Path of Exile 2 (PoE 2)
PoE 2 0.4 Mercenary Leveling Build - Grenadier
12/18: 0.4.0c Patch Teaser | 0.4 Mystery Box
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This is a Mercenary leveling build that uses various Grenades to fast clear mobs and rush the campaign in Path of Exile 2 (PoE 2)'s The Last of the Druids Update. Check out this Grenadier Mercenary leveling build, including its progression, equipment, socketables, skills, recommended builds, and playstyle!
| Note: This leveling build is only up until Interludes and ends at Level 65. If you want to see a build for mapping and Atlas, check out our Endgame Builds! |
Grenadier Mercenary Build Summary
Grenadier Mercenary Leveling Build
 Grenadier Mercenary Build |
 Herald of Ash While active, enemies you sufficiently Overkill with attacks will cause an explosion that ignites nearby enemies based on the Overkill damage dealt.
 Explosive Grenade Fires a bouncing Grenade that unleashes a devastating fiery blast when its fuse expires.
 Flash Grenade Fires a bouncing Grenade that unleashes a Blinding, Stunning explosion when its fuse expires. This explosion can Blind both Allies and Enemies.
 Gas Grenade Fires a bouncing Grenade that causes a burst of Poison gas when its fuse expires, damaging enemies and leaving behind a growing Poison cloud. Burning effects or Detonator skills will cause the cloud to explode in a fiery blast.
 Wind Dancer Grants a buff that gives you more Evasion per stage. Being Hit by a Melee Attack while you have this buff consumes all stages to damage and Knock Back enemies around you.
 Oil Grenade Fires a bouncing Grenade that bursts in a spray of Oil when the fuse expires or when it impacts an Enemy, dealing minimal damage but covering the ground and nearby enemies in Oil. Oil created this way can be Ignited by Detonator Skills or Ignited Ground.
 Rapid Shot Loads your Crossbow with a large clip of heavily modified that cause Heat build up on your crossbow, before unleashing a stream of flaming bolts that gain Fire damage based on your Heat. Heat also grants bonus damage to Grenades you fire, but dissipates rapidly when not building up. Using this skill again reloads the clip.
|
 Excellent AoE Damage Great Survivability Easy to Build Low Mobility |
|
This Grenadier Mercenary leveling build makes full use of Explosive Grenades to deal huge burst damage in a wide area. You can use Oil Grenade to inflict Exposure to deal more Fire damage and Gas Grenade to stack more explosions and maximize your damage output.
| Date | Changes Made |
|---|---|
| 12/18/2025 | ・Grenadier Mercenary Leveling Build updated for Act 4. |
| 12/17/2025 | ・Grenadier Mercenary Leveling Build for Act 1-3 created. |
Grenadier Mercenary Equipment
※ The affixes shown below are arranged based on descending priority.
| Gear | Affixes |
|---|---|
 Cannonade Crossbow Cannonade Crossbow Stats:
Damage - 23-90 Critical Chance - 5% Attacks Per Second - 1.65 Reload Time - 0.75 Requirements: Level - 59 Strength - 58 Dexterity - 58 Implicit Skill: Grenade Skills fire an additonal Projectile |
・Increased Physical Damage
・Add Physical Damage ・Increased Elemental Damage ・Level to All Projectile Skills |
 Cowled Helm Cowled Helm Stats:
Armor - 62 Evasion - 54 Requirements: Level - 26 Strength - 22 Dexterity - 22 |
・Armor
・Increased Armor and Evasion ・Maximum Life ・Any Elemental Resistance |
 Cloaked Mail Cloaked Mail Stats:
Armor - 95 Evasion - 83 Requirements: Level - 26 Strength - 25 Dexterity - 25 |
・Evasion Rating
・Increased Armor and Evasion ・Maximum Life ・Spirit ・Armor Also Applies to Elemental Damage ・Any Elemental Resistance |
 Tempered Mitts Tempered Mitts Stats:
Armor - 40 Requirements: Level - 16 Strength - 22 |
・Add Physical Damage
・Maximum Life ・Armor Also Applies to Elemental Damage ・Any Elemental Resistance |
 Stacked Sabatons Stacked Sabatons Stats:
Armor - 56 Evasion - 50 Requirements: Level - 33 Strength - 26 Dexterity - 26 |
・Increased Movement Speed
・Increased Armor and Evasion ・Maximum Life ・Armor Also Applies to Elemental Damage ・Any Elemental Resistance |
 Rawhide Belt Rawhide Belt Requirements:
None Implicit:20-30% increased Life Recovery from Flasks |
・Armor
・Strength ・Maximum Life ・Maximum Mana ・Any Elemental Resistance |
 Azure Amulet Azure Amulet Requirements:
None Implicit:20-30% increased Mana Regeneration Rate |
・Increased Evasion Rating
・Increased Rarity of Items ・All Attributes ・All Elemental Resistance ・Increased Mana Regeneration |
 Iron Ring Iron Ring Requirements:
None Implicit:Adds 1 to 4 Physical Damage to Attacks |
・Increased Fire Damage
・Add Physical Damage ・All Attributes ・Any Elemental Resistance |
|
Iron Ring Iron Ring Requirements:
None Implicit:Adds 1 to 4 Physical Damage to Attacks |
・Increased Fire Damage
・Add Physical Damage ・All Attributes ・Any Elemental Resistance |
 Gargantuan Life Flask Gargantuan Life Flask Stats:
Flask Type - Life Recovered Life - 710 Charge Per Use - 10 Total Charges - 75 Duration - 5 sec. |
・Gain Charges per Second
・Increased Amount Recovered |
 Gargantuan Mana Flask Gargantuan Mana Flask Stats:
Flask Type - Mana Recovered Mana - 185 Charge Per Use - 10 Total Charges - 75 Duration - 2 sec. |
・Gain Charges per Second
・Increased Amount Recovered |
Weapons
During Act 1 you can choose to equip any crossbow you can obtain with the highest damage. Once you reach around mid-Act 2, aim for picking up a Bombard Crossbow to provide your Grenades with an additional Projectiles for maximum damage output. On Act 3, continue upgrading your Bombard Crossbow with higher modifiers to prevent any damage fall offs while progressing.
