u/AskingCuriously

My context:

My guild is 7 close friends, they are all talented at and passionate about PoE. I'm the "baby" of the group and they are happy to give me currency. Normally around the end of league start weekend, the guild stash is full of currency and I grab 20-30 div and go "shopping" for everything that PoB tells me to get. It's been like this since Exalts were the tink drops.

 

I've never questioned it, the guys are happy to see me happy, and I'm happy to have a really strong character. It's fun to be blasting and doing content. ( And most leagues I do repay what I borrow ... eventually. )

 

My problem:

I think I've been robbing myself of the enjoyment of build progression. Chris Wilson's vision of working to improve one's character. I think it'll be cool to fight for upgrades, to earn them, to have to choose which one to get. I wouldn't even know where to start though.

 

My question:

( This part will be vague as I want to fundamentally understand progression across general builds rather than optimized choices for specific builds )

What gets priority? If you stumble onto a bit of currency after campign, how do you choose what to spend your currency on first? Is it always a 6-link first? Do you buy the Intuitive Leap first for more stuff on the tree or the Empower first for the extra Aura? Do people wait for ilvl86 flasks to drop before rolling them or just settle for unoptimal flasks? If I had limited currency I wouldn't waste it rolling flasks that aren't ilvl86. I wouldn't waste oil anointing my amulet if it wasn't my END-GAME amulet. I suppose there's not point wasting Ichors and Embers either until I've got my END GAME gloves. Does everyone get their main skill to level 20 before buying a level 21 or is it normal to just skip to level 21?

 

Questions questions questions. There are 101 ways to improve your character at any point in the game and despite being a PoE veteran, I have no idea which upgrades are standard and which upgrades are luxury. So what am I supposed to do?