Conquer Path of Exile 2 as a Mercenary: A Beginner's Guide
Tired of fantasy tropes? Path of Exile 2's Mercenary class offers a unique, action-packed experience reminiscent of a top-down Doom game. Forget swords and sorcery; embrace the crossbow and unleash explosive mayhem upon hordes of enemies! This guide focuses on building an effective Mercenary in PoE2's early access version (0.1.0f). Note that GGG may introduce changes affecting this guide's accuracy in the full release.
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Core Mercenary Strengths:
The Mercenary's versatility allows for diverse weapon choices, but the crossbow reigns supreme. Think of it as a hybrid of automatic rifle, shotgun, and grenade launcher. While bows are an option, this guide focuses on maximizing crossbow effectiveness.
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Key Attributes:
Dexterity is paramount, boosting both damage and evasion. Prioritize evasion over armor. Movement speed is crucial for dodging attacks. Allocate Strength and Intelligence as needed for equipment and skill requirements.
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Early Game Skills:
- Fragmentation Rounds: A decent starting skill, but quickly outclassed. Consider Brutality and Leverage support gems, but prioritize gem allocation later.
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- Permafrost Bolts: A strong early-game choice. Freeze and immobilize enemies using Frost Nexus and Leverage support gems. Double Barrel adds extra bolts but increases reload time (mitigable later).
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Image: ensigame.com
- Explosive Grenade: Essential for crowd control. Scattershot triples grenade count (damage reduced by 20%, but worth it!), while Second Wind provides additional survivability. Master grenade trajectory for optimal area-of-effect damage.
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- Gas Grenade: Releases a cloud of poison gas. Corrosion support gem reduces enemy armor, replacing Armour Piercing and High Velocity Rounds. Bursting Plague enhances 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 are highly recommended.
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- Herald of Thunder: A powerful buff, especially 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; detonating floor grenades with explosive shots. Fire Infusion increases fire damage. Offers ranged crowd control and an alternative damage type.
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Image: ensigame.com
Passive Skill Tree Progression:
Prioritize nodes increasing projectile damage:
- 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 Herald skill area of effect and damage.
- Instant Reload: Significantly increased crossbow reload speed.
- Volatile Grenades: Reduced grenade fuse duration (only if not using Explosive Shot).
Image: ensigame.com
Image: ensigame.com
Image: ensigame.com
Image: ensigame.com
These skills provide a solid foundation. Experiment to discover optimal combinations for your playstyle. Enjoy the explosive carnage!
