[Megathread] Path of Exile

[I Push Buttons]

Thanks for all the advise on playing the game without buying stuff. Sometimes i just dont understand why people would buy every item on poe trade... then there is nothing to grind for or am i misunderstanding something in POE?

FYI I am not saying there is nothing wrong about it, i just want to hear peoples opinion why trading is so popular in a game where you grind for gear :P

Because the chances of getting what you need are so astronomically low its basically negligible.

Its not Diablo 3. Loot doesn't drop tailored for you. It is 100% random.

The chances of you getting/crafting anything in particular (with decent rolls) is like .0000001%... Multiplied by every single slot... Even more so when you need specific uniques because outside of a few you can get through divination cards, there is no way to target them.

All of this is fine and good if you just want to casually level or get into early maps, if you want to go far then it is a huge waste of time.

---
To answer the question though, you grind for currency. People aren't selling the gear for free. Or can you magically conjure exalts out of thin air? :P

[Cyclone Jack]

Mainly because the drop rates are so poor, combined with the huge pool of unique items, that finding the one build-enabling item is all but impossible. Also, as much as people bitch and moan about an auction house, they are all about instant gratification. Their view is that trading is part of the game, but it has to be made so obtuse and annoying that only the most masochistic will bother with it. Plus, the devs apparently used some 3rd party site to find/trade items in D2, so they wanted to mimic that. Its a niche thing that became a major feature for whatever reason.

Luckily, if you just focus on rares and the uniques that have dropped for you, there are still plenty of builds to play. You'll just be locked out of the builds that are built around specific unique items until you draw that 1/700+ unique drop. Or you do what everyone else does and use the auction hou...er...poe trade.

[endersblade]

If you're playing this game specifically for farming perfect drops for your character, you're playing the wrong game. I never understood the sadists who play SSF.

When I come up with an idea for a class/spec combo, I will do some digging online and see if anyone else has done so already. Once I'm settled on it, I will buy most of the gear they'll need at end-game (and just deal with random drops until then for the most part). I have gear for characters I haven't even rolled yet. I have characters in the 80s who have equipped their, more or less, end-game gear, though some of the rares could definitely have better rolls. I still enjoy playing those characters. Getting gear in this game just allows me to enjoy PLAYING the game, not the other way around.

And for the record, it is entirely possible to get all the currency you could ever want or need, it just takes effort. I have successfully turned a stack of several thousand ID scrolls into a few Exalts. It required upgrading to one currency, then another, then another, until I ended with Exalts, but it's entirely possible. I pick up any and all currency drops I see, no matter how common or seemingly worthless they are.

The only valid excuse I can ever accept for not wanting to use poe.trade is the intimidation factor. It takes some getting used to. It also requires dealing with people, and everything that comes with that. I've met some truly shit-headed people in trades.

And just some basic rules when using poe.trade:

1. If it says 'fixed' for the price, don't even bother trying to haggle.
2. The website has a link next to the seller's name that lets you click on it, it then copies a blurb of speech to your clipboard. Just go in-game and past it to chat. No need to come up with your own "hey, I wanna buy something" speech, the site does it for you.
3. If something has been up for 4+ months, the price isn't marked as fixed, and you think the item is either worth less than what is posted or you don't quite have enough, try making an offer. A lot of times people will just be happy to get rid of the item and get some currency. I have actually had people who posted things for an Alch or Fusing just GIVE me the item because they were tired of it taking up space in their storage.
4. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO INVITE THE SELLER TO A PARTY. Send the message that you're interested in the item. If they want to sell, they will invite YOU. A lot of times the seller is on another league and will need to switch over.
5. After the seller invites you, YOU have to go to THEM to get the item. This is just common courtesy. Nine times out of ten you'll just meet them in their hideout. Right click their portrait, click "visit Hideout", and make the trade there.
6. If someone does not respond to you in a decent amount of time (consider someone is running a map, they see the whisper from you. They have to get to a stopping point, drop a portal, go to the hideout, find the item in the stash, and then send you an invite.), move on. If you continue to try and spam the same person, they are likely to just put you on ignore.
7. If you find ONE person who is selling the ONE perfect item for you, But they aren't responding, send them a message 1-2 times a day. Send it once, if no response, send it again in about half an hour. No response, try again tomorrow. If determined enough, you'll either get your item, or they'll just put you on ignore. Just follow #6 and don't spam them several times in a row.

