Conquer Path of Exile 2 as a Mercenary: A Beginner's Guide
Tired of fantasy tropes? Path of Exile 2's Mercenary class offers a unique, action-packed experience reminiscent of a top-down Doom game. Embrace the crossbow, your trusty shotgun equivalent, and obliterate hordes of enemies! This guide focuses on early-game strategies for version 0.1.0f. Note that Grinding Gear Games (GGG) may introduce changes in the full release.
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Mercenary Fundamentals:
While the Mercenary can wield any weapon, crossbows are the optimal choice. They combine the functionality of automatic rifles, shotguns, and grenade launchers. Forget melee combat; keep your distance and unleash ranged devastation.
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Key Attributes:
Prioritize Dexterity for increased damage and evasion. Evasion surpasses armor in importance. Boost Movement Speed for enhanced maneuverability. 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. Consider Brutality and Leverage support gems.
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- Permafrost Bolts: A strong early-game choice. Freeze and immobilize enemies for increased critical hit chances with Leverage support. Double Barrel adds more bolts but increases reload time (mitigatable later).
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- Explosive Grenade: Excellent for crowd control. Scattershot support gem allows for three grenades, increasing AoE but slightly reducing damage. Second Wind is a valuable addition.
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- Gas Grenade: Creates a poisonous gas cloud. Corrosion support gem reduces enemy armor, while Bursting Plague boosts damage. Detonate the gas with fire skills (like Explosive Grenade later Explosive Shot) for massive damage.
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- Galvanic Shards (Act 2): Transforms your crossbow into an electric shotgun. Conduction and Lightning Infusion support gems maximize damage.
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- Herald of Thunder: A powerful buff, especially with Galvanic Shards and Conduction. Requires 30 spirit units.
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- Explosive Shot: Pairs well with grenades; explosions detonate nearby grenades. Fire Infusion increases fire damage.
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Passive Skill Tree Prioritization:
Focus on nodes increasing projectile damage:
- Remorseless: Increased projectile damage, stun buildup, and attribute boosts.
- Ricochet: Increased projectile damage and chain chance.
- Blur: Movement and evasion boosts.
- Heavy Ammunition: Increased projectile damage and stun, reduced attack speed.
- Careful Aim: Increased projectile damage and accuracy at close range.
- Cluster Bombs: Increased grenade fuse duration and additional projectile.
- Adrenaline Rush: Increased movement and attack speed after kills.
- Doomsayer: Increased Herald skill area of effect and damage.
- Instant Reload: Significantly increased crossbow reload speed.
- Volatile Grenades: Reduced grenade fuse duration (optional, if not using Explosive Shot).
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Image: ensigame.com
Image: ensigame.com
Image: ensigame.com
Experiment and discover your own optimal build! This guide provides a solid foundation for early-game success.
