Quick intro into Path of Exile

In 2013 the New Zealand company Grinding Gear Games released a new action RPG: Path of Exile (PoE for short). Acclaimed by users (9/10 on Steam, with more than 100 thousand votes!) PoE has become one of the main competitors of Diablo, which it was heavily based on. In the browser game world, you have games, such as the recently launched Arcirium, that fill a similar space, but then in a text-based version.

PoE is set in a Dark Fantasy world, where you start your adventure as an exiled and need to face an unforgiving world. You have 7 classes of characters at your disposal, which are based on 3 attributes: strength, dexterity. We will guide you through them so you can have more information to choose your character!

The Attributes

First, it's important to know what are attributes, because classes of characters are based primarily on distributions of starting points among attributes. Some items even have their attributes increased according to the number of points of a particular attribute you have.

Each class starts with 60 points of attributes distributed among:

• Intelligence is related to the character's knowledge and mental strength. Every 10 points of intelligence grant you 5 points of max mana and increase your energy shield.
• Dexterity measures agility and expertise. Every 10 dexterity points grant you a 20 accuracy rating and increase your evasion rating.
• Strength is a measure of physical power. Every 10 points of it grant you 5 additional max life and increase melee damage.

Classes

Three of the classes are what's called pure classes, which have their attributes points clearly skewed to one of the three attributes:

• The Witch: this class starts with 32 in intelligence and 14 in dexterity and 14 for strength.
• The Ranger: this one starts with 32 in dexterity and 14 each in the other two attributes.
• Marauder is based on strength: 32 starting points, and 14 in each of the other two attributes.

Hybrid classes are more diversified in their distributions of points. Here are they:

• Duelists are lower on intelligence as they have only 14 points on it, but high on dexterity and strength: 23 each.
• Templars have 23 points in both intelligence and strength, leaving them with 14 points in dexterity.
• Shadows are kind of assassins and tricksters, starting with 23 on both intelligence and dexterity, and having 14 points in strength.
• Scion: the most balanced of all classes, it starts with 20 points on each of the attributes.

Now What?

There is much more to know about PoE, such as how trading works, what kind of items you can get at lower levels, the mechanics of the game, what items are more valuable than others, etc.

For example, in PoE, there's not a standard currency like coins of gold, so the value of items fluctuates over time. Here's a tip for beginners: if you get a hold of high valued currencies sell them to more advanced players. High-value currencies have as their main purpose to help craft rare items. For example, Monster at level 35 can drop rare orbs, so there will be Exalted orbs available to you as you fight them. In the beginning, you will not have the means to craft those items. It is better to trade your Exalted orb with a more experienced player for something you need now.

Conclusion

Now you know more about classes and attributes in PoE. You're ready to start your journey in this awesome action RPG! For pure browser-based gamers, PoE is not the way to go. It does bear a lot of similarities in game mechanics to some of our browser games. So if you are looking for a more fast-paced and graphic game, PoE might be a good game to get into. We mentioned a few topics that should get you busy for some time. Learn as you play. If things get too confusing, take a step back, and try to learn the basics better.