Path Of Exile 2: How To Utilize Skills? - Acquisition, Upgrades & Buffs

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• Path Of Exile 2: How To Master The Selected Class As Soon As Possible? - Difficulty Ranking

  In POE 2 early access released not long ago, there are 6 classes for you to choose and experience. Although 6 classes seem not so rich compared to the 12 classes that are expected to be released in the official game after the early access, it is actually enough for you to play for a long time.

  As you know, the current 6 classes of Path of Exile 2 not only have different gameplays from each other, but each class also has its own builds and different ascendancy subclasses, so they have different strengths when facing different enemies. So if you want to farm POE 2 Regal Orb by defeating high-level bosses, you must be more cautious in class selection.

  In addition, because of the inherent differences in the design of each class, not every class is easy to operate. Some classes are relatively simple at the beginning, but difficult to operate in the endgame stage; some classes are difficult to upgrade in the early stage, but will show their full strength after being perfected.

  Based on this, we have ranked these 6 classes from easy to hard based on the difficulty of mastering for your reference.

  6. Sorceress

  Sorceress is currently the easiest class to play in POE 2. Although she has almost no protection against physical damage from enemies, she can use her powerful elemental attacks to eliminate enemies before they get close. However, if you want to improve her survivability, you can also invest in passive skills to gain energy shields.

  In the mid-game, you can expand Sorceress’s damage potential through the synergy between lightning damage, Sorceress buff gems, and Stormweaver ascendancy.

  In fact, this class may also be the easiest class to enter the endgame, because her high energy shield attribute and passive skills provide more survivability than you think.

  5. Ranger

  You may feel that Ranger is a complex class because of its skill-shot abilities, which require you to grasp the timing of the attack. Of course, this is true to a certain extent, and as a class with a high skill cap, Ranger has huge damage potential. But there are actually easier ways to deal damage to this class.

  For example, if you play as a Ranger, you can easily deal a lot of area damage through lightning or poison, or use freezing skills such as Escape Shot and Freezing Salvo to control the enemy. Just invest in relevant passive damage skills, and you can keep your damage high throughout the game, making it easy to defeat enemies and get the dropped POE 2 Currency.

  4. Witch

  This class is a mixed bag in terms of difficulty. At the beginning, the required operations of Witch are relatively easy, because the available minions have a significant advantage in the early game, which can prevent enemies from approaching, while you can deal damage from a distance.

  However, once you enter the mid-to-late game, when bosses and elites can deal enough damage to eliminate minions, Witch will gradually lose this combat advantage. Unless you wait for rebirth, then it will be difficult for you to focus on damage output.

  For this reason, it is recommended that you light up the passive points that enhance the ability of minions, and also pay attention to Witch’s energy shield passive, which can prevent you from dying immediately when the minions’ meat shield is broken. In addition, curses and infection mechanisms that can achieve optimal damage add a little extra complexity to Witch.

  3. Mercenary

  At first glance, you will find that the combat function of Mercenary seems similar to that of Ranger - they are both ranged warriors and can mix elemental and poison attacks. But compared to the high mobility of Ranger, Mercenary has greater health and armor potential, as well as a more methodical shooting method.

  Related: Path of Exile 2 Currency Free Giveaways & Promotions

  Mercenary’s crossbow can fire various types of arrows and ammunition, such as allowing you to use Fragmentation Rounds in close combat and Permafrost Bolts at a distance. Or use grenades to ignite a cloud of poison gas, allowing you to cause large-scale damage to enemies as you upgrade.

  2. Warrior

  If you are more used to playing RPGs, or are familiar with POE 1, you may be mistakenly thought that Warrior will be the easiest class to get started at the beginning, but the more complex melee mechanics in Path of Exile 2 mean that this is not the case. To experience the game as a Warrior in POE 2, you need to balance many things.

  While you also get the standard survivability boost, this ultimately counteracts the demanding playstyle of POE 2. That is, even Warrior with the highest armor can’t stand still and take the boss’s hits.

  Of course, it is possible to create Warrior builds that can clear the end content, and the class has the highest single-target damage potential in the game. However, this requires you to have very precise and patient gameplay and pay careful attention to movement rotation and enemy status, so the actual operation is still relatively difficult.

