Hello there, midtown here! Some association seemed to adore this adviser so I've adapted it for 3.7. I don't accept any alliance is inherently superior, so the ambition of the column is artlessly to explain how to accept some success if it is your aboriginal time, and not argue you that SSF is the best. Why should you yield my advice? Well, I'm no aristocratic player, PoE currency but I was able to achieve my 3.5-3.6 alliance goals of Shaper, Red Elder, and 24+ challenges, so hopefully that's abundant acquaintance to accommodate advantageous admonition for the boilerplate player. Okay, actuality goes!
1, Choose a fun alliance amateur that doesn't crave any non-trivially farmable uniques. Safe uniques would be complete accepted uniques and ones that are fast to acreage via div cards: Tabula, Stormcloud, Sire of Shards, Whispering Ice, etc. There are affluence of guides in the forums that acknowledgment they are SSF-friendly, so go for one of those if it is your aboriginal time. As you get the adhere of it you will not charge to chase SSF-specific guides, but it helps a lot in the beginning. Affray / attack-based builds should be a lot added attainable in in 3.7 as able-bodied with added abilities accepting added accident as they level.
2, That said, you accept admission to a lot added uniques than you think. Because barter is the easiest adjustment to get a lot of uniques, it's what a lot of humans do and you never apprentice the added ways. Aboriginal of all, a hasty bulk of uniques accept divination cards that can be farmed. Second, every contempo alliance has had admission to Ancient Orbs, or admission to an identical artisan (Incursion = T3 Sacrifice, Bestiary = Barbarian adeptness recipe, Burrow = Harb nodes), which can achieve it adequately statistically aboveboard to get abounding uniques with the adapted iLvl. Third, add Adventitious orbs to your boodle clarify as able-bodied as any bases for your a lot of adapted uniques, and adventitious them all. That's how I got my Allelopathys for my ED/Blight body and you'll see abounding SSF streamers accomplishing this.
3, Try to fit added annual aberration (IIR) into your build. This is abundant added able than a lot of humans apprehend SSF, because it gives you decidedly added build-enabling uniques, decidedly added abracadabra orbs, and decidedly added T1 rares to identify. I'm a big fan of agriculture The Ascetic as a alliance amateur afore you accept abundant gear. And if you can, fit Annual Aberration gem in your capital accomplishment (or bandy it in for clearing). If you freeze, HoI+IR is a abundant combo, or if you DoT, Contagion+IR (the aboriginal DoT gets the annihilate acclaim and this includes overextension w/ ED). For context, my SSFHC DP Heiro had a 6L Body Mantle, 2x Kikazarus, and a Self-Flagellation. And my TR Heiro had a 6L Quill Rain, 2 Abyssal Tombfist, and a Kintsugi.
4, You'll get added items all-embracing than you adeptness apprehend (including uniques and currency), because SSF feels like a alliance with inherent IIQ. I don't beggarly the zones themselves accept IIQ of course, but because there's no time to absorb on poe.trade, searching up items, whispering for trades, accomplishing rotas, and abrogation maps for trading, etc, you artlessly absorb added time killing monsters and will acquisition an added bulk of items. It can be a in fact auspicious experience, and you should about be pond in aggregate you charge to map (chaos / alc / abrade / sextants), not abandoned from killing added monsters, but from accepting added bill you aren't spending on trades.
5, Drop-only gems: With Added Anarchy and Detonate Mines from vendors now, the abandoned affair you accept to anguish about is Enhance/Empower/Enlightens. About I acquisition them anniversary league, but I wouldn't run a alliance amateur that in fact depends on them. To admonition acquisition them aeon Gemcutter strongboxes for abutment gems and run gem Delves/Temple rooms.
6, Altered Jewels: These are the hardest to plan about in my experience, because they can't be anxiously chanced. Obviously abounding are adventure rewards, and if you charge two, just chase addition actualization to A5 if it doesn't drop. Some assume to bead every alliance for me (From Dust / To Dust / Asleep Reckoning), but don't absolutely plan a single-element Basal Hit body in SSF. Some do accept Div cards, so that's a abundant advantage for those (A Mother's Parting Gift for Ice Storm, for example).
7, Atlas: 3.4 and 3.5 fabricated bushing out your album so abundant easier, with the Zana map rewards and non-deterministic 3:1 recipe. The a lot of important affair is to add Adventitious orbs to your boodle clarify while leveling so you can buy Zana out afterwards her circadian missions as you advance through the Atlas. For red maps, 3-to-1 will admonition a lot as you acreage them (I do this anniversary time I hit 5 of a map so I consistently accept at atomic 2 of each), and the assorted antecedent of Horizon Orbs (Strongholds, Delve, Zana missions) achieve activity a lot easier. These are abnormally admired at the college tiers breadth you are added acceptable the get the map you ambition as the basin is limited! Note that the Zana "alternate of aforementioned tier" is complete accessible and seems to chase bead rules such she has an added adventitious to accord you an uncomplete map. Don't overlook that Vaaling a map has a 12.5% to advancement it as well. For bushing out your altered maps, Ancient orb mechanics are aswell abundant already you've got the altered accessory you need!
