Should New Players Follow a Build Guide?
Yes for the first character. Learning the campaign is enough work without inventing a skill tree.
Yes for the first character. Learning the campaign is enough work without inventing a skill tree.
The same ideas apply in Path of Exile 1 and Path of Exile 2 unless a step says otherwise.
Core habits
- Cap elemental resistances as soon as the campaign starts taxing them.
- Pick one main skill and support it instead of carrying every gem drop.
- Install a loot filter early so vendor bases and currency do not vanish in junk.
- Keep a movement skill bound. Mobility prevents more deaths than a tiny DPS upgrade.
- Use town portals when a zone feels unfair. Pride is expensive in Wraeclast.
Gear and flasks
Life on body armour and resists on jewellery matter more than fancy DPS mods while you learn. Instant life flasks and a bleed-removal option save runs that look lost. Quality on flasks is a cheap upgrade when you find glassblower baubles.
Hideout as your home base
Claim a hideout when the game allows it. Place stash and crafting bench where you can reach them without a scavenger hunt. Later you can add a personal crest or character piece with the hideout art generator without rebuilding the whole layout.
Common mistakes to skip
- Ignoring Act 5 and Act 10 resist penalties.
- Spending chaos on random rares before you understand trade prices.
- Mapping with no filter and no plan for map mods.
- Skipping Labyrinth until defences are accidentally ready.
Next steps
Art guides
View all
Cartoons
How to Make Tom the Cat Hideout Art in Path of Exile
Tom from Tom and Jerry is all expressive curves: pointed ears, a long tail and a two-tone blue-grey body. The outline engine follows every one of those curves, which makes Tom a great showcase of how decorations bend along a drawing.
Cartoons
How to Make Tom Waving Hideout Art in Path of Exile
Tom in a full-body waving pose. Long limbs and a long tail make this a great example of decorations being rotated to follow the direction of each line.
Pokémon
How to Make Charmander Hideout Art in Path of Exile
Charmander, the Fire-type starter Pokémon, is one of the most loved designs in the series. Its warm orange body, cream belly and flame-tipped tail map beautifully onto the earthy reds and browns that Path of Exile decorations do best.
Keep reading
Guides
How to Make Pikachu Hideout Art in Path of Exile
Step by step recreation of Pikachu as Path of Exile hideout decorations.
Tips
Best Art Size for Pikachu Hideout Art
Which art size keeps Pikachu readable inside the 750 decoration limit.
Guides
Pikachu Hideout Art in Path of Exile 2
How to build Pikachu with Path of Exile 2 decorations and hideouts.