New Player...lots of questions

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!
"
cesmode wrote:
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.
The game gets more enjoyable, the more you play; in other words it is meant to be "hard" in the begin, as your hero improves, not only in strength but also - As you choose - agility, controllability, movement, enough mana/life, movement speed etc.. So keep that in mind if you want to "give up" again. By the way potions are really helpful, use them frequently because they fill up after every kill.
Also the beta really adresses these - new player - issues, it sets a better path and removes noob traps and also gem rewards have been made much nicer in terms of feeling progress.

Ok, now to your many questions :P

1) Ah ok D3. Well if you come from there, in D3 you are strong from level 1. No improvements. Less improvement in feeling long term, less customization (yea they added some with the jewels). Or can you attack 10x a second in D3? :P - I had the same "issue" as you, but it really gets better over time.

The leagues are similiar to D3 seasons, yes. Standard is ok. Leagues are generally for people who have achieved everything, then a fresh start means fresh fun. However Leagues with an Expansion are very likely full of new players, as an Expansion gets many new players into the game, and they might aswell start out in the league.

Also leagues always come with very funny mods that affects the whole game - like BIG movementspeed buffs after a certain amount of kills. Or bosses randomly spawning anywhere around you.

2) Skills -> Gems. As beginner you mostly get gems from quest rewards. However you can find any gem in the game, and anyone can use everything, if you meet the criteria, for instance a high level strength spell needs about 150 strength.
Here are some gems: http://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/Gems#Gems
Your rewards have a high chance of belonging to your starting class - For instance: Marauder gets mostly strength spells as a reward. While the Templar gets strength as well as intelligence rewards more likely.

Experience of gems is gained by every gem you have equipped, even in your second slot. Every gem gets the same amount of experience as your character gets.

p.s. A unique thing of PoE (which is still done in Diablo 2 today) are shorter leagues AKA races, i.e. 2 days, 3 days, or one week. Sometimes with very wierd rules for instance the last one gave you Alot of rares :P

4)
I can recommend the new league coming in a few days. When it ends everything you found there gets converted to the standard league. You might try out different classes/builds now; and maybe you will just continue with those in the current league. I certainly tried 4 classes until I decided on which one I wanted to take further.

p.s. Ok gary GGG was faster than me :P (Possibly more overlapping answers due to the many questions at once :P)

5) Small addition to the other answers: You can make many things work. And because there are no big party bonuses (except from synergies) you can always enjoy your build alone in your own pace.
A tip: Don't try too many things at once, concentrate on one (at least to start with).
Christmas comes early - The Awakening!
┊  ┊  ┊
┊  ┊  ┊
┊  ★  ☆
Last edited by rusher21 on Jul 2, 2015, 3:33:21 PM
1. A few times a year we have new leagues that reset the whole game. They are similar to D3 seasons. Everyone starts on an even playing field with nothing. They also have some sort of special modification to them, which tends to get into the main game after the league is done. There are usually a few unique items that are very difficult to get outside of the special league they drop in. After the league ends, all your stuff gets transferred to Standard or Hardcore. They are awesome, and I highly recommend them over playing the leagues that have been around forever, especially if you are a new player. The next league begins July 10th.

2. You do level up your skill gems. No skill is class locked. Some classes get easier access to skills (i.e. a Witch does not get a free "Heavy Strike" gem but there is nothing stopping her from using one she acquires another way). They get XP from monsters you kill, and have stat requirements that increase as they level. You can move a leveled gem to another character later as long as they meet the pre-requisites.

3. The only "open world" areas are the towns (one per Act).

4. I'd agree. It's either a bad or good time to start depending on how you look at it. Bad news: if you want to start today everything is going to change on July 10th. Good news: the game is about to get bigger and better on July 10th.

5. People are people and often take the path of least resistance. You will often see people choose to play with a build that someone else has demonstrated works very well. You have complete freedom to come up with crazy shit. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. Usually even the silliest builds can get far, but then hit some wall in endgame. People do very creative things though as you will see. They key ingredients for a build working are Life, max elemental resists, enough mana to run your skill, one or multiple forms of defense. Fill in the rest with some creativity (or follow an established build).
Hi thanks for the responses.

So to clarify...

Standard in PoE = Normal in D3
Hardcore in PoE = Hardcore in D3 (you die and lose everything).
Leagues in PoE = Seasons in D3 (everyone starts at level 1 with nothing and no stash)...

So as long as I am comfortable with the game, I guess I'll start up a League character on 7/10.

My question about builds still seems iffy...I mean, like in D3(sorry I keep comparing, its all I have to compare to PoE) I also have the freedom to make any build I want. But if I want to progress far in Greater Rifts, I have to conform to the one or two cookie cutter builds depending on what set items I am using. 99% of people in higher Greater Rifts use the same build.

We have the illusion of choice there.

Is that the case here?

Thanks again.
"
cesmode wrote:
Hi thanks for the responses.

So to clarify...

Standard in PoE = Normal in D3
Hardcore in PoE = Hardcore in D3 (you die and lose everything).
Leagues in PoE = Seasons in D3 (everyone starts at level 1 with nothing and no stash)...

So as long as I am comfortable with the game, I guess I'll start up a League character on 7/10.

My question about builds still seems iffy...I mean, like in D3(sorry I keep comparing, its all I have to compare to PoE) I also have the freedom to make any build I want. But if I want to progress far in Greater Rifts, I have to conform to the one or two cookie cutter builds depending on what set items I am using. 99% of people in higher Greater Rifts use the same build.

We have the illusion of choice there.

Is that the case here?

