Act 1

The map of Act 1

Act One is Path of Exile's first storyline act, taking place on the shores of Wraeclast. In this act, the exile washes up and makes to a settlement before pushing on to discover what lies beyond. This includes Axiom Prison, where Brutus guards, and Siren's Cove, where Merveil lures sailors to their deaths.

It covers monster levels 1–13. Its town is Lioneye's Watch.

NPCs:

• Tarkleigh - weapon (except wands) and armour vendor
• Nessa - wands, jewellery, flask, currency and gem vendor
• Bestel

Quests

• Enemy at the Gate
• Mercy Mission
• A Dirty Job
• Breaking Some Eggs
• The Dweller of the Deep
• The Way Forward
• The Caged Brute
• The Marooned Mariner
• The Siren's Cadence
• The Lord's Labyrinth

Progression

The Twilight Strand 1
↓
Lioneye's Watch
↓
The Coast 2	→	The Tidal Island 3
↓
The Mud Flats 4	→	The Fetid Pool 5
↓
The Submerged Passage 5	→	The Flooded Depths 6
↓
The Ledge 6
↓
The Climb 7
↓
The Lower Prison 8
↓
The Upper Prison 9
↓
The Warden's Quarters 9
↓
The Warden's Chambers 9
↓
Prisoner's Gate 10
↓
The Ship Graveyard 11	→	The Ship Graveyard Cave 12
↓
The Cavern of Wrath 12
↓
The Cavern of Anger 13
↓
Merveil's Lair 13

Version history

Version	Changes
3.15.0	We have rebalanced various monsters found throughout Act One to make them more dangerous. Note, the balance changes made to Act One Bosses and monsters also apply to their Endgame Map versions. Monster life has been increased by roughly 46% at level 1, tapering down to the same amount of life at level 84. Some bosses and monsters in Act 1, such as Hillock and Oozeback have had their life reduced to partially counteract this change. For full changes. Read Version 3.15.0 § Act 1 Changes
3.7.0	Improved the early-game experience. Fights in the first three Acts will be tougher but more responsive, involved and dynamic. This includes fights against basic monsters!
3.0.0	Removed the Cruel and Merciless difficulty levels. Path of Exile is now a single ten-act playthrough.
2.0.0	Due to 2.0 progression balancing zone levels changed to Normal 1-13, Cruel 40-44, Merciless 56-59 The Waypoint in The Mud Flats (Act 1) has been moved to The Coast (Act 1). The Lower Submerged Passage and The Upper Submerged Passage have been combined into a new zone The Submerged Passage The Coves area has been removed.
0.5.5	Reduced effectiveness of monsters in act1area1.
0.5.4	Adjusted sizes of monster packs in act1area1. Turned off magic monsters in act1area1.
0.5.3	Enabled the first half of act1, up to the end of the prison levels.