  1. Monk

  If you can fully master this class, you can get excellent clearing speed in combat, but it will be difficult to reach the upper limit of Monk. To do this, you must master the use of energy charges and actively generate them in order to enhance skills. And to get the highest DPS output of Monk, you need to use Tempest Bell. When other Monk skills hit it, the damage you deal with will be further amplified.

  In addition, the survivability of Monk is relatively average, because the class attributes are mainly distributed in intelligence and agility, so you can only defend with dodge rating and energy shield. But the humble dodge level attribute provides almost no protection, so you can only focus on strengthening the energy shield to resist enemy attacks.

  But no matter which class you choose to play, you will need the help and benefits of various Orbs. So join POE 2 Currency giveaway event in IGGM Discord now! Just leave the emoji “Love” for a chance to get a lot of Orbs! Good luck!

• Path Of Exile 2: A Guide To Maximize Charms - Obtaining, Upgrading & More

  After entering the early access to POE 2, I believe you will find that there are many props available in the game, which can provide different benefits to your battles and make it easier for you to win. And compared with the first base game, there are also some new items in POE 2, such as charms.

  As a new system in Path of Exile 2, charms replace the non-life and non-mana potions in POE 1, but this does not mean that their functions are exactly the same. In fact, charms do not provide unique bonuses and passive gains when used like potions, but can only be activated after the relevant trigger is triggered. And if you want to give it some bonuses to make it more useful, you need to consume some specific POE 2 Currency.

  Based on this, we will give you a detailed introduction to charms and how to use them.

  What Are The Charms In POE 2?

  In battle, charms will provide you with various defensive effects as accessories, depending on the charm’s own properties. These effects are triggered when you are hit by the enemy. For example, Sapphire Charm will grant you 25% cold resistance after you take a hit, and it lasts for four seconds.

  Like potions, charms need to be charged in order to work. When your charm runs out of charge, it won’t activate and won’t be able to help you. Fortunately, you can increase the charge by killing monsters or refilling it at a well.

  You can also increase the rarity of a charm to increase its power with Regal Orb. Or there’s a similar method - use materials that adds or change modifiers on the charm. This keeps the charm’s main effect the same, but makes it stronger. For example, if you add a modifier to Sapphire Charm, it will restore four times your mana.

  There are currently 12 charms in the game, but you can only use three at a time. In addition, all charms have 80 charges, but the amount of charge consumed by peruse varies depending on the type of charm.

  It’s worth mentioning that there are also some modifiers that can reduce the amount of charge required to activate the charm. But basically most charms will run out of charge after about one or two uses.

  • Thawing Charm: Immunity to Freeze-Used when Frozen
  • Staunching Charm: Immunity to Bleeding-Used when Bleeding starts
  • Antidote: Immunity to Poison-Used when Poisoned
  • Dousing Charm: Immunity to Ignite-Used when Ignited
  • Grounding Charm: Immunity to Shock-Used when Shocked
  • Stone Charm: Immune to being Stunned-Used when Stunned
  • Silver Charm: Immune to Slow effects-Used when affected by a Slow effect
  • Ruby Charm: +25% Fire Resistance-Used when taking Fire Damage
  • Sapphire Charm: +25% Cold Resistance-Used when taking Cold Damage
  • Amethyst Charm: +18% Chaos Resistance-Used when taking Chaos Damage
  • Topaz Charm: +25% Lightning Resistance-Used when talking Lightning Damage
  • Golden Charm: +20% increases rarity of items found-Used when killing a Rare/Unique Enemy

  How To Get Charms?

  Charms aren’t actually that complicated to get in Path of Exile 2. First, they can drop from almost any enemy, so if you kill every monster you encounter while advancing the main story or playing through the various campaigns, you’ll have a good chance of getting one.

  Also, it’s best to do your best to browse each map and keep an eye out for any charms that might drop. There are only a limited number of charms in the game, so it’s worth keeping any that drop, or you can store any extras in your stash.

  How To Upgrade?

