Good class for first time solo player?

I'm new to the game, and looking for a solid class I can carry through to hardmode endgame (most definitely NOT hardcore though, just the highest difficulty levels), without getting frustrated enough for me to stop playing. The major requirements are that I don't want to have to spend alot to be able to gear an endgame spec (new player), and that I want to play primarily solo (which most specs seem to avoid)

- Must be playable solo through all levels/difficulties
- Must not be reliant on specific (expensive) unique items
- relatively low skill curves, or a good guide available

I posted a thread about this about a week ago (when melee was hard, and range was easy), and got some absolutely wonderful and incredibly useful help and support, all in impressive time.
http://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/398233

My goals have not, in fact changed. Unfortunately, what I didn't realize when I started playing was that a major, game-changing patch was merely days away, leaving me with a character that's not even level 30, and little understanding of the new skill tree.

Before the patch, I found the LA duelist (<L30, remember) to be fun and easy to play, and the CI witch (L20ish, so mostly a caster/summoner right now) to be much harder, but with a great deal of potential.

Unfortunately, the patch has buffed some classes, nerfed others, and more importantly, made both builds useless.

The LA duelist guide ( http://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/268330/page/49) is aparently no longer viable for endgame solo content, due to the elemental nerf, and, even more importantly, due to the author no longer playing and updating it to the new patch.

The CI witch guide (http://www.exilepro.com/builds/witch/505-witch-dual-spork-totems-with-chaos-inoculation) suffers from the exact same issues - nerfed, not updated, and in addition, needs pricey gear at endgame, and so is not a great solo option.

So. I'm back to square one. (I don't mind remaking toons if witches and bow-weilding duelists are weak right now, but am once more completely lost)

What is a good class and spec (with guide that shows skill tree at level milestones) to use for a new, solo player in this game who wants to eventually experience endgame content without getting overly frustrated with the game's difficulty?

TLDR: http://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/398233 repeated again, but updated for new patch (should I go melee now since ranged's been nerfed?)

Thanks once again,
Zithras

YOu know, you kill a lot of fun by playing a character build that someelse designed before play.

A huge part of the fun of this game is experimenting with builds, skills and item combination and to create a unique build and style.

ME for example, I really like the Ice Shot skill, its not very viable and there is no good build for it out there, still im goin to try to create a build with this new patch and use it in anarchy.

Maybe i will fail, maybe not, either way its goin to be a lot of fun.

So forget about your thread, quit theorycrafting and start playing the game.

poison arrow ranger is pretty easy. You can put nearly all of you points in survivability because nothing in the tree increases poison arrow damage. A +1/2 bow gems bow makes a huge difference though. So if you have an old silverbranch then you can do that.

Once you have a 5L you can switch to LA.

I don't know about end-game, but Ele cleave as a templar is fairly easy to level and get your own gear as you level.

I'm currently a lvl49 duelist, using cyclone, and heavy strike i think, with occasional lightning strike at lower levels.

I use cleric for super fast mana regen, and dual weapons, extra fast and enhanced to 20%.

Do I die a lot? hell yeah
Do I die from being weak? only if I cyclone through about 20+ mobs at similar level to myself lol.

Most my deaths come from the horrible De-Sync PoE still has

I also use fire traps and bear traps just for a bit of fun hehe.

I don't care about trading for good stuff, I just use what I find, or make, most my yellow stuff I give away to lower levels to help them out.

So as the other poster said, be unique, experiment, and have fun...

"

KalHirol wrote:

YOu know, you kill a lot of fun by playing a character build that someelse designed before play.

A huge part of the fun of this game is experimenting with builds, skills and item combination and to create a unique build and style.

ME for example, I really like the Ice Shot skill, its not very viable and there is no good build for it out there, still im goin to try to create a build with this new patch and use it in anarchy.

Maybe i will fail, maybe not, either way its goin to be a lot of fun.

So forget about your thread, quit theorycrafting and start playing the game.

Imo there is no point in spending tens of hours putting the skills just randomly and noticing that this build sucks. What i did, and would suggest doing, is that copy some elses build and look/play at that build and you will learn what and why did he maker of the build get in passive tree.

LA/LMP,Chain...
FP/LMP/...
Spark/Fork/Totem...

Nothing changed much.

Play all six characters through level 20 self found, just trying stuff out. Then think about what build you would enjoy.

"

topcatti wrote:

"

KalHirol wrote:

YOu know, you kill a lot of fun by playing a character build that someelse designed before play.

A huge part of the fun of this game is experimenting with builds, skills and item combination and to create a unique build and style.

ME for example, I really like the Ice Shot skill, its not very viable and there is no good build for it out there, still im goin to try to create a build with this new patch and use it in anarchy.

Maybe i will fail, maybe not, either way its goin to be a lot of fun.

So forget about your thread, quit theorycrafting and start playing the game.

Imo there is no point in spending tens of hours putting the skills just randomly and noticing that this build sucks. What i did, and would suggest doing, is that copy some elses build and look/play at that build and you will learn what and why did he maker of the build get in passive tree.

This. For my first character, I'd rather copy a proven build, to understand the skill system and synergies better, and give me a solid character I can use to support my later builds. So far, I've really liked the LA duelist, but I thought the elemental nerf made them unable to solo maps now without stuff I'll never get, like Koams? ARKA suggested that LA duelist and Spark witch haven't changed, but both guide threads imply that they've been severely nerfed in endgame? What am i missing?

A few people have suggested ele cleave now - has the new patch made it more viable than before for endgame (i.e. is being melee still asking to go squish)

Overall, given the choice, I'd love to keep my LA duelist, or even switch him to poison arrow/LA - if this is doable, are there any good guides/trees on this out there? The one I'm using is apparently not too great anymore...If this isn't doable, what's a good ele cleave guide (assuming its endgame-viable) or another good first toon guide?

What I REALLY don't want to do is level my first character up to level 80, or even level 50, and discover that I'm stuck without really good equipment, or in a deadend build that I'll never be able to do maps on with out a huge respec.

I want a solid, tested character first to experience game content and support my other characters. Then I can experiment.

If you copy a build to perfection you will never understand any aspect of the game.

Since the .11 patch, you admitted your two toons do not handle the same. You need to start asking yourself, not us why they don't work. We can tell you why they don't work, but you will never understand why.

Maybe this game isn't right for you. I think warcraft is more your speed. Probably a mage. You're spoon fed gear tailored to your class and spec while questing and up to full endgame.