Path of Exile Beginner’s Guide – Start Your Journey in Secrets of the Atlas (3.26)

Introduction

New to Path of Exile or returning after a break? Secrets of the Atlas, the 3.26 expansion and Mercenaries of Trarthus league, is a fantastic entry point into the game—packed with fresh endgame systems and accessible mechanics. This guide shows you how to get started, leverage top tools and websites, and why even Path of Exile 2 players should consider trying PoE1.

This guide will walk you through how to start Path of Exile in 2025, explain the brand-new Mercenaries of Trarthus league, and show you how to set up your first character, tools, and build. With the return of Settlers of Kalguur content as core mechanics—including gold currency and crafting exchanges, this league is already being praised as one of the most beginner-friendly and rewarding starts in years.

From best starter builds, to how to trade, to what tools you need—this is your all-in-one guide to dominate Secrets of the Atlas league launch.

1. Understanding What to Play

One of the most overwhelming but exciting parts of starting Path of Exile is choosing where and how to play. PoE gives you multiple game modes and character options right from the start. Here’s a detailed breakdown of your choices—and how to make the best one depending on your playstyle.

Choose Your League Type

When you start the game, you’ll select one of the following league modes:

1. Challenge League – Secrets of the Atlas (Recommended for New Players)

This is the main, time-limited league where:

• Everyone starts fresh.

• The latest content and league mechanics (e.g., Mercenaries of Trarthus, Memory Threads) are active.

• New economy, new builds, new strategies.

• Lasts ~3–4 months before migrating to Standard.

Best for: New players, returning players, and build experimenters.

2. Standard League

This is the permanent league:

• You can use characters from previous leagues.

• No new mechanics during the league window.

• Large, inflated economy; less active playerbase.

Best for: Casual solo play, long-term character progression, or testing builds without league pressure.

3. Hardcore League (HC)

Same as Challenge League, but with permadeath:

• If you die, the character is moved to Standard.

• You lose all hardcore-specific progress.

Best for: Veteran players, streamers, or those who love risk/reward tension.

4. Solo Self-Found (SSF)

You cannot trade or party with other players.

• You must craft, farm, and build everything on your own.

• Played in both Standard and Challenge variants.

Best for: Experienced PoE players who want a personal challenge or fully self-contained playthrough.

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Choosing a Character Class

Your class determines where you start on the Passive Skill Tree and unlocks a set of Ascendancies—mini-classes with powerful bonuses.

Class	Suggested for Beginners	Why?
Marauder	✅ (e.g., Chieftain RF build)	High life, simple melee scaling
Witch	✅ (e.g., Summoner/Trickster)	Caster & minion-friendly
Duelist	✅ (e.g., Lacerate, Boneshatter)	Versatile melee and ranged options
Ranger	✅ (e.g., Deadeye Bow Builds)	Fast clears, intuitive ranged skills
Templar	⚠️ (needs mana mgmt)	Great for totems or hybrid casters
Shadow	⚠️ (squishier)	Tricky but powerful for DoT, traps, chaos
Scion	❌ (advanced unlock only)	Starts in center of skill tree, high complexity

 Pro Tip: Pick a class that aligns with your favorite playstyle—melee, ranged, caster, minion, or hybrid. Try using Path of Building (Guide down below) to see where these classes start on the passive tree.

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Picking a Build (and Why It Matters)

In Path of Exile, your build is everything. Unlike most ARPGs, you don’t just pick a class and go—your passive tree, skill gems, and gear define your identity.

For Secrets of the Atlas (3.26), top-performing and beginner-friendly builds include:

• Righteous Fire Chieftain – Tanky DoT, easy to gear

• Lightning Arrow Deadeye – High clear speed, bow style

• Boneshatter Berserker – Great melee scaling, regen-heavy

• Blight Trickster – Caster play with huge AoE

• Siege Ballista Hierophant – Totem playstyle for safe mapping

All of these builds are supported by recent PoB links and leveling guides across PoE Vault, Maxroll, and Reddit.

What About Mercenaries in 3.26?

In Secrets of the Atlas, you’ll encounter Mercenaries of Trarthus—AI companions you duel, recruit, and equip. Your chosen build affects how well mercenaries support you:

• RF Chieftain: Use support mercs like aura bots or curse casters.

