Mercenary in Path of Exile 2: Hunter and Gemstone Legionnaire Builds

Mercenary in Path of Exile 2 — a starting class from early access, the character uses a multi-shot crossbow as a weapon and represents a completely new type of gameplay, not typical for Diablo-like role-playing games. Playing as a Mercenary is more like a dynamic top-down shooter, in which a brave fighter destroys crowds of monsters with a shotgun or assault rifle, throwing grenades around himself.

In this guide, we'll cover the best builds, ways to level up the Mercenary skill tree, the best ives and skill gems, and we'll also touch on rotations for the most effective play.

Over time, the article will be supplemented with new builds for the Mercenary. If you plan to actively play PoE 2, add the page to your bookmarks so as not to miss the appearance of new builds and try them out among the first.

PoE 2 Mercenary Guide for Fast Leveling

Starting builds for the Mercenary can vary greatly, depending on what the player's ultimate goal is and what style of gameplay they choose for themselves. However, to quickly progress through the story and enter the maps, you can use a universal build suitable for any of the Crossbowman Ascensions. At any time, you can use this game setup switch to any of the endgame builds and continue pumping in accordance with it.

You can clear maps of small mobs in such a build using Electrifying fragmentsFor strong single targets, use the following rotation:

• Oil grenadeto slow the target and add vulnerability to ignite.
• Explosive Shot sets fire to oil and enemies.
• Gas grenades will detonate instantly when their cloud touches an open flame.
• Explosive grenades spam until Gas Grenade is off cooldown and repeat the rotation.

Item characteristics

During the leveling process, do not forget to check the assortment of merchants at each level and look for suitable items with modifiers from the table below. First of all, choose the best crossbow to increase outgoing damage and make the campaign easier. As basic protective characteristics in armor elements, choose evasion и energy shield, since this hybrid build is based on them.

It is worth buying on the marketplace Embroidered Hood Light Sorrow, which automatically sets nearby enemies on fire. Such an acquisition will make the age much easier and will help to easily complete the story.

Don't forget that flat physical damage and protective properties of equipment can be increased with runes of iron, often dropped by mobs. Sagging resistances in equipment can also be supplemented with the help of appropriate runes.

Skill upgrading

During the age of all acts of the story campaign, the following set of skill stones should be collected:

Selecting ives

When developing a Mercenary through the ive talent tree, follow the route shown in the screenshot above. Collect as many as possible in the stat nodes. forceYou need exactly as much dexterity as your equipment requires.

PoE 2 Witch Hunter Endgame Build with Electrifying Shards

If you want to just run and shoot, destroying everything alive on the maps, you should get Ascension to Witch Hunter and focus on using it in your upgrades. Electrifying fragments. This skill alone can clear maps endlessly, and for single targets, concentrated damage is suitable. Electric flash projectiles.

Equipment selection and stat priority

The equipment for such a Witch Hunter is selected taking into that the basic characteristics should include evasion and energy shield. These parameters need to be collected as much as possible to increase survivability. When choosing modifiers for armor elements, focus on the table:

The final build does not require any unique items. Here are some tips on choosing equipment for this build:

• Try to find a weapon with the highest possible physical damage. Additional flat electrical damage will not be superfluous. In addition to damage, it is important to look at the attack speed and reload speed - all these indicators significantly increase DPS.
• All armor select with the highest possible indicators ES and evasions.
• In rings, look for as much extra lightning damage as possible. Physical damage will do as well.
• Fill in the missing resistances with runes. If everything is OK with the resists, put Runes of Iron.

Skills and stones

The final setup of skill stones looks like this:

To save Spirit keep only the aura on all the time dancing with the Wind. Before boss fights it is only turned on ismor, Thunder Herald and Ghost Dance — for the duration of map clearing. It is not necessary to increase the level of spirit stones to the maximum, since each improvement increases the requirements for characteristics, while not giving a large increase in the character's strength.