Armor and Accessories
Focus on getting equipment that has Armor and Evasion Rating as these are stats that defensively benefit the Mercenary best. The most important stats to watch out for in the early game is Increased Movement Speed on your Boots for faster progress and a few Increased Rarity of Items Found on other Armors to help you pick up good equipment while you are progressing through the campaign.
Once you reach Act 3, focus on maximizing your Elemental Resistances and taking Attribute modifiers so you have better survivability against most of the bosses.
As for Ring accessories, we recommend equipping Iron Rings to give you a small damage boost while you are leveling. As for your Amulet, make sure to get an Azure Amulet to provide you with more Mana Regeneration, Maximum Mana, and Increased Rarity of Items Found modifiers for maintaining your skill usage and helping with campaign progression.
| List of Rings | List of Amulets |
| List of Armors | |
Runes and Soul Cores
| Equipment | Sockets |
|---|---|
| Weapon | |
| Armor |
Iron Rune
Body Rune
Rebirth RuneWe recommend ignoring Runes until you reach Act 3, since you will be constantly switching gear. However, if you're stuck on a certain area and want to increase your damage output, you can slot in two Iron Runes on your Weapon to give you a 36% Physical Damage boost. As for your Armor Runes, slot in Body Runes for more maximum life or Rebirth Runes for life regeneration if you are having trouble with survivability.
| All Runes and Soul Cores | |
|---|---|
| List of Runes | List of Soul Cores |
Belt and Charms
| Belt Modifiers | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Rawhide Belt Rawhide Belt Requirements:
None Implicit:20-30% increased Life Recovery from Flasks |
・Armor
・Strength ・Maximum Life ・Maximum Mana ・Any Elemental Resistance |
||||
| Charm Options | |||||
 Sapphire Charm Sapphire Charm Stats:
Flask Type - Charm Charge Per Use - 20 Total Charges - 40 Duration - 4 sec. |
 Topaz Charm Topaz Charm Stats:
Flask Type - Charm Charge Per Use - 20 Total Charges - 40 Duration - 4 sec. |
 Antidote Charm Antidote Charm Stats:
Flask Type - Charm Charge Per Use - 20 Total Charges - 40 Duration - 3 sec. |
|||
We recommend equipping the Sapphire Charm to help you combat the cold attacks of Count Geonor at the end of the Act 1. Just make sure to keep dodging his attacks since they can still take a chunk of your health even with the resistance Charm equipped.
For Act 2, your main problem would be Jamanra, the Risen King so make sure to equip the Topaz Charm to help mitigate his attacks. Lastly, equip an Antidote Charm when you reach Act 3 since a lot of the bosses in this Act can deal large amounts of poison damage.
Lastly, make sure to equip a Rawhide Belt to increase the healing you get from using Life Flasks and focus on providing survivability with Armor, Maximum Life, and maxing out your Elemental Resistances.
| List of Belts | List of Charms |
Grenadier Mercenary Skills
All Active and Persistent Skills
※ The Support Gems' priority are arranged in a descending order. The first one being the most important and the last being the least crucial.
| Skill | Support Gems |
|---|---|
|
Explosive Grenade Explosive Grenade Fires a bouncing Grenade that unleashes a devastating fiery blast when its fuse expires.
|
 Short Fuse I Short Fuse I Supports skills which Detonate after some amount of time has elapsed, shortening the time before Detonation.
 Fire Attunement Fire Attunement Supports Attacks, causing them to Gain Fire Damage but deal less Cold and Lightning Damage.
 Elemental Armament II Elemental Armament II Supports Attacks, causing them to deal more Elemental damage.
 Payload Payload Supports skills which fire Grenades, giving fired Grenades a chance to activate again, but lengthening their cooldowns.
|
|
Flash Grenade Flash Grenade Fires a bouncing Grenade that unleashes a Blinding, Stunning explosion when its fuse expires. This explosion can Blind both Allies and Enemies.
|
 Magnified Area II Magnified Area II Supports any skill with an area of effect, making it larger at the cost of damage.
 Stun II Stun II Supports any skill that hits enemies, causing it to build up Stun more quickly.
|
|
Rapid Shot Rapid Shot Loads your Crossbow with a large clip of heavily modified that cause Heat build up on your crossbow, before unleashing a stream of flaming bolts that gain Fire damage based on your Heat. Heat also grants bonus damage to Grenades you fire, but dissipates rapidly when not building up. Using this skill again reloads the clip.
|
 Rapid Attacks II Rapid Attacks II Supports Attacks, causing them to Attack faster.
 Fresh Clip II Fresh Clip II Supports Crossbow Skills, granting them more damage for each bolt reloaded by that Skill in the last 8 seconds.
 Streamlined Rounds Streamlined Rounds Supports Crossbow Ammunition Skills . Supported Skills have significantly higher Attack speed and bolt capacity, but deal less damage and have longer reload time.
|
|
Gas Grenade Gas Grenade Fires a bouncing Grenade that causes a burst of Poison gas when its fuse expires, damaging enemies and leaving behind a growing Poison cloud. Burning effects or Detonator skills will cause the cloud to explode in a fiery blast.
|
 Multishot II Multishot II Supports Projectile skills, making them fire extra Projectiles. Also lowers Attack and Cast speed of supported skills, as well as lessening their damage.