• Deadeye: Pair with additional projectile DPS mercs.

• Totem/Minion Builds: Choose durable mercs to hold aggro.

This league mechanic adds an entirely new layer of synergy, especially useful for solo players or builds that lack single-target burst.

Summary: What Should You Play?

If you’re brand new:

• Start in Challenge League (3.26)

• Pick a beginner build with high survivability (e.g., RF Chieftain)

• Learn how Mercenaries can complement your core skill

• Use community tools (PoB, FilterBlade) to stay focused and avoid info overload

If you’re a PoE2 early access player curious about PoE1:

• You’ll find many overlapping systems in PoE1 but with a more stable, rich endgame

• Try Secrets of the Atlas for the newest tech and high-reward mapping experience

• PoE1’s breadth in content can enhance your PoE2 mastery as well

 

2.Essential Tools & Websites

Boost your PoE experience with these community-recommended tools:

• Path of Building (Community Fork) – Plan your skill tree, items, and gem links. An absolute must 

• FilterBlade / NeverSink – Customize your loot filter to highlight important items and ignore trash 

• PoE Vault – Beginner guides, build lists, leveling tips, and tool overviews

• PoE Ninja – Track build popularity, gear trends, and currency pricing

• PoELab – Daily Labyrinth layouts (Normal to Uber) to speed up running trials

• Awakened PoE Trade / Official Trade Site – Efficient price-checking and trading tools

What to Learn & When – Step-by-Step Progression for New Exiles

One of the most rewarding aspects of Path of Exile is its depth. But that also means there’s a lot to learn—and it’s easy to get overwhelmed if you try to understand everything at once. This section breaks down what you should focus on at each stage of your journey, so you always know what matters right now and what can wait.

Acts 1–10 (Level 1–65) – The Campaign

The campaign is where you’ll learn the basics of survival, combat flow, and character progression.

What to focus on:

• Skill Gems & Supports: Learn how to link support gems to skill gems (e.g., Fireball + Added Lightning Damage).

• Resistances: Make sure you cap Fire, Cold, and Lightning resistances (75%) by Act 5–6.

• Flasks: Set up flasks for life, mana, and utility (e.g., Quicksilver Flask for speed).

• Movement Skills: Flame Dash, Shield Charge, Leap Slam—keep one in your setup.

• Basic crafting: Use the Crafting Bench (from Hideout) to add missing stats to gear.

When to check tools:

• Use FilterBlade to install a loot filter after Act 2.

• Use PoE Vault or your build guide to stay on track for gem links and passive tree points.

Goal: Finish Act 10 with ~3k EHP, capped resistances, and your main skill setup fully active.

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Early Mapping (Tier 1–10 Maps, Level 65–80)

Welcome to the Atlas of Worlds — the core of Path of Exile’s endgame content.

What to learn now:

• How maps work: Maps are items you place in the Map Device to open new zones.

• Atlas mechanics: Unlock map regions, complete bonus objectives, and influence map drops.

• Secrets of the Atlas: Start exploring Memory Rifts and the Threads of Consciousness system.

• Mercenaries of Trarthus: Duel, hire, and equip your first mercenary.

• Currency basics: Learn to use Chaos Orbs, Orbs of Alchemy, and Orbs of Binding to upgrade maps and gear.

Recommended tools:

• PoE Atlas Tracker: Track map completions and influence.

• PoE Ninja: Begin monitoring build and economy trends.

• Path of Building: Update your build’s PoB to ensure you’re scaling properly.

🎯 Goal: Progress through your Atlas, unlock Mercenaries, and build gear via self-found or trade.

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Mid-Endgame (T11–T16 Maps, Level 80–90+)

Now you’re playing the real game. You’ll refine your build, start target farming, and optimize mapping for profit and XP.

What to learn now:

• Crafting Systems: Learn the bench mods, Eldritch implicits, essences, and currency crafting.

• Boss Mechanics: Face tougher enemies like Conquerors, Guardians, and Memory Pinnacle Bosses from 3.26.

• Mercenary Optimization: Equip your merc with specific gear to boost curses, auras, or damage.

