His blade in Path of Exile 2 is at your service: How to make a Mercenary build
Conquer Path of Exile 2 as a Mercenary: A Beginner's Guide
Tired of fantasy tropes in Path of Exile 2? The Mercenary class offers a unique, action-packed experience reminiscent of a top-down Doom game. Ditch the swords and magic; embrace the crossbow – your trusty, versatile weapon of choice – and obliterate hordes of enemies!
Table of Contents
- Mercenary Class Overview
- Key Mercenary Attributes
- Essential Early-Game Skills
- Passive Skill Tree Recommendations
Mercenary Class Overview
With strategic leveling, the Mercenary becomes a devastating force, capable of efficiently dispatching both regular enemies and challenging bosses. This guide focuses on the 0.1.0f version; Grinding Gear Games (GGG) may introduce changes in the final release.
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While the Mercenary can use any weapon, crossbows are highly recommended. They function as a hybrid of automatic rifles, shotguns, and grenade launchers, providing incredible versatility.
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Key Mercenary Attributes
Prioritize Dexterity for increased damage and evasion. Evasion is superior to armor in this build. Movement speed is crucial for dodging attacks; allocate Strength and Intelligence as needed for equipment and skill requirements.
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Essential Early-Game Skills
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Fragmentation Rounds: A decent starting skill, but quickly outclassed. Consider Brutality and Leverage support gems for increased damage and critical strike chance against immobilized enemies.
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Permafrost Bolts: A strong early-game choice. Freeze and immobilize enemies with frost projectiles. Pair with Frost Nexus and Leverage support gems for enhanced freezing and critical strike chance. Double Barrel adds more bolts but increases reload time.
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Explosive Grenade: Excellent for crowd control. Use Scattershot for three grenades instead of one (damage reduction is worth the increased AoE). Second Wind is a valuable support gem.
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Gas Grenade: Releases poison gas, weakening enemies. Corrosion reduces armor, and Bursting Plague increases damage. Detonate the gas with fire skills (like Explosive Grenade later Explosive Shot) for massive damage boosts.
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Galvanic Shards (Act 2): Transforms your crossbow into an automatic shotgun. Conduction and Lightning Infusion support gems significantly increase damage.
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Herald of Thunder: A powerful buff that synergizes with Galvanic Shards and Conduction. Requires 30 spirit units.
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Explosive Shot: Combine with grenades for devastating AoE damage. Fire Infusion increases fire damage. Offers ranged combat and an alternative damage type.
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Passive Skill Tree Recommendations
Focus on nodes that increase projectile damage:
- Remorseless: Increased projectile damage, stun buildup, and attribute bonuses.
- Ricochet: Increased projectile damage and chain chance.
- Blur: Increased movement speed and evasion.
- Heavy Ammunition: Increased projectile damage and stun buildup (reduced attack speed).
- Careful Aim: Increased projectile damage and accuracy at close range.
- Cluster Bombs: Increased grenade fuse duration and additional projectiles (synergizes with Explosive Shot).
- Adrenaline Rush: Increased movement and attack speed after kills.
- Doomsayer: Increased area of effect and damage for Herald skills.
- Instant Reload: Significantly increased crossbow reload speed.
- Volatile Grenades: Reduced grenade fuse duration (only if not using Explosive Shot).
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Image: ensigame.com
Image: ensigame.com
Image: ensigame.com
These recommendations provide a solid foundation. Experiment to discover optimal skill combinations and build your own unique Mercenary!
