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Hi,
I downloaded PoE in October, tried it and didn't really enjoy it much. But watched a few Twitch streams and figured I would give it a whirl again.
I did read the Game Overview on the website here, but I do have quite a few questions...
1. I hear people talk about leagues or ladders. Some people have even said that no one plays standard or heroic, and they only play...some other league. What is the deal with this? Could someone explain the different leagues or ladders? Why people play them and not 'standard' ? Are they similar to D3 seasons where people level up fresh new characters to max level ?
2. I understand you loot skills, or purchase them or whatever. Am I correct in assuming you level them up as well? Are skills class locked? Is it normal for a level 5 to not find any skills yet? Do the skills level up the more you actually activate them, or is XP shared across your character/skills/etc ?
3. The outdoor areas of PoE...is this an 'open world' similar to an MMO where I could randomly pass by other players? Or is everything instanced specifically for myself and my party?
4. I have heard some people saying that starting to play right now is useless (aside from just getting a feel from the game), because the expansion(?) is a few days away and everyone will be running to that. Should I bother playing? If I do play for the next few days, what happens to my character/items/progress when the expansion hits? And do I need to do anything to get the expansion, or just download it via the launcher?
5. It seems PoE has a wide array of ways to customize your play style. But do people flock to cookie cutter builds like in D3? Or do I have complete freedom to be completely creative with a build that is my own and still have it be viable in endgame and the most challenging content?
I'll start with those 5 questions for now. Apologies for the length of the post, and I appreciate any insight to any or all of the questions.
Thanks!
1. There's Hardcore and Standard as permanent leagues, and there will be two need leagues when the expansion comes out that will have different challenges associated with them. Everyone starts from scratch in the challenge leagues.
2. Skill Gems level while they are equipped in items. Skills aren't class locked, any class can potentially use any skill.
3. PoE is instanced. You can only join other areas with party members unless you are playing in a cutthroat event.
4. That's up to you. Getting a handle for the game will make it easier if you decide to play in the new leagues.
5. You have complete freedom around how to customise your character, but some item combinations and passive tree paths will work better together than others. It's up to you to work out the best way for you to play.
Please contact support@grindinggear.com if you need any assistance.