I think that about covers it. Find the item you want, whisper the seller, go to their hideout, make the trade, you're done.

[Schalde]

Thanks for some very nice explanation.. I will get myself into poe.trade its seems like its part of the game to trade... and its actually fun compared to D3 AH. i have a few question as a new player that i have stumbled upon while levelling (im lvl 40 now)

1 : When i bought a white item on poe trade that have req lvl for 37 and when i used an orb of alchemy on it... it was suddenly req lvl 48... why is that?

2: When do u know what gem you can combine together and when it works.. for example it says in a guide that i can use blood rage + enduring cry together but when i do it dosent give the stats together. will it only show with a numbe ron the icon for the ability if its active/combine?

3: Will it be a good idea too complete all 10 acts before venturing into maps? also when to do lab?

4: Can u use gems like haste that reserve mana in build that use the talent "blood magic"


Thanks again

[Shaiandra]

1 : When i bought a white item on poe trade that have req lvl for 37 and when i used an orb of alchemy on it... it was suddenly req lvl 48... why is that?

2: When do u know what gem you can combine together and when it works.. for example it says in a guide that i can use blood rage + enduring cry together but when i do it dosent give the stats together. will it only show with a numbe ron the icon for the ability if its active/combine?

3: Will it be a good idea too complete all 10 acts before venturing into maps? also when to do lab?

4: Can u use gems like haste that reserve mana in build that use the talent "blood magic"


Thanks again

1. An item's required level and item level are two things. For example, a Simple Robe is a weak armour that has no level req and can be equipped by level 1s (and thus can be dropped by level 1 enemies/chests). If you get one from a level 2 enemy, then its item level is 2, and it can only get some mods that level 2 items can get (for example, +10% energy shield or other low numbers), and it can have at most 3 sockets. Whereas if you get a Simple Robe from a level 50 enemy, its base required level is still 1 but its item level is 50; it can get level 50 modifiers, such as +90% energy shield or something (sorta making numbers up here), and it can have up to 6 sockets. So if you use an Orb of Transmutation or Alchemy on it, and it gets some high level mods, then its required level will go up to match the required level of those mods.

An item has to be ilvl 50+ in order to have six sockets, so always make sure of that when trading for unique armour or two-handed weapons (with some exceptions like Tabula Rasa which always has six sockets no matter the item level). You can hold Alt while highlighting an item to see its item level, and poe.trade lists item level too. Any item that has a required level of 50+ will be ilvl 50+, so you don't have to double-check with those.

2. Blood Rage and Enduring Cry are two active skills, and thus don't have any synergy when linking together; they're both just useful buffs that you should keep up assuming they benefit your spec. Active skills don't link together unless you use support gems that link them, generally the "Cast on" trigger gems (i.e. Cleave + Cast on Critical Strike Support + Fireball will make critical hits with Cleave (an Attack) automatically cast the Fireball (a Spell)). These days Support spells say more specifically what they can support. Just be sure you note the difference between an Attack and a Spell; you can't have a spell trigger a spell with Cast on Critical Strike Support, for example. Though other gems (such as Cast While Channeling Support) say they affect Skills, in which case a Spell can trigger another Spell.

3. As of 3.0 you have to finish Act 10 before you can do maps. As for Lab, the first/normal Labyrinth I'd suggest being close to lv 40, Cruel Lab around lv 60, and Merciless Lab at least 70. Note that your Resistances drop again after finishing Act 10, so if you can do Merc Lab before finishing A10, it might be easier.

4. If you have the Blood Magic talent, skills that normally reserve Mana will reserve Life instead. That's why there's the Mortal Conviction talent behind Blood Magic, which will effectively halve the amount of life you reserve.

[Schalde]

1. An item's required level and item level are two things. For example, a Simple Robe is a weak armour that has no level req and can be equipped by level 1s (and thus can be dropped by level 1 enemies/chests). If you get one from a level 2 enemy, then its item level is 2, and it can only get some mods that level 2 items can get (for example, +10% energy shield or other low numbers), and it can have at most 3 sockets. Whereas if you get a Simple Robe from a level 50 enemy, its base required level is still 1 but its item level is 50; it can get level 50 modifiers, such as +90% energy shield or something (sorta making numbers up here), and it can have up to 6 sockets. So if you use an Orb of Transmutation or Alchemy on it, and it gets some high level mods, then its required level will go up to match the required level of those mods.

