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This is easily the most important PoE trade currency tip. If you are going to attempt to get a Demi, you're likely to have to put in a lot of hours. If you have other obligations during the time period, or can not play extensively due to your work schedule, you are likely to be hard pushed to win. And of course it is impossible, but it will be very hard. There's nothing worse than coming first position and just missing a Demi since you couldn't put in enough hours.

If your plan is to go for a Demi but either can not or don't need to play 24/7, don't play Softcore. The top five Path of Exile players from every class in each league get Demis. The Softcore Path of Exile races don't have permadeath, and consequently, they're a total grindfest. The people who can grind the most will win every single time. I knew I wouldn't have the ability to commit to this amount of drama, therefore I picked the Hardcore leagues instead.

On a similar note, it's worth avoiding the 'popular' classes. Part of the reason I managed to win 2 Demis in precisely the same race was because I chose two fairly unpopular classes--I did not have to compete against teams, and that I managed to move up the ladder quickly.

This is a fact. If you are likely to compete in either Softcore or standard Hardcore, you will need a group, or you automatically lose the top couple slots of each course. A group typically consists of four cheap poe currency players--two damage dealers, one providing auras, and another Path of Exile player cursing the enemies. A group of four will progress at rates much faster than any Royal Path of Exile player ever could.