Basic partying question

Sorry this is such a basic question, but I have never partied up with a friend in POE before and would like to know the answers before we start:

Right at the beginning when my toon appears washed up on the shore - can I invite my friend to my game before anything is killed?

Is the questing system similar to D3 or Grim Dawn in that only one player needs to grab quests or cash in POE - anyone in the party will have stuffed added by that one player.

Thanks.

I usually play solo so there's a bit of a chance some of these are wrong. However! I'm bored and I like helping people by barfing text on them. So without further ado...

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Metropolis_Man wrote:

Right at the beginning when my toon appears washed up on the shore - can I invite my friend to my game before anything is killed?

Sadly, no. In the current version of the game (fingers crossed for 3.0?) you cannot party until after you reach the first town, at which point if you are in the same party you will join the same instances (universe versions; areas). Thankfully, the stroll on the first beach is relatively short. You can grab your weapon, skip all the monsters and whack Hillock a few times, and you'll be in town in a jiffy.

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Is the questing system similar to D3 or Grim Dawn in that only one player needs to grab quests or cash in POE - anyone in the party will have stuffed added by that one player.

Quests are individually tracked, but quest progress moves forward for all players in the party (if there's progress to be had) as long as the members of the party are in the same instance (area). So, if you exclusively play in parties, and stick together, the practical answer to your question is "yes." This is also how some lazy people can get past content without facing bosses - they buy or receive a free boss kill from someone while they hang out outside of harm's way, and get the kill credit and move on.