Its almost 24 hr Hardcore Race Time - Your only costs are time and heartache. STEEM and DEC to be won.

Huge thanks to the Splinterlands team for once again offering to support the race with a very generous DEC donation.
Games looking after each other, building the chain for everyone; that's how we win.

This one is really lighting up the switchboards.
The team have taken the world's deepest ARPG and made it a heap deeper. We're hip deep in heaps deeper.

Acquire and use Passive cluster gems to expand your Passive skill tree, adding an insane new level of customisation.

Transition through a portal, to continue the level in a state of Delirium to face harder enemies with better loot.

---

Regulars can go practice, as the rules below haven't changed.
Newcomers please read on.

---

I'll be awarding 20 STEEM, 2000 DEC (thanks again, to the team) and 2000 SPT to the highest ranked character in each class.

Templar
Marauder
Shadow
Scion
Ranger
Duelist
Witch

There'll be an additional 20 STEEM awarded to the highest level character overall.
If two or more players have evenly leveled characters, the prize will be split evenly.
If a character has died, the level they achieved is irrelevant.
The higher you go, the more you have to lose.
If you're way out in front it may be worth benching your character and starting a backup.

If you're new to Path of Exile;
Sign up for a free account and make sure you've unticked the privacy options.
Home tab > My Account > Privacy Settings (on the right hand side of the page)

To enter;

Post your intention to compete, including your account name, using #poecomp as the first tag.

This must be done more than an hour before the league starts or you won't be included.
If your account is set to private you won't be included.

Tell us about yourself. Are you a grizzled veteran, or an eager newcomer?
Will you be dealing physical damage up close and personal, or raising an army of the dead to fight on your behalf?
Will you lay traps, mines and totems to outwit the enemy, or stick 'em with poisoned arrows from a distance?
Are you going to charge headlong into each level, or take it slow and stay alive?
Will you check the other accounts and choose an under-represented character, or forge on with your favourite?

When that timer hits zero you'll want to create a new character.

Make sure you choose the red, Hardcore banner or your character will be softcore; which isn't suitable for grown ups and wins nothing.
Characters must also be Solo Self Found.
It's a tick-box in the character selection area and prevents a character from interacting with the marketplace, so no buying and selling with other players. If Solo Self Found is not an option, don't worry about it; its only required of accounts which have the option.

If your character dies, that's obviously a setback, but you can start again with somebody new.
It may seem that others have an unassailable lead, but they can die too.
It's quite possible that a mad dash for the finish line may be the undoing of one or many of your competitors. They may have extensive knowledge of the game, but they haven't played this league yet either.

If you're equipped to record and/or stream, please do so.
Use the tag #poecomp when posting.

Glorious deaths are bittersweet and better shared.
See you out there.

Gifs credit