The anticipation for the Path of Exile 2 0.2.0 Patch is palpable, with players eagerly preparing for the new season and its challenges. Among the various classes, the Mercenary stands out as an exceptional choice for a league starter. This guide will introduce the best PoE 2 0.2.0 Mercenary leveling build, focusing on skills, gear, and passive tree selections.

Best PoE 2 0.2.0 League Starter Build

The Mercenary build in Path of Exile 2 is an excellent choice for players looking for a strong league starter in the upcoming 0.2.0 Patch and Season 1. This build shines from level 1 to 65, primarily utilizing Fragmentation Rounds and Explosive Grenades. Players can deploy grenades to create devastating carpet bombs that deal significant damage to both groups of enemies and bosses, as they explode multiple times. The PoE 2 0.2.0 build allows players to strategically prepare the battlefield by rolling into and out of combat while using crossbow skills, including shotgun-style fragmentation rounds for effective cleanup. By incorporating oil grenades to reduce enemy fire resistance, the build enhances its damage potential, making it both fun and powerful throughout the game's progression.

PoE 2 0.2.0 Mercenary Build Gear

To pick the optimal gear, it is important to use a good crossbow with a quality of 20% maximize physical damage, and upgrade your crossbow whenever possible. Then select rings that can enhance physical or fire damage while providing necessary resistances. Gloves that boost physical damage to attacks are also useful, prioritizing bonuses to physical and fire damage. Most of the Path of Exile 2 gear can be acquired easily, often through gambling, resulting in a setup that, while not exceptionally strong, is effective for progressing through the campaign.

• Rune Core (Advanced Varnished Crossbow)

• Wrath Keep (Advanced Cowled Helm)

• Vengeance Gyre (Ruby Ring)

• Golem Braid (Crimson Amulet)

• Sol Curtain (Advanced Cloaked Mail)

• Soul Twirl (Topaz Ring)

• Gloom Clutches (Bound Bracers)

• Dread Bond (Double Belt)

• Bramble Span (Advanced Braced Sabatons)

PoE 2 0.2.0 Mercenary Build Skill Gems

The primary skill is Fragmentation Rounds, which load the crossbow with shotgun-like projectiles, enhancing physical damage while providing a chance to stun and knock back enemies. Players should focus on increasing physical damage and crossbow reload speed to improve usability. The build also features Explosive Grenades, which convert 80% of physical damage to fire damage, allowing for increased fire damage output and reduced fire resistance on enemies.

• Fragmentation Rounds + Brutality + Nimble Reload + Heft

• Explosive Grenade + Scattershot + Payload + Primal Armament + Concentrated Effect

• Oil Grenade + Strip Away + Encumbrance

• Overwhelming Presence

• Attrition

PoE 2 0.2.0 Mercenary Build Passive Tree

The passive tree for the Mercenary leveling build in Path of Exile 2 0.2.0 focuses heavily on maximizing damage output while sacrificing some defenses for increased offensive capabilities. Key highlights include a focus on two-handed weapon damage, which boosts overall damage for the crossbow. The build prioritizes nodes that enhance grenade skills, such as those that grant additional projectiles and reduce cooldowns, allowing for more frequent and effective grenade use.

As you progress, aim to acquire jewels that enhance crossbow and fire damage, further amplifying their damage potential. Important nodes also provide bonuses to the area of effect damage, which is particularly beneficial for explosive grenades. Additionally, the tree includes utilities like Instant Reload, which increases crossbow reload speed, enhancing usability during combat. The Volatile Grenades node decreases fuse duration, allowing for quicker detonations.