My advice to new players.

Posted this in response to a new player on reddit, decided to make a thread for it in this forum too to help other new players in here as well.

Try it yourself initially, knowing that you'll eventually hit a progression wall. Find a helpful build guide on YouTube. I recommend checking out Zizaran's YouTube channel. Avoid following anything on the forums except for Enki's Arc Witch guide, which is the best beginner build guide that will walk you through every aspect of the character and help you progress from level 1 to endgame.

Once you feel more comfortable with the game, try mixing builds you see with your own ideas. Modify them to your taste. Eventually, you'll find yourself immersed in the game, theory-crafting builds on your way to work, accumulating 5,000 hours of gameplay.

Just remember, this community is generally friendly towards beginners. However, be cautious of the global chat, as it can be quite toxic. Some players will help you, while others may troll you. Ask questions here and check the game's Discord server. Additionally, read the game's wiki, PoE Wiki, at https://www.poewiki.net/wiki/Path_of_Exile_Wiki. Avoid the Path of Exile Fandom Wiki, as it is abandoned and terribly outdated.

Path of Exile is a game for people who enjoy depth and complexity, and who are willing to figure things out to some extent on their own. Don't expect the same level of handholding as in Skyrim. Diablo 3 is more casual-friendly, whereas Path of Exile is a hardcore ARPG.

Avoid following the Path Of Exile Builds YouTube channel, as it focuses on promoting RMT (real-money trading). Instead, follow regular Twitch streamers like Zizaran, who play their builds regularly on stream and provide guides(Very Comprehensive and new player friendly) on YouTube. In my opinion, Zizaran is the best.

Regardless of what people may say, there is no wrong way to play Path of Exile. There are only suboptimal playstyles, which most hardcore(Dedicated players not hardcore mod players per say) players are afraid of. Enjoy the game in your own way and have fun. If you don't like it, feel free to play something else. The point of the game is to have fun.

The developers don't care about catering to a wide casual audience; they are all hardcore ARPG players who want to create a game they themselves would enjoy, not something aimed at maximizing microtransaction profits like Ubisoft does with their games. Path of Exile does have microtransactions, but they are mostly cosmetic. The only thing you'll eventually need are stash tabs to store items, which can be purchased for around $40, providing a lifetime supply of organized tabs for your precious loot. There's no need for additional purchases.

Regular updates are released every three months, introducing tons of new content. In the future, if you enjoy a new update, avoid visiting Reddit. It's usually a place filled with negativity, focusing on the flaws of an update. This negativity can dampen your enjoyment, even if you're loving the new content.

If you don't have the time commitment for this game, just play on the Standard server (permanent server with no resets). It will allow you to reach the farthest ends of the endgame if you can't do it within a three-month period, especially if you only play for an hour a day at most, like some of us.

Also, there is a sequel to the game coming next year-ish. Its beta release date will be announced on July 29th at the game's conference, Exile-Con, on their official Twitch channel. This announcement will also be covered by most Path of Exile streamers.

PS: If you find the game a little overwhelming but still want to explore it further, consider trying the Ruthless mode. It is much harder but introduces fewer mechanics upfront, making it easier for new players to grasp the game. This mode is designed for a more hardcore crowd and, due to its reduction in player power, aims to increase the game's difficulty. As a result, it reduces the number of game mechanics available, thereby reducing the early complexity of the game. However, it becomes significantly more challenging in the endgame for experienced players who enjoy this type of challenge. Only choose this mode if you like the game but were considering stopping due to feeling overwhelmed.

PPS: This text was grammatically corrected by AI as English is my second language and I felt like it could be easier to read as well. I reviewed it before posting and made changes as needed.

