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This Path of Exile 2 guide streamlines Mercenary leveling, a class renowned for its straightforward progression. While other classes face challenges, the Mercenary's versatility allows it to handle diverse combat scenarios. However, maximizing its potential requires strategic skill choices and gear optimization.
Effective Mercenary Leveling Strategies
Early-game Mercenary progression can feel slow if players solely rely on crossbow attacks. The key is transitioning to a grenade-based playstyle. Crossbows, while essential, suffer from reload times; grenades seamlessly fill this gap, significantly enhancing combat efficiency.
Early Game (Pre-Powerful Grenade Skills):
- Fragmentation Shot: Excellent for close-quarters combat against single or multiple enemies, especially when enhanced with stun-boosting support gems.
- Permafrost Shot: Rapidly freezes enemies, augmenting Fragmentation Shot damage upon shattering frozen foes.
Late Game (Post-Powerful Grenade Unlocks):
| Skill Gem | Beneficial Support Gems |
|---|---|
 Explosive Shot |
Ignition, Magnified Effect, Pierce |
 Gas Grenade |
Scattershot, Fire Penetration, Inspiration |
 Ripwire Ballista |
Ruthless |
 Explosive Grenade |
Fire Infusion, Primal Armament, Magnified Effect |
 Oil Grenade |
Ignition, Magnified Effect |
 Flash Grenade |
Overpower |
 Galvanic Shards |
Lightning Infusion, Pierce |
 Glacial Bolt |
Fortress |
 Herald of Ash |
Clarity, Vitality |
- Gas Grenade: Poisons enemies over a wide area, detonatable with a Detonation skill.
- Explosive Grenades: Explode after a delay or upon detonation, providing substantial AoE damage.
- Explosive Shot: Detonates Gas and Explosive Grenades, delivering massive area-of-effect damage.
- Ripwire Ballista: Distracts enemies.
- Glacial Bolt: Controls enemy hordes. (Replace Permafrost Shot).
- Oil Grenade: Useful for AoE, but generally outclassed by Gas Grenade. Consider swapping in for Glacial Bolt against bosses.
- Galvanic Shards: Effective for clearing large groups of weaker enemies. (Replace Fragmentation Shot).
- Herald of Ash: Ignites nearby enemies upon overkill damage.
The listed support gems are generally accessible early in Act 3. The synergy between base skills is crucial; use available support gems until acquiring the recommended ones. Employ Lesser Jeweller's Orbs to add support gem sockets to Explosive Grenade, Explosive Shot, and Gas Grenade.
Optimal Passive Skill Tree Progression
Prioritize these passive skills on the Mercenary tree:
- Cluster Bombs: Increases grenade projectile count.
- Repeating Explosives: Chance for grenades to explode twice.
- Iron Reflexes: Converts evasion to armor, mitigating the Sorcery Ward Ascendancy penalty (best Ascendancy for leveling).
Also seek out nodes for cooldown reduction, projectile/grenade damage, and area of effect. Crossbow reload speed, crossbow damage, armor, and evasion are valuable but secondary priorities. Focus on these only if grenade damage is sufficient and survivability is compromised.
Essential Gear and Stat Priorities
Gear upgrades should focus on replacing the weakest equipped item. A superior crossbow is the most impactful upgrade.
Prioritize these stats:
- Dexterity
- Strength
- Armor
- Evasion
- All Elemental Resistances (except Chaos)
- Increased Physical Damage
- Increased Elemental OR Fire Damage
- Attack Speed
- Mana On Kill OR Hit
- Life on Kill OR Hit
- Rarity of Items Found
- Movement Speed
A Bombard Crossbow is highly advantageous, adding an extra grenade projectile. Actively seek these out for crafting opportunities.