  While charms aren’t considered traditional equipment, you can still upgrade them in a number of ways. First, you can add modifiers to rare and enchanted charms using Orbs of Augmentation and Exalted Orbs. This will increase the resistances the charm provides you, further accentuating the charm’s effects. Alternatively, you can also add modifiers similar to potion modifiers, increasing the maximum charge of the charm and the charge recovery.

  Also Read: How To Level Up Faster For Witch In Path Of Exile 2?

  In addition, upgrading the rarity of the charm can also be useful. When using this method, however, make sure to only use Regal Orb on a Magic Charm if it already has two modifiers.

  Where Can The Charm Be Placed?

  The charm is equipped mainly based on the belt you are currently wearing, so if you don’t have a belt on, then you cannot use the charm. Fortunately, belts are not difficult to obtain in POE 2, and they will drop from any enemy after defeating them.

  Alternatively, you can also obtain a belt from a vendor, such as Renly in Clearfell camp. After wearing a belt, you will unlock at least one charm slot. The charm slot will be displayed directly to the right of your potion, allowing you to see the effect and charge status it currently has easily.

  If you want to get more charm slots for the belt, you must equip a higher level belt armor. Most belts dropped in Act 1 and Act 2 will come with one charm slot, while belts with more charm slots become more common in Act 3, Cruel difficulty and higher.

  That’s all about how to get a charm in POE 2 and what you need to know about using it. Also, enter IGGM Discord now to participate in POE 2 Currency giveaway event, where we will draw 20 players to share 1,000 Exalted Orbs, 1,000 Chaos Orbs, 1,000 Orbs of Alchemy and 2,000 Regal Orbs. Good luck!

• Path Of Exile 2: How To Defeat Azarian, The Forsaken Son?

  In Act 2 of Path Of Exile 2, players will embark on a journey to Vastiri Desert to continue tracking Beast of Corruption, with the ultimate goal of defeating Jamanra, the Risen King. However, before you can deliver the killing blow, Jamanra will flee into the desert, and you must continue to pursue him.

  But to go deep into the desert and track down Jamanra, you first need to complete a key quest - assembling Horn of Orbala. Horn of Orbala is your key tool for going deep into the desert, and it will help you blow away the dust and strong winds in the desert.

  In order to assemble this artifact, you need to collect the parts of Horn of Orbala, which are distributed across multiple different quests. One of the most critical quests is City of Seven Waters, which is to find Essence of Water, a necessary part of Horn of Orbala. During the process of obtaining Essence of Water, you will encounter Azarian, a powerful enemy. If you want to know how to defeat him quickly, then this guide will help you.

  

  Azarian, The Forsaken Son Location

  In the second act of POE 2, players will first travel through Keth, the Lost City, before they can continue to Buried Shrines. Deep in Shrines, players will find Azarian guarding Water Goddess.

  Azarian, The Forsaken Son Guide

  The battle with Azarian will take place in a square arena, with a huge brazier set up in each corner of the venue. Any attack that hits a brazier will explode and spread the flames to that corner of the arena. The flames will last for a while, causing area damage and bringing additional threats to the player.

  If all four braziers are destroyed, most of the arena will be covered in fire. Players can only find a relatively safe area in the center of the arena. Although the location in the center is temporarily safe, it also puts players in a dilemma. Azarian will frequently move and attack players, and his attack range will usually cover the entire arena.

  When standing in the center, you must always be wary of Azarian’s attacks, as he will quickly close in and launch powerful strikes. Sometimes you may have to enter an area that is already covered in flames in an attempt to avoid Azarian’s attacks. Therefore, during the battle, players should try to avoid hitting the braziers.

  Azarian Attacks

  Flaming Advance

  Azarian will rotate his weapon and charge in a straight line, dealing damage with each swing. Before launching an attack, Azarian will have a short charging animation as a precursor to the attack.

  Fireball Toss

  Azarian will thrust his arm into the ground and release a series of fireballs that spread out in a cone. These fireballs sometimes form a wall of fire that lasts for a few seconds, hindering the player’s movement. The thrown fireballs will fly out from the side where his arm is pulled out.

  Flame Shot

  Azarian will pull his arm back and then quickly extend it forward, throwing a cone of fireballs.

  Flame Slam

  Azarian will raise his arm and slam it forward, creating two short cones of fire. He will turn slightly when using this skill, so try not to dodge immediately once you see him raise his arm. It is best to wait until the last moment to dodge to the side to avoid being hit.

