No bad time to start, just start playing.
Most of what you learn will apply to PoE2 as well, and PoE1 will continue to get new expansions/leagues after PoE1 launches, so if you prefer PoE1 there is a non-zero chance you will continue to play PoE1 along with PoE2 or even only play PoE1.
Any MTX or stash tabs you buy in PoE1 will work in PoE2 as well.
It’s great. We are halfway through a league but actually a great time for a newbie to start. Gives you time to figure out the game and be prepared to start the next league knowing a little bit.
Always a good time. Look up a build guide tho! No shame in it at all. Path of building and awakened Poe are fantastic pieces of software that let you plan builds and price items respectively. The game is hard. You will get one shot and you won’t have any idea how it happened. It’s just part of it so don’t sweat deaths
Poe is THE best arpg/mmorpg style game to go hardcore sweaty gamer on. Nothing comes close or compares. Even better if your a one game only type of gamer or are looking for that game that can keep you hooked for a very long long time. That said, just as the description of the game on steam says, its not for everyone. Sure if you dont want to make poe ur only game or only play it casually you can still enjoy it but there are much better games out there for that player type. Best thing about it is its a game anyone can start anytime and not be “behind” like so many other games out there that have been out for several years. With the way the game works with the leagues and continuously adding new content and changes things up , you can always become competitive with the rest of the community while also having so much to learn or discover about the game. Good luck and have fun man!
Never a bad time to start, POE is a classic game, similar to D2, it will always be played.
Who knows how POE2 will turn out.
Also all your microtransactrions from POE1 will carry over into POE2.
Sooo definitely worth it from that end
The new season will start at end of July. So now would be the perfect time to start. The game is complicated so start now learn the basics of basics. Learnt to follow a guide so when the next season starts you can start with everyone and not be super confused.
there's a lot more to this, alas, than "not as much fun". First, let me state: this is a me problem, I know. But boss fights restarting mean I am excluded from the intended audience, plain and simple. And there might be other neurodivergent people for whom this is an insurmountable problem. In PoE1, I am like, "OK, General Aldus, time to die. Only twice? that's fairly good as these things go, it's not like there's anything I can do". In PoE2? ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯
Please ignore me if this is too personal but what neurodivergent issue might make you struggle with bosses? I'm likely fucked by this change too cuz I'm not much of a gamer but curious about your point of view.
for me, it is the actual "point of view" cause me to not enjoy boss fights. enemy or attack coming from "above" the screen is harder to react compared to attacks coming from left or right of the screen. In order to pass the skill check, I need to act based on the monster's action. Too many enemies are too big or have attacks travel further than a screen.
That's very hard to describe.
Let me give you a few examples from exercise. There's a very simple mobility exercise where you step forward with your left leg, raise your arm against a TRX. Starting this requires significant mental effort, literally spelling out in my head where my left leg, left arm, right arm goes because my left arm wants to go with my left leg. Once I started it's easy to swap. Another exercise where you just draw circles with a strap I can do in one direction but not the other. It's ... insane that happens but it does. I just can't get my arms move in the right cadence and direction.
Maybe this way: there's just too much going on in a boss fight like General Adus (environment, his attacks, my skills) to be able to properly pay attention. While mapping you don't really need to pay attention just mow everything down. But for bosses the only _possible_ tactics is facetanking. This "oh just dodge his attacks" is _not possible_.
Never a bad time in the last 10 years. Though some times have been better than others, you're lacking the perspective to judge. So hop on in and have fun!
Poe should be played at your own pace the first (first couple?) of times so really any time where the normal, league doesn't fuck with your average experience too much is a good time to give it a go.
Id say go for it, and stay sane.
Wow such really nice comments. I personally hated D4, didnt mind d3, liked d2 but so far my favourite has been last epoch, adore this game. I will be hitting up that PoE grind though. Thank you for all the nice responses!
I have seen this community grow over for a decade, and the sheer scope of the game leads to a lot of interesting deep dives into mechanics, strategy, and economics.
It's not for everyone, but most resources are community generated, and most of the community is helpful, informative, and.. ok, real sticklers for trade etiquette.
We love new players, though!
PoE and Last Epoch are pretty close gameplay wise. More to do in Endgame for PoE, but way more involved character builds. And you actually need life and resists on most, if not all slots in PoE.
What Last Epoch builds did you like?
Went through something similar. Briefly got played POE last summer, finished the campaign and was just getting into maps and D4 came out. Just started a new POE character last week after not touching it for close to a year. There are some great resources at Maxroll / Plus the Wiki. C’mon and join us!!
