Best Mercenary build in Path of Exile 2

The Mercenary is the ultimate assassin in Path of Exile 2 early access. Here’s the best build you can create right now to put a bolt through your enemies.

A bit like the Demon Hunter and Scoundrel from Diablo, the Mercenary is a warrior who relies on their skill with a crossbow to hunt down their foes. The ideal soldier for hire, the Mercenary class is specially designed to serve as a lethal counter for pesky magic users that have become to big for their boots.

Below, we’ll detail the best Mercenary build so far in Path of Exile 2’s early access and explain how to craft it. This includes the Ascendancy you’ll need to assign, the skills needed, and the gear you’ll need to hunt down to make the best version of the build.

Best Mercenary build

The best Mercenary build we’ve used so far in Path of Exile 2 is the Grenade Mercenary

This build takes advantage of the Mercenary’s Witch Hunter Ascendancy to create a character who’s not only deadly with a crossbow, but also capable of chaining explosions for massive damage.

The strategy is all about blasting mobs with AoE damage before sniping the survivors before they can recover.

Best Ascendancy

The Mercenary has 2 Ascendancy sub-classes to select during early access. For this build, we’re going to select the Witch Hunter.

Be aware, that while you’ll be able to respec your skills, you’ll be unable to change Ascendancies once you’ve committed to the Infernalist. You’ll also need to complete the Trial of the Sekhemas or Trial of Chaos before you can Ascend.

After selecting the Infernalist Ascendancy, select the following abilities from it to assemble this build:

• Zealous Inquisition – Chance to make enemies explode
• Pitiless Killer – Kill elites quicker
• Judge, Jury, and Executioner – Enhances decimating strike damage

And each of the lesser skills in between these three.

Best skills for Mercenary build in PoE 2

Builds in Path of Exile 2 are all about the skills you select, so when you start the game and begin your leveling path toward endgame, select the following skills and support skills:

Skill	Support Skill 1	Support Skill 2	Support Skill 3	Support Skill 4	Support Skill 5
Explosive Shot	Martial Tempo	Pierce	Nimble Reload	–	–
Oil Grenade	Persistence	Strip Away	Encumbrance	–	–
Flash Grenade	Scattershot	Overpower	Heft	–	–
Explosive Grendade	Fire Infusion	Primal Armament	Payload	–	–
Gas Grenade	Corrosion	Armour Explosion	Break Posture	–	–
Overwhelming Presence	Clarity	Vitality	–	–	–
Time of Need	Clarity	Vitality	–	–	–

Selecting skills in Path of Exile 2 involves assigning them to Uncut Skill Gems, by “Cutting Gems” to a skill, you increase your abilities by adding Support Skills.

The above table is what your build should look like by the time you reach the end of the story, but it’ll take some time to craft. You’re also under no obligation to follow any particular order. As some skills take some time before they can be cut, you may choose to temporarily use other skills in the meantime.

So, don’t be afraid to deviate from the path and create your own custom build. The great thing about the above build is it’ll let you assemble the fundamentals but then add some additional skills of your own choosing that suit your playstyle.

Passive skills

When it comes to the best Passive skills to select, there are far too many to name. These skills are general buffs you can add, not unlike Diablo 4’s Paragon Board in how they work.

However, for the Mercenary, and as a general path across the board, you can use the following Passive skills nodes to chart your progress, activating them in this order:

• Repeating Explosives – Causes chain explosions from your grenades
• Adrenaline Rush – increases movement speed
• Volatile Grenades – Boosts grenade damage
• Cluster Bombs – Boosts chain explosion chance
• Grenadier – Boosts grenade damage
• Giantslayer – Boosts damage against elites
• Cull the Hordes – Makes your explosions more effective against mobs
• Perfect Opportunity – Damage boost against heavy stunned enemies

These are the best nodes to use for this build, so after activating one, aim to follow the path towards the next one. What each one does can be seen on the skill tree itself, but these are the best nodes to use for this build.

Of course, you’ll need to work your way to it as you accrue points, but this will give you a sense of direction. This way, you’ll always be selecting Passives that support your build rather than wasting points on things you don’t need.

Best Warrior armor, weapons & charms

When you first start playing Path of Exile, you’ll likely want to equip yourself with the first gear you find, but in time you’ll become a connoisseur for loot and will know what suits your Witch best.

Rather than hunting down specific items – only to constantly change them – you’ll be better off targeting items that provide the best buffs for your build. The below table will explain the best items to seek out for this build.

Item Type	Buff to prioritise	How to obtain
Weapon	+x% to Physical Damage +x% to Stun Duration +x% to Dexterity	Random drop / Vendor
Off Hand	–	Random drop / Vendor
Helm	+x% to Defense +x% to Armor +x% to Resistance +x% to Life	Random drop / Vendor
Armor	+x% to Defense +x% to Armor +x% to Resistance +x% to Life	Random drop / Vendor
Gloves	+x% to Defense +x% to Armor +x% to Resistance +x% to Life	Random drop / Vendor
Boots	+x% to Defense +x% to Armor +x% to Resistance +x% to Life	Random drop / Vendor
Belt	+x% to Defense +x% to Armor +x% to Resistance +x% to Life	Random drop / Vendor
Ring 1	+x% to Defense +x% to Armor +x% to Resistance +x% to Life	Random drop / Vendor
Ring 2	+x% to Defense +x% to Armor +x% to Resistance +x% to Life	Random drop / Vendor
Amulet	+x% to Defense +x% to Armor +x% to Resistance +x% to Life	Random drop / Vendor
Charm 1	+x% to Physical Damage +x% to Ranged Skills +x% to Stun Duration +x% to Dexterity	Random drop / Vendor
Charm 2	+x% to Physical Damage +x% to Ranged Skills +x% to Stun Duration +x% to Dexterity	Random drop / Vendor
Charm 3	+x% to Physical Damage +x% to Ranged Skills +x% to Stun Duration +x% to Dexterity	Random drop / Vendor

Now that you know the best way to build a Mercenary in Path of Exile 2, here’s how to respec your character to this build.

For a full breakdown of all classes in Path of Exile 2 early access, check out our builds for the Ranger, Monk, Sorceress, Warrior, and Witch classes.