I'm a no name person who doesn't stream and I'm no PoE expert. However, I have successfully navigated the PoE campaign and early mapping in every league since 2020.
There's been 10 leagues I've participated in now starting from Ritual and I've learned A LOT about the game and how it works since then. This guide is intended to help you get through the campaign and leveling process efficiently, without the need of a carry, and will follow the logic that I use every league start. In a future post I plan to highlight every build I've used so far and what I find easier to play.
Let's get started!
Credit: Grinding Gear Games pathofexile.com
1. Path of Building: Pick a build ahead of time and plan it out in Path of Building (PoB). Whether you're making your own build, or following a build guide to the letter from a popular streamer (Zizaran, Fuzzy Duckzy, crouching_tuna, etc) or website (Poe-Vault or Maxroll); PoB is going to be very helpful for you as you level and you can always update it on the fly as needed. I always use the Notes section to write my campaign guide below, what skills I plan to use along the way, and any typical leveling uniques that I might want to trade for.
Additionally, if you want to know when you get access to certain skills and items poe-roadmap is a handy tool that you can paste your PoB link into and generate that info. Simply use your PoB import/export button and at the bottom click generate and copy to get your PoB code.
2. Loot Filter: Download a loot filter. I use filterblade's default softcare semi-strict filter. Simply download the file, drop it on your Path of Exile folder in Documents. Then go into the game settings and enable it. This will prevent you from being overwhelmed by loot dropping as it'll only show relevant items to your character level and will highlight items that are valuable.
Note that as you play the game more and understand loot better you can tweak the filter settings to your desire. You can also download specific filters based on whatever activity you're doing and switch between them in game.
3. Create your character: It's important to understand that most builds are based on an ascendancy name so understanding the core class for that ascendancy is key. For instance, a Witch can be an elementalist, an occultist, or a necromancer.
Ensure you're selecting the correct check boxes when starting. Generally you want Softcore and the league name. Hardcore, Solo Self-Found, and Ruthless won't be for anybody reading this guide.
4. World Map and Overlay: There is no world map technically but when you click the button next to a quest it'll bring up the map of the zones in the Act. The orange line shows the path to get to that quest. Filled in dots means there's a WP that you have, an open circle is an area without a WP, a circle with a dot in the middle has a WP you haven't found yet. Note that 99% of these zones are worth going into to complete missions, grab WP's, and to do trials.
Additionally, you'll notice zones have a branch from the previous zones. The branch isn't entirely accurate but is somewhat accurate. For instance, in Act 1 you'll notice on the map Tidal Island is down and right of The Coast. The Coast, the WP will always be at the end of the zone before the entrance to the Mud Flats and the entrance to Tidal Island will always be slightly down and right from that WP.
I highly recommend almost always having the overlay on (tab button). It helps you with understanding where you're at in a zone and where quest items are. If it's too much you can change the size and transparency in settings.
5. Understand Skill Gems, Sockets, & Links: I'm not saying you need to be an expert in how all the support gems work but understanding socket colors and links is key as you level your character. You don't want to be in a situation where you have a skill setup you wish to use but don't have the gear to equip it properly. Ensure you read an article or watch a quick video explaining this if you're new.
6. Resistances (resists): I'll point out gear checks throughout the campaign and resists is the #1 driver for this. As you play through the campaign you'll hit 2 checkpoints that lower your resists by 30%, after the first and second kitava fights. Resists always max out at 75%, anything beyond that requires specific passives to increase it beyond.
To check your resists press C then click on the defense tab. Ensure that your resists are never negative (unless you have a build that allows for it) and as close to max as you can get them. A1-A5 don't worry about chaos resist or maxing out your resists, but A6-A10 you'll want all positives and as close to max as you can get.
7. Campaign: Now the TLDR campaign playthrough.
Act 1:
Get your starting weapon and gem on the beach. Set your left click skill to move instead of default attack.
Use movement skill (dash or frostblink) from Tarkleigh after first missions.
After getting the Lower Prison WP make sure to grab skill gems from Nessa.