Thanks again.
\

just want to clarify a GGG employee replied to you with your questions. just shows the type of company GGG is, they care about their player base and about their game. That's one reason to play and support it.
POE 2 hype.
Last edited by the_truth on Jul 2, 2015, 1:29:29 PM
"
cesmode wrote:
We have the illusion of choice there.

Is that the case here?


Yes and no, if you want a kickass build there are only a few options to turn to, yes. However, if you just want to be capable of doing highest level content, not necessarily obliterating it, there are many viable options.

I'm not really including killing Atziri in this, she's a boss you must specifically prepare for so that's a different matter.
Wish the armchair developers would go back to developing armchairs.

◄[www.moddb.com/mods/balancedux]►
◄[www.moddb.com/mods/one-vision1]►
"
cesmode wrote:
Hi thanks for the responses.

So to clarify...

Standard in PoE = Normal in D3
Hardcore in PoE = Hardcore in D3 (you die and lose everything).
Leagues in PoE = Seasons in D3 (everyone starts at level 1 with nothing and no stash)...

Yes, to add:
Spoiler
Standard also catches all your old race characters (so not only that long league, but also small race ones)
Hardcore - is slightly improved: When you die in HC, your character gets a softcore character, this has been introduced to make hc slightly more attractive for sc-players.
Leagues, still differ alot as mentioned due to their special mods, or special events.
Here are the new leagues, in a video from the devs: https://www.pathofexile.com/theawakening/leagues

"
cesmode wrote:

My question about builds still seems iffy...I mean, like in D3(sorry I keep comparing, its all I have to compare to PoE) I also have the freedom to make any build I want. But if I want to progress far in Greater Rifts, I have to conform to the one or two cookie cutter builds depending on what set items I am using. 99% of people in higher Greater Rifts use the same build.

Is that the case here?


Sure ask away. I think I have talked into that direction, or was it another thread. It is absolutely not the case here. PoE differs ALOT, particularly since RoS. In PoE there many different items enabling you different builds with a strong emphasis on not dictating on what spells you have to use (just the direction, like 100% chance to shocking a frozen enemy), while in Diablo3 the best Set just improves one or two spells (and their runes) or a Unique buffing exactly one spell (like Mythical ally of the monk)...
Shock ring:http://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/Call_of_the_Brotherhood
Here is a unique that deals alot of chaos when blocking (it's 100% chance now)

The block effect (desecrated ground) can be used by 2-Hand staff users, Dualwield, or shield users [...]
So it is a really cool thing to enjoy. I rarely see the same build in PoE; some times the same spells, but other triggers, other tree, other defenses. Ofcourse some builds may be faster for runs, or someone else has better items than you and that's why it seems very strong. That being said, the new spells are certainly strong, meant to fill niches. Also builds that 1-shot enemies in Solo play might be weaker in teamplay, your decision (later on).

In the end there can't even be one best way. Every build has weaknesses or another one shines more in different situations, for instance when you are put on a map with half regeneration (ofc extra loot), a Marauder with 10% life regeneration, is weaker there :P

In terms of balance critical strike builds were quite popular for very high end players since it offers the best ways to scale your damage, but other stuff should be good now, too. On the other hand you only need a certain amount of damage later on. A marauder build for very slow but very hefty hits (one hits vs normal mobs) doesn't need critical strike
And of course there will always be cookie cutter builds but more as explained. Some people will always try to go the path of least resistance and copy someone else; however keep in mind you won't learn from just copying someone. You can - however - ask anything in the forum !!

The tree is also there to tweak weaknesses of your gear. Missing some dex? Grab a +30 dex node, resistances, go those 3 points! You can always revert a few points for cheap. While of course a full reset is not the goal, since the build is part of your character, like a class in other games.

Afterall PoE is a deep game and the endgame is not easy; thus a very good hobby for arpg fans.
But don't hesitate to ask us anything, particularly when starting out.

p.s. Still the best way to get a new player into the game (if he is suspect) is a cookie cutter build to start with which he can then change or adapt to other situations, to be honest; but Awakening will make it easier as mentioned.
Christmas comes early - The Awakening!
┊  ┊  ┊
┊  ┊  ┊
┊  ★  ☆
Last edited by rusher21 on Jul 2, 2015, 3:39:07 PM
"
cesmode wrote:
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!


2. You will get plenty skill gems as drops and quest rewards. Granted, you may or may not get the skills you want right off, but I just use whatever I get in the interim. You have to socket them in an item and equip said item for the skill to gain xp and level. It's up to you as to actually level them or not.

4. Don't listen to the naysayers. Start now and you'll have a jump-start when the expansion is released.
"
cesmode wrote:
My question about builds still seems iffy...I mean, like in D3(sorry I keep comparing, its all I have to compare to PoE) I also have the freedom to make any build I want. But if I want to progress far in Greater Rifts, I have to conform to the one or two cookie cutter builds depending on what set items I am using. 99% of people in higher Greater Rifts use the same build.


You can't change the concept of your build with a few clicks the way you can in D3 (going from a tanky GR build to a fast Bounty runner, for example). This forces players to make long-lasting choices: some builds maximize experience gain, some go for the item drops, and others will minimize the risk of dying (which has much graver consequences in PoE even if you don't play in hardcore mode). Or any mixture of the above.
Now I won't say there are no "fotm" builds here, because players will naturally break down and minmax every aspect of the game. But I think you need to consider what exactly fits your playstyle a bit more.

Also you won't have your core build completed and just grinding for stat upgrades a few days into a new ladder, as in D3. Players are encouraged to get creative with what items and passive combinations they can afford at certain times into the league, and shape their builds accordingly.

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