How to start playing?

Oops, I posted this in the Gameplay section earlier because I couldn't find the General Discussion :P These are some newbie questions, not really Gameplay, please don't kill me :D

Hi! I am a casual gamer, currently playing Torchlight 2. However, the inconsistency of the mods in that game makes certain parts of the game feel awkward and generally do not blend in with the rest of the game.

I am looking for a similar game, and came across this POE game. It is free, so it is quick and easy to start up, even though I may probably buy something later. I read the beginner guide above, and some other guides too, and felt overwhelmed already. I have also watched some youtube videos on the game, and it seems like there is a lot of differences in POE and TL2.

For one, in TL2 you can see your skills beforehand and you can plan what to do with the character. In POE, it seems like you are thrown a piece of white paper, and you can only plan what you find (gems, currencies, gear). So... some questions in my mind:-

- What if you do not find what you are looking for? Does that force you to change your build mid game?

- What character should I start out with? They are seem the same, just on different parts of the attributes tree.

- In the beginner guide, it is highly recommended I do not craft. If so, do I just play and hope for a good item to drop?

- Generally, how should I start with the game? Im guessing play the quests, and for the best? Not sure if there is anything a new player should do to get really quick into the game. I am looking forward to the expansion too!

Those are my thoughts at the moment, Ill probably have more questions when I start playing the game :P The game is downloading now. It seems to have been out for some time now, and a new expansion is coming 5 days later! I hope to get into the game quickly on one character, and experience the content :)

Thanks much! xoxox hahaha.

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CindyCorselle wrote:

- What if you do not find what you are looking for? Does that force you to change your build mid game?

You can get through most of the "leveling" content with crap gear. As I understand it, 2.0 makes the gearing curve a lot more convenient and easier through quest rewards. But as it is, you don't need amazing gear to get through the first two difficulties. Many players will outright be able to beat the content with white (vanilla non-magical) gear.

Trading will get you effective leveling gear if you know what to look for.
Learn how to use poe.trade. But you needn't start immediately on that.

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- What character should I start out with? They are seem the same, just on different parts of the attributes tree.

Starts are significant. It costs a lot of points to get across the tree and forces you to work with whatever your early level passives happen to be. To a lesser extend, it affects quest rewards.

For some builds, you can get away with using different starts, since there tend to be a lot of variations on a simple concept.

For a new player, the starting areas of the classes are where you're going to spend most your time until you improve. As you get better, hitting endgame consistently will become easier.

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- In the beginner guide, it is highly recommended I do not craft. If so, do I just play and hope for a good item to drop?

Same as your question 1, you don't need a lot of currency to get leveling basic gear and can play everything before that self-found with some skill.

Again, I believe 2.0 does provide some basic things like 4-linked items as quest rewards.

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Generally, how should I start with the game? Im guessing play the quests, and for the best? Not sure if there is anything a new player should do to get really quick into the game. I am looking forward to the expansion too!

More or less. I'd hold off until 2.0 personally since I've heard positive things about the early game content being streamlined.

But if you can't wait, just have fun with it. Just know that a lot of things will change, although most of the high level stuff probably isn't relevant to you.

I can't answer too specifically because there's a lot of nuance and detail to the game. I'm leaving some stuff out to keep stuff simple.

I do recommend making it a habit to research things you don't understand that well. The wiki for the game is pretty well detailed in a lot of respects. So read it for fun at your own leisure.

While players do learn by rote, I recommend that learn critically and independently. POE is a knowledge game. You will have a harder time with the game the less that you know. And it will be frustrating to jump to the conclusion that the deck is stacked against you, when really, you're just missing some important detail or perspective on a problem.

If you want to use certain skills then you should look at where those skills are available as quest rewards and plan accordingly.

http://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/Quest_Rewards


However, keep in mind that these rewards will change significantly when the expansion comes out next week.

Also, not every starting class will have access to all skill gems as quest rewards. Therefore, if you don't plan on trading (or can't afford it), it's not unusual for someone to "mule a skill".

That means, leveling a character of a certain class just up to the point of getting a specific skill gem from a quest reward. Then you pass that gem over to the character you are building, who needs that skill gem.

It's relatively easy to buy a specific skill/gem from other players (although general trading is not exactly convenient here).

If you are downloading anyway, I'd suggest to start a random character right away without much planning/thinking. The new release will change so many details but you will get a general impression of how the game works, what monsters can do to you, how important elemental resists are, how quests and progression works...

Just for try and see. In a few days, everything will be reset(*) anyways :)



(*) regarding reset, just in case you didn't notice: there is a standard league (and a hardcore version of that) where you can keep every character and every item. Only the passive skill tree will be reset with every major update (several months), so you have to plan them again and adapt to new things.
In temp leagues, everyone starts at zero. No difference if you play solo, but it certainly effects trading and party play.

Thanks so much for the tips! A question on leagues, I read that they are temporary and my characters will be brought back to the standard mode after that. Does starting in leagues net me any advantages or special items, compared to starting straight away in standard mode?

Many thanks!

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CindyCorselle wrote:

Does starting in leagues net me any advantages or special items, compared to starting straight away in standard mode?

Temporary leagues are defined by extra features that add more fun to the game, and provides a fresh economy for players to start on an even footing. I'd personally recommend waiting for when the expansion releases before diving face first into the awesomeness that is PoE!

The upcoming leagues are Warbands and Tempest.

A couple of additional tips...

You ask about the advice given not to craft; I might suggest you look at racing advice threads. Races are short term leagues (and a lotta fun on their own merits; you should try 'em when the next season starts!), in which a set of very specific crafting options are almost always used. Granted, those options are used with short term play (the duration of the race, usually no longer than two hours) in mind, but the strategies behind their application can be useful to a starting player, as well.