 Corrosion Corrosion Supports any skill that hits enemies, causing Poison it applies to also break any armour. Cannot support skills that consume Fully Broken Armour.
 Armour Explosion Armour Explosion Supports attacks, causing them to trigger a Fiery explosion when they Fully Break an enemy's Armour.
 Armour Demolisher II Armour Demolisher II Supports any skill, causing Armour Break it inflicts to be stronger.
|
|
Oil Grenade Oil Grenade Fires a bouncing Grenade that bursts in a spray of Oil when the fuse expires or when it impacts an Enemy, dealing minimal damage but covering the ground and nearby enemies in Oil. Oil created this way can be Ignited by Detonator Skills or Ignited Ground.
|
 Potent Exposure Potent Exposure Supports Skills which apply Exposure to Enemies, increasing the effect of applied Exposure.
 Encroaching Ground Encroaching Ground Supports Skills that create Ground Surfaces, causing those Surfaces to grow over time, up to a limit.
 Persistent Ground II Persistent Ground II Supports Skills which create Ground Surfaces, causing created Surfaces to last much longer and only end when their duration expires.
|
|
Wind Dancer Wind Dancer Grants a buff that gives you more Evasion per stage. Being Hit by a Melee Attack while you have this buff consumes all stages to damage and Knock Back enemies around you.
|
 Blind I Blind I Support any skill that Hits enemies, causing them to Blind on hit.
 Maim Maim Supports Attacks causing them to Maim enemies.
 Clarity I Clarity I Supports Persistent Buff Skills, causing you to gain increased mana Regeneration while the skill is active.
|
|
Herald of Ash Herald of Ash While active, enemies you sufficiently Overkill with attacks will cause an explosion that ignites nearby enemies based on the Overkill damage dealt.
|
Magnified Area II Magnified Area II Supports any skill with an area of effect, making it larger at the cost of damage.
 Cannibalism I Cannibalism I Supports Persistent Buff Skills, causing you to recover Life on kill while the skill is active.
 Deadly Herald Deadly Herald Supports Herald Skills, making their triggered effectsn deal more damage at the expense of higher spirit cost.
|
The Grenadier Mercenary build primarily focuses on using Explosive Grenades as your main damage skill that makes use of Multishot I and transitions into Payload once you reach Act 4. Initially, you will start off with Fragmentation Rounds until you can swap it out with Armour Piercing Rounds as you progress to Armor Break enemies and set them up for your Explosive Grenades. By the end of Act 1, you will need to swap to Rapid Shot so you can start generating Heat for the added Fire Damage to your Explosive Grenades as well.
Once you reach Act 2, make sure to get Gas Grenade so you can detonate more explosions with your Explosive Grenade for faster clear times. As you progress further into Act 3, get Oil Grenade as soon as you can so you can start inflicting Exposure to deal more damage with your Explosive Grenades.
As for your Persistent Skills, get Wind Dancer as early as you can to provide you with a failsafe in tight situations. Only get Herald of Ash once you have enough Spirit so you can clear mobs faster as you progress to endgame.
Grenadier Mercenary Passive Tree
Passive Tree Progression
The passive tree for the Grenadier Mercenary leveling build focuses on getting Grenade nodes for Damage, Cooldown Recovery Rate, and Reduced Detonation Time. Work your way down to Overwhelm for that 40% damage and get Grenadier as soon as you can for more Grenade charges. Take Volatile Grenades to reduce the Detonation Time of your Explosive Grenade so it can explode earlier, while Repeating Explosives will give a chance for your grenades to explode twice for double the damage.
As you progress further, work your way to Authority for more cooldown recovery and Crushing Judgement to gain more attack damage. Once you are done with this section, make your way east towards Spray and Pray, Run and Gun, and Catalysis to gain more damage.
Lastly, get Acceleration and Escape Velocity for the Movement Speed so you can traverse faster and avoid enemy attacks. Make sure to get Coming Calamity for that added Fire Damage once you have Herald of Ash equipped.
Passive Skill Tree Guide and List of Passives
Ascendancy Options
 Witchhunter
|
Provides good damage and utility while the Weapon Master notable was buffed. Great for returning players. |
As of Patch 0.4, we recommend choosing the Witchhunter Ascendancy as this seamlessly transitions the leveling build into a traditional Grenadier Witchhunter build. Furthermore, the Weapon Master ascendacy node now provides you with 100 Weapon Set Skill Points which is great for double-weapon builds.
You have the option to transition to a different Ascendancy at a later stage of the game if you wish to switch to a different build once you reach the endgame.
Grenadier Mercenary Build Progression
| Jump to an Act! | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Act 1 | Act 2 | Act 3 | |||
| Act 4 | Interludes | ||||
Act 1 Progression
To progress through Act 1 and beat Count Geonor using the Grenadier Mercenary leveling build, follow these steps:
| # | Step by Step Guide to Act 1 Leveling |
|---|---|
| 1 | Equip
 Fragmentation Rounds
and defeat
 The Bloated Miller
. |
| 2 | Head for the Mysterious Campsite at Clearfell to get a Level 1
 Uncut Skill Gem
and use this to get
Explosive Grenade
as your main damage skill.Note: If you find another Level 1 Uncut Skill Gem, use this to swap out your Fragmentation Rounds with  Armour Piercing Rounds
.
|
| 3 | Defeat
 Beira of the Rotten Pack
to obtain
 Head of the Winter Wolf
for the Cold Resistance to prepare against Count Geonor.
|
| 4 | Complete Treacherous Ground to get a Level 1
 Uncut Support Gem
and slot in
Multishot I
on your Explosive Grenade skill.
