General goals to win in this game?

Hello all!
So I've been playing this game for quite a while now but I always get stuck at T16 maps with +/- 20% delirium. I die a lot and lose the joy after which I most of the times leave the league.

This time around I would really like to push further. What is some general advice to focus on after the basics?

Right now:
1) I first push to cap regular resistances.
2) Purchase cast on damage taken with a defensive layer.
3) if I'm a melee character I try to get as much armor as possible. If i'm a ranger then I don't know.
3) Push for a high dps weapon (depending on build).
4) Try to focus on increasing chaos resistance and aim to get like 0% resist.
4) ...?

What should i focus on afterwards to avoid dieing so often? Get spell avoidance or something?

PS: my next build will be a ranger type of guy.

Figure out your own idea of what it means to “win” the game. There’s no one way to win, since everyone’s chasing their own goals. At the end of the day, no matter what you’re going after, it helps to focus on getting better, learning more, improving your skills, and pushing yourself toward the goals you set. The less you chase those goals, the less likely you are to actually “win” or even improve. Trying to aim higher and tackling self set challenges is honestly the best way to grow and get better at the game.

Like, even just realizing your character has room to improve and working on that, so you die less, for example can already count as a win. From there, you start learning new things, trying out different content, and eventually set new goals. That gives you something to aim for, a new way to 'win' and another challenge to overcome. It’s basically a cycle of improving, learning, and setting fresh goals.

get life/es on block shield. later you can move to surrender/aegis.

for a two hander/dual weild you can go berserker since new node is like defiance of destiny. get the amulet at some point also.

watch some utub guides and try to master one build at a time.

The things you listed are pretty much how the campaign goes smoothly to white/yellow maps.

Figure out map mods you can do comfortably, to avoid dying that much.
Check videos where people have already theorycrafted things so you don't have to, and see if you missed something important.

If the game becomes boring, try saving for some fun items (although expensive to a regular joe I guess) like headhunter or mageblood.
Also consider getting chaos resistance as high as possible, and overcapping resistances in case you get cursed (you will).

Pushing t16 with deli at level 90 with an average or below average build is a really bad idea.

good goal is non uber version of bosses. and next goal is all maven invitations. feared if possible.

if you trutly self build ubers is boring anyway unless you stumble onto sth big. each uber try is 5-10div so currency it s annoying and theoricrafting it s boring because that s only pob stuff. it s not organic gameplay like other bosses.

edit : and most probably also some poedb stuff for ubers

This is very complicated to answer.

First, I have to say that I appreciate the will to become better at the game and reaching out for help.

I would strongly suggest getting Path of Building, looking at some HC characters of your preferred archetype and check out the trees & gear of people who went above your target level. Try to find a guide that details the gearing and point allocation at different points in the leveling process.

This, I believe, will help inform you on how to move forward with your build in any scenario.

As for an answer right now, I would say you definitely want Spell Suppression 100% of the time, at least 3k life (or close to it) upon entering Maps and as best as you can do on Chaos resistance.

Physical Damage is a huge problem for right-side builds so finding mitigation is suggested. For instance, I usually run something like Flesh and Stone for %DR to help with incoming Phys hits. It's not a ton of protection but it goes a long way in conjunction with CWDT guard skills and a decent health pool and forms of recovery (leech, regeneration, recoup, etc.). All of this helps prevent one-shots but it's going to happen sometimes. You might find yourself having an easier time now that they've nerfed the end-game scaling quite heavily.

It's important to remember that you won't always check all of these boxes upon entering maps but it's something to work toward. I often go full Glass Cannon and just deal with the deaths so I can fill out my Atlas faster. Just don't get hung up on the idea that you have to meet a certain threshold before approaching content.

Edit: OP mentions starting Ranger this league, hence references to Spell Suppression.

woof some of you guys are offering suggestions.....without reading the OP.

Bossing, ubers, invitations.....dude was struggling on 20% t16s and read up on how he describes his builds.


@OP: to push content and avoid dying, you need to start working on layering your defenses.

A few examples: on a melee character, stacking armor isn't enough. If you DO go armor, you will also need:

1) Endurance Charge generation, 2) Guard skill linked to CWDT (likely molten shell), 3) Constant movement.
Then, you need to look at how you recoup life if you take damage. That can be regen, lifesteal, block cap / life on block if you use a shield, etc.
Finally, there are sources of +max resistances in the armor/melee section of the tree. You'll likely need those, capped resists, and any POSITIVE amount of chaos resistance.
Also, at the t16 level, you will need a weapon that complements your build and has the MOST damage you can afford to get. On the trade site, set a maximum cost for a weapon, and then just sort everything by total dps, pdps, edps or whatever your build calls for. That should help push your survivability.

Most strategies are the same for ranger, except you will likely initially be going for evasion and spell suppression.


Don't sleep on your potions! Get good potions with good mods, and almost exclusively make sure to enchant them with "Use when charges reach full".


Once you have THOSE basics down, THEN start tackling more content. Experiment with various atlas passive trees and league mechanics that you like. Delirium is one of the HARDEST mechanics, especially early on so I would choose other things until you are dealing significant damage.

i dont know who is not reading, next league is going ranger type of guy.
he doesnt need delirium for non uber bosses