A cheap starter isn't just about saving money; it's about efficiency. These builds are chosen for their ability to scale well with little gear, possess inherent defenses, clear maps fast, and provide a smooth transition to stronger characters. They often need no unique item to work and let you earn the currency to upgrade later.

Pick the right cheap options

Choose a starter that fits how you like to play and that clears maps without a big gear loadout. Minion setups, burn auras, and simple melee skills are the usual picks because they let you stay alive while you clear. Popular low-cost choices right now include a Poison SRS Necromancer, a Righteous Fire Chieftain, and a Ground Slam or Sunder melee. Each one gives solid clear and solid defenses with cheap gear and simple upgrades.

Poison SRS Necromancer in a few words

The SRS build summons many small minions to fight for you. The minions apply poison and stack damage over time. You stay at range and avoid the main hits. The Necromancer ascendancy makes minions stronger and gives you safety. Gear is easy to find because minion mods on rares and a few gem levels do most of the work. Level the minions, then add a curse or offering to boost clear speed.

Righteous Fire Chieftain made simple

Righteous Fire turns your character into a living fire source. When you turn it on, enemies burn around you. The Chieftain adds fire bonuses and makes you tanky so you can stand in the middle of fights. You only need life, resist, and some regeneration to start. This build works well for players who prefer to move through maps while things burn down. It is low effort and scales with levels and small item upgrades.

Ground Slam / Sunder melee starters

Ground Slam and Sunder hit wide areas and clear packs quickly. Slayer or Juggernaut are the usual ascendancies here. Slayer gives strong leech and big area windows, while Juggernaut gives great physical mitigation. These builds use simple rares for weapons and focus on raw physical damage and survivability. The play is direct: move in, hit a pack, then move out. This style works well if you like fast, active play and clear that feels solid without rare gear.

Farming plan and atlas focus for steady income

Start farming in Yellow maps to build a steady chest of PoE 1 Currency. Yellow maps give manageable threats and steady returns so you can sell essences, rares, and crafted items. Focus your Atlas passives on Essence nodes and map quantity nodes so your map pool grows. Run maps where your build clears fast and spend less time on risky red maps. This approach gives you the currency to buy key items and to move into mid-tier gear without burning your stash.

Gear choices and how to progress on a budget

Buy simple rares that boost life and your main damage stat. Level gems and use cheap support gems that raise clear speed. Save for one or two key items that give a big power jump rather than many small upgrades. Replace gear step by step: life/resists first, damage next. Craft small upgrades if you can. Over time, your yellow map runs will pay for bigger pieces that move your build past the starter phase.

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