|
| 5 | Proceed to Grelwood and defeat
 Areagne, Forgotten Witch
to get another Level 1 Uncut Support Gem and slot in
Magnified Area I
on your Explosive Grenade skill.Note: Make sure to loot the Witch Hut to get Medium Flasks. |
| 6 | Defeat
 The Brambleghast
to get a Level 2 Uncut Skill Gem and use it to upgrade your Explosive Grenade.
|
| 7 | Progress to The Grim Tangle and defeat
 The Rotten Druid
to obtain another Level 1 Uncut Support Gem (To be used later).
|
| 8 | Look for the Haunted Treasure Inside the Tomb of the Consort and defeat the rare enemy to acquire a Level 1 Uncut Support Gem (To be used later). Note: Once you find a Level 3 Uncut Skill Gem, use it to equip Flash Grenade
and use your extra Uncut Support Gems to slot in
Magnified Area I
and
 Brutality I
.
|
| 9 | Defeat
 The Crowbell
at the Hunting Grounds to obtain a
 Book of Specialisation
for additional passive points.
|
| 10 | Search and complete your first Ritual in the same area to get a Level 1 Uncut Support Gem and use this to slot in
 Bleed I
on your
Armour Piercing Rounds
.
|
| 11 | Start looking for the Dryadic Ritual in the same area to get an extra Level 1 Uncut Support Gem (To be used later).
|
| 12 | Enter Freythorn to defeat
 The King in the Mists
for +30 Spirit and a Level 4
 Uncut Spirit Gem
. Use this to equip
Wind Dancer
for more survivability.
|
| 13 | Complete The Lost Lute at the Ogham Farmlands to obtain a
Book of Specialisation
for more passive points.
|
| 14 | Search for the Crop Circle in the same area to defeat
 Vargir the Feral Mutt
and obtain a Level 4 Uncut Skill Gem and use it to upgrade
Flash Grenade
.
|
| 15 | Proceed to Ogham Village and defeat
 The Executioner
to free Leitis and acquire a Level 5 Uncut Skill Gem. Note: Use the Uncut Skill Gem to get Rapid Shot
and equip it to replace Armour Piercing Rounds. Use your extra Uncut Support Gem to swap out Bleed I with
Fire Attunement
for more damage.
|
| 16 | Head for The Manor Ramparts and look for The Gallows to get a free Level 1 Uncut Support Gem (To be used later).
|
| 17 | Search and defeat the
 Candlemass, the Living Rite
at Ogham Manor to get the
 Candlemass' Essence
for the free +20 Maximum Life.
|
| 18 | Continue and defeat
 Count Geonor
to complete Act 1.Note: Make sure you have Medium Flasks since this boss fight has 2 Phases so you will be spending a good amount of time learning and surviving the mechanics. |
Act 2 Progression
To progress through Act 2 and beat Jamanra, the Abomination using the Grenadier Mercenary leveling build, follow these steps:
| # | Step by Step Guide to Act 2 Leveling |
|---|---|
| 1 | Complete the Earning Passage quest for an
Uncut Skill Gem
Level 5. Use this to upgrade
Explosive Grenade
.
|
| 2 | Defeat
 Balbala, The Traitor
to gain access to The Trial of Sekhemas.Ascendancy: You can attempt to finish the Sekhema's Trial to get your first Ascendancy Skill: ┣
Witchhunter
: Get the Pitiless Killer and Judge, Jury, and Executioner nodes to transition to one of our Witchhunter builds.┗
 Gemling Legionnaire
: Get the Attributes and Adaptive Capability nodes to transition to one of our Gemling builds.┗
 Tactician
: Get the Spirit and A Solid Plan nodes to transition to one of our Tactician builds. |
| 3 | Clear Mobs in Keth until you get the
 Kabala Clan Relic
(To be used later).
|
| 4 | Defeat
 Kabala, Constrictor Queen
to get a
Book of Specialisation
for more passive points.
|
| 5 | Defeat
 The Ninth Treasure of Keth
in the Galleria for a random Jewel.Note: Make sure to slot in this Jewel in your passive tree as you progress. |
| 6 | |
| 7 | Three Elemental Offering Ring choices: Ruby Ring, Sapphire Ring, and Topaz Ring for flame, cold, and lightning resistance respectively. It is recommended to choose the Topaz Ring to prepare for
 Jamanra, the Abomination
.
|
| 8 | Clear The City of Seven Waters for an
Uncut Support Gem
and slot in
Blind I
on your
Wind Dancer
persistent skill.
|
| 9 | Destroy the Effigy located in the Shrine of Bones for an Uncut Support Gem Level 2 (To be used later). Note: If you find an Uncut Skill Gem Level 7, use this to upgrade your Explosive Grenade
.
|
| 10 | Clear Mobs in The Bone Pits until you get the
 Sun Clan Relic
(To be used later).
|
| 11 | Complete A Theft of Ivory quest for an Uncut Support Gem Level 2 (To be used later).
|
| 12 | Place both Relics in the Valley of Titans to complete the Ancient Vows quest. Choose the Sun Clan Relic for more Mana Flask Recovery.
|
| 13 | Complete A Crown of Stone quest for an Uncut Support Gem Level 2 (To be used later).
|
| 14 | Complete the Tradition's Toll quest to get a
Book of Specialisation
.
|
| 15 | Defeat the
 Watchful Twins
for a
 Djinn Barya
.
