[Version 1.01] Hints & Tips for new players

Version History
Spoiler
Version 1.0 - New additions
-Added Act 3 boss fights
-Added helpful links for: crafting, mechanics, poewiki, and vendor recipes
Version 1.01 - added audio clip from friends first Vaal fight


I've seen a lot of threads that are literally just a link to a passive tree that says, "What do you think? Will it work? Feedback please." I really enjoy helping people. Although I'm not the greatest at the game I feel that I do have some helpful information to offer. Lets get started. First of all when I say "build", I truly mean skill setup because as some of us know if you don't use your passive tree for survivability, merciless and beyond is impossible.

What to do first?
I'm sure you've done some research and looked at other people's builds. Maybe you've tried them out and found out it wasn't your thing. I know I have. Looking at the passive tree and placing points here and there trying to find out what will work can be pretty daunting. The first thing I would do if I wanted to come up with my own build is use some of the great tools that are out there to map what skills come easy because that's half the battle.

I use poetools.com for the quest reward list. Thank you to all that made this wonderful spreadsheet.

Quest Reward spreadsheet - http://poetools.com/quest-rewards/

Check it out - lets say you want to use cleave, infernal blow, fire trap and bear trap and you wanted to make a templar. How would you do it? Well, first, I would make a ranger and go all the way to breaking the eggs quest and get cleave, fire trap, and bear trap and throw them in the stash. Then I would hop on my templar and use those skills and by the time I clear the eggs quest I would have infernal blow as well. If you are poor and don't have a main, this tactic should help you out a lot.

Alright I've got my skills now what?
Well, now that we have a pretty decent idea for what we want to use we need to take a look at the passive tree. This part always seems to be the most difficult. To me its quite simple - Life, Life regen, Resists - basically pure survivability. My outlook is that you can't do any dps if you're dead. I focus on survivability until late game once I feel comfortable. Then I'll venture into more damage.

Here is a very basic build that I believe will work for any templar or marauder, whether you choose caster or melee, dual totem or double curse. It doesn't matter this setup brings you close to a lot of things.

http://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAAAgUABVuLjJ_fPAXvfIM4nYBgbRRNogDwHwSzAnGBb548TdiMdjrY7DgaOKeEkFUpT-QiGmwZhSSqNunjap2upwiPRtDQz2VVxhZvwBpZ86yqJ-0ZLtSPud3vDudSVElfP_ZIjM9QUFhjxtjyLw==

From here it would be very easy to get additional Int/Dex/Str to support your skills. It would also be easy to get more Armor/Energy Shield. It would also put you in a good position to get tons more resistances which you can pick and choose based on the gear you have. There are also a few spots that you can get some great shield nodes as well.

Here is the same concept applied to a Ranger

Here is the same concept for Shadow/Witch - I tried to avoid any damage nodes and focus on survivability. I would never run this build obviously but I would be a good starting point to mix in damage whether you go melee/caster, or dual wield/wand+sheild.


So I don't have any currency and I have no gear and I'm level 1.
But you know where you are going :) You've got a map and you have directions so lets get going.

Act 1 normal - Grab 1 mana flask from vendor. Grab coral ring next time you get 3 wisdom scrolls. Save those wisdoms scrolls from here. Trade armorors scraps + whetstones for wisdom scrolls to buy an energy shield belt. Keep an eye out for any gear that give +life. Each level make sure you check the vendors for G-B-R link gear. You can usually buy it for cheap and then sell it for a chromatic orb. Also look for rings and ammys with resists. These are important for different things that you will come across no matter what. [Side note: Fire resist for those flame dogs, lightning resists for those shaman guys, cold resists is a must for fighting Merviel] When you get to the ledge, clear it go into the Rocky Hill place and reset the ledge (ctrl + click the door, and choose new) and go all the way back down. Go into the upper passage and reset the ledge again, clear it again and proceed to Brutus. Doing this will get you some extra gear as well as give you an extra level or two to make things easier. Watch out for the flicker strikers in the shipyard cave, they can hurt. Lastly, the key to Merviel is having those cold resist rings. They are a must. You can sometimes purchase them from vendors. If you've focused on +life and +cold resist you shouldn't have any problems.
Brutus fight
Spoiler
If you have followed my suggestions, up to this point you should have enough life to run circles around him using your spells/skills/attacks. Try and always keep moving side ways and not away from him because of his grabs. If you are taking some huge hits use the wall to get him to stop chasing you. Wait for your pots to regen your life then go back in. I always make a portal at the door incase anything gets out of hand. You can also use this portal to reset your potions. Just take your portal then make a new one when you go back through.

