in their economies. From there, it's a race against time (or a leisurely stroll through the game's main story) to complete the main story and play through end-game content before the next reset. In order to continue playing in the league, all characters are relegated to the Standard League for the remainder of the season. Grinding Gear Games uses challenge leagues to introduce new game mechanics into Path of Exile. These can range from one-of-a-kind encounters to entirely new crafting path of exile currency items. At the conclusion of the league, the new mechanics are typically integrated into the core game, though they may undergo significant revisions before being implemented.
Leagues for the ruthless
The Hardcore option is available in both the Standard and Challenge Leagues. In this pseudo-permadeath league, your character only has one life to live, and that is the end of it. After death, your character is merely exiled to the Standard League, where he or she will never be seen or heard from again.
Self-Discovery by a Single Person
Solo Self-Found (SSF) is an option available in both the Standard and Challenge Leagues. Unlike PoE, which can be played with little or no group interaction, SSF completely isolates your character from any other characters. There is no categorization. There is no trading. It's just you and Wraeclast against everything he can throw at you.
The Primary Characteristics
When it comes to primary attributes, Path of Exile keeps things simple. Even the most inexperienced RPG player should be able to figure out what the three attributes are for - strength improves your health and damage, intelligence increases your mana pool, and dexterity is a measure of agility. That is a good description; however, to be more specific, every 10 points earned in an attribute will result in the following bonuses:
A 2% increase in physical damage and an additional five maximum lives are gained by using Strength (red). Intelligence (blue) grants you an additional five maximum mana as well as a 2% increase in your energy shield's durability. A bonus of 20 POE Currency For Sale to accuracy (both melee and ranged) and a 2% increase to your evasion rating are provided by Dexterity (green).
Life, represented by the large red orb on the bottom left of the user interface, is exactly what you would expect it to be - it is the maximum amount of damage you can take before dying and is represented by the letter e. Gear that increases your armor stat can help you avoid incoming damage, while gear that increases your evasion will help you avoid damage in the first place.
You might be wondering where your energy shield fits into your overall defense strategy. A player's energy shield serves more purposes than just protecting him or her from incoming missile weapons or spells; it also serves as a secondary hitpoint pool that must be depleted before any damage can be dealt to the player's life. Although your energy shield only lasts a fraction of your life, it is a valuable resource because it automatically regenerates.
Due to the fact that a red orb represents your life, it is simple to deduce that the large blue orb represents your mana. As you might expect, aside from the basic auto-attack of your weapon, mana is the source of power for all of your combat skills, whether they are melee, ranged, or spell-based. However, in World of Warcraft, mana serves a more important function. Some of the more powerful skills, such as auras, necessitate the retention of a portion of your mana pool, and there are even character builds that allow mana to be used to mitigate damage. Mana is always in high demand, so it's a good thing that mana regenerates quickly after a brief pause.
In addition to the stat increases mentioned above, improving your primary attributes allows you to wield more powerful equipment. Whether it's a new sword, armor, ring, or gem, each item will have a minimum set of attributes that must be met in order for it to be equippable. Some of the most powerful items in Path of Exile will require the use of multiple attributes, so keep this in mind as your character progresses.
