New Player seeking advice for first time playthrough

Hi there, and welcome!

I would have to agree with all of the posts that tell you to take your time and to build many toons. Understanding the mechanics of the game can be very difficult, even to someone with a fair amount of ARPG experience. Learning what buffs apply to what categories of damage, and how they apply (additively, multiplicatively, and in what order) isn't straightforward. I've played a TON of ARPGs and this is one of the least forgiving, and also the deepest, build-wise. It's easy to bork a character by over-leveling gems or misallocating skill points, so either: agonize over every decision, regardless how small (not recommended) or learn to let some mistakes go and roll a new toon.

I know this is anecdotal, but I played spectral throw scion characters for months on end because it was a mechanic and class I found understandable. I later completely abandoned that class (when ele blender builds got nerfed). Nonetheless, I wouldn't call it a loss just because it was a sub-optimal build style -- I still had fun playing them, even though I certainly didn't get rich doing so and in hindsight could have picked a more efficient build.

Also, realize that you start out with nothing in this game and if you begin in standard, you will find that some end-game loot seems unobtainable. Ignore the Shavs and work on incrementally improving your chars. Even getting an Alpha's Howl will take some work from a starting point of zero. It has taken me playing on and off since release (I wasn't in the betas) to put together a char I felt comfortable taking to lvl 85 -- and that's not a tremendous accomplishment in the game.

If you want to get uber-rich, trade. If you want to have fun, play the game with the understanding that trading is probably more profitable in most cases. If you find trading fun, a winner is you.

Oh, and this might sound sacrilegious to some, but an easy way to progress through the later parts of the game is to wait until right after you level to take on a boss. That way, if you die repeatedly, the exp hit only extends to zero percent of your current level. You can fling yourself at a boss repeatedly without losing anything more than your pride (and upping your death count -- if that matters to you). I can't tell you how long it took me to figure out that simple strategy on my own.

Here's a bit of extra advice you might find useful:

- Play softcore. It might seem like an obvious choice, but I do know a few people who jumped straight into hardcore leagues. Needless to say, that didn't go well.

- Die. You inevitably will, and you absolutely should. Go ahead and throw yourself headfirst into every fight, go against your survival instincts and charge into every enemy you run into. It'll give you a good idea of what will kill you and what won't. It's a fun learning experience that you don't want to skip - the more you discover on your first playthrough, the less painfully surprised you'll get during later ones.

- Unlike what some other players might tell you, your first build isn't necessarily "doomed". As long as you have a relatively clear idea by mid-game of what skills your character will be focusing on, and you make sure the passives you're taking are vaguely coherent with your goal, your character should be more or less fine, even for early endgame. Your build won't be the most competent one out there, but you can hardly expect to get it right on your first try.

- Don't force yourself to trade when you start playing. The currencies used will be foreign to you, you'll have no idea how to handle prices - so don't jump into water you'll drown in. If you're really interested in trading early on, feel free to turn on trade chat: it should give you a general idea of what sells for what, what's valuable, what isn't. But if you're not the trading type, don't trade. Apart from a few basics, trading is hardly a "must" in PoE, and more than a few players go self-found.

Good luck and have fun! That's the most important part.

follow a guide of a build but experiment too on passive treee.
and dont worry about dont have quality on gems.
if your build dont work withoout quuality on gemes. d
dont gonna work with quality on gems.
its just a better byt no extrict necesary to enjoy a goodgame

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DirkAustin wrote:

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nait2k4 wrote:

Welcome!

Have fun, don't discouraged by early challenge - the game really cranks up as you level through the difficulties :)

Get move-speed on your boots.

Lol this is not D3, go get quicksilver flasks. ;)

I die too much, I need my flask spots for Granites and Life :)

Templar or Witch for your class.

Arc or Tendrils for the skill.

Google: ZiggyD youtube

Feel free to ask for help in global chat. /global 1,2,3,4 for channels

You'll run across a lot of jerks, but push past them and you'll find tons of great players out there.

Watch streams for life gameplay who you can even ask questions to. www.twitch.tv is the website.

Google: "POE Vendor Recipes"

Thank you all of you! I never thought I would get so much sound advice in a Noober thread. So really, thanks!

I had gotten my Templar to lvl 40 and getting stuck at Dom due to desync and bad video card has made me want to start a Witch so thats what I am doing now.

So far I love this game. The mechanics are kinda overwhelming but I will not be giving up anytime soon.

As for the trading i don't think I will try to "Dive In" per-say but in time I'm sure I will understand.

Thanks again all!

Hf & Gl!