TLDR: Start playing Path of Exile on your own, but be prepared for a progression wall. Follow beginner build guides like Enki's Arc Witch or Zizaran's on YouTube for assistance. Engage with helpful players in forums or chat, but be cautious of trolls(global chat especially). If you're short on time, play on the Standard server. Consider trying Ruthless mode for a less overwhelming experience with fewer mechanics, though it's harder to play. There's no wrong way to enjoy the game, so have fun your way. Microtransactions are mainly cosmetic, and $40 can buy you enough stash tabs for a lifetime. Updates with new content arrive every three months. Avoid negative Reddit discussions if they affect your enjoyment. A sequel to the game is expected next year, with a beta release date announcement on July 29th at their official Twitch and YouTube channels(Exile-con, like Blizzcon but for PoE).

I've played for barely a year, and while most of your advice is sound the suggestion to play Ruthless is a bit bizarre to me. While the game does get overwhelming upfront... insulating myself from invaluable mechanics like Crafting Bench would make me quit the game way sooner. Even if I were too new to not know these things, instead of quitting from "seeing the passive tree" or some such I'd stop because the game is a total crawl.

Perhaps base mechanics should be introduced slower - league mechanics that went core definitely are not thrown at you - but Chris Wilson said in an interview that he doesn't mind the people who are giving up before they start leaving.

Stopping, reading and understanding are their own reward. The freedom to experiment, using currency to see what it does, what helps, and of course making use of the in-game Help panel or Google are like putting together a puzzle to me. Chucking away pieces of it and saying this makes things easier because you have less to work with also means you don't have the full picture.

"

heaven0777 wrote:

I've played for barely a year, and while most of your advice is sound the suggestion to play Ruthless is a bit bizarre to me. While the game does get overwhelming upfront... insulating myself from invaluable mechanics like Crafting Bench would make me quit the game way sooner. Even if I were too new to not know these things, instead of quitting from "seeing the passive tree" or some such I'd stop because the game is a total crawl.

Perhaps base mechanics should be introduced slower - league mechanics that went core definitely are not thrown at you - but Chris Wilson said in an interview that he doesn't mind the people who are giving up before they start leaving.

Stopping, reading and understanding are their own reward. The freedom to experiment, using currency to see what it does, what helps, and of course making use of the in-game Help panel or Google are like putting together a puzzle to me. Chucking away pieces of it and saying this makes things easier because you have less to work with also means you don't have the full picture.

TBF I don't like it that ruthless can be a less overwhelming experience for new players, I'd rather the base game didn't bombard them with new league mechanics every couple of areas and showering them with powerful items that'll render new upgrades useless until they buy it off the market. Loot 2.0 might fix this but the amount of new content thrust in to new players is insane imo.

"

heaven0777 wrote:

I've played for barely a year, and while most of your advice is sound the suggestion to play Ruthless is a bit bizarre to me. While the game does get overwhelming upfront... insulating myself from invaluable mechanics like Crafting Bench would make me quit the game way sooner. Even if I were too new to not know these things, instead of quitting from "seeing the passive tree" or some such I'd stop because the game is a total crawl.

Perhaps base mechanics should be introduced slower - league mechanics that went core definitely are not thrown at you - but Chris Wilson said in an interview that he doesn't mind the people who are giving up before they start leaving.

Stopping, reading and understanding are their own reward. The freedom to experiment, using currency to see what it does, what helps, and of course making use of the in-game Help panel or Google are like putting together a puzzle to me. Chucking away pieces of it and saying this makes things easier because you have less to work with also means you don't have the full picture.

That's really interesting - I've been of the opinion that Ruthless would be a good way to learn PoE for a new player but I guess there is one important thing to consider: is the player in question 100% dead set on learning and playing a lot of PoE? is there a chance they will quit?

With that in mind if someone is dead set on PoE becoming their main game I would still recommend Ruthless first as it is a slower less complicated sandbox to learn in before injecting steroids into the experience by going to trade league.

But you're right that there are some 'quit' moments in Ruthless that may not be present in the base game.

ruthless for new players hoho.

"

KatCut wrote:

Posted this in response to a new player on reddit, decided to make a thread for it in this forum too to help other new players in here as well.

