In the long-awaited Path of Exile 2 Early Access, Mercenary, as a new class in the sequel, adds a lot of fun to this brand new game. It seems to be out of tune with this large-scale MMO, because the crossbow ability of the weapon type it uses feels like a traditional gun, which does not belong to this game that emphasizes melee strikes.
But if you prefer to stand away from the battlefield and deal damage to the enemy in a safe range, then Mercenary is very suitable for you, because it can directly shoot through distant enemies, especially those arrogant bosses and monsters that are highly resistant to magic attack damage.
Like the original, you need to choose the best build for Mercenary in POE 2 and maximize its effectiveness by placing various gear. By far the most damaging build you can use in the game is Grenade Mercenary, so this guide will show you the best skill choices and some gear choices for this build so you can get started right away.
Skills
In this new POE 2, we've introduced a new skill gem system. The skills you can use in your build are all provided by the skill gems you collect during exploration, so there is no specific answer to the specific order in which to place the skill gems. Even in the process of some skill gems that you haven't obtained yet, it is also possible to choose a similar but less powerful gem as a substitute.
In addition, you will encounter some Uncut Skill Gems during exploration, which you can convert into any skill gem you need in your build to make your damage or defense stronger. Of course, you don't have to worry about the gems you choose to deviate from the ones we provide you, because the skill list provided here is very basic, and you can add some to it to suit your play style.
Below is the list of skill gems we can provide you with, and the supporting gems they need.
- Explosive Shot: Martial Tempo & Pierce & Nimble Reload
- Oil Grenade: Persistence & Strip Away & Encumbrance
- Flash Grenade: Scattershot & Overpower & Heft
- Explosive Grenade: Fire Infusion & Primal Armament & Payload
- Gas Grenade: Corrosion & Armour Explosion & Break Posture
- Overwhelming Presence: Clarity & Vitality
- Time of Need: Clarity & Vitality
Passive Skills
Since the passive skill tree in POE 2 is so large and every class can use various passive skills, there are too many best passive skills for Grenade Mercenary build, as they can all provide you with very useful benefits.
But if you need to pick the best passive skill tree unlock path, the following passive skill nodes will be your best choice. It should be noted here that unlike skill gems, passive skill trees need to be unlocked and activated one by one in order, so if you make a mistake, you can modify it by spending some POE2 Currency.
- Repeating Explosives: Can cause your grenades to cause chain explosion damage.
- Adrenaline Rush: Can increase your movement speed.
- Volatile Grenades: Can increase the damage of your grenades.
- Cluster Bombs: Increase the chance of chain explosions.
- Grenadier: Can increase the damage of your grenades.
- Giantslayer: Can increase the damage of all your skills against elite enemies.
- Cull the Hordes: Can make monsters less resistant to your explosion damage.
- Perfect Opportunity: Increases all damage to enemies that are already heavily stunned.
Ascendancy
In POE 2's unique Ascendancy system, you can choose between Witchhunter and Gemling Legionnaire as your Ascendancy Class for Mercenary. For Grenade Mercenary build, the former is the most suitable.
Here you need to be reminded that although you can respond to all your skills after you have experienced Ascension Trial, you cannot use other classes to achieve this powerful build. You can only complete Trial of Sekhemas or Trial of Chaos.
For Witchhunter build, the three skills of Zealous Inquisition, Pitiless Killer, and Judge, Jury, and Executioner can make your build more explosive and can kill all enemies faster, causing unpredictable, devastating damage.
Items
Like your skill gems, the items you use in your POE 2 Grenade Mercenary builds also level up as you explore, so rather than going for items that provide you with all-around buffs, specialize in items that provide you with a single attribute buff, such as using POE 2 Exalted Orbs to make them more potent.
Currently, the specific buffs to focus on when choosing gear for your Grenade Mercenary build in Early Access vary depending on the gear, for example, defensive gear like Helms, Boots, and Gloves should prioritize items that increase Defense, Armor, Resistance, and Life, while for gear like Weapons that need to have damage capabilities, you can consider items that increase Physical Damage, Stun Duration, and Dexterity.
The above are some skills and items you can choose for Grenade Mercenary build in POE 2 Early Access. Of course, you don't have to move them all to your build, because each player's build ideas and game style are different. It's just for reference. I hope you can successfully pass all the levels with the help of this build and get more rewards!