|
Act 3 Progression
To progress through Act 3 and beat Doryani using the Grenadier Mercenary leveling build, follow these steps:
| # | Step by Step Guide to Act 3 Leveling |
|---|---|
| 1 | |
| 2 |
Loot the basket found in the Orok Campfire at Sandswept Marsh to get a
 Lesser Jeweller's Orb
.Note: Use this on your Explosive Grenade and use your extra Uncut Support Gem to slot in Fire Attunement
. |
| 3 | |
| 4 |
Complete The Slithering Dead to get the Venom Draught of Clarity to provide you with increased Mana Regeneration. |
| 5 |
Look for the Jungle Grave and interact with the Ravaged Corpse to summon Servi and get a rare Belt. We recommend taking Rawhide Belt for better survivability. |
| 6 |
Defeat
 Ignagduk, the Bog Witch
for 30 Spirit and an
Uncut Spirit Gem
Level 10. Use this to equip
Herald of Ash
for faster clear times as you progress. |
| 7 |
Submit the Tribal Vengeance to get a charm. Choose the Antidote Charm for increased defenses against Poison. |
| 8 |
Defeat
 Blackjaw, the Remnant
to get The Flame Core for +10% Fire Resistance. |
| 9 |
Use the Paquate's Mechanism to Corrupt gear. We suggest corrupting the
Gas Grenade
skill gem for a chance of an additional Support Gem slot. |
| 10 |
Obtain an
Uncut Spirit Gem
Level 10 from Treasures of Utzaal and use this to upgrade your
Herald of Ash
. |
| 11 | |
| 12 |
Ascendancy: By this time, you can complete the Trial of Chaos to get your third and fourth Ascendancy Point.
┣
Witchhunter
: Get the Ceremonial Absolution and Zealous Inquisition nodes to transition to one of our Witchhunter builds.┗
Gemling Legionnaire
: Get the Adaptive Capability and Enhanced Effectiveness nodes to transition to one of our Gemling builds.┗
Tactician
: Get the Presence Area and Watch How I Do It nodes to transition to one of our Tactician builds. |
| 13 |
Use the
 Sacrificial Heart
that you can pick up in Utzaal to acquire Weapon Set Skill Points.Note: If you find an Uncut Support Gem Level 4 in the last Act 3 area, use this to slot in Rapid Attacks II
on your
Rapid Shot
. |
Rootdredge
Mighty Silverfist
Ultimate Mana Flask
Ultimate Life FlaskAct 4 Progression
To progress through Act 4 and beat Tavakai using the Grenadier Mercenary build, follow these steps:
| # | Steps |
|---|---|
| 1 |
Get Shark's Fin in Whakapanu Island and submit it to Kaimana in the Tavakai's Ship to get an
Uncut Support Gem
Level 4 and slot in
Rapid Attacks II
on your
Rapid Shot
. |
| 2 |
Defeat
 Crawlcrunch
to get another
Uncut Support Gem
Level 4 and slot in
Stun II
on your
Flash Grenade
. |
| 3 |
Find the Barnacle before the Beckoning Clam event to get
Uncut Support Gem
Level 4 and swap out
Multishot II
with
Payload
on your
Explosive Grenade
. |
| 4 |
Get the Humming Pearl from the Beckoning Clam and exchange it for a
 Pearlescent Amulet
with increases to all Elemental Resistances. |
| 5 |
Find the Chapel Key and interact with the Goddess of Justice to get the +30% increased Life Regeneration from your flasks. |
| 6 |
Complete Dark Mists to gain a
Book of Specialisation
and a
Uncut Skill Gem
Level 13 and use it to upgrade
Explosive Grenade
. |
| 7 |
Get a
Lesser Jeweller's Orb
in the Doomed Mine at Isle of Kin and use it on your
 Herald of Ice
. |
| 8 | Defeat
 The Blind Beast
to get a Blank Greater Rune that you can exchange for a
 Greater Iron Rune
. |
| 9 |
Release the Beast from its pen in the Isle of Kin and defeat it to gain
Uncut Skill Gem
Level 13 and use it to upgrade your
Rapid Shot
. |
| 10 | Complete the Trial of the Ancestors and pass the Ngamahu's Test to get the +5 Strength reward. |
| 11 |
Ring the Morning and Evening Bell in Arastas to Receive 3
 Regal Orb
and
 Exalted Orb
.Note: You can use these to either craft a weapon, or trade for some good equipment! |
| 12 |
Get a random Greater Rune in the Meeting House at Ngakanu. |
Interlude Progression
To progress through Interludes and set yourself up for mapping using the Grenadier Mercenay build, follow these steps:
| # | Steps |
|---|---|
| 1 |
Get a Level 13
Uncut Skill Gem
from a Corpse on the Hut Checkpoint in the Scorched Farmlands and use it to upgrade your
Gas Grenade
. |
| 2 |
Buy Greater Runes from the Ferryman in Holten. |
| 3 |
Defeat
 Oswin, the Dread Warden
in Wolvenhold to get a
Book of Specialisation
(Warden's Ledger). |
| 4 | |
| 5 |
Get the Molten One's Gift in Skullmaw Stairway to get a +5% to your Maximum Life. |
| 6 |
Slot in both
 Yoon's Barya
and
Rangeen's Barya
in Sel Khari Sanctuary to have two choices between an Amulet, Ring, or Jewel. |
| 7 |
Defeat
 Elzarah, the Cobra Lord
in Sel Khari Sanctuary to gain a Level 60
Djinn Barya
so you can attempt to gain your 5th and 6th Ascendancy Point. |
| 8 | [align] Activate one out of Seven Pillars in Qimah based on what you need, you can change this any time. It is generally recommended to get Movement Speed. |
| 9 |
Fill the two Sacred Wells in Qimah Reservoir to get 1
Exalted Orb
each. Note: You can use these to either craft a weapon, or trade for solid equipment! |
| 10 |
Interact with the Ancient Monument in Ashen Forest for a Level 14
Uncut Skill Gem
and use it to upgrade your
Explosive Grenade
. |
| 11 |
Defeat
 Lythara, the Wayward Spear
in Kriar Village to get a
 Gemcrust Skull
that gives +40 Spirit and an Level 14
Uncut Spirit Gem
and use it to upgrade your
Herald of Ash
. |
| 12 |
Defeat
 The Abominable Yeti
in Howling Caves to get its Icy Tusks and receive a
Book of Specialisation
as a reward. |
| 13 |
Get a free Unique Equipment of your choice from a randomized table from Elder Madox in Kriar Peaks. |
| 14 |
After finishing all three regions, talk to The Hooded One in Kingsmarch to gain another
Book of Specialisation
. |
Akthi and Anundr
RisuGrenadier Mercenary Playstyle
Bossing Skill Rotation
When against Bosses, you will adopt a Grenadier playstyle that can huge burst damage against Bosses. The rotation is as follows:
- Shoot Rapid Shots and stop once you reach 15 Heat.