To avoid losing movement speed while using Electrifying Shards, don't hold down the attack button. With short presses, the character will shoot at the same pace, but will not slow down.

ive skills

In the Ascendancy tree, the final build will look good with the skills Ragged Inquisition, Merciless Assassin, Obsessive Rituals, and Ceremonial Ablution.

The screenshots above show the final version of the main ive skill tree upgrade.

Video guides

Details and nuances of building the assembly can be found in the video guide:

Witch Hunter Endgame Build Through Ignite

By the end of the upgrade, the Witch Hunter is an arsonist, capable of inflicting huge damage to bosses and at the same time remaining extremely easy to control even for newcomers to the genre.

Skills and stones

In the late game, build the following set of active skills:

This build uses a unique helmet. Bright sorrow, which sets nearby enemies on fire. This makes clearing maps a one-button affair. Just throw gas grenades around and the clouds will ignite themselves, destroying enemies. When facing denser enemies, shoot oil grenades first, then ignite the gas clouds.

When fighting bosses, stick to the following rotation:

1. Get close enough to set the enemy on fire.
2. Attack with Storm Calling Arrowsto inflict shock and increase future damage.
3. Place Oil pomegranates under the enemy's feet.
4. Start throwing at the enemy Gas grenades... Use Explosive grenades for extra damage and periodically refresh the oil on the field.

Equipment

As mentioned above, for a comfortable game you will need to get the helmet Light Sorrow. Another unique item that makes the assembly more convenient is the ring Deadly rush. His skill can significantly speed up movement across maps by increasing skill speed by 20% and movement by 10% for killing enemies.

The rest of the equipment is standard. Try to collect as many resistances in armor as possible. In bracers, look for armor to take advantage of the ive Braided gloves. Boots are needed with the highest possible movement speed. Oil for the amulet will work with the skill Walk like fog. You can also use Animal skin.

Find as a weapon Bombardier's Crossbow with the best modifiers to increase physical damage. Additional fire damage and increased attack speed will also come in handy. To use Stormcaller Arrow, you need to equip a second set of weapons cheap bow and quiver, with flat electrical damage and a little physical. A little plus to accuracy wouldn't hurt in the quiver either.

ive skills

In the Ascension branch, take skills Zealous Inquisition, obsessive rituals, Ceremonial washing и Ruthless killer. Upgrade the main tree using the screenshot above as a guide.

Video guides

You can learn more about all the nuances of the build in the video:

Endgame build of Kamenite Legionnaire in PoE 2 via state stacking

By the end of the game, Legionnaire Kamenitov can get a huge number of skills at his disposal, thanks to which it becomes possible to fully impose negative effects and early rotation through freezing will no longer be relevant.

Skills and stones

To start dealing heavy damage by applying conditions to enemies, build the following setup of skills and gems:

To fully utilize the entire set of skills from the list, you will need to acquire two good crossbows to switch between them. Distribute the skills as follows:

• Weapon Set 1: Fragmentation Rounds, Herald of Plague, Attrition.
• Weapon Set 2: Galvanic Shards, Shockburst Rounds, Blink, Cast on Freeze, Overhelming Presence.

Wind Dancer, Lightning Warp, and Ball Lightning should be in both sets.

In this scenario, the rotation looks like this:

1. Use Galvanic Shards, to freeze monsters using stones installed on the skill.
2. Switch to another set of weapons and shoot frozen enemies with Fragmentation Rounds, thereby poisoning them and starting the spread of poison with the help of the Herald of Plague aura.
3. If the group of enemies is large, wait for activation Cast on Freeze and cast Infection on the frozen mob and attack it. This will create a powerful AoE explosion that will destroy the entire group.

In boss fights, use first Ball lightning и Thunderstorm ageto create a large electrical area on the ground. While the enemy is shocked, shoot them with a full charge Shockburst Rounds, use Emergency Reload and repeat again. Shoot at the frozen target fragmentation shells from the first set of weapons, and then repeat the entire process until victory.