  Azarian will repeatedly use the above attacks until he is defeated. Of these attacks, Flame Slam does the most damage and is the most difficult to dodge. However, since the real threat of this fight comes from the pool of fire created by the destroyed braziers, it is crucial to use some POE 2 Currency to obtain equipment with fire resistance in this fight in order to improve your chances of survival.

  Any equipment with fire resistance will significantly reduce the damage caused by fire, especially a Ruby Charm. It is worth mentioning here that using a POE 2 Regal Orb can increase the rarity of Charms.

  When facing Azarian, the difficulty of the fight will vary depending on your class and size. Normally, ranged builds are relatively safe in this kind of fight, as you can keep your distance and avoid direct contact with them.

  However, a potential weakness of ranged builds is that when the brazier explodes, the pool of fire spreads throughout the arena, forcing you to stay close to the center of the arena, where Azarian frequently attacks, which can put the ranged class in a difficult position.

  In contrast, melee builds present unique challenges. Since melee characters need to stay close to Azarian to deal damage, Azarian’s Flaming Advance may drag you to his side, trapping you in the range of the flames and taking multiple hits, putting you at a disadvantage in the fight.

  Whether it is ranged or melee, Azarian’s fight is full of challenges. Continuous experimentation is the key to defeating Azarian. Through multiple battles, you will gradually master Azarian’s attack patterns, attack timing, and movement patterns.

  Once you are familiar with his behavior, you will be able to effectively avoid fatal attacks, seize opportunities for counterattacks, and ultimately defeat Azarian. Finally, we would like to remind you that you can participate in POE 2 Orbs giveaway event by entering IGGM Discord now, so don’t miss it.

• Path Of Exile 2: How To Deal With The Terrifying Boss In The Third Act? - Viper Napuatzi

  With the official launch of POE 2 early access, you will find that although there are only 3 acts to experience, each act is very rich, including campaigns with different plots and bosses of different difficulties.

  Among them, if you can successfully defeat those higher-level bosses, you can not only get more POE 2 Currency than completing ordinary tasks but also unlock the next act or a new challenge difficulty. Viper Napuatzi, in the third act is such a boss worth challenging.

  Located in Utzaal, this boss will deploy various poison attacks in a very small arena, forcing you into a claustrophobic battle. Although the battle process with her may not be very complicated, the limited size of the arena and the power of the poison will make her extremely deadly. Especially when she uses multiple core actions in rapid succession to cover the arena in poison or trap you in a corner.

  Based on this, we will introduce you how to defeat her from two aspects: pre-preparation and specific battle.

  Prepare According To The Boss’s Weaknesses

  When you encounter her, you need to make sure your game character is at least level 43-45 - of course, the higher the better. Since Viper Napuatzi is resistant to almost as many elemental damage, even physical damage, so you’d better use chaos damage to deal with her, or destroy her armor as much as possible.

  Among the 6 classes currently available, Warrior’s slam attacks and Witch’s chaos build will be the best weapons to deal with this boss, and Ranger with poison or chaos attacks is also effective. Other professions will feel more difficult, such as Monk or Sorceress. If you play such a disadvantaged class, you’d better use chaos resistance to enhance your equipment and defense.

  To do this, you need to farm equipment with chaos resistance attributes throughout Act 3 beforehand, and make them stronger by consuming POE 2 Exalted Orbs. In addition, you can also work hard to unlock those chaos resistance nodes on the passive skill tree. Alternatively, you can use Chaos Resistance Ring, which is a random drop in Act 3, and can also be found at vendors in Act 2 or Act 3.

  It’s worth mentioning that if you’ve previously defeated Ignagduk and completed Tribal Vengeance quest, you can choose to obtain Blooming Antidote Charm. This will make you immune to poison when you’re poisoned during the fight with Viper Napuatzi.

  How To Defeat Viper Napuatzi?

  Throughout the fight, Viper Napuatzi will accumulate the frequency of her attacks, rather than switching between phases. As a result, she’ll become more unpredictable as the fight progresses.

