Craft A Mercenary Build: Guide for Path of Exile 2

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 a crossbow-centric build, perfect for those who prefer explosive action over traditional fantasy combat. All information pertains to game version 0.1.0f; GGG may implement changes affecting this guide's accuracy in the final release.

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The Mercenary's Arsenal: Crossbows Reign Supreme

While the Mercenary can wield any weapon, crossbows are the optimal choice. Think of them as a versatile blend of automatic rifle, shotgun, and grenade launcher. Leave bows to the Ranger; your crossbow is your lifeline.

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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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Early Game Skill Selection: A Powerful Arsenal

• Fragmentation Rounds: A decent starting skill, but quickly outclassed by other options. Consider Brutality and Leverage support gems for increased damage and critical hit chance against immobilized enemies.

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• Permafrost Bolts: A strong early-game choice. Freezing enemies with frost projectiles provides crowd control. Pair with Frost Nexus and Leverage for enhanced freezing and critical hit chances. Double Barrel adds extra bolts but increases reload time (mitigable with increased attack speed).

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• Explosive Grenade: Essential for clearing large groups. Scattershot throws three grenades, albeit with reduced damage per grenade. Second Wind provides additional survivability.

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• Gas Grenade: Releases a poisonous gas cloud. 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 shotgun. Conduction and Lightning Infusion support gems significantly boost damage.

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• Herald of Thunder: A powerful buff, especially effective with Galvanic Shards and Conduction. Requires 30 spirit units.

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• Explosive Shot: Excellent synergy with grenades. Fire Infusion increases fire damage. Offers ranged crowd control and an alternative to Galvanic Shards.

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Passive Skill Tree Progression: Boosting Your Power

Prioritize nodes increasing projectile damage. Key nodes include: Remorseless, Ricochet, Blur, Heavy Ammunition, Careful Aim, Cluster Bombs (if using Explosive Shot), Adrenaline Rush, Doomsayer (for Herald of Thunder), Instant Reload, and Volatile Grenades (if not using Explosive Shot).

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Experimentation is Key

This guide provides a solid foundation. Explore different skill combinations and passive skill tree paths to discover your optimal Mercenary build!