Path of Exile can be a complicated mess for some who are just playing it for the first time, but there are better ways to have a grander experience in Path of Exile.
Path of Exile has always been that one game that people can’t recommend enough to gamers who are looking for an experience that could change their negative perception about online gaming. Online games have always sort of having this notion of having a toxic fanbase, especially the competitive ones.
Notorious for having cheaters, hackers, and feeders, it’s no wonder that some gamers are turned off from the idea of playing an online game in the first place. Fret not, because Path of Exile is nothing like that. One can even say that it’s the best community out there for beginners who are just learning the basics of the ARPG.
Now, Path of Exile isn’t easy. It has a steep learning curve that can be hard for newer players of the genre to understand. It’s almost mind-blowing how the players in Path of Exile come up with hundreds of in-depth PoE builds at this point. That being said, it’s important for the players, especially the newcomers, to keep a few things in mind if they want to have a better experience playing Path of Exile.
Others would be surprised how easy it can be to spoil the fun or hamper one’s experience by not being aware of a couple of tips before they start playing a game. Sure, it’s helpful to know the many ways on how to farm PoE currency and PoE tradewith other players, but guides like those are a dime a dozen these days.
- Use A Loot Filter
A Loot Filter can be a godsend for players, especially the ones that like to hoard items. For those who have no idea as to what this is, a Loot Filter is essentially a downloadable application that is used to filter out all of the useless PoE items that a player collects on their journey.
Players usually don’t need the application once they’ve played Path of Exile for a while and know exactly what PoE items are valuable, but until that time comes, using a Loot Filter is extremely handy and worth downloading. One of the most popular Loot Filters in the community is Neversink’s Loot Filter which is easy to use and access since players can find it in Path of Exile’s official forum.
There are a couple more filters out there to tinker with as well for players that are looking for something more specific to their needs, but Neversink’s Loot Filter is a great all-rounder application that’s the most accessible. Thanks to the handy dandy Loot Filter, players don’t have to worry about spending too much time sorting out their inventory and focus on killing mobs for PoE currency that they can PoE tradeinstead.
- Experiment With as Many PoE Builds as You Can
There are so many builds in Path of Exile these days. So much so that it can be overwhelming for other players. While it’s certainly nice to have a lot of options out there as to what build to go with regarding the current meta, the best way to find the perfect Path of Exile build is to try them out.
Never mind the Reddit circle-jerks that always force-feed the newer players what build they show to go with. Instead, players ought to play as many different PoE builds as they can. Not only is this a great way to learn about the build itself, but the fact is there’s absolutely nothing that can compare to self-experience.
Knowing why one is playing multiple exalts for an PoE item that they previously thought has no value is part of the fun. Don’t worry too much about dying all the time in the ARPG because there’s nothing wrong with getting kicked in the butt by the monsters. Path of Exile is still an online game that can be hard to swallow and besides, everyone’s been there at some point.
Fitting a build to a personal playstyle that fits the player is what’s the most important to enjoying Path of Exile in the long run. The Path of Exile build guides that are scattered all over the internet are indeed handy and make for a nice reference, but nothing is better than creating a build that’s formulated around the original idea and making it a player’s build.
Each player’s opinion on what’s the best build for specific expansions in PoE is, most of the time, based on personal preference. What might work for them may not work for the other players due to their playstyle.
- Don’t Worry Too Much About Choosing a PoE Class
In most MMORPGs, choosing a class for players almost seems like a life and death decision that they have to make. Should they choose the right PoE class for them down the line, they’ll be able to flourish.
But if they make the wrong move and decided to go for another PoE class that wasn’t actually for them in the later levels, then they’ll ultimately perish. Luckily in Path of Exile, players don’t have to go through hell and back if they made a not-so-great choice during the early game.
Path of Exile is an ARPG that probably has one of the highest flexibilities when it comes to truly making a character their own. Unlike in some of the other online games out there, everything is possible. Yes, it is entirely possible to use the Berserker and turn it into a spellcaster.
Yes, it’s viable for the Witch class to wield bows. As long as players plan well and don’t let any constraints such as the stigma and stereotypes as to what PoE builds they should be going with for a certain PoE class, then an unconventional build is within reach for them.
- Don’t Take Up Hardcore Mode Just Yet
Veterans in Path of Exile often recommend playing Path of Exile in a hardcore mode for the newbies that haven’t tried it. According to them, it’s the fastest and surefire way to hone their skills.
While that might be the case for some, more often than not, it just makes everything more difficult for the player. Being able to return to one’s failure point without a hitch is a lifesaver. That way, players can immediately retry from that point on using a different strategy instead.
Keeping this in mind, newer players should just stick with softcore mode and simply try hard not to die. Hardcore isn’t for everyone, and while other players might have increased their game knowledge by a ton, it still isn’t a hundred percent guaranteed that this will apply to the other gamers in Path of Exile.
Imagine dying a rather embarrassing death in hardcore mode after painstakingly doing more than a couple of hours of mapping. Who wouldn’t be feeling salty after that?
- Absorb Information from Others but Formulate Your Own Opinion
It’s shockingly easy to get bombarded with information about Path of Exile before actually playing it. While it’s fine to absorb all of the useful info and tips that long-time players have for those who are just new to Path of Exile, it’s best not to worry too much about it.
Spending too much time debating which point should go to which part of the skill tree isn’t a good dilemma to have if players are sitting in it for too long. It’s fine to absorb all of the information from others, but what matters that what a player thinks about it.
Blindingly agreeing to what the “experts” say on how they ought to play the game will just dampen their entire experience. Overcomplicating isn’t good, especially in a game like Path of Exile where everything can be taken as rather convoluted.
Path of Exile has a lot to offer and with more Leagues being added, it’s normal to screw up here and there when it comes to experimenting. What matters most is how a player wants to play the game. The different takes by other players as to how Path of Exile should be played are certainly viable, but it would be a crying shame for a player not to formulate an opinion of their own about how their playstyle should be.
Conclusion
Path of Exile has been around, that’s for sure. With Grinding Gear Games releasing massive chunks of content in the form of Leagues, players always find new ways to jazz up their playthrough of the seemingly never-ending ARPG.
The great thing about games, in general, is that there is no right or wrong way to get to the ultimate goal (except cheating of course). Players can map out how they want to progress through Path of Exile, what methods to use to farm PoE currency, and why they should or shouldn’t delve into doing PoE tradewith other players.
The answer to becoming a skilled player in Path of Exile isn’t by following everything by the book, it’s through enjoying the course of learning and experiencing all sorts of different takes and perspectives of how Path of Exile ought to be enjoyed.
By doing so, players can then construct their take on how they should play the game and most importantly, how to have fun doing it. What do you think are some of the best ways to enjoy PoE? Let us know your perspective on this below.