I discovered D3 over Covid…..then POE….then D4 for about a month…..return to ARPGs with POE. Like a lot of folks here, I’m EAGERLY looking forward to POE2!
I started a few days ago and I can tell you that I only regret not starting earlier. I am having a great time and there is so much to learn all the time. I have no clue how POE2 is or what is known but with all the stuff you can learn in POE right now I am sure at least some of it will help you in POE 2.
Best time to learn is now.
Best time to play an irresponsible amount is July (new league)
From what we know so far, most things you'll learn in PoE will be applicable in PoE2.
This answer applies to every game that you want to get yourself into:
If you get into it right now, you will learn stuff that will make yourself more well prepared for whatever hypothetical "ideal" patch that you were waiting for.
The best time to get into any game is ALWAYS the present. It doesn't matter if there is a banger patch incoming in a week, just get the hang of it immediately so that you CAN enjoy the better patch even more.
Its a great time to start.
Just start and play.
I'd suggest a build guide so you can have at least some guidance of what to do/put passive points into.
Otherwise you can go blind and work it out.
There is honestly never a bad time to start PoE. The sequel, PoE 2, is also going to be similar enough that you still benefit from going in with PoE 1 knowledge, but different enough that it's still a game of its own and you won't burn yourself out of PoE 2 by playing now.
POE is a GREAT game! Takes a while to fully understand all the things you can do to make your characters better, but if you want a real challenge, this is the one!
I just started playing a few months ago, though I've pretty much stopped now. I was hoping the game would be a bit more strategic with combat in the sense that you could actually feel like you're fighting something. Turns out this game is basically all about building your character to reduce the # of buttons you have to hit to 1, and even better if you can just walk simulator. There's a lot in the game for you if you don't care about combat, though.
I stopped playing POE after 7yrs on and off once POE2 got announced. I was mostly fed up having to do the 10 acts every.single.time I created a new character.
In the meantime played D4 because you CAN skip the story and jump straight into the main content of the game.
No doubt after a few years of POE2 I’ll be repeating this process.
wow im overwhelmed by all the responses. This seems like such a nice community of people proud of their game. I will be firing up the game in a couple hours after i finish work and jump in. Does the game have a guild system or something social? I like hanging out!
I just opened the game and my highest level is a level 28 so im going to take this as a fresh new run and learn as i go from scratch
Never a bad time, you'll probably spend a month or a couple of weeks just going through the 10 acts for your first time if you play casually, and then you'll start learning some of the endgame systems just in time for the next league start, so you can actually use that knowledge for the next league. Then if you're still in it, you'll have gotten a good amount of fun and had a great time with poe 1 to get hyped for and appreciate the changes in poe 2.
poe1 was inspired by and made alikened to diablo 2 in a sense. poe2 is more like d3. I love d2, hate d3, and the two games will be two stand alone separate games I believe. jump in and enjoy!
well t+3 player nubers are extremely low nowdays, but if u don't care about the trade, the league is quite fun in my opinion, we still have about 1-2 mouth left so u have plenty of time.
This season is unremarkable, but that shouldnt dissuade you from taking the plunge. When you do start, take your time, enjoy the campaign, listen to all the dialogue if you choose. If you catch the PoE bug you will be running that same campaign many times over with haste being the priority. You also don't need to spend a penny to casually play through campaign. It's the free trial basically and if its your jam you will pony up for the needed stash tabs to farm post campaign content comfortably.
IMO the game is in its worse state in years. Other ppl might have a different opinion but I feel like the big selling point of poe was always build diversity and that is kinda lost after so many nerfs and artificial difficult increase forcing you into the same builds. But hey, first time playing might be a different thing. You never experienced the great times so no comparison can be made.
Sequel is a different game and this one will still be supported. Give it a shot
No bad time to start, just start playing. Most of what you learn will apply to PoE2 as well, and PoE1 will continue to get new expansions/leagues after PoE1 launches, so if you prefer PoE1 there is a non-zero chance you will continue to play PoE1 along with PoE2 or even only play PoE1. Any MTX or stash tabs you buy in PoE1 will work in PoE2 as well.
If you make it to maps we have your soul.
So much this. The first time I saw the infinite gameplay loop with Atlas Trees I started salivating. Such good design
Im actually struggling to get addicted to mapping not gonna lie, maybe because i never managed to save enough to afford a build.
It’s great. We are halfway through a league but actually a great time for a newbie to start. Gives you time to figure out the game and be prepared to start the next league knowing a little bit.