- Fire Oil Grenade to inflict Exposure and Ignite the ground.
- Use Gas Grenade to create Poison Clouds and proc explosions.
- Cast Explosive Grenade to consume the Heat for more Fire Damage.
- Fire Flash Grenade between your other grenades to Blind them and buildup Stun.
- Rinse and repeat.
Mobbing Skill Rotation
When against large packs of mobs, you will only need to spam Explosive Grenade clear the mobs with burst damage. The rotation is as follows:
- Spam Explosive Grenade to clear large packs of mobs.
- Use Oil Grenade against Elites to inflict Exposure for more damage.
- Dodge roll often to reposition yourself and avoid enemy attacks.
- Rinse and repeat.
Path of Exile 2 (PoE 2) Related Guides
0.4 Endgame Builds
 Frost Wolf Oracle |
- | - |
0.4 Leveling Builds
 Fire Bear Druid |
Frost Wolf Druid |
Lightning Wyvern Druid |
 Cold Infusion Sorceress |
Grenadier Mercenary |
 Buckler Parry Huntress |
0.3 Best Builds
| Rank | Build |
|---|---|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
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Lightning Arrow Deadeye
Dark Effigy Lich
Demon Warp Infernalist
Hollow Palm Invoker
Armour Stacking Titan
Blackflame Blood Mage
Shieldmaster Smith of Kitava
Powerwasher Acolyte of Chayula
Full Bleed Ritualist
Fissure Totem Warbringer
Airbender Amazon
Stormweaver Elementalist
Poison Pathfinder
Cold Chronomancer0.3 Leveling Builds
 Slam Fissure Warrior |
 Lightning Arrow Ranger |
Lightning Shotgun Mercenary |
 Cold Lightning Monk |
 Drain Contagion Witch |
Lightning Spear Huntress |
| Fireball Sorceress |
- | - |
All Build Guides
| List of Builds by Class | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Huntress |
 Mercenary |
 Monk |
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 Witch |
 Sorceress |
 Warrior |
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 Ranger |
- | - | |||||||||
| Other Build Guides | 0.3 Leveling Builds | How to Make a Good Build | |||||||||
Mercenary Leveling Builds
| Lightning Mercenary
|
 Herald of Thunder While active, killing Shocked enemies with Attack damage, will cause subsequent Attack hits to release lightning bolts which deals Attack damage to all surrounding enemies.
Wind Dancer Grants a buff that gives you more Evasion per stage. Being Hit by a Melee Attack while you have this buff consumes all stages to damage and Knock Back enemies around you.
 Voltaic Grenade Fires a bouncing Grenade that discharges an Electrocuting Lightning blasts when its fuse expires
 Emergency Reload Instantly relaods your active Crossbow Ammunition and Empowers the loaded bolts to deal more damage.
 Shockburst Rounds Loads your Crossbow with a clip of charged bolts which releases damaging pulses upon hitting an enemy affected by a lightning ailment. Using this skill again reloads the clip.
 Galvanic Shards Loads your Crossbow with a clip of charged bolts that fragment in flight, releasing Chaining Lightning beams when they Hit enemies. Using this skill again reloads the clip.
Focus: AoE, Fast Clear, Lightning |
| Grenadier Mercenary
NEW |
Herald of Ash While active, enemies you sufficiently Overkill with attacks will cause an explosion that ignites nearby enemies based on the Overkill damage dealt.
Explosive Grenade Fires a bouncing Grenade that unleashes a devastating fiery blast when its fuse expires.
Flash Grenade Fires a bouncing Grenade that unleashes a Blinding, Stunning explosion when its fuse expires. This explosion can Blind both Allies and Enemies.
Gas Grenade Fires a bouncing Grenade that causes a burst of Poison gas when its fuse expires, damaging enemies and leaving behind a growing Poison cloud. Burning effects or Detonator skills will cause the cloud to explode in a fiery blast.
Wind Dancer Grants a buff that gives you more Evasion per stage. Being Hit by a Melee Attack while you have this buff consumes all stages to damage and Knock Back enemies around you.
Oil Grenade Fires a bouncing Grenade that bursts in a spray of Oil when the fuse expires or when it impacts an Enemy, dealing minimal damage but covering the ground and nearby enemies in Oil. Oil created this way can be Ignited by Detonator Skills or Ignited Ground.
Rapid Shot Loads your Crossbow with a large clip of heavily modified that cause Heat build up on your crossbow, before unleashing a stream of flaming bolts that gain Fire damage based on your Heat. Heat also grants bonus damage to Grenades you fire, but dissipates rapidly when not building up. Using this skill again reloads the clip.
Focus: AoE, Fire, Grenades, Burst Damage |
Mercenary Endgame Builds
| Bleed Bow Witchhunter
|
 Barrage Ready a volley of arrows or spears, Empowering your next Bow or Projectile Spear Attack to repeat multiple times. Consumes your Frenzy Charges on use to add additional repeats.
 Snipe Channel to charge up your bow before releasing a powerful shot. Releasing the moment you fully charge causes the arrow to explode on impact for a guaranteed Critical Hit.