8, Masters. You can't buy maps SSF, so achieve abiding that if the server rolls over circadian (midnight UTC) and you get new missions, that they will spawn on a bank that you accept a lot of of the maps available. So, if you are just exploring T10s, achieve abiding to run a lower bank map afore the rollover that you accept a lot of maps in banal of, so masters spawn on that tier. This is REALLY CRITICAL for Zana as she will not brace her annual of maps if you can't do her "daily" mission, and the levels of maps she sells are affronted to your adventure advance and not the bank she spawns on. Accepting a circadian banal of maps from her is so advantageous for Album progression IMHO that this should be your top antecedence if you are accidentally stuck.
9, Lootfilter. Use one! For alliance start: Filterblade.xyz > Presets > Leveling > Wands/Bows/1H as appropriate, Normal/Semi. Afresh bound alteration into Strict already you are all attenuate gear, and afresh Complete Strict about maps. Achieve abiding to add your chancing bases, div cards, and abolish any T1/T2 rares you will not use. That endure bit is abnormally analytical if you play with IIR/IIQ. About I accumulate abandoned the top 2-3 tiers of anniversary accessory aperture of the adapted blazon for my body (Evasion, ES, etc) in my boodle filter, and already I accept a abundant annual for a slot, I abolish all but the top bank abject for that slot.
10 Currency. So you're abbreviate on a bill you need? Achieve abiding you are alching every 6+ map you run for assistant sustain, and Chisel + Vaaling whatever the accomplished bank red maps you are running/sustaining. Yield any analytic abutting Bill or Vaal Outpost Delve. If that isn't enough, let's see what you need:
- Vaal orbs: advertise 7 vaal gems + a fragment for a Vaal orb. Run added bits in your map accessory for a Vaal breadth if you charge added Vaal gems. You can aswell run your maps that bead The Catalyst.
- Anarchy orbs: about self-sustaining, but can do the casual anarchy compound as needed, but focus added on Burrow Currency/City nodes. Aces up <75 ilvl items from Vaal areas (above) as bare so at atomic one annual is < 75 ilvl to get 2 Chaos.
- Regals: august compound as needed!
- Alchemy: About self-sustaining, but in case not, you can buy them 1:1 for Affliction orbs, which are contrarily abortive end-game SSF! Aces up and advertise articular altered items you don't charge for alch shards. Accede maps which bead acceptable div cards (Survivalist) if you are low. "Also accumulate in apperception that you can use added fossils or Orbs of Binding to aeon your maps if you are active low on alcs." - @ot4ku
- Fuses: Advertise Jeweller's 4-to-1. Run maps for cards like Loyalty. Don't overlook to 20+ qual annihilation you are aggravating to link!
- Jewellers: aces up every 6S of course, and aces them up from maps.
- Argent Coins. Transmate + Augment every white Strongbox you find. "Extra argent coins" rolls decidedly often! I ID dejected Strongboxes so I can augment if it abandoned has one mod. Abacus a suffix is about breadth the acceptable accepting is, but rolling an Banishment prefix is abundant too.
- GCPs and Baubles: I accept superior gems and flasks (>=15% for the latter) in my boodle filter, and accept a individual dump tab for them. If it gets abounding I ample my inv and advertise them all, accepting a scattering of anniversary every time. You can aswell avoid the flasks and barter Blacksmiths for Baubles.
- Sextants: It will admonition a lot if you optimize for Shaped/Elder maps that can use white/yellow sextants and charge at a lot of 1 red, but don't overlook you can 3-to-1 advancement Sextants. Do a Shaper's Stronghold any time one spawns! In 3.5 I abiding T16 Elder UGS appealing calmly and ran 3 sextants, 1W+2Y. You can aswell acreage the Monochrome agenda to get sextants.
- Scours: These about self-sustain even with advanced map re-rolling, but you can grab added from vendors as needed.
- Wisdoms/Portals/Armourers: Hopefully these are off your boodle clarify and you just advertise Transmute endless as bare (Blacksmiths in the case of Armourers).
Please allotment annihilation abroad that has helped you or any questions you adeptness have. It is in fact a lot beneath cutting and added fun than I expected, and don't overlook you can consistently drift to Barter if you get stuck. I did this in Burrow so I could try a meta body and annihilate Elder+Shaper, and it formed out well. Accumulate in apperception that the "Migrate All" button migrates all of your lab trials / burrow / Atlas, etc, so as a accepted aphorism there's no amends for starting in SSF and chief you ambition to go trade. And, don't overlook to accompany Global 773!