Path of Exile 2 Mercenary Guide

Welcome to our comprehensive Path of Exile 2 Mercenary guide, heroes. This is one of the six new classes added with the new release. You will have a fun time experimenting with your Crossbow combos. Prepare to try to unseen before abilities and destroy the hordes of mobs in a completely new way. We will start with a general overview of the class, and cover the most essential weapons, skill gems, Ascendancies, leveling strategies, and the best builds.

You can get straight into action with our ready-to-play Mercenary Build at SkyCoach. Our PROs will do everything for you to save your time and help you skip the grind. Enjoy the endgame content with any difficulty, as both Softcore and Hardcore modes are available.

Read our other PoE 2 guides:

• Warrior Guide
• Ranger Guide
• Monk Guide
• Witch Guide
• Sorceress Guide
• Best Builds

PoE 2 Mercenary Overview

To get to know more about this class, we have prepared a short Path of Exile 2 Mercenary overview for you.

Mercenary uses Strength and Dexterity as the two main stats to benefit from. This class can wield two Crossbows to create unexpected combos, focusing on either AoE or single-target damage. It also has a ton of CCs to control mobs and destroy them from a distance without letting them close.

You can choose what Crossbow type to use and enjoy a different range of effects your spells will have while it is equipped. Mercenary has enough survivability yet strives to increase DPS to the full to unlock its full potential.

Look at what this class is capable of by watching a Path of Exile 2 Mercenary trailer and gameplay walkthrough.

Mercenary Pros and Cons

No class is perfect, and the developers have done a lot to balance them out perfectly. We suggest you compare all Mercenary pros and cons to make your decision on if it is worth playing at all. These things might change in the future with the upcoming buffs and nerfs, but this is what we have so far.

Let’s begin with Mercenary Pros first:

1. Highly Versatile
2. Tons of CCs
3. Decent Survivability

As for Mercenary Cons, they are as follows:

1. Mana Dependent
2. Positioning Matters
3. Hard to Master

Speaking of the last point, Mercenary can be difficult to master from top to bottom indeed. This class has a bunch of combos, each suiting a specific combat situation. You need to know exactly when to use a particular Crossbow. You have three types of them, each changing the way your abilities act.

For example, a combination of an Explosive Grenade Launcher and Permafrost Ammo with a Power Shot Crossbow works great for CC and AoE damage. You just launch the wall, block a pack of mobs, and destroy them with an explosion before they get a chance to keep moving.

Mercenary Weapons

PoE 2 presents a large range of new weapon types, including Crossbows used by Mercenary. You can have two different Crossbows equipped at the same time. Each will have a distinct effect on your abilities and playstyle in general. This makes the class a versatile machine suitable for long and close-range encounters. Here are a few examples of Mercenary weapons to use:

• Corruption Core Daedalian Crossbow – Grants Burst Shot Skill, as well as 44% increased Physical damage, adds 10 to 18 Physical damage, +14 Dexterity, and you gain 4 Life per enemy killed.
• Blight Core Daedalian Crossbow – Grants Power Shot Skill, as well as 57% increased Physical damage, +46 to Accuracy rating, +65% to Critical Damage bonus, and 6.45% of Physical Attack Damage leeched as Life.

It is up to you what two Crossbow types you will use to make your combos happen. Everything comes down to your playstyle and particular in-game situations. You will have Armor Piercing Ammo, Incendiary Ammo, and Permafrost Ammo to use. They will have different effects depending on the Crossbow equipped.

Burst Shot Crossbow

• Armor Piercing: Unleashes a spread of armor-piercing rounds that can punch through multiple enemies.
• Incendiary Ammo: Shoots a fiery projectile that becomes even more powerful on impact.
• Permafrost Ammo: Has a chance to freeze enemies, chilling them with an icy blast.

Rapid Shot Crossbow

• Armor Piercing: Fires rapid shots to shred through armor, pairing well with the Burst Shot Crossbow for added impact.
• Incendiary Ammo: Charges up to deal more damage the longer it is heated and adds explosive power with a grenade effect.
• Permafrost Ammo: Fires at the ground to create ice crystals. Lure monsters onto the crystals, which then detonate to freeze them.

Power Shot Crossbow

• Armor Piercing: When an enemy’s armor is down, it hits a weak spot for massive damage and has a chance to stun them.
• Incendiary Ammo: Acts like a mini rocket launcher, throwing grenades that explode on impact with the ground.
• Permafrost Ammo: Builds an ice wall for crowd control; when a monster breaks it, it explodes, dealing a bit of extra damage.

This variety of effects allows you to dominate in practically any encounter. No matter if you need AoE or extra control, this class has it all. You just need to learn to use everything on time and when you need it most. BLOG20

Mercenary Skill Gems

You have a large range of abilities to combine to rule in any encounter. This part of the guide explains all Mercenary skill gems available in Path of Exile 2:

1. Fragmentation Rounds – Equip your crossbow with piercing bolts that unleash rapid bursts of shots. When these bolts strike a frozen enemy or hit an ice crystal, they’ll break the freeze effect or shatter the crystal, setting off a powerful explosion of shrapnel that tears through anything nearby.
2. Armor Piercing Rounds – Equip your crossbow with a quick-fire clip of bolts designed to shred enemy armor. Activating the skill again instantly reloads the clip, so you’re always ready to keep the pressure on and break through defenses.
3. Permafrost Bolts – Use it to deal insignificant AoE damage and apply a powerful slow effect on all the targets hit in a cone. You can completely freeze the target if it is vulnerable to this damage type.
4. High Velocity Rounds – Fire with Piercing Bolts that will deal overwhelming damage against targets with no armor.
5. Incendiary Shot – Works similarly to the Permafrost Bolts skill yet ignites enemies hit in a cone instead.
6. Rapid Shot – Launch a series of modified bolts to deal Fire Damage. It will increase gradually, depending on how much Heat you have stored before activating the skill.
7. Ice Shards – Works in a similar manner but launches ice bolts instead of fire ones.
8. Explosive Shot – Deal overwhelming AoE damage with explosive bolts.
9. Glacial Bolt – Fire icy bolts that will create two walls of Ice Crystals when touching mobs.

