Path of Exile Mercenary of Trarthus: Early game tips for new players

Path of Exile Mercenary of Trarthus League is now live, and players are zooming through the campaign to check out the new endgame expansion. If you’re confused between Secrets of the Atlas and Mercenary of Trarthus, the difference is simple. Secrets of the Atlas is the name of the expansion, while the latter is the ongoing League.

As a new player, Path of Exile can be overwhelming, even for PoE 2 players. This is due to so many gameplay styles added over the last decade. In this article, we go over some tips for early-game.

Path of Exile early game tips

The early game in Path of Exile can be exhausting, especially when you have to do it with all characters. Being an ARPG, you are likely aiming to reach the endgame as soon as possible after clearing it the first time. Here are a few tips that will help smooth your journey during the early Acts.

Hire a Mercenary

Check out Mercenary gear and skills before hiring (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

As the league name suggests, we have Mercenaries as new League mechanics who can be hired using gold. This can be very helpful, especially in the early acts, when you are a bit behind in the defense or damage department.

There’s one in every new area you visit, so you don’t need to panic hire. Check out all of the gear and skills before deciding to hire them or not. A better strategy is to leave the Mercenary and check out the one in the next area.

Compare gear and pick the one you need. Hiring a Mercenary also increases monster life and loot. However, refrain from hiring a new one just a few levels apart. The cost of hiring increases significantly, which can hurt your gold balance.

Skip side quests for faster clear

Some optional side quests can be skipped (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

Quests like the Fetid Pool only provide you with respec points, and while they can be useful, it’s better to ignore them for now. This will reduce the clear time and help you reach later Acts a bit faster, where you can find better gems and gear.

With Act 6, you will also be able to refund Skill Points using gold, making the respec points from side quests a good trade-off. Note that you don’t need to rush through everything and can do the quests at your own pace.

Improve resistances

Improving resistance is the key to survival (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

It’s good to improve damage, armor, or energy shield, but everything will be useless if you are not improving your elemental resistance. Maintaining over 50% resistance (apart from Chaos) in the first five Acts is a good option and will keep you safe in most cases.

There are multiple ways to improve resistance, but the early game will have you put on rings. The maximum base resistance you can get on a white ring (no modifiers) is 30%; anything close is also a good option. Eventually, you’ll need to bring it up to 75%.

Ruby ring = Fire resistance
Sapphire ring = Cold resistance
Topaz Ring = Lightning resistance
Purity of Elements (Skill Gem) = Up to 34% of all resistance

Visit NPC vendors regularly

Vendors can have some useful gear in early game (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

During the early acts of Path of Exile, NPC vendors can be a decent source of equipment. Look for armor that complements your build. Energy Shield is better for scaling with Intelligence, while Strength goes well with armor and Dexterity with Evasion.

Quality-of-life modifiers are also great in the early game. Movement speed on boots, rings with high resistance, and increased gem level on weapons or shields are a good pick. These can be purchased with currencies, so try not to spend too much of your crafting currency.

Also Read: Path of Exile Secrets of the Atlas Twitch Drops: How to get free Finisher and Charge Effect cosmetics

Use Path of Building

Path of Building is great for theory-crafting (Image via Path of Building || Grinding Gear Games)

Path of Building is a highly recommended tool for everyone. In the early acts, you won’t feel much of a difference, but passive node combinations and poaching matter a lot in the late game. Don’t worry about the gear in the early game, and try to balance defense and offense.

Creating something on your own can be fun, but note that this will require a lot of trial and error. You’ll also need to save Gold and Orbs of Regret and complete the side quests for passive respec points. You can also import a PoB build of other players to follow along.

These are some of the few things that are highly recommended for new players. If you have already completed a few Acts, worry not, as most of the advice remains the same till the end of the campaign. Besides, these tips may also be useful when starting a new character.

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About the author

Mayank Singh Rathour is an MMO writer at Sportskeeda. He graduated from college with a degree in Business Administration and has over two years of experience as an esports journalist.

Mayank was introduced to gaming at an early age and played Contra, Double Dragon, Castlevania, etc., on his Nintendo DS. When he was a little older, Counter-Strike — a title that majorly helped develop his passion for gaming — became his favorite pastime. Though he's played a bunch of games since then, his love of CS has remained strong. Shroud, a former Counter-Strike: Global Offensive pro, is an inspiration to him. He's also a fan of series' esports scene, following teams like Vitality, NAVI, and The Mongols closely.

When Mayank has some free time, he plays basketball and helps people build PCs.

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Edited by Ripunjay Gaba