 Sniper's Mark Marks a target. The next Critical Hit the target receives consumes the Mark to deal extra damage and grant you a Frenzy Charge.
 Rain of Arrows Fire arrows into the air, causing them to rain from above. Consumes your Frenzy Charges to fire more arrows.
 Spiral Volley Loads your Bow with a volley of enchanted arrows and fires them in a circle as you spin forward, firing directly at targets if possible. Consumes Frenzy Charges to cause the arrows to deal more damage and Chain to other targets. Each target can only be Hit once.
 Combat Frenzy While active, grants you a Frenzy Charge when you Freeze, Electrocute, or Pin an enemy. This can only occur once every few seconds.
Wind Dancer Grants a buff that gives you more Evasion per stage. Being Hit by a Melee Attack while you have this buff consumes all stages to damage and Knock Back enemies around you.
Focus: DoT, Burst Damage, Bossing, Mobbing |
| Fire Grenade Witchhunter
|
Herald of Ash While active, enemies you sufficiently Overkill with attacks will cause an explosion that ignites nearby enemies based on the Overkill damage dealt.
Gas Grenade Fires a bouncing Grenade that causes a burst of Poison gas when its fuse expires, damaging enemies and leaving behind a growing Poison cloud. Burning effects or Detonator skills will cause the cloud to explode in a fiery blast.
Wind Dancer Grants a buff that gives you more Evasion per stage. Being Hit by a Melee Attack while you have this buff consumes all stages to damage and Knock Back enemies around you.
 Incendiary Shot Loads your Crossbow with flaming bolts that fragment in flight, damaging and igniting enemies on hit and in a small cone behind their final target.
 Blasphemy Turns socketed Curse skills into vile Auras, applying their effects to all nearby enemies.
Oil Grenade Fires a bouncing Grenade that bursts in a spray of Oil when the fuse expires or when it impacts an Enemy, dealing minimal damage but covering the ground and nearby enemies in Oil. Oil created this way can be Ignited by Detonator Skills or Ignited Ground.
 Explosive Shot Loads your Crossbow with flaming bolts that explode on impact. The explosion will cause any Grenades in its area of effect to also explode.
Focus: DoT, AoE, Mobbing |
| Gunslinger Gemling Legionnaire
|
Wind Dancer Grants a buff that gives you more Evasion per stage. Being Hit by a Melee Attack while you have this buff consumes all stages to damage and Knock Back enemies around you.
Fragmentation Rounds Loads your Crossbow with Piercing bolts that fragment in flight. Bolts that hit a frozen enemy consume the Freeze and cause an explosion of Shrapnel. Bolts that hit an Ice Crystal cause it to explode.
 High Velocity Rounds Loads your Crossbow with Piercing bolts that can consume Fully Broken Armour on enemies to deal extra damage.
 Herald of Plague While active, killing a Poisoned enemy spreads its Poison to other nearby enemies, and has a chance to also Hinder them.
 Attrition While active, causes you to deal more Hit damage to Rare and Unique enemies the longer you've been fighting them, and gain Culling Strike against them once you've been fighting them for long enough.
 Cast on Freeze While active, gains Energy when you Freeze enemies and triggers socketed spells on reaching maximum Energy.
Emergency Reload Instantly relaods your active Crossbow Ammunition and Empowers the loaded bolts to deal more damage.
Galvanic Shards Loads your Crossbow with a clip of charged bolts that fragment in flight, releasing Chaining Lightning beams when they Hit enemies. Using this skill again reloads the clip.
 Withering Presence While active, periodically Withers enemies in your Presence.
 Blink Replaces your dodge roll with a short-cooldown Spell that allows you to tunnel through space, instantly reappearing a medium distance away.
Focus: DoT, Crowd Control, Bossing |
| Grenadier Gemling Legionnaire
|
Explosive Grenade Fires a bouncing Grenade that unleashes a devastating fiery blast when its fuse expires.
Flash Grenade Fires a bouncing Grenade that unleashes a Blinding, Stunning explosion when its fuse expires. This explosion can Blind both Allies and Enemies.
Gas Grenade Fires a bouncing Grenade that causes a burst of Poison gas when its fuse expires, damaging enemies and leaving behind a growing Poison cloud. Burning effects or Detonator skills will cause the cloud to explode in a fiery blast.
Wind Dancer Grants a buff that gives you more Evasion per stage. Being Hit by a Melee Attack while you have this buff consumes all stages to damage and Knock Back enemies around you.
Attrition While active, causes you to deal more Hit damage to Rare and Unique enemies the longer you've been fighting them, and gain Culling Strike against them once you've been fighting them for long enough.
Oil Grenade Fires a bouncing Grenade that bursts in a spray of Oil when the fuse expires or when it impacts an Enemy, dealing minimal damage but covering the ground and nearby enemies in Oil. Oil created this way can be Ignited by Detonator Skills or Ignited Ground.
 Cluster Grenade Fires a bouncing Grenade That explodes when it's fuse expires, throwing out a nova of mini Grenades that explode when they come to a stop.
Focus: AoE, Burst Damage, Crowd Control |
 Ballista Tactician
|
Herald of Ash While active, enemies you sufficiently Overkill with attacks will cause an explosion that ignites nearby enemies based on the Overkill damage dealt.
Wind Dancer Grants a buff that gives you more Evasion per stage. Being Hit by a Melee Attack while you have this buff consumes all stages to damage and Knock Back enemies around you.
Armour Piercing Rounds Load your Crossbow with a clip of bolts that can be fired rapidly and Break enemy Armour. Using this skill again reloads the clip.
Oil Grenade Fires a bouncing Grenade that bursts in a spray of Oil when the fuse expires or when it impacts an Enemy, dealing minimal damage but covering the ground and nearby enemies in Oil. Oil created this way can be Ignited by Detonator Skills or Ignited Ground.