Lower Prison has first trial and Brutus. Brutus rewards flame dash which is the most popular movement skill in the game.
After Fairgraves get to Merveil's Cavern WP and head back to town to get quest rewards and any skills you may want from Nessa.
Kill act 1 boss Merveil who has high cold damage. Avoid the pillars of water. A sapphire ring is good here due to its cold resist. If one hasn't dropped, isn't at the vendor, then sell an iron ring + blue skill gem to a vendor to make one, this is called a vendor recipe.
Act 2:
Note: Ensure you know which bandits to kill before you get to any of them. Killing all of them gives you 2 passive points which is typically what you want but some builds are better when you save 1 of them.
Do north route from town. Great white beast first. Find crossroads WP and go back to town.
Get quicksilver flask from Yeena. This is the best utility flask in the game as it gives you a burst of speed to get out of tight situations, or to get through zones faster.
Find Chambers of Sin. Chambers of Sin 2 has second trial. Do intruders in black here too.
Get Arctic armour from Greust for use until Siosa in A3 where you'll get access to better defensive abilities.
Do south route next. Go south and find weaver's chambers to complete sharp and cruel.
Complete deal with bandits (kill all or save 1). Return to town for reward and back to Lionseye to turn in a quest completed in A2.
Complete third trial in The Crypt. Kill A2 boss in vaal ruins. This is an easy fight, just avoid the big slam.
Act 3:
On your way to Sarn, kill guard captain, talk to clarissa for lost in love quest.
Get Tolman's bracelet and complete fourth trial in city of Sarn crematorium.
Clarissa gives you keys to a sewer in Sarn. Buy any gems from her that you may need.
Do fifth trial in Catacombs.
Do Victario's, Ribbon, and Gemling quests. Pick amulet with stats you need as reward.
Go to library and get fixture of fate 4 pages. Siosa will sell you any gems you need up to this point so bring your currency with you to fill out your leveling build here.
Do sixth trial in Imperial Gardens.
Kill act boss Dominus. This is a long fight against multiple enemies but when he becomes a cockroach ensure you get in his bubble when it's raining corpses and blood.
First real gear check, get resists 50+%, get life, get gem sockets, should be lvl 30+ by now. If not then go back to some higher areas to clear trash to level up. You can reset zones by holding cntrl + clicking on them and choosing a new instance.
Do your first labyrinth, Normal Lab. Select your ascendancy. The labs are accessed in A3 Sarn Encampment up top. You need to do all 6 trials first to access. Poelab will give you guides and maps to get through this if you don't know how.
Act 4:
Do Breaking the seal. Complete Indomitable spirit and grab Crystal Veins WP. Do eternal nightmare daresso and kaom.
Kill piety. She's easy as long as you are ready for her spinning beam. Simply run ahead of it in a circle while she does it, don't try to tank it.
Kill act boss Malachai. Piety will help you in the first part. When she yells kill me attack her instead of him. When you drop down ensure you kill the hearts on the sides when they're up.
Act 5:
Sail to Oriath and talk to Lani. Choose a 2 stone ring needed the most for resists.
Do in service to science & key to freedom. Reach chamber of innocence, WP to town and get a flask from Lani (choose what's most helpful to your build).
Complete death to purity, ravenous god, and kitava's torments. Ensure you're level 40+, have 70+% resists, and have your first ascendancy.
Act 5 boss, kill kitava. You won't win this fight. Avoid the AOE, attack the heart when it pops out. Eventually Sin flies in to save you after a big blast from kitava.
Act 6:
You have now lost 30% to all resists. Second gear check, redo resists to 50+% including chaos, get life, get gem sockets, should be lvl 40+ by now.
Grab Coast WP, go to mud flats, do father of war.
Go to Ridge and grab WP and go back to Coast for Bestel's epic.
Portal scroll from bestel's epic and do fallen from grace. Talk to Lilly for gem reward. Note Lilly now sells gems.
Reach lower prison. Complete seventh trial in Lower Prison.
Kill Brutus & Shavronne, grab crafting item. Go to prisoner's gate to kill abberath.
