Path of Exile 2: Complete Beginner’s Guide

As someone who has spent countless hours delving into the enchanting world of Path of Exile 2, I can confidently say that it’s a game that demands both patience and perseverance from its players. With its deep mechanics and intricate systems, it can be quite overwhelming for beginners. But fear not! I’m here to guide you through the labyrinth of Wraeclast with a touch of humor and a dash of wisdom gleaned from my own journey.

The challenging game known as Path of Exile 2 is made even more difficult due to its intricate mechanics, but with our comprehensive beginner’s guide, you’ll find it easier to embark on your journey.

As a gamer diving into this new world, it’s essential to grasp the fundamentals before jumping in, starting with choosing the right character class. Plus, there are some one-of-a-kind aspects that make this game unique, like how Skills operate and the intricate Passive Tree. Frankly, there’s a lot to explore!

In this walkthrough, we’ll provide you with some initial advice and details tailored for newcomers, helping you navigate your way smoothly into the world of Path of Exile 2, regardless of prior experience in games similar to it.

Complete Beginner’s Guide | Path of Exile 2

Standard vs Hardcore

When you begin playing, one of your initial choices will be to select between the Standard league or the Hardcore league.

You can likely infer that Hardcore is the tougher of the two leagues, as it imposes these limitations upon you:

It prevents you from playing in co-op at all, both online and locally.
Since you can’t co-op, you also can’t trade with other players.
Due to the previous two points, you also won’t see any other players in towns and the like. You’re fully solo.
You can’t access the shared Stash for your Standard characters.
Dying once will remove the Hardcore status and switch you over to Standard.

Essentially, Hardcore primarily functions as a lone “Self-Discovered” challenge. It requires you to play independently, and the acquisition of items is limited to discovering them within your game on your own.

As a gamer, I’ve found that this Hardcore mode doesn’t carry the same permanent death penalty as others. Instead, when you bite the dust in this mode, you’re instantly transported back to the Standard League, safe and sound with all your progress intact. The only thing you might lose is your Hardcore status. So if you’re up for a tougher challenge or just fancy a more solo-focused gaming experience, give it a shot without any fear of losing your hard-earned progress!

Pick Your Character

In addition to your initial decision, you’ll also choose your character, and there are six distinct ones available at present, each representing a unique class. We anticipate increasing this number to a maximum of 12 after the Early Access phase has concluded.

As a gamer, I find that each character class offers more than just basic abilities – there’s also an option to choose an Ascendancy later on, which really shapes my gameplay experience and lets me embody the role I want to play. At this early stage, there are two Ascendancies available for every class, but when the full launch comes around, we’ll have three options to choose from, giving us even more ways to customize our characters!

Nonetheless, these are the classes you can currently pick from:

Mercenary – Focuses on Dexterity and Strength. A balanced class with a focus on using crossbows to destroy enemies from range.
Monk – Focuses on Dexterity and Intelligence. Primarily uses quarterstaffs and martial arts for combat, being a very agile melee class.
Ranger – This class focuses purely on Dexterity. Uses bows and incredible mobility to keep away from foes while dishing out damage.
Sorceress – Purely focuses on Intelligence. Uses a staff to cast elemental magic, dishing out excellent magical damage.
Warrior – The Warrior is all about Strength. A melee tank archetype, this is your best bet if you simply want to go into the fight head first. Primarily uses maces.
Witch – Focuses on Intelligence and uses wands for occult magic. Relies on summoning minions and applying debuffs to win in combat.

In addition to your class choice, remember that each character in Path of Exile 2 is distinct and non-customizable regarding their gender and physical attributes. Once selected, you cannot alter these features. However, you are able to add cosmetic items, which only modify the appearance of their gear.

Regarding gameplay, all classes eventually unlock the same skills and passives over time. Choosing a class simply determines your starting position and the ascendancies that are initially accessible to you.

Gemcutting and Skills

In Path of Exiel 2, abilities or skills don’t come innately with your character. Instead, it is through the process of Gem Cutting that you acquire and learn new abilities for your character to use and enhance their overall performance.

As you progress in the game, it’s normal to acquire Uncut Skill Gems. These gems can be obtained by defeating opponents or completing specific tasks. By accessing them from your inventory, the Gemcutting interface becomes accessible.