  First, her basic range of attacks is based around spear attacks, which include thrusts that can be dodged sideways, and a standard three-hit combo. Typically, her first two attacks might hit you at close range, and then she’ll leap forward and slam her spear into the ground for a more powerful third attack. You can dodge the first two attacks by rolling out of the way, and then rolling to the side to avoid the third slam.

  She will then slowly walk forward, swinging her spear, and suddenly jump forward while spinning the spear, dealing poison damage to you. During this time, you must do your best to stay away from her, because if you are hit, you will continue to take damage while being infected by the poison.

  Be careful, Viper Napuatzi can also rush towards you to close the distance between you, but you can predict it by some of her behaviors. When Napuatzi holds the spear with her right hand and charges it, you can see the poison concentrate on the tip of the spear, accompanied by a loud sound prompt.

  This is actually a long-range charge attack, and she will launch two snakes in the area in front of her. This attack has a wide range, so when she releases the charge attack, you should immediately step back and dodge.

  Between all of Viper Napuatzi’s attacks, it is recommended that you use single-target skills that can be automatically aimed, area-of-effect skills, or projectiles such as walls and spheres to allow you to damage her while avoiding the boss.

  Of course, you should always remember not to get too close to her, but to guide her from a distance to keep a medium distance around the arena slowly. This will allow you to avoid most of her melee attacks with good dodging.

  How To Deal With The Ultimate Phase Of The Fight?

  If you play as a Warrior or other melee class, you’ll want to focus on casting totems and shockwaves. Also, if you don’t damage Napuatzi for too long, her energy shield will regenerate, making her harder to kill.

  When Napuatzi’s health drops to around 85%, she’ll place her spear on the ground and form a poison pool around herself while rising into the air above the arena and starting to fire blasts at you. These blasts are marked with circles on the ground, and to avoid them you must slowly move around the arena, moving to spaces where the blasts didn’t hit or just hit.

  There’s no set order for these attacks. Viper Napuatzi can use several blasts in a row, or relentlessly unleash her melee attacks. To do this, you’ll need to be familiar with her movements for each attack.

  When her health drops to around 30%, she will perform a spear attack, and once her health drops to 5%, she will perform a spear attack more continuously. However, you cannot damage her during this attack, so you have to wait until she starts fighting on the ground again to continue to damage her until she is defeated.

  With the death of Viper Napuatzi, you will not only can obtain Regal Orbs or some rare equipment that may drop through her, but also enter Cruel difficulty and endgame. It is worth mentioning that now enter IGGM Discord, you can participate in POE 2 Orbs giveaway event, just leave the reaction emoji “Love” to have a chance to get a lot of Orbs! Hurry up and act!

• Path Of Exile 2: How To Improve Your Chances Of Beating Bosses? - 8 Tips

  Since the first game, Path of Exile has always been one of the more difficult RPGs, and POE 2 is no exception. Even the regular challenges and quests can sometimes be hard to complete, let alone the overpowered bosses. From werewolves to elves, you may even face dozens of enemies in a boss fight.

  Despite this, sometimes you still actively fight high-level bosses in order to get more POE 2 Orbs that may drop. But no matter how well you dodge or how hard you hit, sometimes the boss just won’t go down. It’s completely fine to give up or create a new character to continue playing, but why not try some tricks to make boss battles easier?

  With this in mind, we will introduce you to 8 tips that may increase your chances of winning boss battles and improve your gaming experience.

  1. Level Up

  Leveling up is undoubtedly one of the most basic ways to make you stronger in POE 2. Regardless of which class you play, actively farming monsters or clearing dungeons will earn you enough experience to increase the power of your passive skills.

  And if there is a boss that you can’t defeat despite multiple attempts, you can make a specific upgrade plan for it to push yourself to acquire a skill that may be the advantage you need to defeat that boss.

  For example, if you have trouble fighting the damage of a certain boss, you can invest in skills that increase health regeneration, armor, or evasion. If a certain boss has powerful defense, it is recommended to invest in elemental or physical damage or critical chance.

  2. Try Single-Player Games

  Some bosses have higher health and are more difficult to defeat when facing a group. Here, you may try to go it alone, especially if these bosses rely mainly on area attacks.