Try it yourself initially, knowing that you'll eventually hit a progression wall. Find a helpful build guide on YouTube. I recommend checking out Zizaran's YouTube channel. Avoid following anything on the forums except for Enki's Arc Witch guide, which is the best beginner build guide that will walk you through every aspect of the character and help you progress from level 1 to endgame.

Once you feel more comfortable with the game, try mixing builds you see with your own ideas. Modify them to your taste. Eventually, you'll find yourself immersed in the game, theory-crafting builds on your way to work, accumulating 5,000 hours of gameplay.

Just remember, this community is generally friendly towards beginners. However, be cautious of the global chat, as it can be quite toxic. Some players will help you, while others may troll you. Ask questions here and check the game's Discord server. Additionally, read the game's wiki, PoE Wiki, at https://www.poewiki.net/wiki/Path_of_Exile_Wiki. Avoid the Path of Exile Fandom Wiki, as it is abandoned and terribly outdated.

Path of Exile is a game for people who enjoy depth and complexity, and who are willing to figure things out to some extent on their own. Don't expect the same level of handholding as in Skyrim. Diablo 3 is more casual-friendly, whereas Path of Exile is a hardcore ARPG.

Avoid following the Path Of Exile Builds YouTube channel, as it focuses on promoting RMT (real-money trading). Instead, follow regular Twitch streamers like Zizaran, who play their builds regularly on stream and provide guides(Very Comprehensive and new player friendly) on YouTube. In my opinion, Zizaran is the best.

Regardless of what people may say, there is no wrong way to play Path of Exile. There are only suboptimal playstyles, which most hardcore(Dedicated players not hardcore mod players per say) players are afraid of. Enjoy the game in your own way and have fun. If you don't like it, feel free to play something else. The point of the game is to have fun.

The developers don't care about catering to a wide casual audience; they are all hardcore ARPG players who want to create a game they themselves would enjoy, not something aimed at maximizing microtransaction profits like Ubisoft does with their games. Path of Exile does have microtransactions, but they are mostly cosmetic. The only thing you'll eventually need are stash tabs to store items, which can be purchased for around $40, providing a lifetime supply of organized tabs for your precious loot. There's no need for additional purchases.

Regular updates are released every three months, introducing tons of new content. In the future, if you enjoy a new update, avoid visiting Reddit. It's usually a place filled with negativity, focusing on the flaws of an update. This negativity can dampen your enjoyment, even if you're loving the new content.

If you don't have the time commitment for this game, just play on the Standard server (permanent server with no resets). It will allow you to reach the farthest ends of the endgame if you can't do it within a three-month period, especially if you only play for an hour a day at most, like some of us.

Also, there is a sequel to the game coming next year-ish. Its beta release date will be announced on July 29th at the game's conference, Exile-Con, on their official Twitch channel. This announcement will also be covered by most Path of Exile streamers.

PS: If you find the game a little overwhelming but still want to explore it further, consider trying the Ruthless mode. It is much harder but introduces fewer mechanics upfront, making it easier for new players to grasp the game. This mode is designed for a more hardcore crowd and, due to its reduction in player power, aims to increase the game's difficulty. As a result, it reduces the number of game mechanics available, thereby reducing the early complexity of the game. However, it becomes significantly more challenging in the endgame for experienced players who enjoy this type of challenge. Only choose this mode if you like the game but were considering stopping due to feeling overwhelmed.

PPS: This text was grammatically corrected by AI as English is my second language and I felt like it could be easier to read as well. I reviewed it before posting and made changes as needed.

no

Are you a ruthless enjoyer?

I'd ask a new player if they enjoy gambling, otherwise, PoE is not for them.

Ruthless? Nah. Mebbe SSF. =^[.]^=

Leave out all the stuff about build guides and streamers - that's for the weak.

They should jump right in and get their asses kicked like an effin man and see if they can get back up.

Ruthless as a noob? YMBFKM