This guide compiles insights, strategies, and community-tested tips for playing the Mercenary class in Path of Exile 2. Focused on crossbows, grenades, skill combos, ascendancy choices, and defensive strategies, this resource helps you get the most out of your Merc builds.

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Crossbows & Two-Handed Interactions

[]Crossbows are two-handed ranged weapons.[]Any passive nodes that say “Two-Handed” (but not “Two-Handed Melee”) will apply. For instance, Overwhelm, Curved Weapon, and Colossal Weapon from the Mercenary start all benefit crossbows.

Quality & Ammo

[]Some crossbow bolt skills gain extra ammo with higher gem quality; others get direct damage boosts.[]Always upgrade your crossbow to maintain strong baseline DPS.

Reload & Attack Rhythm

[]Reload speed affects the reload animation after emptying your magazine, not the time between shots.[]“Tap firing” (tapping attack instead of holding) lets you keep moving at full speed while firing.

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Grenade & Projectile Synergy

[]Grenades count as projectiles, so projectile supports often boost their damage/effects.[]Strong combos: Gas Grenade + Ignite (once top-tier), Glacier Bolt + Fragmentation Rounds.

Notable Skills

[]Fragmentation Rounds: Multiple projectiles merge into one hit, scaling ailments and bleed.[]Glacier Shot & Ice Wall: Ice Wall taunts mobs, blocks projectiles, and pairs with Fragmentation Rounds for huge AoE freeze.
• Explosive Shot & Explosion Grenade: Easy clearing, good baseline damage; great for general mapping.

Concentration & Debuffs

[]As you hit enemies, you reduce their concentration, making them easier to kill at 0%.[]Sustained attacks maintain this debuff for higher DPS.

Verify Your Supports

[]Not all supports show their effect in the tooltip. Check your skill’s DPS breakdown to confirm.[]Exposure, penetration, and concentration supports may need in-game testing to confirm effectiveness.

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Gemling Legionnaire & Quality Nodes

[]+10% Quality can add extra ammo to bolt skills, boosting sustained DPS.[]Double Support nodes are powerful but may require less impactful nodes first.

Situational Ascendancy Nodes

[]Extra skill slots, +1 gem levels, or -30% skill cost can feel clunky without proper attributes and mana.[]Plan your ascendancy path to complement your chosen skills and gear.

Witchhunter & Others

[]Witchhunter perks (e.g., corpse explosions) may feel weak early; it gets better with gear.[]All ascendancies are situational—choose one that aligns with your final build vision.

Defense & Survivability

[]Stack armor, evasion, and chaos resistance.[]Auras like Scavenger Plating and Salvage Armor boost survivability.
• Armor-breaking combos (e.g., Gas Grenade with armor-stripping supports) magnify damage.

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Freeze & CC Build

• Glacier Shot + Fragmentation Rounds + AoE supports for crowd control and massive clearing.

Armor-Breaking Setup

• Gas Grenade + Corrosion/Comorbidity to shred armor, followed by high-damage follow-up skills.

Mapping Setup

• Galvanic Shards for general clearing; shock enemies, then finish them with higher DPS bolts.

Ammo & Reload Tricks

[]Use multiple “Emergency Reload” gems with separate cooldowns for sustained boss DPS.[]Tap firing maintains DPS while allowing repositioning.

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[]Carry multiple crossbows specialized for different purposes.[]Rebind secondary bars or keys for more fluid gameplay.
• Test supports and watch gameplay effects, since some skills have hidden restrictions.

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The Mercenary class thrives on synergy—combining grenades, bolts, ascendancy perks, and defenses for versatile, powerful play. Understanding two-handed crossbow scaling, fine-tuning supports, and managing ascendancy trade-offs will let you carve through enemies efficiently.

May your reloads be swift, and your bolts ever deadly, Exile!