  Of course, this can be a double-edged sword. Because if a certain boss is resistant to the type of damage you deal, you may find yourself in a more difficult situation. But since enemies have lower health when fighting alone, and there is no need to worry about reviving teammates, playing alone can be an advantage against certain bosses.

  3. Carry Resistance Items

  There are some amulets and rings in Path of Exile 2 that have good resistance to different elemental damage, which can be very useful when you are dealing with bosses that rely on elemental damage or effects such as stun.

  You can find several rings and amulets through adventures, or exchange some by POE 2 Currency. As the resistance stacks, they can greatly reduce the damage that bosses who focus on a single damage type can cause you, making it much easier to defeat them.

  Among them, the amulet is particularly useful. It allows you to ignore status effects directly such as freeze or stun caused by the enemy, increasing your chances of winning in battle.

  4. Reset Passive Skills

  If you don’t plan your build in advance, resetting passive skills can be a very important trick, because it is almost impossible to defeat the boss with an imperfect build. Even if you can last a long time in the battle, you can’t cause any damage to the boss.

  Passive skills can provide you with attribute improvements related to classes and abilities, including new abilities that are automatically activated under certain conditions, or allow you to equip new equipment and gain attribute gains, giving you a chance to defeat the boss.

  5. Remember The Boss’s Attack Patterns

  In Path of Exile 2, it is crucial to remember the boss’s attack patterns. Because large-scale arena sweeps require you to stand in a specific position or focus on repetitive timing rather than reaction.

  See More: How To Find And Defeat Azarian, The Forsaken Son In Path Of Exile 2?

  Most POE 2 bosses have a fixed way of attacking in each round. When you have a strong enough to combat power and successfully remember the enemy’s attack patterns, you can deal with him more specifically. Sometimes, being killed by the boss is just a way to understand its weaknesses and provide a stepping stone to defeat them.

  6. Replace Skill Gems

  This tip is actually provided for new players, because as long as you have some understanding of POE series, you should know the importance of handling skill gems correctly.

  During the game, you must constantly upgrade your skills and replace targeted skill gems in time according to the type of enemy to deal with them: if the boss has followers, it will be useful to enhance the effect range and effect duration of the skills; if it is a single boss, then the skills should maximize the damage to make it easier to defeat them.

  7. Grind For Better Gear

  One thing about POE 2 that’s unique is that its loot pool is random, so it’s hard to find weapons that really give you an edge in boss fights - especially if you don’t have a loot filter.

  Rare weapons usually have better properties, and they perform even better if the random affixes added to them by using Exalted Orb target the boss’s weaknesses. But if you’re really stuck, trying to find new gears with better properties may help you break the rut.

  8. Defeat Other Bosses

  It may seem contradictory, but defeating certain bosses may give you some special advantages in later boss fights. For example, when you fight and win Beira Of The Rotten Pack in The Clearfell, the second area in Act I, you get a unique item that permanently increases your resistance to cold damage.

  When you encounter the final boss of Act I, you’ll be surprised to find that the main damage it deals is cold, so defeating Beira will greatly increase your chances of defeating the final boss of Act I.

  In addition, other bosses in Path of Exile 2 will continue to provide you with unique items and useful attribute upgrades, which may help you fight against subsequent bosses.

  To better make use of these tips, you can participate in the ongoing POE 2 Orbs giveaway event in IGGM Discord, get related benefits about the tips with these Orbs. If you are lucky enough, you will share 600 Exalted Orbs, 600 Chaos Orbs, and 1,200 Regal Orbs with 19 other players! Come and try it!

• Path Of Exile 2: How To Choose The Best Skill Gems For Mercenary Build?

  Mercenaries excel at using Crossbow and have a few unique skills that make them a powerful force on the battlefields of Path Of Exile 2. This article will highlight the best Skill Gems for Mercenary builds and share how to maximize their potential by pairing the best Support gems with passive skills.

  12. Armor Piercing Rounds

  • Tier: I
  • Requirements: Crossbow
  • Type: Projectile, Physical
  • Best Support Gems: Overpower, Ruthless, Armor Explosion, Chain
  • Best Passives: Projectile Damage, Chain, Projectile Speed, Pierce

  This skill focuses on breaking enemy armor, can penetrate multiple targets, and can be adjusted to bounce between targets for an AoE, making it a reliable partner for mercenaries.

