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 upon hordes of enemies! This guide focuses on building an effective Mercenary in PoE2's early access version (0.1.0f). Note that Grinding Gear Games (GGG) may introduce changes in the final release.
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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 to meet equipment or skill requirements.
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Essential Early-Game Skills:
- 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 using Frost Nexus and Leverage support gems for enhanced critical strike chance. Double Barrel adds another bolt but increases reload time (mitigable with increased attack speed).
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Image: ensigame.com
- Explosive Grenade: Excellent for crowd control. Scattershot throws three grenades, albeit with reduced damage per grenade. Second Wind is a useful support gem. Remember grenade trajectory and physics!
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- Gas Grenade: Releases poisonous gas, enhanced by Corrosion (reduces enemy armor) and Bursting Plague (increased 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 that synergizes with Galvanic Shards and Conduction, providing near 100% shock chance. Requires 30 spirit units.
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- Explosive Shot: Combines well with grenades; exploding bolts detonate nearby grenades. Fire Infusion increases fire damage. Offers ranged AoE and an alternative damage type.
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Image: ensigame.com
Recommended Passive Skill Tree Nodes:
Focus on 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.
- Adrenaline Rush: Increased movement and attack speed after kills.
- Doomsayer: Increased area of effect and damage for Herald skills.
- Instant Reload: Increased crossbow reload speed.
- Volatile Grenades: Reduced grenade fuse duration (use only if not using Explosive Shot).
Image: ensigame.com
Image: ensigame.com
Image: ensigame.com
Image: ensigame.com
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.
