Path of Exile on PS4: A beginner’s guide for console users

Path of Exile in its early years was played exclusively by the PC master race, but diversifying your game could lead to more profitable gains. And that’s what Grinding Gear Games did. Soon after, the action RPG was made available to download on the Xbox One—and now the PS4. On the 26^th of March, Path of Exile was released in both America and Europe, with the other regions to follow in later dates. If you’re itching to play this all-time favorite on your console, we’ve got some useful tips that could prove to be invaluable as you start out your adventure on Wraeclast. Now go earn some some PoE currency and ready your PoE orbs because things about to get a tad bit complicated.

1. No Cross-Platforming

Much to the dismay of longtime PC players, it is not possible to connect your PC PoE account to your PSN account, so don’t get your hopes up about using your high-leveled character in the game just yet. While starting out from scratch for veteran players may seem like a chore, it’s not all that bad. If you’re a PS Plus member, you’ll be able to receive benefits which include various cosmetics. However, these rewards will have no direct impact on your gameplay nor give you an advantage over the others.

At the very least, you’ll get to earn trophies while exploring! The PS4 version of the game will feature tons of trophies to get, including the famed Platinum Trophy. Keep in mind that having no trophies won’t bar you from trading or finding a mirror. While cross-platform play will not be available at launch, it might be considered down the line once the audience has grown enough. Don’t get your hopes up in the meantime, though.

2. Choose Your Playstyle

Path of Exile is known to have deep item customization at its core, followed by hundreds of skill gems and a massively sprawling passive skill tree. Not to mention there are thousands upon thousands of potential playstyles to choose from. It’s definitely overwhelming for a beginner’s perspective. We recommend that you find a playstyle that suits you right at the onset instead of trying to do a little bit of everything. It’s a much better path to take than being unable to master anything in the end.

Focusing on a specific playstyle and sticking with it will not only make the game easier for you, but it will also prevent you from spreading yourself too thin. It’s better to try different playstyles once you have fully mastered the one that you’re already comfortable with.

3. Choose a Budget-Friendly Build

Let’s say you now have a grasp of the game’s mechanics, the next step is choosing your own build while creating your very first exile. Having a budget-friendly (or in PoE terms, “League Starter”) build that is handy as you won’t have to keep shelling out your currency or items. Use these cheap but efficient builds first so you can garner your wealth and then purchase a far more ambitious or expensive build later on.

As tempting as it sounds, do not choose builds that boast “high damage output” or whatnot; this is often a trap that beginners walk straight into. These builds, most if not all, are difficult to level for a beginner’s caliber. They also require a vast amount of PoE currency to properly use the difficult gameplay mechanics.

4. Gaining Much-Needed Experience

Much to the dismay of some, Path of Exile separates itself from other many RPGs by not granting you experience points when you complete Quests. Thus, the only way for you to gain experience for your character is by killing enemies that are within your level range. In fact, choosing to farm enemies that are of the same level as you is better! A word of caution when killing enemies though: Hunting down enemies that are too high or low leveled won’t grant you any experience at all.

You can also lose experience in PoE, but at least not along with your PoE currency and PoE orbs. Believe it or not, dying in Path of Exile has an experience penalty. However, during the first five Acts, you’ll receive no penalty whatsoever; this is Grinding Gear Games’ way of letting new players like you get used to the game’s mechanics. However, after that, each death will result in the removal of 5% of your experience bar. Once you’re in Act 10, the penalty will be promptly increased to 10%. The silver lining here is that while the experience may reach to 0%, you can’t lose any levels.