Death penalty

In Path of Exile, when a character dies, that character may incur a death penalty. The nature of the penalty depends on the difficulty and league in which the character is playing.

Types of penalties

 * Standard leagues
 * Upon character death in NORMAL, the character suffers a loss of NOTHING. This mode is intended only for training for the path of exile game. Upon character death in cruel, the character suffers a loss of 5% EXPERIENCE.Upon character death in merciless, the character suffers a loss of 10% EXPERIENCE.


 * Hardcore leagues
 * Death in a hardcore league causes that character to be removed from that league permanently. The character, and all items they are carrying are transferred to its parent league, Standard. Upon character death in NORMAL, the character suffers a loss of NOTHING. Upon character death in cruel, the character suffers a loss of 5% EXPERIENCE.Upon character death in merciless, the character suffers a loss of 10% EXPERIENCE.


 * Cut-throat leagues
 * In addition to the standard league's experience penalty, characters who die in a Cut-throat league will drop all of their items, leaving them open for taking by other players.

Leagues with multiple types
When a league has more than one type, the character will suffer the penalty from all of that league's types. For example, a character who dies in a Hardcore, Cut-throat league will lose experience, drop all their items, and be permanently removed from the league.