How to Play Mercenary in Path of Exile 2 Early Game

Dec-10-2024

 

Path of Exile 2 offers a massive expansion in gameplay mechanics, skill gems, and customization. Mercenary class stands out as one of the with the Mercenary class standing out as one of the most versatile and explosive choices, so it is highly favored by many players.  

 

Combining ranged crossbow combat with an array of grenade-based abilities, the Mercenary is capable of crowd control, devastating explosions, and even boss melting with the right setup.

 

This guide will walk you through the ideal early game Mercenary build to help you progress through Path of Exile 2's vast content.

 

 

Overview of the Mercenary Playstyle

The Mercenary excels in ranged combat, using crossbows to fire piercing bolts that cause both elemental and physical damage. They can specialize in a range of skill gems, from explosive grenades to cold-infused projectiles, to crowd-control techniques like freezing enemies and causing devastating chain reactions. The core strength of this class lies in the ability to control the battlefield through immobilization and explosive damage.

 

Key Skills and Support Gems for Early Game

As you progress through Path of Exile 2, the Mercenary will have access to a variety of powerful skill gems that synergize with each other to maximize damage and crowd control.

 

1. Fragmentation Rounds

Description: Fires piercing bolts that explode when they hit frozen enemies or ice crystals.

Support Gems:

  - Leverage: Increases critical hit chance against immobilized enemies.

  - Double Barrel: Adds an extra bolt but reduces reload speed.

 

Fragmentation Rounds will be your go-to skill for dealing with frozen enemies. When used in combination with Permafrost Bolts (which freezes enemies), it turns the battlefield into a minefield of explosive damage. Leverage is crucial here as it amplifies your crit chance against immobilized enemies, helping you deal massive damage to frozen targets.

 

2. Permafrost Bolts

Description: Fires icy bolts that freeze enemies and deal damage in a small cone behind the target.

Support Gems:

  - Cold Infusion: Enhances cold damage, helping to freeze enemies faster.

  - Chain: Allows Permafrost Bolts to hit additional targets, spreading the freeze effect to multiple enemies.

 

Permafrost Bolts is essential for crowd control. As you freeze enemies, you'll set them up for Fragmentation Rounds to explode them into oblivion. Cold Infusion and Chain will allow you to hit multiple enemies at once, enhancing the freezing effect and providing crowd control in dense mobs.

 

3. Explosive Grenade

Description: Fires a bouncing grenade that causes a devastating explosion when the fuse expires.

Support Gems:

- Scattershot: Adds extra projectiles for more area coverage.

- Second Wind: Grants more uses of the ability and reduces cooldown recovery time.

 

Explosive Grenades are your main source of explosive damage. They can be used to clear crowds of enemies, and when enhanced with Scattershot, you can hit multiple targets at once. Second Wind is particularly useful when fighting bosses as it gives you extra grenade uses without the long cooldown.

 

4. Gas Grenade

Description: Creates a poison cloud that damages enemies and grows over time.

Support Gems:

  - Primal: Increases elemental damage of the poison.

  - Bursting Plague: Adds a DoT (damage over time) effect that increases as the poison spreads.

 

Gas Grenades add a poison component to your arsenal. They provide extra AoE damage in the form of a growing cloud, which can be detonated by your Explosive Grenade or Explosive Shot. Primal and Bursting Plague increase the poison's damage output, making it more effective against both bosses and dense mobs.

 

5. Incendiary Shot

Description: Fires fiery bolts that ignite enemies on impact.

Support Gems:

  - Wildfire: Extends the duration of Ignite effects.

  - Eternal Flame: Further increases Ignite damage and spread.

 

When you need to deal with large groups of enemies, Incendiary Shot is an excellent option. It ignites multiple enemies at once and works well with Wildfire and Eternal Flame, allowing you to spread and prolong the Ignite effect for more damage over time.

 

6. Explosive Shot

Description: Fires flaming bolts that explode on impact, detonating any nearby grenades.

Support Gems:

  - Immolate: Increases fire damage at the cost of losing the ability to Ignite.

  - Close Combat: Increases damage against close enemies.

 

This skill is perfect for setting up explosive chain reactions. Explosive Shot detonates any grenades you've deployed, causing massive AoE damage. If combined with Immolate and Close Combat, you can increase its effectiveness against grouped enemies, particularly bosses that are too close for your ranged attacks to hit.

 

7. Oil Grenade

Description: Releases oil that can be ignited by any Detonator skills.

Support Gems:

  - Strip Away: Increases the effect of Exposure, reducing enemies' fire resistance.

  - Payload: Adds additional activation chances for the oil spread.

 

The Oil Grenade can be used to slow enemies, reduce their fire resistance, and set up massive explosions with your other detonator skills. Use it in combination with Explosive Shot or Explosive Grenade for a devastating chain reaction.

 

Ascendancy Class

The Zealous Inquisition ascendancy is perfect for the Mercenary, giving you with a 10% chance to make enemies explode upon death, dealing 100% of their maximum life as physical damage. This is extremely effective for clearing crowds and even one-shotting bosses. The chance is doubled against Undead and Demons, making it even more useful in specific encounters.

 

Passive Skill Tree

For the Mercenary, focus on the following passive skill tree elements:

 

Stat Priorities

- Dexterity: The primary stat for equipping gear with high evasion and crossbows.

- Strength: Provides access to powerful support gems and increases health.

- Intelligence: Needed for some of the more advanced abilities like Herald of Ash.

 

Defensive Stats

- Evasion: A key defensive stat for Mercenaries, allowing you to avoid incoming attacks while staying mobile.

- Movement Speed: Helps with dodging and positioning during combat.

- Armour: Adds survivability when you get caught in melee.

 

Offensive Stats

- Projectile Damage: Increases the damage of your crossbow bolts and grenades.

- Chance to Inflict Ailments: Improves the effectiveness of your freezing and igniting abilities.

- Grenade AoE: Expands the area of effect of your grenades, ensuring maximum coverage.

 

Recommended Passive Skills

- Remorseless: Increases projectile damage and stun buildup.

- Ricochet: Grants a chance for projectiles to chain.

- Exposed Wounds: Increases ailment chances and reduces enemy armour.

- Quick-change Act: Improves weapon swap speed to seamlessly switch between crossbows.

 

Gear and Weapon Recommendations

When it comes to gear and weapons, consider the following recommendations:

 

For crossbows, the Dyad Crossbow is an excellent choice as it fires an extra bolt, enhancing your ability to apply ailments effectively. Another great option is the Bombard Crossbow, which fires an additional grenade, making it ideal for those who prefer an explosive playstyle.

 

As for armor, look for gear that combines Evasion and Armour, or simply focus on Evasion for maximum survivability. Additionally, prioritize increasing Movement Speed to stay mobile while shooting, allowing you to dodge enemy attacks and reposition yourself strategically during combat.

 

The Mercenary is a powerful and versatile class that can easily handle large groups of enemies while providing great crowd control and damage output in boss fights. By reading this passage, I think you will have a better understanding of it.

 

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