Mercenary Mastery: Unleash Your Blade in PoE2

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 bows; embrace the crossbow and unleash a storm of projectiles upon your enemies! This guide provides a comprehensive walkthrough for early-game success, focusing on build strategies and skill choices for Path of Exile 2 version 0.1.0f (subject to change in future updates).

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Mercenary Strengths:

A well-developed Mercenary becomes a formidable monster-slaying machine, capable of efficiently dispatching both regular enemies and challenging bosses. The Mercenary's versatility allows for the use of any weapon, but the crossbow is the star of the show, acting as a hybrid of automatic rifle, shotgun, and grenade launcher.

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Key Attributes:

Prioritize Dexterity for increased damage and evasion. Evasion is superior to armor in this build. Movement speed is crucial for maneuvering and dodging attacks. Allocate Strength and Intelligence as needed to meet equipment or skill requirements.

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Early Game Skills:

• Fragmentation Rounds: A decent starting skill, but quickly outclassed by other options. Consider Brutality and Leverage support gems for increased damage and critical strike chance against immobilized enemies.

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• Permafrost Bolts: A strong early-game choice. Freeze and immobilize enemies with frost projectiles, enhancing critical strike chance with Leverage and Frost Nexus support gems. Double Barrel adds more bolts but increases reload time (mitigable with increased attack speed).

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• Explosive Grenade: Essential for crowd control. Scattershot allows for three grenades at once (damage reduction is offset by increased area of effect). Second Wind provides additional survivability.

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• Gas Grenade: Creates a poisonous gas cloud, further enhanced by Corrosion (armor reduction) and Bursting Plague (damage increase). 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, firing lightning. Conduction and Lightning Infusion support gems drastically increase damage.

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• Herald of Thunder: An excellent buff, especially when paired with Galvanic Shards and Conduction. Provides a 100% chance to shock enemies, triggering the Herald of Thunder effect.

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• Explosive Shot: Combines well with grenades, detonating them on impact. Fire Infusion increases fire damage, providing another effective AoE clearing method.

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Passive Skill Tree Recommendations:

Focus on nodes that increase projectile damage, such as: Remorseless, Ricochet, Blur, Heavy Ammunition, Careful Aim, Cluster Bombs (if using Explosive Shot), Adrenaline Rush, Doomsayer (for Herald of Thunder), Instant Reload, and Volatile Grenades (if not using Explosive Shot). These skills will provide a solid foundation for your build.

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Remember to experiment and find the build that best suits your playstyle. The Mercenary's adaptability allows for diverse and powerful builds!