You will use Rapid Shot Crossbow and Power Shot Crossbow in most cases. The majority of Path of Exile 2 Mercenary skills we have described are more powerful when you have these weapon types equipped.

Best Meta Gems for Mercenary

You have separate slots to insert meta gems to gain other effects. It is particularly difficult to predict the best Mercenary meta gems based only on the spells we know about. We can only suggest one of them for you as a Physical DPS:

• Cast on Critical – Allows you to store Energy when you land a Critical Hit. Any spells socketed in this slot will be triggered automatically when you reach the maximum limit.

Always check what Path of Exile 2 Mercenary stats are required before equipping a particular meta gem. While you are mainly interested in Strength and Dexterity, other stats influence your gameplay as well.

Mercenary Attachments

Along with PoE 2 Mercenary spells you have at your disposal, there are three attachments to try and combine with your abilities. They are equipped in a separate slot and work similarly to skill gems. This part of the guide contains a brief description of each, as well as a few ideas on how you can benefit from them in the game:

Any of the launchers you have in your arsenal can be especially strong in specific scenarios. They are a great addition to your rotations, as they act as an extra skill gem when equipped. BLOG20

Best Mercenary Rotation

While there are a ton of combos you can try, we will need more time to try them all. Here is a great example of the best Mercenary rotation to memorize:

1. Glacial Bolt
2. Explosive Grenade
3. Permafrost Bolts
4. Armor Piercing Rounds

This will help you keep enemies afar while also dealing a ton of damage from a distance and in melee range. You can also start an encounter with a Flash Grenade instead or Oil Grenade to try different skills.

Mercenary Ascendancies

Path of Exile 2 Mercenary Ascendancies open up new borders for you. While there will eventually be three choices for every class, for now, you can pick between two: Witch Hunter or Gemling Legionnaire. Each brings its unique style and perks, letting you customize your Mercenary to fit your preferred gameplay approach.

Witch Hunter

• This is a deadly blend of offense, defense, and utility. If you are someone who enjoys calculated strikes and utility-driven gameplay, this is the Ascendancy for you.
• Notable Skills: Weapon Master, Pitiless Killer, Witchbane.

Gemling Legionnaire

• This is an entirely different beast. This Ascendancy revolves around optimizing your Skill Gems, making it one of the most unique Ascendancies in the game. If you are someone who loves tweaking builds and maximizing potential, you will feel right at home here.
• Notable Skills: Crystalline Potential, Implanted Gems, Advanced Thaumaturgy.

Check this part of the guide to learn more about the upcoming Ascendancy class and more.

Mercenary Leveling

Note: This section of the guide is under development.

Path of Exile 2 Mercenary leveling is a steady progression from scratch all the way up to level 100 to explore the endgame. Players progress through zones by completing quests and defeating enemies to gain experience. As you level up, you will unlock more powerful skills, gear, and passives, allowing for stronger character builds.

Leveling involves clearing areas, looting gear, and managing skill gems to enhance your abilities. Along the way, you will encounter unique challenges, including tougher monsters and bosses, which will test your character's strength and build effectiveness. You will experience the pinnacle of a challenge during PoE 2 Mercenary gameplay lvl 100 when you fight the most powerful bosses and adds.

It is crucial to balance survivability and damage output, adjusting your gear and skills as you go. Efficient leveling requires smart resource management, knowing when to upgrade equipment, and prioritizing key abilities to advance quickly. All this comes together with a bunch of Path of Exile 2 Mercenary passives you need to adjust correctly to reach the maximum effect.

Mercenary Best Builds

Note: This section of the guide is under development.

Our team needs more time to run tests and prepare Path of Exile 2 Mercenary best builds for you. There are plenty of weapon combos and skill gems to try out. However, we already know that any of the setups will run two different Crossbow types to complement each other.

Your goal in any build is to find a perfect combination to dominate in single-target and AoE fights equally. The same goes for balancing between DPS and CCs. With the right skill gems and Crossbows types equipped, you will achieve this in a jiffy.

Mercenary Tips and Tricks

As we are about to finish our guide, we have prepared the three most essential PoE 2 Mercenary tips and tricks to consider:

• Keep Your Gear Updated – As you level, monsters get tougher, so do not ignore your gear. Regularly check for weapon upgrades and better armor to keep your damage and defenses strong. Sometimes, just swapping in a piece with higher resistance or more life can make a big difference!
• Stick to a Simple Skill Setup – Early on, it is best to keep things simple and focus on one or two main skills. Find support gems that enhance your main skill's damage or utility, and do not worry about trying out every gem you find. This will keep your gameplay smoother and more efficient as you level up.
• Do not Neglect Defense – It is tempting to go all-in on damage, but surviving is key, especially in higher zones. Invest in life or energy shields, boost your resistances, and consider defensive flasks. Staying alive means leveling faster!

Conclusion

This brings us to the end of our PoE 2 Mercenary guide, exiles. You are now ready to tackle any challenges and defeat the strongest bosses on your path. Level to 100, equip the best gear and prove that you are the strongest among others. This class turns out to be well-balanced, allowing you to combine and try different playstyles to find the one you like the most. Good luck, and we will see you in the game!

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