Waypoint · The Frontier
Path of Exile: a first evening that ends with a working character
Two hours: pick a class, pick a beginner build guide, follow it through Act One. You will understand more about the game from one guided evening than from ten hours of guessing.
Find a league-starter build guide before you install
Search for a current beginner-friendly guide for the league that is running. Choose one that lists the passive tree and the gems for the campaign, not just the endgame.
Create the character the guide names
The class and ascendancy matter. Do not improvise on the first evening.
Play through Act One
About an hour. Pick up everything, sell nothing yet, and put the gems the guide names into your gear as you find them.
Spend passive points only where the guide says
Every point matters more than it seems. If you go wrong, respec points are earnable, but it is easier not to.
Learn the stash
Your storage fills fast. Keep currency items and gems; vendor the rest. This is where the stash tab you may buy later earns its price.
Stop at the end of Act One
Act Two is a step up. Come back with the guide open on a second screen.
Before you go
- A loot filter, installed from the settings, hides the junk and is the single biggest quality-of-life change.
- Trade only through the official trade site.
- Path of Exile 2 is a different game; the guide you found is for the right one only if it says so.
- You never need to spend a penny to reach the endgame.
Read the full Path of Exile chart entry for the bearings, the toll and who it suits.