Ultimate Mercenary Setup in Path of Exile 2
In Path of Exile 2 (PoE 2), one of the most exciting and anticipated changes from the original Path of Exile is the expansion of the mercenary system. Mercenaries, which are AI-controlled allies you can summon to fight alongside you, provide an entirely new way to approach combat. Whether you're running through dungeons, tackling bosses, or simply clearing mobs, a well-built mercenary can make all the difference between victory and defeat.
This article will guide you through building the best mercenary lineup in Path of Exile 2. We'll explore the mechanics behind mercenaries, the skills that work with them, and how to utilize Poe 2 trade to optimize your mercenaries for both solo and team play.
What Are Mercenaries in Path of Exile 2?
In PoE 2, mercenaries are hired NPCs that accompany you on your journey, aiding you in combat by either attacking enemies directly or providing buffs and support. The new mercenary system is more advanced than the minions from Path of Exile 1, and players can tailor their mercenaries to fit different playstyles and combat strategies.
Mercenaries in PoE 2 can be customized with different gear, abilities, and even playstyles that suit the player's main character build. While mercenaries are AI-controlled, they are far more intelligent and versatile compared to their predecessors. They can use powerful abilities, support your damage output, or tank damage for you, depending on your needs.
Understanding Mercenary Stats and Roles
Before we get into the best mercenary build, it's crucial to understand how mercenary stats work and the different roles they can fill:
1. Tank
Mercenaries can act as tanks by focusing on survivability and damage mitigation. These mercenaries have higher defense, armor, and life regeneration to absorb hits from powerful bosses and enemies. Tank mercenaries are particularly useful if you want to take on tougher content and need a reliable bodyguard to keep you alive.
2. Damage Dealer (DPS)
These mercenaries focus on dealing as much damage as possible. Their builds are optimized for offensive stats such as attack speed, critical hit chance, and damage multipliers. DPS mercenaries can be crucial for boosting your damage output and speeding up mob clears or boss fights. However, they usually lack strong defenses and may need you to provide additional protection for them.
3. Support/Utility
Support mercenaries focus on boosting your performance through buffs, debuffs, or healing. These mercenaries can enhance damage through auras, improve life regeneration, or reduce enemy resistances. Their main role is to support your character by improving the overall efficiency of combat, particularly during difficult encounters or when dealing with high-resistance bosses.
The Best Mercenary Build in PoE 2: The Hybrid DPS-Tank Support Mercenary
When selecting a mercenary build in PoE 2, one of the most efficient and versatile strategies is to go for a Hybrid DPS-Tank Support Mercenary. This build will allow your mercenary to take the heat in battle, deal significant damage, and offer vital support for you and your team. Here's how you can optimize this build:
1. Role and Stats Focus
The first step in creating your mercenary is deciding on the primary roles your mercenary will play. A hybrid approach allows the mercenary to fill multiple roles, ensuring they are useful in a variety of situations.
Tank Stats: Focus on high life, armor, evasion, and block chance to ensure the mercenary can withstand damage. Increasing resistances and life regeneration will also help keep them alive longer in difficult encounters.
Damage Stats: While your mercenary is designed to tank, having a healthy amount of damage output is crucial for efficiency. Focus on attack speed, critical strike chance, and flat damage increases for either melee or ranged builds, depending on your character and desired synergy.
Support Stats: The mercenary should also provide key buffs or debuffs for your character. Increasing their ability to cast aura skills, curses, or heal over time can turn the tide of battles, especially in group play. For example, giving your mercenary the ability to cast Vaal Haste or Vitality can significantly boost your survivability and clear speed.
2. Mercenary Class Selection
In PoE 2, mercenaries come in different classes, and choosing the right one can significantly impact your build. Here are the top classes for a Hybrid DPS-Tank Support mercenary:
Sentinel: The Sentinel class is a perfect fit for this hybrid mercenary build. They have great survivability, defensive buffs, and access to powerful aura skills. Sentinels can use a mix of melee and ranged combat, making them versatile both in terms of offense and defense. With access to block and evasion, they can serve as a reliable tank while also dealing decent damage. Sentinels can also apply useful debuffs like Vulnerability or Enfeeble to enemies,increasing your damage and survivability.
Gladiator: Gladiators are known for their ability to dual wield and maximize both offense and defense. Their natural access to block and armor combined with damage output from dual-wielding makes them a fantastic choice for hybrid builds. Gladiators can also provide physical damage reduction and area-of-effect (AoE) attacks, which are useful for clearing mobs and damaging bosses.
Templar: The Templar mercenary can provide a blend of damage, defense, and utility. Their ability to use holy and lightning skills grants them access to powerful aura effects, healing, and damage amplification. Templars also come with high energy shield potential, making them a fantastic choice for a hybrid support tank mercenary that is both tough and helpful in combat.
3. Skills to Equip Your Mercenary
Choosing the right abilities for your mercenary is crucial for ensuring they function effectively in combat. Here are some of the best skills to consider for your hybrid build:
Defensive Skills:
Enduring Cry: Grants your mercenary increased armor and taunts enemies to ensure they take the brunt of the damage.
Molten Shell: This skill gives your mercenary an additional layer of protection, absorbing damage before they take direct hits.
Fortify: Increases your mercenary's defensive stats and makes them tougher against physical damage.
Damage Skills:
Cyclone: This AoE attack skill is perfect for mercenaries focused on dealing damage while staying mobile. It allows them to clear mobs and apply damage to multiple targets.
Vaal Strike: A high-damage ability that hits multiple targets and can be further enhanced with added critical hit chance and damage modifiers.
Frenzy: Buffs your mercenary's attack speed and damage with each strike, improving their overall DPS.
Support Skills:
Vitality: Ensures your mercenary has reliable life regeneration, keeping them alive longer during combat.
Purity of Elements: Protects your mercenary from elemental damage by granting them resistances, crucial for surviving late-game bosses and elemental bosses.
Grace: Increases evasion and critical hit avoidance, providing the mercenary with greater survivability against high-accuracy enemies.
4. Mercenary Gear and Modifications
To maximize your mercenary's potential, gear them with resistance-based armor, damage-boosting rings, and life regeneration or attack speed items. Consider the following:
Armor: Prioritize armor and evasion modifiers for defense. Focus on items that add life and resistances.
Weapons: Equip your mercenary with high attack speed and flat physical or elemental damage modifiers to enhance their DPS.
Accessories: Opt for rings, amulets, or belts that offer increased life, resistances, and critical strike chance or damage bonuses.
Conclusion
In Path of Exile 2, the Hybrid DPS-Tank Support Mercenary build provides a perfect balance between offense, defense, and utility. Not only will your mercenary be able to tank hits and protect you, but they will also dish out solid damage and provide valuable buffs and debuffs to help you succeed in PoE 2's most challenging content. Players can also buy POE 2 Currency to quickly make you stronger.
By focusing on defensive stats, damage output, and support abilities, your mercenary becomes an integral part of your team, making your journey through Path of Exile 2 smoother and more enjoyable. With the right mercenary class, skills, and gear, you can unlock your mercenary's full potential and dominate the world of Wraeclast like never before.