An item has to be ilvl 50+ in order to have six sockets, so always make sure of that when trading for unique armour or two-handed weapons (with some exceptions like Tabula Rasa which always has six sockets no matter the item level). You can hold Alt while highlighting an item to see its item level, and poe.trade lists item level too. Any item that has a required level of 50+ will be ilvl 50+, so you don't have to double-check with those.

2. Blood Rage and Enduring Cry are two active skills, and thus don't have any synergy when linking together; they're both just useful buffs that you should keep up assuming they benefit your spec. Active skills don't link together unless you use support gems that link them, generally the "Cast on" trigger gems (i.e. Cleave + Cast on Critical Strike Support + Fireball will make critical hits with Cleave (an Attack) automatically cast the Fireball (a Spell)). These days Support spells say more specifically what they can support. Just be sure you note the difference between an Attack and a Spell; you can't have a spell trigger a spell with Cast on Critical Strike Support, for example. Though other gems (such as Cast While Channeling Support) say they affect Skills, in which case a Spell can trigger another Spell.

3. As of 3.0 you have to finish Act 10 before you can do maps. As for Lab, the first/normal Labyrinth I'd suggest being close to lv 40, Cruel Lab around lv 60, and Merciless Lab at least 70. Note that your Resistances drop again after finishing Act 10, so if you can do Merc Lab before finishing A10, it might be easier.

4. If you have the Blood Magic talent, skills that normally reserve Mana will reserve Life instead. That's why there's the Mortal Conviction talent behind Blood Magic, which will effectively halve the amount of life you reserve.

Thanks you sir for the in depth details... much appreciated

I am using this guide and he is using the Blood rage Enduring cry + golem gem combo as far as i can see. So dunno why its not working together.

https://youtu.be/3bp57XKmRLE?t=171

[Shaiandra]

They're just 3 active skills that you will cast separately; the gem slots can be linked or separate, it doesn't matter. They're each worth using even without any Support gems attached to them.

Assuming you're not using a two-handed weapon, you can have up to 6 sockets in your chestpiece (where 6-linked would be the ideal if possible, but very unlikely), up to 4 sockets in each of Helm, Gloves, and Boots, and 3 sockets in each of 1h Weapon and shield/offhand. Generally these will also be fully linked and thus the video shows what 3 gems might be linked into one of the 3s items (weapon or shield) as if the item's sockets were linked, but in this case they don't have to be.

Note that Vaal Haste is also socketed into the Cast When Damage Taken + Immortal Cry + Increased Duration combo, but Vaal Haste is a Vaal gem that cannot be triggered by such support gems so it will not be triggered by CWDT and has to be cast manually.

If you don't want to cast Blood Rage or Flame Golem manually you could similarly link them to Cast When Damage Taken so those automatically trigger after you've taken X total damage (which probably would have a pretty high uptime in combat), but Enduring Cry isn't a Spell so it can't be linked to any such trigger gem.

[Schalde]

They're just 3 active skills that you will cast separately; the gem slots can be linked or separate, it doesn't matter. They're each worth using even without any Support gems attached to them.

Assuming you're not using a two-handed weapon, you can have up to 6 sockets in your chestpiece (where 6-linked would be the ideal if possible, but very unlikely), up to 4 sockets in each of Helm, Gloves, and Boots, and 3 sockets in each of 1h Weapon and shield/offhand. Generally these will also be fully linked and thus the video shows what 3 gems might be linked into one of the 3s items (weapon or shield) as if the item's sockets were linked, but in this case they don't have to be.

Note that Vaal Haste is also socketed into the Cast When Damage Taken + Immortal Cry + Increased Duration combo, but Vaal Haste is a Vaal gem that cannot be triggered by such support gems so it will not be triggered by CWDT and has to be cast manually.

If you don't want to cast Blood Rage or Flame Golem manually you could similarly link them to Cast When Damage Taken so those automatically trigger after you've taken X total damage (which probably would have a pretty high uptime in combat), but Enduring Cry isn't a Spell so it can't be linked to any such trigger gem.