Merviel Fight
Spoiler
When you first walk in make a portal. Walk to the north west and she will come at you from a platform. She will use cold spells that will hurt a lot if you don't have cold resists. Make sure you get those cold resist rings. Most classes can just tank and spank her in the first form. When you kill her, use a portal to go refill your flasks and go back in. Kill her again in her second form. She has some adds. Any AoE spell should dispatch them quite easily.


Act 2 normal - If you don't have one already, you should be able to get a medium belt with +life on it. I would use an alchemy orb or orb of transmutation to roll addition stats on it. +40 life it the max you can get on the belt to start so don't waste your currency if it is +35 or less. I start act 2 by going to kill the great white beast then going to get the crossroads waypoint. I go back to town get my rewards and then start to the chamber of sins. Lightning resists are a must in here. Try to have at least 30-45% before going in. After that I head to the western forest. Along the way I get the spike from the spider in dark forest and kill the first bandit (corpse explode chick). Also don't forget to click the green thing on the wall for the way forward quest from Act 1. (I always forget to get my reward) The Western Forest is a great place to gain a few levels. I try to make sure I full clear it 2 or 3 times. After that I go back to town, get rewards, check vendors for 3 link G-B-Rs, and put stuff in my stash. I then head to the church and clear that, then I head to Kraityn and kill him. Back to town. Then I go to the Vaal ruins and then pools and streams. I actually help Oak because he gives you +40 life which is awesome! Next, watch out for the chaos damage bears in the underwater cave they can get a little scary. Then its time to ascend the pyramid to Vaal. If you have chosen a melee character - I urge you to find a group for Vaal or create you own. Ranged - have fun, watch out for beams, falling ceiling, and getting to close for a huge d**k slap in the face.

***Click here for a hilarious audio clip of a couple of friends doing Vaal for the first time.***
Alira Fight
Spoiler
Click on her and before you accept the quest run away from her then click kill. Then keep moving around while you dispatch all the adds. Stay away from the dead bodies because she uses corpse explosion. Try and trap her in a corner and just spam your spells/skills.

Kraityn Fight
Spoiler
This dude melee and uses phase run and flicker strike. Click on him then run to the end of the bridge in the corner then click kill Kraityn. Dispatch all the adds first then focus the boss. Again another tank and spank.

Oak Fight
Spoiler
Oak is a b**ch. He grants 40 life if you help him which is what I do... But if you want to kill him its very similar to the previous fights but he hits like a truck. Just keep moving and killing the adds then focus on him. Keep moving and you should be fine.

Fidelita Fight
Spoiler
Bottom of the chamber of sins boss, make a portal at the bottom of the stairs. Make sure you have some lightning resists 50% would be good.

Vaal Fight
Spoiler
When you get in the room make a portal. Run around-side to side, don't get too close, don't get beamed, don't stand in one spot getting hit with the ceiling, kill the adds to refill your flasks. Remember you can run in your portal and come back in to refill your flasks. Its probably going to be a long fight. Just make sure you make another portal when you come back in. Resists help a lot.


Act 3 Normal - The place right after Vaal called the City of Sarn, I usually run back and forth farming this until level 28-29. Lots of mobs easy to kill and it goes pretty fast. Just stay the left side near the water don't go up into the crumbled houses. Act 3 is pretty straight forward. Again remember to focus on +life, +resists ( unless you are maxed ), and start using some of your currency on your gear. Normally I don't waste too much currency though because it helps to have some later on to use in trade. Battlefront - lightning resists, Solaris temple - I advise you to get max lightning and fire resists. Watch out for the chaos damage bomb throwers in the sewers. Sometimes I use the docks to farm a couple levels and look for gear. Make sure you have max fire resists for it 'cause of those damn fire dogs!!! General and Piety are actually pretty easy don't stress too much.
1st Piety Fight
Spoiler
This fight takes place in the Crematorium Level 2. Make a portal before you aggro her for safety. I urge you to have 75% lightning resists for this fight. It gets pretty crazy with the lightning balls and strikes coming down from the ceiling. Each additional hit can do additional damage so be sure to kite if you see your health getting chucked. All you have to do is get her to about 50% and she will disappear. This fight is incredibly tough without lightning resists.

