Once you power through the final boss of Act 3 in Path of Exile, you are faced with a difficult decision. Do you pick a new character and try a new build, or play through the campaign one last time in Cruel Mode?
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Of course, this question depends on how much you enjoyed your playthrough experience. If you had a blast, well then, your journey is about to get a whole lot crazier.
This guide will review some of the most important tips as you make that important leap into Act 4.
8Finish your Quests
Permanent Buffs are Crucial
While the main campaign may have taken you a fair amount of time, most of this is due to you not understanding the mechanics. By the time you restart from Act 1, you’ll be well-versed in almost everything PoE 2 has to offer.
While Cruel Mode certainly sounds daunting, in reality, you will find this mode to be an absolute breezeif you’ve prepared properly.
Before waking up by the riverbank, verify you’ve completed everything of worth in the previous acts.
While you can return to previous acts once you’ve started Cruel Mode,it makes sense to go in being as prepared as possible, as everything scales as you progress.
Every time you complete an act you will be afflicted with -10% in your resistances.
7Lock in your Build
Switching is a Pain
While traversing through the first campaign, it’s fine to swap out your weapons and try different builds via the passive tree.
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Give yourself a fresh start.
But once you hit Cruel Mode,you’re going to want to have decided the direction you’re headed in.
Naturally, refunding your passive points via The Hooded One gets more and more pricey as you get higher level.
In addition, while you may finish the first campaign around level 45, you will only get another 15–20 levels throughout the next run-through,which means your gear is going to last for longer if it’s of good quality.
6Perfect Your Gear
Stats upon Stats
At this point in the game, you’re going to want to have a look atthe online marketplace. While you may still upgrade your weapon a couple of times during this playthrough,certain items will always be useful, no matter the level.
You may want to use a few of those Exalted Orbs that you’ve got saved upto invest in a unique or two.
Playing a Ranger? Perhaps take a look at Widowhail and find yourself a decent Quiver to boost it with.
What about an Ice Monk? Grab yourself a cheap Polcirkeln and shatter hoards of enemies as they come your way.
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The easiest way to get valuable loot!
While uniques may look weak due to their Requirement Level, this isn’t the case.They often scale with your build and your damage, making them useful for any level.
Finally, grab yourself a couple of rings and an amulet that gives a lot of elemental resistances. You’ll need as much as you can due to the debuff you receive after every act.
5Look Out for New Foes
Mixed-up Maps
One of the first things you’ll notice when you enter the Riverbank, is that you’re not just fighting the same old enemies from the previous campaign.
One of my least favorite enemies, the River Hag, is proof of that. These enemies may give you a bit of a hard time, but don’t worry too much.When in doubt, just run around them.
Of course, if you see a Rare enemy,ensure to take it out. This is even more important due to theirmore powerful drop table in Cruel Mode.
Currency will become even more important, and if you can get a chance to grab yourself an Exalted Orb,be sure not to skip it.
4Don’t Slow Down
Speed is King
While you may have completed every single quest and looted every nook and cranny in your first run, this run is very different.
If you want to hit Maps as soon as possible,you’re going to want to equip a good pair of boots and go as fast as possible.
Try and find some boots with at least a20% movement speed increase, or perhaps a unique like the Wanderlust.
You really don’t need to kill every single enemy you encounter here, just focus on blasting apart big groups and heading directly towards the Area boss.
Even if you seem a little under-leveled, if your build is working as intended, this really shouldn’t matter. Your second run should take about a third of the time as your first.
3Skip Unnecessary Areas
Time is Money
In Cruel Mode, not every quest and boss works the same the second time around.
This means you can spend less time going through maps that you don’t need to explore. In my second run through I don’t even think I bothered with Freythorn.
Focus on grabbing your next set of Passive points and then heading to the next area. While you may have struggled with bosses likeCount Geonor or Jamanrathe first time, this run will seem like a walk in the park.
The more Passive Points you have, the more broken your build will become.PoE2 is all about small yet significant bonuses stacking on top of each other.
2Save your Currency
Money in the Bank
Once you’ve got your build sorted out and perhaps bought an item or two from the online trading site,keep your currency and try not to spend when you don’t need to.I learnt this the hard way.
Exalted Orbs, and later, Divine Orbs, are some of the most important currencies in the end game, and if you plan on playing maps, which I highly advise, hold on to any of those that you find.
While it can be extremely tempting to slam a couple of Exalted orbs on a nice piece of Rare gear, you can easily find an even nicer piece online and trade for one for the same amount of orbs that you were just about to spend.
In addition,look out for any piece of gear that has a dot after its title, or that has “Superior” in its name. These can be dismantled for Artificers orbs and Blacksmiths Whetstones respectively.
It’s best to make this a habit, as by the time you have finished another run-through ,you’ll have plenty of items to mess around with.
1Sort out your Stash
Happy Stash, Happy Life
For anyone who loves to sort out their bank, this is the tip for you. As you get further into Cruel Mode, you may find that your Stash is starting to get a little full.
Foremost, you’re going to want to have a look at the in-game store. While it can be tempting to grab some of those glorious cosmetics,avoid them until you’ve grabbed yourself some extra Stash Tabs.
These are some of the most important ones you’ll want to pick up.
Premium tabs can be color-coded and used to sell valuable items in the marketplace. This is a fantastic way to sell off some of your good Rare pieces, or perhaps gear-improving items like Artificers Orbs, and get your currency ready for Maps a little down the road.
Finally, it’s great to have more Normal Stash Tabs on hand. If you’re a bit of an organization freak like me, then you can order your items by tab.For example, you may want a tab for Uncut Gems, Amulets, Gems, Charms, or even uniques.
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While it may seem like a bit of a slog, dedicating an hour or so to sorting everything out will save you many more hours in the future when you’re trying to sift through a mountain of junk.
