This one was suggested to me. I play Softcore League, so not sure what is different. I'm just started Act 9 at Level 61.

https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1931084

It is a Templar Flame Totem build. I run it with Frostbolt Totem on the side with a Flame Golem. I throw down a couple totems and keep running.

I've died a bunch of times, but I think it's purely because I'm having trouble finding new gear -- or I don't know how to optimize my gear properly. In other words, I don't know what I'm looking for.

People say to save currency for the endgame, so that's what I've been doing. I've still been doing okay and it's fun. After I get to endgame maps and feel established, I'm going to try starting a new build on my own without following guides.

As a good rule of thumb, if you don't know what you're looking for in gear, is life and resists. Life and resists above all else.

Do I just wait until a yellow drops? I've been mainly seeing whites and blues. When a yellow drops, it's not something I can use. Then, if it's close, I need something that has the right number of sockets and in the right colors with the same links as my previous gear so I can continue using the same skills....etc, which is completely random, and "save your currency" is the motto, so I just ditch the gear and keep moving.

I've just been trying to fight through the damage increases. I just started Act 10 and it's starting to really give me trouble.

I started to realize that my resists were low so I forced myself into a piece of gear that had higher resists and now I'm maxed on lightning. Fire is around 56% and I think cold is my lowest in the 40s.

I'm not sure if farming for gear is appropriate right now or if I should just keep fighting my way toward the end so I can farm endgame maps.

fwiw i don't think it's bad advice to use essences on chests if they have the right sockets, for example. using some currencies now to make the game more enjoyable seems hugely +EV. you'll get those currencies back in like one good map

Are you playing SSF? If not, people don't really grind for gear, as generally it's much easier to plug in the stats you need into poe.trade, and pick an option as good as you can afford.

Due the amount of stats available, you can normally get stuff that suits your build cheaply.

Yeah, the save currency mantra doesn't really work for solo self-found. I mainly play SSF, and during levelling I'm always starved for jewellers and chromatics because I have to get the right sockets on my new gear.

One good piece of advice for the new and unexperienced player here is that the socket colours correspond to the three attributes, Strength, Intelligence, and Dexterity.

STR = red
INT = blue
DEX = green

The same holds true for the three damage mitigation mechanics:

Armour = red
Energy Shield = blue
Evasion = green

HENCE:

If you need three green and a red gem for your main skill in a 4-link, don't try to chrome a pure Energy Shield (Intelligence) piece of gear. Green and red sockets roll significantly less often on those than blue ones. Use an Evasion (Dexterity) or an Evasion/Armour (Dexterity/Strength) one instead.

I'm just playing normal softcore league. I am familiar with poe.trade, but how does it work? I put in stats I want, see that it's 1 jeweler orb (whatever) and then I have to go into the game and find the person? How do I make the trade?

Click the 'Whisper' on poe.trade, it'll copy a message saying what you want, which you then paste in to game chat.

If they are there, they will invite you into a party so you can visit their hideout.

There they will start a trade and a window pops up where you drag whatever you are buying/selling into from your inventory.

Makes sense, thanks. I was just looking at it. I went into the game and found a pair of gloves that I was holding. I recolored the sockets and put them on. So maybe that's an upgrade for now.

I might use the trade for chest and weapon.

EDIT: Act 10, I'm just getting smacked around. I am near full resistances, but I'm wondering if it's armor that is hurting now? Is there anyway to know if I'm low in armor? I have 1603 Armor with 26% physical damage reduction. -or- what should I look for to stop being so squishy?

EDIT: 272 Evasion with 8% evade. Just upgrade my chest so now I am near maxed on all resistances.

fwiw i died probably like 40 times on the act 10 kitava fight because i didnt know any mechanics and i did garbage for damage. it's definitely going to get nerfed, but for now it's rough. either learn the mechanics and hope for the best or just be prepared to be really pissed off.

Someone Itt pointed this out to me when I started. If you aren't max capped, you are taking a lot more damage than you should

Even going from 50% to 75% is a huge boost in survivability.

Must get those to max resists.

the currency tab changes are pretty nice. gigigi

As of right now, I'm at 75/69/75 (F/C/L), so I'm pretty close. I think whatever damage that group in the The Ravaged Square was just going straight through me. Once I made it through and got to the other side zones, it seemed to lighten up. I think I'm getting fairly close to finishing Act 10 and then I'll be able to settle in and go for filling in the weaker spots.

Just killed Kitava....after dying about 50 or more times. I need to look up some kind of strategy for that because that just seemed like random chaos.

I can't imagine how a HC player deals with that.

There is a good chance that you're dying to bleed Italian, which will kill you very quickly (check the buff/debuff icons on the top left of the screen).

Most people will roll one of their flasks with Orbs of Augmentation until they get the suffix 'of Staunching'. That should save you.

I have a remove bleed, remove fire, and remove curse. On my 3 health potions.

remove freeze is more important

We shall see...

I have just arrived in act 9 (still on my first character), but I'm overgrinding a lot. For the last few acts I've been four to five levels above the zone level at all times. I'm planning on running up and down the Blood Aqueduct in my next session to gain another few levels before I progress. Before I reach Kitava I'm most definitely going to watch a few videos of the fight.

I'm not sure, I feel like it's a combination of things. I was getting hit, which took a big chunk of life away from me, and it made me walk really slow. Bleed seems to just drain life whereas this was like 1000hp of life gone instantly.

I don't think my life is incredibly high. I was pushing the game a little bit at the end because I just wanted to finish the storyline and get to maps. Now, I just want to run Tier 1 maps for a little bit. I'm not sure where that's going to get me or what the end goal is, but it's at least something for now.

Just ripped to Act 5 Kitava. Didn't figure out the mechanics before I engaged and hadn't watched any videos on it. Damn, I was loving that Vortex Elementalist...


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Xbone is live

https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1974786

Must be crashing their store servers, cuz I've been stuck at pending for almost an hour

chris wilson posted on reddit several times that their purchase processing servers are slammed.