• Atlas Passive Tree: Specialize in farming mechanics like Legion, Delirium, or Harvest.

• Loot Filtering: Customize your loot filter to highlight specific bases, div cards, and currency.

Tools to master now:

• CraftofExile: Simulate and plan advanced crafting.

• Awakened PoE Trade: Price-check rare items in real-time.

• PoELab: Run the Uber Lab for powerful Ascendancy upgrades.

🎯 Goal: Farm high-tier maps efficiently, defeat Secrets of the Atlas bosses, and optimize your loot.

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Endgame Mastery (Level 90+, Optional)

At this stage, you can:

• Chase uber bosses (Maven, Uber Elder, Shaper, Ubers in 3.26)

• Min-max your gear for perfect stats, implicits, and corruptions

• Craft mirror-tier items or flip gear for currency

• Run advanced Atlas strategies (e.g., 100% Delirious maps, Kirac compasses)

🎯 Goal: Become self-sufficient in gear upgrades and currency, try new builds or engage in SSF/HC/Ruthless.

Summary Table

Game Stage	Key Focus	Tools/Concepts to Learn
Acts 1–10	Survival, Skills, Resistances	FilterBlade, basic flasks, crafting bench
T1–T10 Maps	Mapping, Atlas, Mercenaries	Map system, PoE Ninja, Arcanist Brand combo
T11–T16 Maps	Scaling, Bossing, Advanced Crafting	Atlas Passive Tree, Mercenary synergy, Awakened PoE Trade
Endgame	Uber Bosses, Economy, Atlas Mastery	Min-maxing gear, Loot strategies, Harvest & Ritual

4. Why Secrets of the Atlas Matters

After an extended pause in PoE1’s league cycle—the result of significant development attention being directed toward Path of Exile 2—Secrets of the Atlas marks a triumphant return to regular, meaningful updates for the original game.PoE veterans had long voiced concerns that the sequel’s priorities were overshadowing PoE1, delaying the release of a new league. With 3.26, GGG has reestablished confidence by committing again to a reliable four‑month league cadence and delivering robust content.

One of the most significant achievements of Secrets of the Atlas is the integration of Settlers of Kalguur systems into core game mode. The Settlers league (3.25) introduced an innovative currency exchange (gold-based) mechanism, town-building, worker nodes, and real-time standout features like gold to respec passives These mechanics were well-received: “For the first time, crafting felt approachable—even for a casual player…knowledge and strategy could meaningfully improve your odds”. Adding these to the core empowers even non‑league players with deeper freedom, choice, and strategic crafting workflows—echoing early PoE2 design philosophy while maintaining PoE1’s identity.

More than just a technological reintroduction, Secrets of the Atlas stands as a statement: PoE1 is not being pushed aside. With the return of a powerful core toolkit—Settlers-derived mechanics, new endgame content, and refined QoL—it’s a renewed showcase of GGG’s confidence in maintaining and growing the original Path of Exile while preparing the ground for PoE2.

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5  Path of Exile 2 Players – Why It Pays to Try PoE1

Have you tried Path of Exile 2 early access but not the original? Here’s what you’re missing:

• PoE1’s deep mechanics and seasonal variety still offer unmatched content and complexity within a stable framework

• It’s entirely free-to-play, lightweight, and runs flawlessly on a wide range of systems—ideal if PoE2 runs into beta bugs or performance issues.

Conclusion – Begin Your Path in Secrets of the Atlas (3.26)

Whether you’re new to the world of Wraeclast or returning after a break, Path of Exile: Secrets of the Atlas (3.26) offers the perfect opportunity to dive in. With the return of the highly praised Settlers of Kalguur mechanics, the introduction of Mercenaries of Trarthus, and a full set of quality-of-life improvements, this league is built for both learning and mastery.

By following this guide, you now know how to start your journey confidently—choose a powerful league starter build, use essential PoE tools like Path of Building and FilterBlade, and explore the reworked endgame systems including Threads of Consciousness and Memory Pinnacle bosses.

The 3.26 league start is live—so gear up, hire your first mercenary, and take your first steps through the Atlas. This is the best time in 2025 to play Path of Exile, and Secrets of the Atlas might just be the league that hooks you for good.