Also, with the release of Awakening on July 10, many basic skill gems will become available from vendors, making build flexibility much easier to achieve.

Meanwhile, welcome (over)board, Exile! Mind the zombies on the beach, and say hello to Hillock for me! =^[.]^=

Welcome to Wraeclast (and be careful, it can be that you will change fast from 'casual player' to a grinder :-)) )

Don't be dissapoited if the first char can't handle end-game...
The first chars should be for learning about the game (mechanics, possibilitys and so on), and to see, what char you prefer, Melee or caster or bows or with minions...
You have to find out first what you like to play (if you like all kind good for you :-)) )

At the first running through, you will find some gear, who helps you running faster through the content for the next char. Each run going faster than the first ones...

Check also http://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/Path_of_Exile_Wiki
Here you find for example vendor recipes, quest rewards and special descriptions of all gems and so on.

Welcome to Wraeclast; you'll definitely find this different from what you're used to, but you'll likely find that you're enjoying it more than you thought you might!

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CindyCorselle wrote:

I read the beginner guide above, and some other guides too, and felt overwhelmed already. I have also watched some youtube videos on the game, and it seems like there is a lot of differences in POE and TL2.

That's part of the consequence, given how open PoE's character design is; TL2 (which I've played substantially) has nothing on it. Or, really, do ANY other aRPGs. Unbridled freedom can be pretty daunting at first. Just remember, though, that it's freedom. Overall, TL2 is a "moderate-to-casual" game, while, as you might find, Path of Exile is one of the more hardcore games there is. Fortunately, for those not scared off by the "passive tree," ("forest" may be more like it) it's pretty forgiving and friendly to new players.

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CindyCorselle wrote:

For one, in TL2 you can see your skills beforehand and you can plan what to do with the character.

Part of why there's not much given is the sheer list of possibilities. Skill-wise, if I remember correctly, the launch of Awakening this next Friday will give us a grand total of 127 active skills; that's just all the attacks, spells, and warcries: there'll also be some 77 support gems that can be combined with them to customize each and every ability.

As for the passive tree, there *ARE* some planners out there, that can let you play around with some passive spec options and show you the results.

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CindyCorselle wrote:

- What if you do not find what you are looking for? Does that force you to change your build mid game?

Skill gems are pretty easy to come by; if you pick a relevant class for that skill, almost every single one WILL show up as an option for a quest reward at some point during play.

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CindyCorselle wrote:

- What character should I start out with? They are seem the same, just on different parts of the attributes tree.

That's part of PoE's brilliance: while most RPGs make each "Class" into a shoehorned mold that you really can't customize from, each class in PoE is TECHNICALLY capable of almost everything... But themed to suit a particular angle on PoE's whole "triad": Strength/Fire/Melee, Dexterity/Cold/Ranged, Intelligence/Lightning/Magic. Most things in the game are split into threes like this, and each class is defined by how it aligns with them. I'm starting with the top-most, and working clockwise around the passive tree.

- Witch is pure INT; she's generally best at spellcasting. While lightning may be the most favored, she's just as suited for fire and cold spells.
- Shadow is INT+DEX; he's good at both spells and lighter, DEX-oriented weapons like daggers and claws, traps, and strong with critical hits.
- Ranger is pure DEX; she's best at bows, as the name implies, but she can also do light weapons like daggers and claws.
- Duelist is DEX+STR; he's great with a pretty good range of weapons, but probably the most useless for spells. He can have a good mix of DPS and survivability.
- Marauder is pure STR; he's largely best at melee weapons, though fire spells builds are also popular too. He can perhaps be one of the most durable, too.
- Templar is STR+INT; he's strongest with a mix of melee weapons and elemental damage. He's nearly as good with magic as the witch, or also great with melee attacks that are empowered with elemental damage.

Lastly, in the center, is the Scion; she is entirely neutral in all three stats, and potentially can go in any direction; she's complex to play, so she starts the game locked. You unlock her right before the end of Act III.

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CindyCorselle wrote:

- In the beginner guide, it is highly recommended I do not craft. If so, do I just play and hope for a good item to drop?

Technically, you may still "craft," just that it's best to not try obsessing over it. In a sense, crafting items is "gambling." (Much akin to spending gold in another ARPG for an unidentified magic item)

Through most of your leveling (until at least 60) you generally don't need to worry if your gear is really GREAT; and as a result, even some simple opportunities can present major upgrades. A good example of what WOULD be recommended is if, say, you've had the same weapon for a while, and you find a new, unenchanted item of a BETTER base type. (say, you were using a short bow, and then find a long bow) It wouldn't be a bad idea to use an "Orb of Transmutation" and convert it to magical long bow; the results may be awesome, or they may be only alright, but either way it's an improvement.

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CindyCorselle wrote:

- Generally, how should I start with the game? Im guessing play the quests, and for the best? Not sure if there is anything a new player should do to get really quick into the game. I am looking forward to the expansion too!

The game's base progression definitely makes sure no player isn't left wondering what there is to do: it's a concrete "campaign" that continues and by the time you reach the end of it you'll be well over level 60.

My main advice: if you're unsure how to overcome an obstacle you encounter, or aren't sure WHERE to go for a quest objective, press "U" to bring up a combination world map and quest screen: clicking on the quest icons on the bottom of it will tell you your objectives, AND point you towards the zone you need to head for; a lot of the quests will involve many steps, and some even require completing other quests FIRST. Just make sure to keep checking there whenever you get confused and that should solve everything.