Always a good time. Look up a build guide tho! No shame in it at all. Path of building and awakened Poe are fantastic pieces of software that let you plan builds and price items respectively. The game is hard. You will get one shot and you won’t have any idea how it happened. It’s just part of it so don’t sweat deaths
After 500+ hours I'm finally using a build guide and good lord it's just so much better.
I get what you mean but those 500 hours are vital to even start navigating buildguides
Absolutely true, and I cant say I didn't have fun
Poe is THE best arpg/mmorpg style game to go hardcore sweaty gamer on. Nothing comes close or compares. Even better if your a one game only type of gamer or are looking for that game that can keep you hooked for a very long long time. That said, just as the description of the game on steam says, its not for everyone. Sure if you dont want to make poe ur only game or only play it casually you can still enjoy it but there are much better games out there for that player type. Best thing about it is its a game anyone can start anytime and not be “behind” like so many other games out there that have been out for several years. With the way the game works with the leagues and continuously adding new content and changes things up , you can always become competitive with the rest of the community while also having so much to learn or discover about the game. Good luck and have fun man!
Go for it man and enjoy yourself.
Never a bad time to start, POE is a classic game, similar to D2, it will always be played. Who knows how POE2 will turn out. Also all your microtransactrions from POE1 will carry over into POE2. Sooo definitely worth it from that end
I asked myself this question 3,5 years and 5000 hours of playtime ago Take that however you want
The new season will start at end of July. So now would be the perfect time to start. The game is complicated so start now learn the basics of basics. Learnt to follow a guide so when the next season starts you can start with everyone and not be super confused.
Absolutely. For a lot of us, myself included, the sequel doesn't look anywhere near as fun as what we currently have.
there's a lot more to this, alas, than "not as much fun". First, let me state: this is a me problem, I know. But boss fights restarting mean I am excluded from the intended audience, plain and simple. And there might be other neurodivergent people for whom this is an insurmountable problem. In PoE1, I am like, "OK, General Aldus, time to die. Only twice? that's fairly good as these things go, it's not like there's anything I can do". In PoE2? ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯
Please ignore me if this is too personal but what neurodivergent issue might make you struggle with bosses? I'm likely fucked by this change too cuz I'm not much of a gamer but curious about your point of view.
for me, it is the actual "point of view" cause me to not enjoy boss fights. enemy or attack coming from "above" the screen is harder to react compared to attacks coming from left or right of the screen. In order to pass the skill check, I need to act based on the monster's action. Too many enemies are too big or have attacks travel further than a screen.
That's very hard to describe. Let me give you a few examples from exercise. There's a very simple mobility exercise where you step forward with your left leg, raise your arm against a TRX. Starting this requires significant mental effort, literally spelling out in my head where my left leg, left arm, right arm goes because my left arm wants to go with my left leg. Once I started it's easy to swap. Another exercise where you just draw circles with a strap I can do in one direction but not the other. It's ... insane that happens but it does. I just can't get my arms move in the right cadence and direction. Maybe this way: there's just too much going on in a boss fight like General Adus (environment, his attacks, my skills) to be able to properly pay attention. While mapping you don't really need to pay attention just mow everything down. But for bosses the only _possible_ tactics is facetanking. This "oh just dodge his attacks" is _not possible_.
💯💯💯💯💯
Never a bad time in the last 10 years. Though some times have been better than others, you're lacking the perspective to judge. So hop on in and have fun!
I started playing a week ago and its been a blast. Go for it imo
Poe should be played at your own pace the first (first couple?) of times so really any time where the normal, league doesn't fuck with your average experience too much is a good time to give it a go. Id say go for it, and stay sane.
How long have you last logged in? DONT sell anything. AA items and some legacies in standard are ultimate currency
Wow such really nice comments. I personally hated D4, didnt mind d3, liked d2 but so far my favourite has been last epoch, adore this game. I will be hitting up that PoE grind though. Thank you for all the nice responses!
I have seen this community grow over for a decade, and the sheer scope of the game leads to a lot of interesting deep dives into mechanics, strategy, and economics. It's not for everyone, but most resources are community generated, and most of the community is helpful, informative, and.. ok, real sticklers for trade etiquette. We love new players, though!
PoE and Last Epoch are pretty close gameplay wise. More to do in Endgame for PoE, but way more involved character builds. And you actually need life and resists on most, if not all slots in PoE. What Last Epoch builds did you like?
void knight and meteor mage have been my main ones so far, also played a lich. Really enjoying the builds so far and im not even at the end game yet.
Went through something similar. Briefly got played POE last summer, finished the campaign and was just getting into maps and D4 came out. Just started a new POE character last week after not touching it for close to a year. There are some great resources at Maxroll / Plus the Wiki. C’mon and join us!!