Its actually a very sexy idea with CWDT.. i do it with both gem now thx One last question is there a way too disable those gems that u dont want to level up anymore because of stats requirement... so u dont accidently click them :P

[cudomix]

You can right click on icon, that hides them, you can still level gems from inventory afterwards. Tip: keep cwdt on lvl 1, leveling it increases amount of life needed to proc it. You usually want to it to proc as much as it can.

[Schalde]

You can right click on icon, that hides them, you can still level gems from inventory afterwards. Tip: keep cwdt on lvl 1, leveling it increases amount of life needed to proc it. You usually want to it to proc as much as it can.

Thx, didnt see that.. im a noob. and as far as cwdt.. its to late.. allready level 5

[Gallahadd]

Thx, didnt see that.. im a noob. and as far as cwdt.. its to late.. allready level 5

Don't worry, the damage required doesn't increase a HUGE amount, if you're at level 5, just don't level it any more and you should be fine.

[Shaiandra]

Cast When Damage Taken is a weird one. It is the only gem where its level determines what it can support; a lower level CWDT gem can only support/trigger low level spell gems.

One of the most common uses of CWDT is with Immortal Call, which briefly makes you invulnerable to physical damage for a split second, and consumes all Endurance Charges you have to increase the duration. The higher level the IC gem, the more each Endurance Charge helps, but if you don't have any Endurance Charges, the base duration does not change at all as you level up the gem. Thus it's common to keep a low level IC supported with a low level CWDT so it triggers often.

Blood Rage doesn't scale much with level, so if you're using CWDT to trigger it, a low level CWDT and low level BR would be fine. However, Flame Golem is probably worth leveling, so if you want to have that triggered by CWDT, then you'll have to level CWDT along with it.

It's also possible to reset a gem's level back to 1 by selling the gem with an Orb of Regret. However you can just buy a lv 1 CWDT gem from Siosa or Lilly for one Alchemy, which is considered cheaper, so the level 1 recipe is probably almost never used anymore unless you accidentally leveled a gem with high quality.

[Deleted]

The problem with PoE is that many game mechanics work weirdly or arent displayed at all.

Boy were you right.

So i am finishing act 7, with the last three chars that still have not done so, i was playing my shadow, which has a very simple build, around dual strike, vengeance and riposte.
But because i had a free slot in my gear i guess somewhere around act 5 or so i got a charged dash gem and i equipped it, very useful for going over walls and breaking pots.
So i was in the area where you put maligaro´s map, and after that you get a portal to the area where the boss is.
I did decide to try charged dash, for the lols, thinking i am gonna need like 30 attacks to kill a mob, and to my surprise all it takes is 3 attacks, with the gem like level 12 and without a single support gem.
I do try it in the area where maligaro is and everything cleaned in no time, harbingers included.
I take a look at the gem description and it says 600 DPS.
600 DPS my ass, the only info i get is that increased attack speed and lower movement makes it attack more times during the movement, but the description of the gem is at least obscure, no mention of how many attacks i get when using it.
So now i am using it with all my melee chars, in a combo Charged dash+ attack speed + life leech + fortify, and the zones are cleared fast, and it even does a lot of damage in single target fights.
Why is this so powerful at the moment?, i do not know, and if i recall it correctly it was buggy and they nerfed it, maybe they want to promote flashy attacks in an effort to attract more people, but the description of the attack seems to belong to another game, not to this one for sure.

[endersblade]

Boy were you right.

So i am finishing act 7, with the last three chars that still have not done so, i was playing my shadow, which has a very simple build, around dual strike, vengeance and riposte.
But because i had a free slot in my gear i guess somewhere around act 5 or so i got a charged dash gem and i equipped it, very useful for going over walls and breaking pots.
So i was in the area where you put maligaro´s map, and after that you get a portal to the area where the boss is.
I did decide to try charged dash, for the lols, thinking i am gonna need like 30 attacks to kill a mob, and to my surprise all it takes is 3 attacks, with the gem like level 12 and without a single support gem.
I do try it in the area where maligaro is and everything cleaned in no time, harbingers included.
I take a look at the gem description and it says 600 DPS.
600 DPS my ass, the only info i get is that increased attack speed and lower movement makes it attack more times during the movement, but the description of the gem is at least obscure, no mention of how many attacks i get when using it.
So now i am using it with all my melee chars, in a combo Charged dash+ attack speed + life leech + fortify, and the zones are cleared fast, and it even does a lot of damage in single target fights.
Why is this so powerful at the moment?, i do not know, and if i recall it correctly it was buggy and they nerfed it, maybe they want to promote flashy attacks in an effort to attract more people, but the description of the attack seems to belong to another game, not to this one for sure.

