Getting Started - Path of Exile for TOTAL Beginners

This a guide for TOTAL Beginners in Path of Exile, and will help you get started on the right foot, understand your options when creating a character, and help you get past the first major hurdle all players face when starting to play the game - not running in horror at the first sight of the passive skill tree. This video on Getting Started is more of a new player orientation video that focuses on basic information and general principles, rather than telling you exactly what to do step by step.

Subsequent guides in this 4-part series will cover additional information and mechanics to help you beat the main story campaign completely on your own without using any build guides, help you get unstuck if you hit a wall in your progressions, and help you transition into the post-campaign endgame. Feel free to skip around between the videos as needed; links to each part will be down below as they come out.

This video is up to date for the 3.23 Affliction League of Dec. 2023.

CONTENTS:
00:00 Introduction
01:05 Series Table of Contents
02:35 Development Cycle / Leagues
03:39 Challenge League Mechanics (Limited Time Only?)
04:05 Effect on Challenge League Characters
05:08 Standard or Challenge for New Players
06:42 (Standard Stash) Cleanup Needed on Aisle 13
07:39 Hardcore or Not? (Hint: Not)
08:12 Solo Self Found (Great - But Save it for Later)
09:08 Core Attributes
11:04 Passive Skill Tree Regions
12:29 Types of Passive Skills - Basic, Notable, and Keystone
13:31 Mastery Passive Skills
14:09 Jewels, Cluster Jewels, and Search Function
15:11 Character Classes - Introduction
17:00 Marauder Class - Juggernaut, Berserker, Chieftain
17:46 Templar Class - Inquisitor, Hierophant, Guardian
18:33 Witch Class - Necromancer, Elementalist, Occultist
19:30 Shadow Class - Assassin, Saboteur, Trickster
20:20 Ranger Class - Deadeye, Raider, Pathfinder
20:57 Duelist Class - Champion, Slayer, Gladiator
21:54 Scion Class - Ascendant
22:30 Getting Started - Make Your Own Build vs...
23:05 Follow a Build Guide
24:15 General Tip #1 - Reasonable Expectations
25:25 General Tip #2 - Read LOTS of Stuff
26:16 General Tip #3 - Enjoy the Story
27:00 Conclusion and Outro

Links to other guides in the series:
Beating the Campaign:    • Beating the Campaign - Path of Exile ...  
Getting UnStuck:    • Getting UnStuck - Path of Exile for T...  
Entering EndGame:    • Entering the EndGame - Path of Exile ...  
Full Playlist:    • Path of Exile Guides  

Links to Other Useful Information:
Wiki: https://www.poewiki.net/wiki/Path_of_... (Don't use the fandom one - it's outdated and just...bad)

Enki's Lightning Conduit Elementalist (successor to his Arc build) - If after watching this video you want to follow a build guide, I recommend starting with this one. I'll list more beginner-friendly build guides in a pinned comment of the 4th video (once it comes out):
https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/vie...

To use build guides or work on your own builds outside of the game, you'll need the Path of Building application, which I'll talk about more in the 4th video. Here's the link to get it:
https://pathofbuilding.community/

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Path of Exile is a free-to-play* online ARPG developed by Grinding Gear Games, and is available on PC and certain consoles. Interested in trying it out? Check out these links:
https://www.pathofexile.com/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/23...

Graphical assets, sound effects, and music used in this video are from Path of Exile, and are used consistent with the game's Terms of Use:
https://www.pathofexile.com/legal/ter...

Nothing in this video is sponsored by Grinding Gear Games, and the commentary and information in this video do not represent the opinions or positions of any other entity whatsoever, unless they happen to agree with me, which is pretty likely.

Although the game is technically free-to-play, there is a cash shop, and if you end up wanting to really get into the game, you're going to need to at least buy a couple of stash tabs. More on that in the 4th video.

Also, I really can't believe I was able to get the character name NewbieMcNewbSauce, who will return...