There is a simple version of this and a complete version, and both are below in that order.

Short answer

The direct answer is above the fold; the reasoning underneath is there for when the direct answer does not fit your situation.

  • Note the exception cases — they are specific rather than vague.
  • Check which version any conflicting advice was written for.
  • Write down what you changed, so you can undo exactly one thing if it goes sideways.

Path of Exile assumes you will read a spreadsheet eventually, and most of its depth is genuinely there. Edge cases are genuinely rare, which is why the simple answer is usually the correct one. The accepted community answer is broadly right and wrong in a specific way that matters here.

Why it works this way

Path of Exile is not shy about hiding useful information two menus deep, so some of this is simply knowing where to look. It is worth separating what the game does from what players have concluded it does. Most of the disagreement online comes from people describing different versions of Path of Exile. The awkward part is rarely the step itself, it is knowing which step comes first.

The mechanic behind it is simpler than the discussion around it suggests. Testing this yourself takes a few minutes and settles it definitively. What follows assumes you are on a current install and have not modified it.

Worth knowing alongside this

Nothing here depends on a setting you are unlikely to have. There is no hidden trick here that the game is keeping from you. Everything below is framed around the current state of Path of Exile rather than a launch-week impression.

  • Revisit after a major patch if the behaviour changes.
  • Do not build a routine around an edge case.
  • Prefer the in-game option over an external tool when both exist.
  • Try the straightforward approach before the elaborate one.
  • Test it yourself where testing is cheap.
  • Give a method one honest attempt before deciding it does not work.

When the usual advice fails

None of this needs a paid tool, a third-party launcher or an account on a site you have never heard of. The short version is near the top on purpose; the reasoning is there if you want to know why. Nothing here assumes a particular playstyle beyond wanting the thing to work. Do the cheap check before the expensive one — that ordering alone saves most of the frustration.

Screenshots age faster than text, which is why this describes rather than shows. A single check up front replaces a lot of guessing later. Where two approaches both work, the one with fewer moving parts is the one to keep.

The practical answer

Most of the disagreement you will find online is two people describing different builds. There is usually a fast way and a reliable way, and it is worth knowing which one you are choosing. Treat anything stated without a version number as provisional.

If you are coming to this after a long break, the terminology has probably moved on. If your result differs from what is described here, note what is different first rather than starting over. Patch notes move numbers around constantly; the shape of the answer holds even when a specific value shifts.

What to do instead

Where something depends on your platform or region, that is called out rather than glossed over. The community wisdom on this is roughly half right, and the half that is wrong costs the most time. The developers have changed their mind about this at least once, which explains the older advice.

Where people go wrong

  • Treating a rare edge case as the normal behaviour and planning around it.
  • Skipping the prerequisite because it looked optional in someone else's summary.
  • Ignoring the platform-specific note and then wondering why the steps do not line up.

PoE FAQ

How long does this take?

Minutes if it goes cleanly, an evening if you hit the edge case in the caveats list. Neither is unusual.

What is the short answer?

It is the paragraph near the top. Everything after it exists for the cases where that paragraph does not quite fit.

Do I need any mods or third-party tools for this?

No. Everything described here works with the base game on any supported platform.

Is this still accurate after the latest Path of Exile update?

The method is; individual numbers may not be. If a value on your screen differs, trust the screen and keep the sequence.

Bookmark it if you like, but honestly, once you have done it once you will not need to come back.