Equipment

When selecting equipment, aim to obtain the following stats:

• 550 or more physical damage on a crossbow;
• 9% critical hit chance;
• 75% all elemental resistances;
• 3-500 health.
• 95 or more Spirit.

On the crossbow, look for as much physical damage and critical hit chance as possible. A modifier for charging additional bolts would not be superfluous. To get maximum bonuses from the General's Braces and Braided Gloves skills, look for bracers with an armor rating of 450 and additional affixes to strength and maximum health.

ive skills

For the build to work effectively, the ive skill tree should be upgraded in accordance with the screenshots above. In the Ascension branch, it is important to take Ability to adapt, Increased efficiency, All-round efficiency и Strewn with stones.

Since the build uses two crossbows, some skills should be distributed among different sets of weapons. In the screenshot, they are highlighted in different colors:

• Red - Weapon Set I;
• Green - Weapon Set II.

To make it easier to find the nodes you need in the main skill tree, use the list of all the nodes you need for the build:

• Open wounds (I);
• Suppression (I);
• Quick change;
• Adrenaline rush;
• Unexpected agility;
• Instant reload;
• Verzila;
• Bull;
• Brute force;
• Braided gloves;
• General's bonds;
• Polymath;
• Handyman;
• Reusable ammunition;
• Full line;
• Giant Slayer (II);
• Lightning rod (II);
• Fast Storm (II);
• Forces of Nature (II);
• Brave Avatar (II);
• Deterioration (II);
• Fast-acting toxins (II);
• Wasting (II);
• Exploit (I);
• Falcon Dive;
• Acceleration (II).

Endgame Kamenite Legionnaire attribute stacker build in PoE 2

An attribute stacker can only reveal his full potential and show himself at full strength after receiving all the necessary equipment and unlocking all the necessary skills. It is worth starting to pump such a build only if there are suddenly a couple of extra Mirrors of Kalandra or several hundred Divine Spheres in the stash. Or perhaps, during the game, you were lucky and the inventory contained suitable unique items to start closing the entire endgame content with the press of a couple of buttons.

Skills and stones

In the table below you can find all the important skills and gems for the build.

The rotation is extremely simple: cast Charged Staff accumulate enough energy charges, then start spamming Ice Strike. Use in boss fights Hand of Chayulato apply debuffs, then place Tempest Bell and continue attacking with Ice Strike.

Skills Lightning rod и Sphere of Storms are optional. They can be used with a second weapon to further increase the character's effectiveness against bosses. Simply switch to the desired set, place lightning rods, activate them with a storm sphere to create a chain reaction, and place a Tempest Bell there.

Equipment

To get a really strong character, you will need to collect a small collection of unique items:

• Battle Staff of the Captive God;
• Gloves Hand of Wisdom and Action;
• Morior Invictus Body Armor;
• Helmet Crest of the Black Sun.

If you are lucky enough to get all of the above, you can add a belt. Ingenuity and an amulet AstramentisA short bow is recommended as a second weapon. A Shower of Feathers.

ive skills

In the Ascendancy tree for the Legionnaire Stacker, take Adaptability, Increased Efficiency, Crystal Potential, and Advanced Sorcery.

Continue upgrading the main skill tree according to the screenshots. The final list of nodes should look like this:

• Battle-hardened;
• Polymath;
• Handyman;
• Unnatural stamina;
• Brute force;
• Bull;
• Blade Catcher;
• Prismatic Guardian;
• The art of hand-to-hand combat;
• Resonance;
• Sure hit;
• Hit where it hurts;
• Deep trance;
• Pliable flesh.

Video guides

For convenience, we have selected videos explaining all the nuances of the assemblies discussed in the article.

Overlay of states:

Stack of attributes:

We hope this guide was useful and helped you decide on a build for the Mercenary in Path of Exile 2. If you have any questions about the builds, ask them in comments, and share your experiences and recommendations with other players. Stay tuned for new game guides coming out relevant section of the website.