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? The Mercenary class offers a unique, action-packed alternative—think top-down Doom with crossbows instead of shotguns! This guide provides a beginner-friendly build for the early access version (0.1.0f), focusing on maximizing damage and survivability. Note that Grinding Gear Games (GGG) may introduce changes in the full release.

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Core Mercenary Strengths:

The Mercenary excels at obliterating enemies, both regular mobs and bosses. While capable of using any weapon, crossbows are the optimal choice for their versatility, acting as a blend of automatic rifle, shotgun, and grenade launcher. Focus on ranged combat; avoid close-quarters engagements.

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Key Attributes and Stats:

Prioritize Dexterity for increased damage and evasion. Evasion is crucial; armor is secondary. Movement speed is vital for dodging attacks. 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 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 projectiles. Pair with Frost Nexus and Leverage support gems for enhanced freezing and critical strike chance. Double Barrel adds extra bolts but increases reload time (mitigable later).

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• Explosive Grenade: Excellent for clearing large groups. Scattershot allows for three grenades instead of one (damage reduction is worth the AoE). Second Wind is a helpful support gem. Remember projectile physics and positioning for optimal effect.

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• Gas Grenade: Releases poison gas, gradually damaging enemies. Corrosion reduces enemy armor, making it a strong choice. Bursting Plague increases 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 lightning shotgun. Conduction and Lightning Infusion support gems significantly increase damage.

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• Herald of Thunder: A powerful buff, especially effective with Galvanic Shards and Conduction. Requires 30 spirit units (obtainable from an Act 1 boss).

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• Explosive Shot: Combines well with grenades; explosions detonate nearby grenades. Fire Infusion boosts fire damage. Offers ranged AoE and an alternative to Galvanic Shards.

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Recommended Passive Skill Tree Nodes:

Focus on nodes that increase projectile damage:

• Remorseless: Increased projectile damage, stun buildup, and attribute bonuses.
• 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 projectile. (Use with Explosive Shot)
• Adrenaline Rush: Increased movement and attack speed after kills.
• Doomsayer: Increased Herald skill area of effect and damage. (For Herald of Thunder)
• Instant Reload: Increased crossbow reload speed.
• Volatile Grenades: Reduced grenade fuse duration (only if not using Explosive Shot).

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This guide provides a solid foundation. Experiment with different skill and passive combinations to discover your optimal Mercenary build!