Path of Exile 2: How To Level Up Fast As Mercenary

The Mercenary is one of the most versatile classes in Path of Exile 2, excelling in adaptability and a wide range of combat options. Known for their speed, agility, and ability to wield multiple weapon types, the Mercenary is an excellent choice for players who prefer dynamic and flexible gameplay. However, leveling a Mercenary effectively requires careful planning, especially when it comes to skill selection, passive allocation, and gear optimization. In this guide, we’ll walk you through a solid Mercenary leveling setup to ensure smooth progression and help you dominate enemies in the early and mid-game.

Best Mercenary Leveling Skills and Support Gems

When leveling a Mercenary in Path of Exile 2, players may initially find the class challenging due to its reliance on crossbow bolts and reload mechanics. However, once you unlock grenade-based abilities to complement your crossbow attacks, the Mercenary begins to shine. Combining grenades with crossbow skills provides incredible synergy, transforming the class into a versatile powerhouse for both single-target and AoE damage.

Early Game Skill Recommendations

In the early stages, before unlocking advanced abilities like Explosive Grenade, Gas Grenade, and Explosive Shot, rely on the following skills to handle enemies effectively:
• Fragmentation Shot: A powerful short-range skill ideal for stunning and damaging single or multiple enemies. Pair this with Support Gems that enhance Stun damage.
• Permafrost Shot: Freezes enemies and synergizes well with Fragmentation Shot, letting you shatter frozen targets for bonus damage.

Mid to Late Game Transition

Once you unlock stronger grenade-based skills and Explosive Shot, your playstyle will shift dramatically, offering more flexibility and higher damage output. Grenades will fill the downtime caused by the crossbow’s reload mechanic while providing massive AoE and single-target capabilities.

Core Mercenary Leveling Skills and Support Gem Combinations

Below is a recommended setup for skills and Support Gems to help you progress efficiently:

Skill Gem Recommended 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

Skill Highlights
• Gas Grenade poisons enemies across a wide area and synergizes well with Detonation skills for explosive results.
• Explosive Grenade detonates after a short delay or when triggered, dealing devastating damage to large groups of enemies.
• Explosive Shot serves as a powerful detonator for your grenades, making it an excellent choice for clearing mobs and dealing with tough bosses.
• Ripwire Ballista distracts enemies and provides additional crowd control.
• Glacial Bolt freezes enemies to prevent overwhelming situations but can be swapped for Oil Grenade against tougher foes.
• Galvanic Shards is great for clearing weaker mobs without relying on grenade setups, replacing early-game skills like Fragmentation Shot.
• Herald of Ash adds overkill Ignite damage, causing enemies to explode and Ignite nearby foes for massive AoE effects.

Support Gem Strategy

The Support Gems recommended above are all obtainable by the time you reach Act 3. Until then, use any available Support Gems to enhance your skills and prioritize those that boost AoE damage, Ignite, or Poison effects. The build’s strength lies in the synergy between your core skills and grenade abilities, so focus on optimizing these interactions as soon as possible.

This setup provides a smooth leveling experience for Mercenaries, helping you deal with hordes of enemies and bosses efficiently while preparing for more advanced content later in the game.

Best Mercenary Passive Skills for Leveling in Path of Exile 2

As you progress through the Mercenary Passive Skill Tree, there are three key Passive Skills you’ll want to prioritize: Cluster Bombs, Repeating Explosives, and Iron Reflexes. These nodes provide significant boosts to your damage output and survivability, making your journey through the campaign much smoother.
• Cluster Bombs: Extends the fuse time on your Grenades but adds an additional Projectile, ensuring that each Grenade Skill launches at least two projectiles. This greatly increases your area coverage and damage potential, especially when combined with support gems.
• Repeating Explosives: Adds a chance for your Grenades to detonate twice. As you acquire more projectiles through Grenade-specific skills, the probability of triggering a double explosion skyrockets, making this Passive essential for maximizing your damage output.
• Iron Reflexes: Converts all Evasion into Armor, providing a massive defensive boost. This is particularly useful when paired with the Sorcery Ward Ascendancy skill from the Witchhunter Ascendancy Tree, which halves your Armor and Evasion in exchange for a powerful barrier against non-Physical damage. Iron Reflexes helps mitigate this drawback by turning your Evasion stat into a reliable source of Armor.

Key Synergy with Witchhunter Ascendancy Skills

The Sorcery Ward skill is one of the strongest defensive tools for Mercenaries, granting a barrier against all non-Physical damage. However, it comes at the cost of reduced Armor and Evasion. By converting Evasion into Armor with Iron Reflexes, you can counteract this penalty, providing excellent protection against both Physical and non-Physical damage types.

