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 and unleash explosive mayhem! This guide focuses on building an effective Mercenary in PoE2's early access version (0.1.0f). Note that Grinding Gear Games (GGG) may implement changes in the final release.

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Key Mercenary Traits

The Mercenary's core strength lies in Dexterity. Prioritize Dexterity on the passive skill tree and through equipment. Evasion is superior to Armor; focus on maximizing evasion. High movement speed is crucial for dodging attacks. Allocate Strength and Intelligence as needed for skill and equipment requirements.

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Early Game Skill Choices

• Fragmentation Rounds: A decent starting skill, but quickly outclassed. Consider Brutality and Leverage support gems, but prioritize saving gems for stronger skills.

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• Permafrost Bolts: An excellent early-game skill. Freeze and immobilize enemies with frost projectiles, using Frost Nexus and Leverage support gems for enhanced effectiveness. Double Barrel adds more bolts but increases reload time (mitigable later).

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• Explosive Grenade: Essential for crowd control. Scattershot throws three grenades, reducing individual damage but significantly increasing AoE. Second Wind is a valuable support gem. Master grenade trajectory and positioning for maximum impact.

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• Gas Grenade: Creates a poisonous gas cloud. Corrosion reduces enemy armor, replacing the need for Armour Piercing Rounds and High Velocity Rounds. Bursting Plague boosts damage. Detonate the gas cloud with fire skills (Explosive Grenade early on, Explosive Shot later) for devastating results.

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• Galvanic Shards (Act 2): Transforms your crossbow into an automatic shotgun. Conduction and Lightning Infusion support gems are highly recommended.

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• Herald of Thunder: A powerful buff, especially when paired with Galvanic Shards and Conduction. Requires 30 spirit units (obtainable by defeating a first-act boss).

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• Explosive Shot: Combines well with grenades; exploding bolts detonate nearby grenades. Fire Infusion increases fire damage. Offers ranged crowd control and an alternative to Galvanic Shards.

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Passive Skill Tree Progression

Prioritize passive skills that increase projectile damage. Key nodes include:

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

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Experiment and discover your own optimal build! This guide provides a solid foundation for a powerful and fun Mercenary experience in Path of Exile 2.