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? Embrace the Mercenary class and transform the game into a top-down shooter experience! This guide focuses on building a powerful Mercenary using crossbows, grenades, and strategic skill combinations, perfect for the 0.1.0f version (subject to change in the full release).

Table of Contents

• Mercenary Class Overview
• Key Mercenary Attributes
• Early Game Skill Choices
  • Fragmentation Rounds
  • Permafrost Bolts
  • Explosive Grenade
  • Gas Grenade
  • Galvanic Shards
  • Herald of Thunder
  • Explosive Shot
• Passive Skill Tree Progression
• Conclusion

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Mercenary Class Overview

The Mercenary excels at obliterating enemies from a distance. While capable of wielding any weapon, crossbows are the optimal choice, offering a blend of automatic rifle, shotgun, and grenade launcher functionality. Forget close-quarters combat; maintain range and unleash devastating attacks.

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Key Mercenary Attributes

Prioritize Dexterity for increased damage and evasion. Evasion is superior to Armor for survivability. Allocate Strength and Intelligence as needed to meet equipment requirements. Movement speed is crucial for dodging attacks.

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Early Game Skill Choices

• Fragmentation Rounds: A decent starting skill, but quickly outclassed. Consider Brutality and Leverage support gems for increased damage and critical strike chance against immobilized foes.

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• Permafrost Bolts: A strong early-game choice. Freeze and immobilize enemies for increased critical strike chance using Leverage. Frost Nexus extends the frozen area. Double Barrel increases bolt count but slows reload (mitigable with increased attack speed).

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• Explosive Grenade: Excellent for crowd control. Scattershot throws three grenades, albeit with reduced damage per grenade. Second Wind provides additional survivability. Master grenade trajectory to maximize effectiveness.

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• Gas Grenade: Releases poison gas, enhanced by Corrosion (reduces enemy armor) and Bursting Plague (increases damage). Detonate the gas with fire skills (like Explosive Grenade or later Explosive Shot) for massive damage boosts.

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• Galvanic Shards (Act 2): Transforms your crossbow into an automatic lightning shotgun. Conduction and Lightning Infusion support gems significantly amplify its power.

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• Herald of Thunder: A powerful buff that synergizes with Galvanic Shards (and Conduction) for near-guaranteed shock and additional lightning damage.

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• Explosive Shot: Combines well with grenades; explosions detonate nearby grenades. Fire Infusion increases fire damage. Offers a ranged alternative to Galvanic Shards.

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Passive Skill Tree Progression

Focus on nodes increasing projectile damage:

• Remorseless: Increased projectile damage, stun buildup, and attribute boosts.
• Ricochet: Increased projectile damage and chain chance.
• Blur: Increased movement speed and evasion.
• Heavy Ammunition: Increased projectile damage and stun, albeit with reduced attack speed.
• Careful Aim: Increased projectile damage and accuracy at close range.
• Cluster Bombs: Increased grenade fuse duration and additional projectiles.
• Adrenaline Rush: Increased movement and attack speed after kills.
• Doomsayer: Increased Herald skill area of effect and damage.
• Instant Reload: Significantly increased crossbow reload speed.
• Volatile Grenades: Reduced grenade fuse duration (optional, if not using Explosive Shot).

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Conclusion

This guide provides a solid foundation for building a powerful Mercenary in Path of Exile 2. Experiment with different skill combinations and passive skill tree paths to discover your optimal build and enjoy the thrill of explosive, ranged combat!