ClearfellPoE2 1.0 field notes
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1.0 launch countdown (11 Dec 2026, PST) —

Beginner

PoE 2 beginner guide: survive the first town

This PoE 2 beginner guide is for 1.0 and the current Early Access client. You do not need a perfect tree — you need dodge bound, life on the bar, and a reason to close Reddit.

EA 0.5 · 1.0 placeholder Updated 2026-10-18
Three-line takeaway
  1. Finish the campaign on any class before you copy an endgame planner.
  2. Life on the bar plus elemental resistances beat a fancy unique you cannot itemise yet.
  3. This page is an EA 0.5 frame. Keybinds and quest rewards will be checked again on 11 Dec 2026.
Exile on red earth as fire orbs streak past skeletal enemies
Official Steam store still (GGG). The HUD will shift in 1.0 — drop your own first-hour capture in images/user/ if you want the live build.

Install and launch

PC: Steam, Epic, or the standalone client from pathofexile.com/2. Console: PS5 / Xbox when 1.0 unlocks. The game is free; supporter packs are cosmetics and stash convenience, not power.

Create a character, pick a class you can stand looking at for 20 hours, and walk. Class choice is not a trap unless you specifically want Duelist on day one — that class is 1.0 only.

Controls worth setting once

  • Dodge / roll on a key you can hit without looking.
  • Loot on a comfortable key. You will click a lot until a filter exists.
  • A flask key you will actually press. Empty flasks are a player problem.

Controller is first-class in PoE2. If you are on console, skip mouse-and-keyboard Reddit threads; use FAQ → console.

The first-hour survival rule

If you die twice in the same pack, you are under-defended, not unlucky. Pickup life, resistances, and a skill that hits more than one enemy. Do not spend currency rerolling a weapon in Act 1.

Read resistances before you blame the class. Read gems before you leave supports on the ground.

Do not do these

  • Do not vendor every rare. One high-life chest is worth a stash tab of magic junk.
  • Do not idle in town theory-crafting a 1.0 patch you have not seen.
  • Do not buy gold, items, or leveling services. It is against the rules and it will burn this site if we ever touch it.

FAQ

Which class should a complete beginner pick in this PoE 2 beginner guide?

Whichever skill fantasy you will still click in Act 3. Ranger / Sorceress / Warrior are all fine. Wait for Duelist only if you specifically want that fantasy on launch week.

Do I need a 40-page planner for PoE 2 1.0?

Not for campaign. Follow Act pages and the checklist. Open Path of Building after you understand your six sockets.