Additional Passive Skills to Focus On

While Cluster Bombs, Repeating Explosives, and Iron Reflexes should take priority, there are several other nodes worth considering to enhance your leveling experience:
• Cooldown Reduction: Reduces the time between Grenade and skill uses, allowing you to deploy your arsenal more frequently.
• Projectile & Grenade Damage: Boosts the damage of both your Crossbow and Grenades, ensuring consistent damage output as you progress.
• Area of Effect: Increases the explosion radius of your Grenades, letting you hit more enemies with every detonation.

Secondary Passives to Pick Up As Needed

Depending on your playstyle and current challenges, consider adding these Passive Skills to your build later:
• Crossbow Reload Time: Reduces the downtime caused by reloading, making your Crossbow more effective in combat.
• Crossbow Damage: Enhances your ranged attacks, offering a reliable backup option if your Grenades are on cooldown.
• Armor and Evasion Nodes: Boosts your survivability, but these should only be prioritized if you find yourself struggling to stay alive.

Flexible Pathing Strategy

Your Passive Skill allocation should adapt to your specific needs. If your Grenades are performing well, you can skip Crossbow-related nodes until you feel they’re necessary. Likewise, if you’re not taking significant damage from enemies, delay investing in Armor and Evasion nodes until they become critical.

By focusing on these Passives and adjusting your build as needed, you’ll have a highly effective leveling setup that balances offense and defense, making your journey as a Mercenary in Path of Exile 2 both powerful and efficient

Recommended Items & Stat Priorities for Leveling Mercenaries in Path of Exile 2

When leveling a Mercenary, upgrading your gear is crucial to keeping your character strong and efficient. Not all items will be immediate upgrades, so it’s important to carefully evaluate the modifiers and stats on new gear before deciding to equip it. Prioritizing the right items and stats will make your leveling experience much smoother.

Gear Prioritization

Your Crossbow is the most critical piece of equipment for a Mercenary, as it determines your ability to use key Mercenary Skill Gems. When upgrading gear, focus on replacing the weakest items in your loadout, but always prioritize finding a stronger Crossbow since it has the most significant impact on your overall power.

Mercenaries rely on both Dexterity and Strength to meet Skill and Weapon requirements, as well as a balance of Armor and Evasion for defensive capabilities. Look for gear that provides these attributes to ensure you’re meeting stat requirements while staying survivable.

Key Modifiers to Look For

In addition to base stats, keep an eye out for modifiers that enhance your damage output, sustain, and survivability. Here are the most valuable stats and modifiers for a leveling Mercenary:
• Dexterity: Increases your Accuracy and meets skill prerequisites.
• Strength: Boosts your survivability and opens access to certain equipment and skills.
• Armor: Provides Physical damage reduction, keeping you alive against heavy-hitting enemies.
• Evasion: Increases your chance to dodge attacks, reducing incoming damage.
• All Elemental Resistances (except Chaos): Essential for reducing elemental damage from enemies.
• Increased Physical Damage: Boosts your Crossbow’s overall effectiveness.
• Increased Elemental or Fire Damage: A great complement to Grenade builds that deal Elemental damage.
• Attack Speed: Improves your rate of fire and Grenade usage.
• Mana on Hit or Kill: Helps sustain your abilities during combat.
• Life on Hit or Kill: Provides a steady flow of healing, especially useful for high-damage builds.
• Rarity of Items Found: Increases the likelihood of finding better loot, which can speed up your progress.
• Movement Speed: Enhances mobility, allowing you to dodge attacks and reposition effectively.

The Power of Bombard Crossbows

For Mercenaries, the Bombard Crossbow is an especially valuable base weapon type. It automatically adds an additional Grenade projectile to all Grenade Skills, increasing your minimum projectile count from 2 to 3 without requiring specific Skill Gems like Scattershot. This significantly boosts your damage output and area coverage, making it a must-have for any Grenade-focused Mercenary build.

Whenever you come across a Bombard Crossbow, pick it up and consider using crafting currencies to enhance its stats. With the right modifiers, a well-crafted Bombard Crossbow can greatly increase your effectiveness and make leveling much easier.

Conclusion

Leveling a Mercenary in Path of Exile 2 can feel challenging at first, but with the right skills, passive choices, and gear priorities, the process becomes much more manageable and rewarding. By focusing on Grenade-based gameplay, leveraging support gems, and equipping items that boost your damage, survivability, and utility, you can unlock the full potential of this versatile class. Remember to experiment with skills and passives to adapt to your preferred playstyle and tackle the toughest enemies with confidence. With the right build and strategy, your Mercenary will be more than ready to dominate the endgame content.