If you've heard about the excitement surrounding Path of Exile 2 but aren't thrilled by traditional fantasy elements like swords, bows, and magic, the Mercenary class might be your perfect match. Designed to bring a top-down Doom experience to the game, the Mercenary lets you wield a crossbow—akin to a trusty shotgun—and charge into the fray against hordes of enemies.
Features of the Mercenary in Path of Exile 2
With the right approach to leveling, the Mercenary transforms into a formidable force, efficiently turning monsters into mere fertilizer. This effectiveness extends beyond regular mobs to even the toughest bosses. For instance, the challenging final boss of Act 1, a significant hurdle for the Witch class, can be conquered by a well-equipped Mercenary in just one or two attempts.
Let's explore how to craft an effective Mercenary build in the early access version of PoE2. Keep in mind that all details are based on game version 0.1.0f, and Grinding Gear Games (GGG) may introduce changes in the full release that could affect this guide's validity.
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Like all PoE2 characters, the Mercenary can use any weapon, but the crossbow is your best bet for maintaining a safe distance from demons. This weapon functions as a versatile blend of an automatic rifle, shotgun, and grenade launcher. While the Mercenary has skills for bows, these are better suited to the Ranger class. As the saying goes, inspired by Full Metal Jacket, "Without me, my crossbow is useless. Without my crossbow, I am useless."
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Main Characteristics of the Mercenary
Dexterity is paramount for the Mercenary. Prioritize this attribute through items and your passive skill tree choices. Evasion should take precedence over Armour for better survival rates. Enhance your movement speed to dodge enemy attacks effectively. Allocate points to Strength and Intelligence as needed for specific gear or skill requirements.
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Useful Skills in Early Game Stages
Fragmentation Rounds
At the game's outset, Fragmentation Rounds can be handy, though you'll soon move on from it. Enhance this skill with Brutality (35% increased physical damage) and Leverage (50% increased crit chance against immobilized foes). However, consider saving your gems for more impactful skills later.
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Permafrost Bolts
A robust starting skill, Permafrost Bolts allow you to freeze and immobilize enemies with frost projectiles. Use Frost Nexus (increases the chance to freeze the ground around a frozen enemy) and Leverage for added effectiveness. Alternatively, use Double Barrel to load two bolts at once, though this increases reload time by 30%, which can be mitigated.
Remember, different skills enable loading varying numbers of bolts into your crossbow. Quickly refresh the charge by pressing the skill key again if needed. Also, attack speed influences reload speed, so don't overlook this stat.
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Explosive Grenade
Grenades are indispensable for dealing Area of Effect (AoE) damage. Enhance your Explosive Grenade with Scattershot to throw three grenades instead of one, though with a 20% damage reduction. Second Wind is another useful support skill. Be mindful of the grenades' trajectory; they follow physics and can be deflected by obstacles. Position yourself wisely when throwing into doorways or corridors to maximize impact.
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Gas Grenade
Gas Grenades release a cloud of poisonous gas that expands over time. Enhance it with Corrosion to reduce enemy armor by 80% from poison damage, freeing up slots used by other armor-reducing skills. Use Bursting Plague to increase damage. A standout feature is detonating the gas with fire for significantly increased damage, achievable with skills like Explosive Grenade or Explosive Shot.
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Galvanic Shards
Available from Act 2, Galvanic Shards transforms your crossbow into an automatic shotgun with lightning charges. Enhance it with Conduction and Lightning Infusion for devastating damage. With increased reload speed, it becomes an electro-automatic rifle, perfect for mowing down enemies swiftly.
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Herald of Thunder
A top-tier early-game buff, especially if you've adopted Galvanic Shards with Conduction. Herald of Thunder ensures a 100% chance to shock enemies, triggering lightning strikes. Activation requires 30 spirit units, obtainable from defeating a first-act boss.
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Explosive Shot
Embrace your inner Doomguy with Explosive Shot, best paired with grenades. The explosion from a bolt can trigger grenades on the ground. Enhance with Fire Infusion for increased fire damage and effective AoE clearing. Unlike Galvanic Shards, Explosive Shot keeps enemies at a distance and offers a fire-based alternative for dealing with specific monster weaknesses.
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These skills are crucial for leveling your Mercenary to around level 20-25, helping you grasp the class's mechanics. Aim to unlock as many of these abilities as possible to handle diverse enemy types with different elemental damage. Now, let's delve into passive skill development.
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Passive Skills of the Mercenary
Focus on passive skills that boost projectile damage. Key nodes to prioritize include:
⚔️ Remorseless — Boosts projectile damage by 15%, increases stun buildup against nearby enemies by 30%, and adds 5 strength and dexterity. A strong starting buff.
⚔️ Ricochet — Increases projectile damage by 15% and adds a 10% chance for projectiles to chain an additional time. Enhances overall damage output.
⚔️ Blur — Boosts movement speed by 4%, increases evasion rating by 20%, and adds 10 dexterity. Improves survivability and attribute progression.
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⚔️ Heavy Ammunition — Reduces attack speed by 8% but increases projectile damage and stun buildup by 40%. A significant damage boost, especially if you've taken Blur.
⚔️ Careful Aim — Enhances projectile damage by 16% and increases accuracy rating at close range by 40%. Essential for improving accuracy over time.
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⚔️ Cluster Bombs — Increases grenade fuse duration by 50% and adds an additional projectile to grenade skills. Ideal if using Explosive Shot, as the grenades detonate immediately upon impact.
⚔️ Adrenaline Rush — Grants 4% increased movement speed and 8% increased attack speed if you've killed recently. A useful skill on the path to Instant Reload.
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⚔️ Doomsayer — Enhances Herald skills with 30% increased area of effect and damage. A powerful way to amplify Herald of Thunder's impact.
⚔️ Instant Reload — Boosts crossbow reload speed by 40%, with an additional 30% on the path to this node, totaling a 70% increase. Also unlocks the first Jewel Socket along the way.
⚔️ Volatile Grenades — Reduces grenade fuse duration by 25%. Only take this if you're not using Explosive Shot in combat.
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These passive skills should give you a solid foundation, requiring about 30-35 skill points. As you work towards them, you'll gain a deeper understanding of the Mercenary's mechanics in PoE2. Don't hesitate to experiment, as the joy of playing a Mercenary lies in discovering your unique builds and combinations!
