From the ashes of Diablo II, which was once considered as the quintessential isometric ARPG, rose Path of Exile, and it has since proven that it is very much a fierce competitor for Diablo III. It's going strong right now, and with a huge new expansion/experimental sequel looming on the horizon, it's about to get bigger and busier.
In that regard, that new content addition ought to attract some new players, especially longtime fans of the sub-genre who are looking for something more hardcore than Diablo III. However, diving in blind into Path of Exile is ill-advised. The game is practically the Dark Souls of the ARPG genre and not knowing these things about it puts you at a disadvantage.
10 You Probably Need An SSD & Fiber Internet
Path of Exile is an old game, and as such, its game engine is outdated even though it has been updated many times. Moreover, the core gameplay relies on split-second accurate timing, especially come late game. Installing an SSD, or solid state drive, can help.
Those that don't have one must prepare for some frustrating deaths later on, maybe around level 85+. Consider an SSD an investment. Additionally, don't attempt to play this game on an old DSL broadband connection or weaker. No one in the Path of Exile community is that masochistic. Anything less than a wired fiber connection for Path of Exile is a gameplay handicap, especially for heists.
9 The Learning Curve Is Massive
Path of Exile is a game that doesn't hold the player's hand, and thus, anyone expecting to learn everything in the game's "tutorial" is only setting themselves up for disappointment. You'll need hundreds of hours to learn the game. Period.
It's not something you play until you finish the story and then expect a fulfilling conclusion or finale. The unanimously considered "fun" part of the game is finding or making a character build or skill combo that will allow you to either min-max or race through everything. To reach that point is an achievement in itself.
8 Leagues Are Considered The Main Way To Play
Once you've finished the story or the "Standard" mode of gameplay, what else is left to do? Well, players can either sit on their depreciatingly valuable Standard mode hoard like an old dragon or reap more rewards in the League mode.
Leagues are Path of Exile's way of retaining its players, and they run on a 13-week cycle. Each new league adds a gimmick or new mechanic to the game that spices it up. There are rewards specific to each league, and players will have to start over again with a new character if they join a League. It sounds like the very definition of insanity and it maybe is, but those League-exclusive rewards are too hard to pass up.
7 Prepare To Mess Up Your First Character
In Path of Exile, expecting to succeed on your first try means you're a newbie, and your dreams are about to get crushed. The game's complex skill tree (or network) and skill gem system piles layers upon layers of ways to build your character.
Hence, it's best to not take your first character seriously. No matter how well you think you built them, chances are, they'll get squashed like bugs in the late game.
6 There's No Traditional Currency In The Game
In ARPGs like Diablo and other games, gold is the standard currency that makes the economy flow. In Path of Exile, forget about your modern notions of a capitalist economy as only a barter system exists in this game. Everything the in-game NPC merchants sell requires orbs, which are the faux-currency of the game and they come in many forms of increasing rarity.
That's also what players will demand of others when they want to buy and sell items. The orbs are not like gold or other coins which have no use other than monetary value. Each orb has a function and can modify items, meaning they also double as crafting materials. It's pretty much back to the Stone Age in Path of Exile. Do expect some Neanderthal economics in player trading.
5 The Community Can Be Harsh
Some newbies here have probably sensed a pattern already. It's an unforgiving game and the trading system can be arbitrary. So, expect to see some of the village jerks and gate-keepers of the population. Consider comparing prices with third-party trading websites to avoid low-ballers and scalpers.
Beyond those bootleg Wall Street wannabes, many newbies would do well to expect trolls in the game, particularly in the world chat. Asking for help or some questions in the chat has a chance of attracting some trolls, but players can always report the miscreants.
4 Prepare To Die A Lot In The Late Game
In addition to treating characters as expendable guinea pigs in the game, one would also want to level their expectations about the game's difficulty. Throughout the course of Path of Exile's history, the amount of power creep has increased dramatically.
That power creep also applies to damage the players receive, so there is no shortage of sudden deaths in the endgame of Path of Exile. Note that your journey for your first character, from level 1 to 80+, is not representative of the late-game experience, which is notably much harder.
3 Don't Treat It Like A Diablo Clone
It might have begun with Diablo as its prime inspiration, but Path of Exile has transcended beyond that. It's a solid game of its own that's a far cry from the comparatively simple mechanics of Diablo II (which is the most complex Diablo game to date).
For that matter, don't expect the character builds to be as clear cut as Diablo II's or even those of Diablo III. Just because players want an ax-wielding barbarian type doesn't mean it is viable in the late game, which is the best part of the title. If anything, don't use Diablo games as expectation-metrics for a first Path of Exile playthrough.
2 Item Stat Descriptions Can Be Misleading
Sure, it's also a loot-based game, but Path of Exile's items are more than meets the eye. Their item descriptions have their own lexicon where the difference between "more" and "added" can be life and death for your character.
As such, don't take the item descriptions at face value. Players often have to look up some item description words in the game's wiki to see the actual math calculations so that they can compare which items are better and why a certain item is more expensive than others in the trade.
1 Don't Make A Hardcore Character Yet
Much like Diablo games or other ARPGs, Path of Exile offers a "Hardcore" mode where character death is permanent. This might sound like an appealing way to play the game especially coming from Diablo III's hardcore mode, but if the player is new to Path of Exile, avoid it like the plague.
Unless the player is naturally great at quickly processing new images, words, and other mechanics, then there's no way to avoid a heartbreaking death due to a sudden cold explosion a monster used to reflect damage. Wait until the completion of Standard modes before deciding to become a full-time masochist in Path of Exile's Hardcore mode.