Tooltip DPS is wrong for almost 100% of every skill there is. Especially anything that uses multiple projectiles or forks or anything along those lines. About the most accurate way to check your DPS is using Path of Building. And even that isn't spot on, but it's a lot closer than the Tooltip.

[Gutler]

Thx, didnt see that.. im a noob. and as far as cwdt.. its to late.. allready level 5

its never to late just sell the gem and an orb of regret to a vendor and it will return the gems level to 1 (if you don't have regret orbs you can use orbs of scouring to do it 1 level at a time)

[I Push Buttons]

its never to late just sell the gem and an orb of regret to a vendor and it will return the gems level to 1 (if you don't have regret orbs you can use orbs of scouring to do it 1 level at a time)

Can't you just get a level 1 gem off one of the gem vendors for like an orb of chance?

[endersblade]

Can't you just get a level 1 gem off one of the gem vendors for like an orb of chance?

Yes. You can also sell it with an orb of scouring instead of regret, it'll only bump it down one level.

[kaelleria]

Boy were you right.

So i am finishing act 7, with the last three chars that still have not done so, i was playing my shadow, which has a very simple build, around dual strike, vengeance and riposte.
But because i had a free slot in my gear i guess somewhere around act 5 or so i got a charged dash gem and i equipped it, very useful for going over walls and breaking pots.
So i was in the area where you put maligaro´s map, and after that you get a portal to the area where the boss is.
I did decide to try charged dash, for the lols, thinking i am gonna need like 30 attacks to kill a mob, and to my surprise all it takes is 3 attacks, with the gem like level 12 and without a single support gem.
I do try it in the area where maligaro is and everything cleaned in no time, harbingers included.
I take a look at the gem description and it says 600 DPS.
600 DPS my ass, the only info i get is that increased attack speed and lower movement makes it attack more times during the movement, but the description of the gem is at least obscure, no mention of how many attacks i get when using it.
So now i am using it with all my melee chars, in a combo Charged dash+ attack speed + life leech + fortify, and the zones are cleared fast, and it even does a lot of damage in single target fights.
Why is this so powerful at the moment?, i do not know, and if i recall it correctly it was buggy and they nerfed it, maybe they want to promote flashy attacks in an effort to attract more people, but the description of the attack seems to belong to another game, not to this one for sure.

Because level up content doesn't actually matter and you shouldn't really judge much on it.

[Deleted]

Because level up content doesn't actually matter and you shouldn't really judge much on it.

Well, i am afraid that is as far as i am gonna be able to go, if i manage to finish it, something i am starting to doubt.
You see, this game gives a magnificent first impresion, but at least in my case, the more i am playing it, the more i am noticing all the flaws it has, to the point, that i am playing the game, something drops, and instead of thinking "nice", i think "crap i have to portal again".
I am totally burn out of this, and other things, so i am gonna take a break, i will come back to finish the 10 acts, but i am afraid that is gonna be the end of it for me.
This game is a brilliant idea, poorly executed, and i am afraid i am gonna pass.
Well, who knows, if they manage to monetize 3.0 "success", maybe they can fix all the things the game does terrible, so i would be able to retake it in the near future.

[kaelleria]

Well, i am afraid that is as far as i am gonna be able to go, if i manage to finish it, something i am starting to doubt.
You see, this game gives a magnificent first impresion, but at least in my case, the more i am playing it, the more i am noticing all the flaws it has, to the point, that i am playing the game, something drops, and instead of thinking "nice", i think "crap i have to portal again".
I am totally burn out of this, and other things, so i am gonna take a break, i will come back to finish the 10 acts, but i am afraid that is gonna be the end of it for me.
This game is a brilliant idea, poorly executed, and i am afraid i am gonna pass.
Well, who knows, if they manage to monetize 3.0 "success", maybe they can fix all the things the game does terrible, so i would be able to retake it in the near future.

Give a loot filter a try. There's tons of drops and you shouldn't feel obligated to pick up everything as a lot of it will be garbage. I'll admit it should probably be in the game by default, but until recently POE was for more hardcore players than a game like Diablo was. They also don't do a great job at explaining crafting and currency trade.

https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1246208