  When the skill is released, it will fire a series of fast-flying bullets that first penetrate the first enemy hit, and then deal decreasing damage to subsequent enemies. In addition, it will apply Armor Breaking debuff to enemies, causing enemies affected by this effect to take more physical damage.

  

  11. Explosive Grenade

  • Tier: I
  • Requirements: Crossbow
  • Type: AoE, Elemental
  • Best Support Gems: Fire Penetration, Fire Infusion
  • Best Passives: Grenade Damage, Grenade Fuse reduction, Fire Damage

  Explosive Grenade fires Elemental Fire, which detonates after 3 seconds, dealing a medium AoE fire damage, and ignites Gas and Oil, making it great for clearing large groups of enemies and getting more POE 2 Currency drops.

  If you change to Grenade Fuse Time Reduction, the grenade will explode faster, increasing its lethality against normal enemies. In boss battles, it can be paired with other grenade to form a strong AoE, continuously reducing the boss’ health and helping to clear summoned minions.

  10. Galvanic Shards

  • Tier: V
  • Requirements: Crossbow
  • Type: Projectile, AoE, Elemental
  • Best Support Gems: Lightning Infusion, Ammo Conservation, Innervate, Conduction
  • Best Passives: Lightning Damage, Elemental Damage, Shock Increase, Crossbow Reload Speed

  Galvanic Shards are a cone-shaped area attack that causes cumulative Shock and Electrifying. Enemies that are electrified are more vulnerable to projectiles and lightning elemental attacks.

  Combined with Herald of Thunder and Support Gems that increase Shock build-up and Lightning Damage, you can quickly clear out groups of enemies. It is even more effective when paired with a crossbow equipped with two Storm Runes.

  9. Herald Of Thunder

  • Tier: V
  • Requirements: 30 spirit (base)
  • Type: Herald, Buff, AoE, Elemental
  • Best Support Gems: Magnified Effect, Maim, Blind, Conduction
  • Best Passives: Herald AoE Damage, Herald Reservation decrease

  Herald Of Thunder is a skill that should be unlocked first for Mercenary. It can enhance the shock damage after shocking the enemy, triggering a powerful range explosion. It requires 30 Spirit to activate, but the benefits are significant. It can use support gems to improve the effect, but it will increase the spirit cost. To balance the cost, you can choose Herald AoE Damage Passive Skill and Herald Reservation.

  8. Rapid Shot

  • Tier: V
  • Requirements: Crossbow
  • Type: Projectile, Elemental
  • Best Support Gems: Ignition, Fresh Clip, Martial Tempo, Primal Armament
  • Best Passives: Elemental Damage, Projectile Damage

  Rapid Shot fires fire elemental projectiles after a short cooldown that can set targets on fire. Combined with Ignition, Fresh Clip, Martial Tempo, and Primal Armament support gems, it can quickly eliminate bosses and increase your efficiency in farming POE 2 Exalted Orbs.

  Paired with Elemental Damage, and Projectile Damage passives and Emergency Reload, it can form high-frequency fiery darts that can easily melt powerful enemies. Rapid shot also generates Heat, which can enhance the power of Grenades and add Fire Damage.

  7. Gas Grenade

  • Tier: V
  • Requirements: Crossbow
  • Type: AoE, Elemental
  • Best Support Gems: Bursting Plague, Primal Armament, Ingenuity
  • Best Passives: Grenade Damage, Grenade effect duration increase

  After launching a lob that bounces off a surface, it explodes in 2.5 seconds to form a cloud of toxic that continuously damages and poisons enemies. The poison still affects targets that leave the toxic cloud for a short time. Combining Bursting Plague, Primal Armament, and Ingenuity allow Mercenaries to cover the battlefield with poison gas and ignite it with Explosive Shot or Explosive Grenade for a powerful combo.

