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! Ditch the swords and bows, and unleash the power of crossbows – your trusty shotgun equivalent – to obliterate hordes of enemies. This guide focuses on early-game strategies for version 0.1.0f. Note that Grinding Gear Games (GGG) may implement changes affecting this guide's accuracy in future updates.

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The Mercenary's Arsenal: Crossbows Reign Supreme

While the Mercenary can wield any weapon, crossbows are the optimal choice. They function as a versatile hybrid of automatic rifles, shotguns, and grenade launchers. Leave bows to the Ranger and focus on your crossbow – your most effective tool.

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Key Attributes and Stats

Prioritize Dexterity for increased damage and evasion. Evasion is superior to armor in this build. Boost movement speed for better maneuverability. Allocate Strength and Intelligence as needed for equipment and skill requirements.

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Essential Early-Game Skills

• Fragmentation Rounds: A decent starting skill, but quickly outclassed by others. Consider Brutality and Leverage support gems.

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• Permafrost Bolts: A strong early-game option. Freeze and immobilize enemies using Frost Nexus and Leverage support gems. Double Barrel adds extra bolts but increases reload time. Attack speed impacts reload speed.

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• Explosive Grenade: Excellent for crowd control. Scattershot allows for three grenades at once (reduced damage), while Second Wind provides additional utility. Consider projectile trajectory and obstacles.

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• Gas Grenade: Creates a poisonous gas cloud. Corrosion reduces enemy armor, and Bursting Plague boosts damage. Detonate the gas with fire skills (like Explosive Grenade later Explosive Shot) for massive damage increases.

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• Galvanic Shards (Act 2): Transforms your crossbow into an electric shotgun. Conduction and Lightning Infusion support gems significantly enhance damage.

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

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• Explosive Shot: Combines well with grenades. Fire Infusion increases damage. Offers ranged AoE and an alternative to Galvanic Shards.

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Mastering the Passive Skill Tree

Prioritize nodes that increase projectile damage:

• Remorseless: Increased projectile damage, stun buildup, and attribute bonuses.
• Ricochet: Increased projectile damage and chain chance.
• Blur: Increased 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: 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 strong foundation for early-game success.