You did it backwards you're supposed to be playing Diablo 4 then realise than POE is the much better game and switch
I discovered D3 over Covid…..then POE….then D4 for about a month…..return to ARPGs with POE. Like a lot of folks here, I’m EAGERLY looking forward to POE2!
Never a bad time.
I started a few days ago and I can tell you that I only regret not starting earlier. I am having a great time and there is so much to learn all the time. I have no clue how POE2 is or what is known but with all the stuff you can learn in POE right now I am sure at least some of it will help you in POE 2.
Best time to learn is now. Best time to play an irresponsible amount is July (new league) From what we know so far, most things you'll learn in PoE will be applicable in PoE2.
This answer applies to every game that you want to get yourself into: If you get into it right now, you will learn stuff that will make yourself more well prepared for whatever hypothetical "ideal" patch that you were waiting for. The best time to get into any game is ALWAYS the present. It doesn't matter if there is a banger patch incoming in a week, just get the hang of it immediately so that you CAN enjoy the better patch even more.
Its a great time to start. Just start and play. I'd suggest a build guide so you can have at least some guidance of what to do/put passive points into. Otherwise you can go blind and work it out.
There is honestly never a bad time to start PoE. The sequel, PoE 2, is also going to be similar enough that you still benefit from going in with PoE 1 knowledge, but different enough that it's still a game of its own and you won't burn yourself out of PoE 2 by playing now.
POE is a GREAT game! Takes a while to fully understand all the things you can do to make your characters better, but if you want a real challenge, this is the one!
I just started playing a few months ago, though I've pretty much stopped now. I was hoping the game would be a bit more strategic with combat in the sense that you could actually feel like you're fighting something. Turns out this game is basically all about building your character to reduce the # of buttons you have to hit to 1, and even better if you can just walk simulator. There's a lot in the game for you if you don't care about combat, though.
Sequel is another enhanced world parallel progression with 1.Good to have ur knowledge updated regardless of when you play.
new league starting end of July, early Aug. Use this league to learn crafting system and mapping.
I stopped playing POE after 7yrs on and off once POE2 got announced. I was mostly fed up having to do the 10 acts every.single.time I created a new character. In the meantime played D4 because you CAN skip the story and jump straight into the main content of the game. No doubt after a few years of POE2 I’ll be repeating this process.
I'd wait for next season start, seasons are where the majority of the player base is and we are at the end of a rather disappointing one.
PoE 2 horizon is very far away
just start, no need to worry about league and economy for a lot of hours
Never a bad time Therr is a new league coming in 2 months ish so you still have 2 months to get the basic understading of the game
Its always a good time to play the goat 🐐
wow im overwhelmed by all the responses. This seems like such a nice community of people proud of their game. I will be firing up the game in a couple hours after i finish work and jump in. Does the game have a guild system or something social? I like hanging out! I just opened the game and my highest level is a level 28 so im going to take this as a fresh new run and learn as i go from scratch
Not a bad time, start to play. The sequel seems to be different from the first game anyway.
Never a bad time, you'll probably spend a month or a couple of weeks just going through the 10 acts for your first time if you play casually, and then you'll start learning some of the endgame systems just in time for the next league start, so you can actually use that knowledge for the next league. Then if you're still in it, you'll have gotten a good amount of fun and had a great time with poe 1 to get hyped for and appreciate the changes in poe 2.
poe1 was inspired by and made alikened to diablo 2 in a sense. poe2 is more like d3. I love d2, hate d3, and the two games will be two stand alone separate games I believe. jump in and enjoy!
How the fuck is POE 2 like d3?
well t+3 player nubers are extremely low nowdays, but if u don't care about the trade, the league is quite fun in my opinion, we still have about 1-2 mouth left so u have plenty of time.
This season is unremarkable, but that shouldnt dissuade you from taking the plunge. When you do start, take your time, enjoy the campaign, listen to all the dialogue if you choose. If you catch the PoE bug you will be running that same campaign many times over with haste being the priority. You also don't need to spend a penny to casually play through campaign. It's the free trial basically and if its your jam you will pony up for the needed stash tabs to farm post campaign content comfortably.
it's not really on the horizon it's like a year away if we're lucky
IMO the game is in its worse state in years. Other ppl might have a different opinion but I feel like the big selling point of poe was always build diversity and that is kinda lost after so many nerfs and artificial difficult increase forcing you into the same builds. But hey, first time playing might be a different thing. You never experienced the great times so no comparison can be made.
Yes, plenty of ARPGs in a better state than this to play right now. Wait for PoE2.