In this game interface, I get to choose the skills I’m keen on mastering, and it even lets me enhance the ones I already possess if I’m already an expert. If you’re new to the game, it’s best to focus on skills that align with your character class’ weapon. For instance, as a Mercenary, you might want to select crossbow skills. However, remember that all skills are accessible to every class; they just become more effective depending on the weapons you’ve equipped!

Additionally, you might encounter some pre-cut Skill Gems which come with a predefined Skill, rather than allowing you to select your own.

In addition to mastering the skills themselves, you can enhance their abilities by embedding Support Gems into them. These gems will grant additional functionalities, such as increasing the number of projectiles they fire or applying status effects. You can acquire them through loot and quest rewards. Take advantage of these extras to give your skills an exciting twist!

Don’t Let the Passive Tree Overwhelm You

In Path of Exile and PoE2, one particularly challenging aspect is the vast Passive Skills Tree. This tree houses numerous nodes that offer passive enhancements for your character, allowing you to tailor your build accordingly. Some enthusiasts humorously call it a “skill forest” because of its colossal size!

For beginners, it’s recommended to stick to the path laid out by your selected character initially, as it provides a guide for your progression as you advance in levels.

Additionally, you have the option to reclaim all your passive abilities using the in-game currency at a later stage. This feature becomes accessible once you encounter ‘The Hooded One’ during the main storyline. Furthermore, you can modify your choices anytime if needed, so feel free to explore different strategies!

Look For Bonuses in the World Map

As you traverse the World Map in Path of Exile 2, keep an eye out for various symbols scattered around the accessible nodes. These could be indicators such as chests, skulls, and similar items. By hovering over them, you’ll discover the type of event or effect they trigger and the specific area they are associated with.

Now, the most important thing to know about these icons is that some of them have a plus sign. These signal permanent bonuses that you can earn by going through the area with the effect. For example, the effect shown above will grant two weapon set passive Skill Points permanently if you defeat The Crowbell in the Hunting Grounds.

Be sure to watch for these bonus symbols as they will grant permanent character upgrades that you wouldn’t want to overlook!

Sell and Disenchant Junk Loot

In greater depth, we delve into this topic in a separate manual, but it’s crucial to gather as much loot as possible right from the start of the game. Later on, you can either sell these finds to NPCs for Gold or discuss with Una about disenchanting them, which will yield items useful for enhancing other gear.

Scarcely finding Gold and Valuable items in the initial stages can be quite challenging, particularly when luck isn’t on your side. However, utilizing the helpful services offered by Non-Player Characters could help improve your fortune!

Make Good Use of Runes

A crucial piece of knowledge for newcomers in Path of Exile 2 to finish the game is understanding the role of Runes.

In the course of playing, you’ll encounter Runes as occasional drops or rewards. These Runes can be inserted into empty slots on your gear for a multitude of advantages. For instance, the Rune shown here boosts Armour, Evasion, and Energy Shield by 20% when placed in any armor piece. That’s quite significant!

As a gamer, I want to point out that not all items come with Rune Sockets already. To check if an item has sockets, you just need to hover over it in your inventory. And guess what? You can indeed add Rune Sockets to your gear!

Just a heads up, once a Rune is embedded into an item, for now, it cannot be taken out.

Using Stashes

To round things off, familiarize yourself with the Stash system – it’s available at most major towns within the game and serves as a communal storage space among your characters. Initially, you’ll receive 4 basic Stash tabs for free, but you can also acquire extra ones through in-game purchases.

If you’re just starting out, though, there’s no rush to buy anything!

To clarify, the Stash serves as a handy tool for safekeeping various items and currencies. Given the restricted inventory room in PoE2, this feature becomes indispensable.

Additionally, all your characters belonging to the same tier or level have access to a common Locker or Vault. At present, this refers specifically to all your characters playing in the Standard league. This setup allows for experimentation with various build options as your equipment isn’t permanently tied to one specific character.

This concludes our comprehensive introductory tutorial on Path of Exile 2. Of course, there’s plenty more ground to cover given the vastness and intricacy of this game. However, we believe this will provide you with a strong foundation to build upon as you delve deeper into the world of Path of Exile 2.

2024-12-10 01:06