Grab WP in riverways, go north to wetlands for ryslatha.
Select first minor pantheon node. Press Y if it doesn't popup. You get to select 1 major (top) and 1 minor (bottom) nodes on this tree for a free passive effect. These get unlocked as you do specific quests in the game.
Complete remaining quests and go kill A6 boss, brine king. Avoiding touching water and avoid aoe lightning strikes, otherwise fight is easy. Select first major pantheon node.
Act 7:
Do silver locket quest first and find the crypt.
Eighth trial is in The Crypt, along with map for essence of artist.
WP to crossroads, go to chamber of sins for web of secrets.
Ninth trial is in chamber of sins 2. Do master of million faces too before leaving.
Go to dread thicket, gather 7 fireflies and kill Greust.
Travel to the causeway for kishara star. Get WP in vaal city. Go to town for rewards.
Now that you have done 9 trials you can do CRUEL LAB. From any WP you can travel to the Labs WP on the right side of the screen.
Should be level 55-60 by now.
WP back to vaal city get to temple of decay 2 then navigate the temple to kill act boss arakaali. This boss is easy if you avoid the purple lasers. Note it does high chaos damage.
Act 8:
Immediately do essence of the hag and kill doedre. Go to the quay.
Complete love is dead. Ensure you grab the Ankh on left side of map before you head down to Clarissa. Go to grain gate do gemling legion.
Go to solaris temple and grab WP in level 1. Complete solar eclipse and return to town.
Go back to sewers to do left side of the map.
Tenth trial is in the bath house. Reflection of terror is in high gardens.
Go to lunaris concourse then lunaris temple level 2 and do lunar eclipse.
From lunaris or solaris concourse head towards harbour bridge to find the act bosses.
Kill act bosses. The sun and moon fight each other and they fight you. Just avoid their aoe and take the fight slow and easy.
Should be level 60-65ish by now.
Act 9:
Go to vastiri desert and get WP. Do storm blade quest first.
Complete queen of sands off vastiri desert WP.
Go to boiling lake for basilisk quest.
Complete fastis fortuna.
Do eleventh trial in The Tunnel.
Do ruler of highgate then back to town.
Kill act boss depraved trinity. Nothing fancy about this fight but the electrified books can hit hard, especially if your lightning resist isn't max.
Act 10:
Kill plaguewing and do safe passage.
Put a portal scroll down middle of ruined square. Grab WP in control blocks left on the map. WP back to town for flask reward.
Go back through portal and head right to Ossuary. Do no love for old ghosts and twelfth trial in ossuary.
Back to town and do death and rebirth quest to kill avarius. Finish off control blocks and ravaged square.
Should be lvl 65-70 by now.
DO MERCY LAB BEFORE KITAVA. This is important because you'll lose 30% resists after kitava so mercy lab is far easier before kitava fight, and also makes the fight much easier.
Kill campaign boss Kitava. Same mechanics as before. Avoid aoe and slams, kill heart when it pops out.
This is your final gear check for your league starter. Redo all resists (jewelry and belts are common for resists), get end game capable gear, and gem sockets/links for your build. At this point your main attack skill needs to be at least a 5 link, if not a 6 link.
If you need to farm up currency you can go engage with other league mechanics (delve and heist) to farm up some gear and currency. You can also engage in the trade site and do some bulk currency exchange to exchange some of your lesser used currency for chaos orbs, which are the most common form of trade currency.
8. Early Mapping:
For maps ensure you are doing maps you haven't done before so you can get Atlas passives. Ensure you build your Atlas tree to maximize your build's potential. You can select passives for specific activities but most people go up the middle and select all the map drop passives to maximize new maps.
For "white maps" (the logo and circle in the middle is white) you'll want to ensure they're all magic rarity (blue text). Use orbs of transmutation on them to make them magic.
For "yellow maps" ensure they are rare by using orb of alchemy. If a "yellow map" is magic rarity (blue text) you can use a regal orb or an orb of scouring to make it normal then you can use an alch on it.