Confusion about seasons

A new league begins. A new server is created with everyone starting over from square one. The old season gets relocated into a standard realm that contains everything but the last content update, items and characters and all. Once the new league ends, everything moves to standard.

All of the characters you made during EA when 1.00 drops will not be moved into a standard realm. They will get their own 'EA standard realm.' when 1.00 hits there won't be a standard realm, because it's the first league. When 1.1 drops, 1.00 will be the foundation of standard that every subsequent league will be dumped into in future updates.

POE players refer to them more as leagues than seasons, but that's just a comment on semantics

Yes, all characters and everything you own moves to standard at the end of the season. You start from scratch on the next season. Not many league players play standard. That's why you see so many giveaways when the season end nears. I play standard because I just don't have the time for seasonal; it's a much lower population and the economy can be rough. The next season does come pretty much when the current one ends, but the league population will drop a lot in those last few weeks.

Yes, at the end of the season your character and all of your items become standard, and then a new league begins.

Much less people play standard, and much more play the new league for the new features and complete economy reset.

All current characters go to Standard league, you can still play them but they no longer interact with the "seasonal" league. Same for your stash, it is wiped for the new league but all your old stuff will be saved in Standard. People usually do not play standard, the whole point of leagues/seasons is to get a fresh economy with new builds and league mechanics. This league ends the second the new one drops.

at the end of season all season content gets transfered to standard (=characters and all inventory/stash). there are a few days inbetween where you can only access standard until the new league is released. on release you can start the new league fresh at zero again. like a new game start.

this is applied to all versions: trade-, hc-trade-, ssf- and hc-ssf-league

Most players play both the path of exile 1 and 2 seasons. Everything resets each season, you lose your stash and bank and characters and start anew. Each season comes with different mechanics and boss fights.

A lot of players still play standard but standard is a permanent league where everything goes. So every single overpowered item that's been nerfed, all the currency generated each league, all of that goes to standard permanently so it's a lot more imbalanced than the seasons.

Seasons usually alternate, when Poe 1 season ends Poe 2 begins, if not they will do other seasonal temporary leagues like phrecia in Poe 1 right now.

Another new player here: how long do seasons typically last? And when does the current one end?

Standard server best server

Your inventory tabs are the thing that usually surprises most people the first time. On your first character in your first/standard league, let's say you have 10 inventory stash tabs (you purchased a few extra), and they're probably very close to full.

Then you start the next league. That character (call it League 2) also now has 10 empty inventory tabs. You play the league and fill them up. The league ends.

Your League 2 character is now moved into the standard league server. When you open up your inventory in there now, both characters have access to the full inventory, all 20 tabs. BUT since you've only purchased 10 tabs, all of the "newest" 10 tabs are there, but they are in remove only status.

This, I understand. It makes sense. But the issue is when I go purchase a new set of 3 stash tabs. If I play in the new league I now have 13 empty tabs to use. As expected, Cool! But when I switch back to my standard league characters, I don't have 3 new empty tabs. It selects 3 seemingly random (if there's a logic someone please explain it, it's not highest on the list) tabs from my "Remove Only" group and removed the Remove Only lock. So I don't have any more 'new empty' space, unless I simply sell or drop the items I'd saved in those tabs. Frustrating. After playing league after league, I have a huge list of remove only tabs...and unless I want to spend hundreds of dollars on new tabs, I'll never get any new empty tabs...meaning I have to just throw away crafting components, unique items I've saved, etc.

And yes, I own multiples of every tab type out there, so each season I get multiple remove only versions of those same tabs imported. The least they could do would put a "merge" button onto each of the specialty tabs. So I don't have to spend hours/days moving items from a remove only tab. As an example I have multiple "Unique Collection" stash tabs. Merging these is a royal pain. Same goes for Map tabs, Essence Tabs, Ritual Tabs, etc.

Frustrating. But at a base economics level, I understand that this is the way that many of these, especially a 'free to play' company makes its money.

Either way, GGG, I've got *thousands* of hours over the last 14 years playing POE/POE2. I love the game. Thank you GGG!

I played the standard server after 0.3 ended and I can say that there are still.people playing it, ive sold a couple of items here and there. im switching over the current league and fate of vaal if i get bored but yeah. Oh one thing, prices there are inflated too, not current league inflated but much more from what the regular values are.