Path of Exile 2: Mercenary Leveling Guide

This Path of Exile 2 Mercenary leveling guide outlines strategies for efficiently progressing this class to the endgame. While Mercenaries offer versatility, effective play requires strategic skill and item choices.

Optimal Skills and Support Gems for Leveling

Early-game success relies on Fragmentation Shot and Permafrost Shot. Fragmentation excels at close-range multi-target combat, especially with stun-enhancing support gems. Permafrost's freezing effect boosts Fragmentation damage.

The late-game meta shifts dramatically with access to powerful grenades and Explosive Shot.

Core Mercenary Leveling Skills	Useful 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 and Explosive Grenade offer massive area-of-effect damage, detonated effectively with Explosive Shot. Ripwire Ballista provides enemy distraction, and Glacial Bolt controls enemy hordes. Oil Grenade is situationally useful, while Galvanic Shards excels against weaker enemies. Herald of Ash triggers ignite effects on enemy death. Use Lesser Jeweler's Orbs to add support gem sockets to key skills.

Essential Passive Skills

Prioritize Cluster Bombs, Repeating Explosives, and Iron Reflexes on the Passive Skill Tree. Cluster Bombs increases grenade projectiles, Repeating Explosives adds a chance for double explosions, and Iron Reflexes converts evasion to armor, mitigating the drawbacks of the Sorcery Ward Ascendancy skill (optimal for leveling). Also focus on cooldown reduction, projectile/grenade damage, and area of effect. Crossbow skills and armor/evasion nodes are secondary priorities.

Itemization and Stat Priorities

Prioritize crossbow upgrades for significant power increases. Focus on gear with Dexterity, Strength, Armor, Evasion, elemental resistances (excluding Chaos), physical and elemental damage, mana on hit, and resistances. Rarity of items, movement speed, and attack speed are beneficial but less critical. A Bombard Crossbow is highly recommended for its extra grenade projectile.