At first, Path of Exile can seem to be a difficult game to get into, with its wide arsenal of deep interconnected mechanics and systems. This guide aims to help new players, who are just starting their journey in Wraeclast. Some of the topics we cover below have more detailed articles on our site, so we humbly suggest you give those a read as well. 

Leagues:
Leagues are the worlds your created characters exist within. We suggest choosing the currently available softcore league, which is your league by default. For starters, this is the only thing you should know about leagues.

Classes:
Path of Exile is an isometric ARPG much similar to Diablo. Some even say it is the true spiritual successor to Diablo 2. You may choose from six non-customizable character classes. There are classes attuned to each base attribute and there are also hybrid classes, which are attuned to at least two of the base attributes. Classes are a very flexible concept in PoE since your starting class only determines your starting point on the skill tree, but we will talk about this later. Below we will speak generally about each class and what they are good at, but remember building in this game is very flexible so there aren't any paths set in stone for you after selecting a class. 

Base classes:
The three base classes focus on only one of the three main attributes: strength, dexterity and intelligence.

Marauder is your strength-based beefcake. They utilize two-handed heavy weapons and thick armour, which offers him notable damage reduction making him a very dependable melee class.

Ranger is the dexterous archer. Mainly using bows and one-handed weapons alongside with dex armour giving her a chance to evade attacks.

Witch is your spellcaster class based on intellect. They mainly use wands and intelligence-based armor giving her an energy shield, which protects her hp and regenerates out of combat. 

Hybrid classes are attuned to at least two of the main attributes instead of focusing on one.

The righteous templar uses intelligence and strength. He can opt to become a strong spellcaster or an elemental damage-dealing melee class. 

Duelist is an amalgam of strength and dexterity. He combines the evasion and attack speed aspect of dexterity with the armor of strength-based builds. This class utilizes swords and axes in his arsenal. 

The Shadow is a dex and int-based trickster of a class. He can pump out massive critical hits and uses traps and mines to make life more difficult for his foes. They use daggers and claws as their weapon.

There is also a seventh class called Scion. She is locked for your first playthrough since she is a difficult character to master for beginners and has a steeper learning curve. She is unlocked after the player rescues her during a mission in act 3. She is aligned with all attributes offering the most flexibility out of all classes. 

Passive skill:
Might be one of the most intimidating factors for new players. If you are familiar with classic JRPG skill trees like Final Fantasy 10's imagine something like that. As its name suggests it offers you character passive improvements such as hp, damage, armor, attack speed, etc. At first, you want to sink your points into some nodes that help you survive on your journey, like health. There are also notables, which provide an assortment amount of passive upgrades and keystones, that can vastly affect your playstyle. Added to this there is also the mastery system. To simplify it, whenever you put a point in a notable node you will be allowed to put a point in the mastery node, where you may choose from a variety of bonuses.

Equipment:
You of course need to be geared up for your adventure so let's talk a bit about the different equipment types. 

First off, armour. There are three different types of bonuses on armour offers. Quite logically one is armour, which makes you take less physical damage. Then there's evasion, which gives you a chance to evade attacks. And energy shield, that gives you a recharging shield over your health bar.

Now you will need some weapons to mow through your enemies. Early on we suggest you should look for weapons that have a nice DPS you will have plenty of time to worry about optimizing your equipment in the late game. 

Sometimes you may get lucky and find a unique item. While there are some good, even outstanding unique items out there you will sadly experience that a large portion of them are practically useless for your character. 

Skill gems:
So now you are invigorated by passives, have nice armour and deadly weapons, but where are your actives. Path of Exile has a unique way of adding actives to your character in the form of skill gems. These gems can be acquired from vendors, found in chests or dropped by enemies. There are two types of skill gems: active skill gems give you an active ability and support gems augment your active skill gems in some way. All the equipment you find will come with colored sockets in which you can put your gems of the corresponding colour. Sockets can be connected by links, which are an essential element of using support gems because you can only use them on linked active gems.

Currencies:
There are a lot and I mean a LOT of currencies. There is not one collective currency like gold in other games but several currency items that both have a function by themselves and can be used to represent value as well as any currency from other games. To leave you with one suggestion, be on the lookout for chaos orbs, which is the universal currency to trade amongst players. Also, we have a more detailed article about currencies on our site so feel free to read that as well if you require further insight into the game's currency system. 

We hope this guide helped you find your ground in Wreaclest. Stay tuned for more guides and articles on PoE!

PATH OF EXILE