 Ripwire Ballista Deploys a Balista Totem that fires Pinning bolts which Maim enemies.
 Artillery Ballista Deploys a Ballista Totem that fires bolts skyward, to explode a short time after landing.
 Siege Cascade Loads your Crossbow with enemy-seeking payloads which are fired into the air, dropping a bolt near every enemy in the target area. These bolts lodge in the ground and explode after a short delay .
Focus: Totem, Physical, Fire, Mobbing, Bossing |
| Ballista Banner Tactician
|
 Frost Bomb Creates a pulsing Orb of Frost. Each pulse inflicts Cold Exposure on nearby Enemies. When the Orb's duration ends, it explodes, dealing Cold damage to surrounding Enemies.
Wind Dancer Grants a buff that gives you more Evasion per stage. Being Hit by a Melee Attack while you have this buff consumes all stages to damage and Knock Back enemies around you.
Blasphemy Turns socketed Curse skills into vile Auras, applying their effects to all nearby enemies.
 War Banner While active, killing enemies with attacks or standing near a Unique enemy generates Valour. using this skill consumes Valour to place an inspiring Banner with an Aura that grants you and nearby allies Attack damage and accuracy while Banner lasts. The Banner cannot gain Valour while placed, and you cannot place a Banner while you already have a Banner placed.
 Defiance Banner While active, killing enemies with attacks or standing near a Unique enemy generates valour. Using this skill consumes its Valour to place an inspiring Banner with an Aura that grants you and your nearby allies Armour, Evasion, and Movement speed while the banner lasts. The Banner cannot gain Valour while placed, and you cannot place a Banner while you already have a Banner placed.
 Dread Banner While active, killing enemies with Attacks or standing near a Unique enemy generates Valour. using this skill consumes its Valour to place an Inspiring Banner with an Aura that grants you and nearby allies Stun Threshold, Elemental Ailment Threshold, and Flask charges while the Banner lasts. The Banner cannot gain Valour while placed, and you cannot place a Banner while you already have a banner placed.
 Tame Beast Conjure Azmeri wisps to engulf a Rare Beast for a duration, Hindering them. If you defeat the Beast while it is engulfed in wisps, it will be captured by this gem, transforming the gem to instead allow you to summon the Beast as a Reviving Companion.
 Mirage Archer While active, dodge rolling will create a Mirage that uses socketed ranged Attacks for a short duration, then vanish. You cannot create another Mirage while one exists, or for a short time after one vanishes. Dodge rolling while you are unable to create a new Mirage will restart this timer.
 Mortar Cannon Raise a cannon Ballista Totem which uses socketed Grenade Skills, with significantly improved Cooldown Recovery Rate.
Focus: Totem, Burst, Lightning, Mapping, Bossing |
| Galvanic Shards Gemling Legionnaire
|
Herald of Thunder While active, killing Shocked enemies with Attack damage, will cause subsequent Attack hits to release lightning bolts which deals Attack damage to all surrounding enemies.
 Stormcaller Arrow Fires an arrow that embeds where it lands for a short duration. At the end of the duration, a Lightning bolt strikes the arrow, disintegrating it and damaging enemies with a high chance to Shock.
 Voltaic Mark Marks a target, making them more susceptible to being Shocked. When the Marked target dies, a Lightning nova erupts from their corpse. This nova does not use your Weapon Damage, and instead uses its own base Attack Damage.
Wind Dancer Grants a buff that gives you more Evasion per stage. Being Hit by a Melee Attack while you have this buff consumes all stages to damage and Knock Back enemies around you.
Emergency Reload Instantly relaods your active Crossbow Ammunition and Empowers the loaded bolts to deal more damage.
Shockburst Rounds Loads your Crossbow with a clip of charged bolts which releases damaging pulses upon hitting an enemy affected by a lightning ailment. Using this skill again reloads the clip.
Galvanic Shards Loads your Crossbow with a clip of charged bolts that fragment in flight, releasing Chaining Lightning beams when they Hit enemies. Using this skill again reloads the clip.
Mortar Cannon Raise a cannon Ballista Totem which uses socketed Grenade Skills, with significantly improved Cooldown Recovery Rate.
Focus: Lightning, Burst, Attribute Stacking, Mobbing, Bossing |
| Explosive Lightning Witchhunter
|
 Ghost Dance Periodically Gain Ghost Shrouds. If you are Hit while you have a Ghost Shroud, it is immediately consumed to recover Energy Shield based on your Evasion.
Herald of Thunder While active, killing Shocked enemies with Attack damage, will cause subsequent Attack hits to release lightning bolts which deals Attack damage to all surrounding enemies.
Wind Dancer Grants a buff that gives you more Evasion per stage. Being Hit by a Melee Attack while you have this buff consumes all stages to damage and Knock Back enemies around you.
Explosive Shot Loads your Crossbow with flaming bolts that explode on impact. The explosion will cause any Grenades in its area of effect to also explode.
Voltaic Grenade Fires a bouncing Grenade that discharges an Electrocuting Lightning blasts when its fuse expires
Emergency Reload Instantly relaods your active Crossbow Ammunition and Empowers the loaded bolts to deal more damage.
Shockburst Rounds Loads your Crossbow with a clip of charged bolts which releases damaging pulses upon hitting an enemy affected by a lightning ailment. Using this skill again reloads the clip.
Focus: Burst, Lightning, Mobbing, Bossing |
Mercenary Class and Ascendancy Guides
| Base Class | ||
|---|---|---|
| Mercenary
|
||
| Ascendancies | ||
| Witchhunter |
Gemling Legionnaire |
Tactician |
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PoE 2 0.4 Mercenary Leveling Build - Grenadier
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