The General Fight
Spoiler
You'll find the general up a flight of stairs with lots of red carpet and some adds in the Barracks. Make a portal at the bottom of the stairs for safety. He casts firestorm and molten shell. Fire resists are a must in this fight. If you are melee or do lots of physical damage you need to be very aware of his molten shell. It absorbs a set amount of damage and then explodes doing massive damage. I try to run around when he has the on. It will usually expire in about 10 seconds.

Kole Fight
Spoiler
Make a portal for safety. Kole is Brutus on steroids!!! He hits so hard. I'm sorry if you are melee cause its going to get scary. You're going to have to fight this one like Muhammed Ali. Run around and wait for a good time to get some shots in. Bear Trap is a very good skill for situations like this. Maybe you can level one up on your secondary weapon to have it ready for these hard hitters.

Piety Fight
Spoiler
Make a portal. The fight will take place in a circular room with pillars. Make sure you are aware of where these pillars are for line of sighting Piety at certain points. There will also be portals on the ground that transform Piety into a Fire Beast or a Ice Arrower. These two forms cannot be mistaken. When she is just her self she uses lots of lightning damage so be careful of that too. When she turns into the fire beast she hits like a truck. I'd advise to run from here when she is in this form unless you are extremely tanky. When she is in the Ice Arrower form run behind a pillar to get out of line of sight. She will spawn adds. Its up to you if you want to take them out or not but they can add up pretty fast. Be careful.


Alright, I'm off to Cruel. Things are going great. Now what?

We'll I'm going to stop right here and get some feedback. I like to keep an open mind so let me know if I messed up or you think of something I can add.

Helpful Links for PoE Thank you peroquenariz!
-Mechanics Thread
-Mod Compendium
-Crafting Guide
-Vendor Recipes
-PoE Wiki
Last edited by Phatman on Feb 28, 2013, 9:59:05 PM
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Act 1 normal - Grab a coral ring from the vendor


Change this to: Grab 1 mana flask from vendor. Grab coral ring next time u get 3x wisdom scrolls. Do not ID any items unless it is a decent yellow until you are level 7+. Save those wisdoms. Trade armorors scraps + whetstones for wisdom scrolls. to buy 2x coral rings + ES (Energy Shield) Belt.

IGN: YeahCrit

My Guides
Dual Claw Molten Strike Ranger HC: http://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1178252
Elmo Fire Templar HC: http://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/93967
Thanks YeahPete, good call. This definitely will help. I don't agree though to not ID'ing anything until 7+. We have to remember that most new players will probably not be able to handle their own with white items up to that level. Just a thought.
Bump
I've been looking for tips and hints for a long time. I've just started playing and I've been completely clueless on alot of things as I'm not used to this kind of game.

This is like a breath of fresh air!

You should do an overall guide on things like, currency, alchemy etc.

+1
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I've been looking for tips and hints for a long time. I've just started playing and I've been completely clueless on alot of things as I'm not used to this kind of game.

This is like a breath of fresh air!

You should do an overall guide on things like, currency, alchemy etc.

+1


Thank you Olliocox, I really appreciate it.
Cheer! This is awesome! I had to learn all this by trial and error. So many toons left to rot because I didn't understand the passive tree and the skill gems/gear.
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Segfaultz wrote:
Cheer! This is awesome! I had to learn all this by trial and error. So many toons left to rot because I didn't understand the passive tree and the skill gems/gear.


Thanks Segfaultz. I'm glad I could help.
What the chicks name at the bottom of the chamber of sins?

Edit: nevermind
Last edited by Phatman on Feb 27, 2013, 11:47:57 PM
Nice starter guide! I would suggest adding some useful links that will answer most of the common questions:

Mechanics Thread
Mod Compendium
Crafting Guide
Vendor Recipes
PoE Wiki
* Cheers from Argentina, the land of ping and packet loss *

#HYPEGATE

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