  6. Explosive Shot

  • Tier: VII
  • Requirements: Crossbow
  • Type: Projectile, AoE, Physical, Elemental
  • Best Support Gems: Envenom, Wildfire, Primal Armament
  • Best Passives: Elemental Damage, Fire Damage

  Explosive Shot charges Crossbow with a powerful single shot that explodes on contact, igniting Oil and Gas and knocking back enemies. Spread Ignition status with Wildfire support gems, or apply Envenom to turn it into a Poisonous Elemental explosion.

  As a slow but powerful attack, it is recommended to invest in the Elemental Damage and Fire Damage passives in the skill tree and equip a crossbow that deals Fire Elemental Damage. Use an Artificer Orb and Desert Runes to optimize Explosive Shot’s damage output.

  5. Ripwire Ballista

  • Tier: VII
  • Requirements: Crossbow
  • Type: Totem, Physical
  • Best Support Gems: Overabundance, Lockdown
  • Best Passives: Totem Duration, Pin Down Debuff Duration

  This is one of the most useful Mercenary Skill Gems, creating a totem that generates a Ballista, which periodically fires arrows attached with chains. At 100%, the enemy is immobilized for 5 seconds, giving Mercenary time to deal damage. With Overabundance modification, 2 Ballistas can be summoned. The duration is halved but Pin-Down accumulates faster, and Lockdown is completed at the same time.

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  4. Stormblast Bolts

  • Tier: IX
  • Requirements: Crossbow
  • Type: Projectile, AoE, Elemental
  • Best Support Gems: Lightning Infusion, Ingenuity, Innervate, Conduction
  • Best Passives: Lightning Damage, Elemental Damage

  This is one of the most complex skills in Mercenary, but it can be a significant change if you master it. It fires arrows at a designated area, which creates a link when they land, and can be detonated by Exploding Arrow or Galvanic Shards, dealing powerful area-of-effect electric damage.

  Choose Lightning Infusion, Ingenuity, Innervate, and Conduction, and pair it with the extra Lightning Damage and Elemental Damage from equipment and passive skills to maximize the effect.

  3. Oil Grenade

  • Tier: IX
  • Requirements: Crossbow
  • Type: AoE, Debuff
  • Best Support Gems: Ingenuity, Encumbrance
  • Best Passives: Grenade Effect Duration Increase, Cooldown Reduction

  Fire a grenade that explodes on contact, releasing sticky oil, slowing enemies and increasing their vulnerability to Fire Damage and Ignite effects. Oil can be ignited by Grenades or Explosive Bolts, creating a short-lived fire curtain.

  It is recommended to use Ingenuity to shorten the cooldown, Grenade Effect Duration to extend the slow/vulnerability effect, and Encumbrance to increase the slowdown effect. Combined with Gas Grenade, it can create a deadly trap for monsters and bosses.

  2. Emergency Reload

  • Tier: XI
  • Requirements: Crossbow
  • Type: Buff
  • Best Support Gems: Ingenuity, Premeditation
  • Best Passives: Buff Duration, Buff Effectiveness

  This skill instantly reloads your crossbow with the latest arrows and increases damage by 15%. Very dangerous when combined with skills like Rapid Shot or Galvanic Shards. It is recommended to use Skill Gems and Passives to reduce the cooldown. With two Premeditation runes, it can increase damage by an additional 30%, which is deadly.

  1. Plasma Blast

  • Tier: XIII
  • Requirements: Crossbow
  • Type: Projectile, Charged, Elemental
  • Best Support Gems: Lightning Infusion, Martial Tempo, Innervate, Conduction
  • Best Passives: Lightning Damage, Elemental Damage, Projectile Damage

  This skill fires a powerful laser beam that deals high lightning damage and knocks back enemies. It takes 2 seconds to charge and exposes the player. Pairing it with Martial Tempo Skill Gems can solve the exposure problem. Choosing Gem Studded passive in Gemling Legionnaire Ascendancy can reduce the charge time by 25%, greatly improving efficiency.

  In summary, we have introduced the best Skill Gems for Mercenary in POE 2 and the best Support Gems and Passives to match them in great detail. This information is essential for players to build a powerful Mercenary and can help you maximize your potential on the battlefield. Finally, you can enter IGGM Discord to join POE 2 Orbs giveaway event. We will draw 10 players on December 20th to share 100 Exalted Orbs, 100 Chaos Orbs, and 200 Regal Orbs!