“Path of Exile 2” (PoE 2) is the highly anticipated sequel to the original Path of Exile, one of the most well-regarded action RPGs in the gaming world. The game retains its core mechanics of deep skill customization, endless itemization, and dynamic gameplay while introducing a host of new features. One of the most exciting aspects of PoE 2 is the inclusion of Mercenaries – AI-controlled companions that assist players throughout their journey in Wraeclast.
Mercenaries in PoE 2 are a significant part of the gameplay experience, providing players with the opportunity to create a team of allies who aid in combat, exploration, and even in leveling. This guide will provide a comprehensive approach to leveling Mercenaries effectively, optimizing their abilities, gear, and roles within your party as you progress through the story.
What Are Mercenaries in Path of Exile 2?
Mercenaries are powerful allies that players can recruit to fight alongside them. They act as AI-controlled companions who automatically attack enemies, cast supportive abilities, and provide a range of buffs to help you in your battles. Players can customize these Mercenaries to fit their playstyle, allowing for deep strategy and synergy between the Mercenary and the player.
Mercenaries are not just tools for combat; they are also integral to the progression of your character. They can help you clear difficult areas more efficiently, allow for better farming, and provide additional damage or defense. But in order to fully maximize their potential, you’ll need to focus on how to level them properly, manage their skills, and ensure they are well-equipped for the journey ahead.
How to Unlock Mercenaries in Path of Exile 2
Unlocking Mercenaries is a key milestone in PoE 2’s campaign, and it typically occurs as you progress through the early stages of the game. Here’s how you can unlock and start using Mercenaries:
Progress Through the Main Story: The process of unlocking Mercenaries in Poe 2 trade is tied to the main storyline. As you progress through the game, you will reach a point where you can recruit your first Mercenary. This usually happens after you defeat a significant boss or reach a major area in the story. You won’t need to specifically look for Mercenaries – they will be introduced naturally as part of the game’s progression.
Meet Mercenary NPCs: Once you reach the designated area in the story, you will be able to meet the Mercenary NPCs. These NPCs are usually scattered throughout major cities or hub areas in the game. You will interact with these NPCs to recruit the available Mercenaries, each offering unique benefits and abilities.
Recruit Mercenaries: The recruitment process involves choosing from a variety of Mercenaries with different traits and combat styles. You will often be given a limited selection of Mercenaries early on, and as the game progresses, more Mercenaries will become available to you.
Train and Improve Your Mercenary: As you level up in the game, you can further improve your Mercenaries by giving them experience points and enhancing their gear. This is vital to making them powerful allies in your quest.
Types of Mercenaries and Their Roles
Mercenaries come in various types, each with their own distinct abilities and strengths. The key to successfully leveling a Mercenary is understanding their role and optimizing them for that role. Some common types of Mercenaries include:
Tank Mercenaries:
Role: These Mercenaries are designed to absorb damage and protect you from the brunt of enemy attacks. They typically have high health pools, significant armor, and resistances to mitigate incoming damage.
Abilities: Tank Mercenaries often have abilities that generate aggro (threat), taunt enemies, and reduce damage taken, ensuring that they absorb the majority of damage in combat.
Leveling Tips: Focus on increasing their health, armor, and resistances as they level up. Equip them with gear that boosts their survivability and allows them to remain a durable shield for you throughout combat.
DPS (Damage Dealer) Mercenaries:
Role: These Mercenaries focus on dealing damage, both through ranged or melee attacks. They help you clear enemies quickly and are essential for fast leveling and efficient combat.
Abilities: DPS Mercenaries typically use high-damage abilities or ranged attacks. They often deal the majority of the damage in a fight and can be built to complement your character’s damage type (melee, ranged, elemental, etc.).
Leveling Tips: Prioritize leveling up their damage-dealing abilities. Equip them with high-damage weapons and items that increase attack speed, crit chance, or elemental damage. Consider pairing them with a defensive Mercenary for balanced combat.
Support Mercenaries:
Role: Support Mercenaries provide buffs and healing to you and your party. They may heal damage, grant buffs to offense or defense, or cleanse debuffs.
Abilities: These Mercenaries often specialize in abilities that increase your survivability, such as healing, damage mitigation, or buffing your offensive stats. They can also offer utility effects, like reducing enemy resistances or providing energy regeneration.
Leveling Tips: Focus on increasing their healing output, reducing the cooldowns on their support skills, and equipping them with items that increase their mana regeneration and healing effectiveness.
Hybrid Mercenaries:
Role: These Mercenaries combine damage and support, giving them a flexible role in combat. They can deal damage while also providing some form of utility.
Abilities: Hybrid Mercenaries often have both offensive and defensive abilities. For example, they may be able to deal decent damage while healing or buffing the player.
Leveling Tips: Equip them with a balanced set of gear that allows them to deal damage while also having good survivability. Hybrid Mercenaries often require more careful management of their resources.
Mercenary Leveling Tips
Leveling Mercenaries in Path of Exile 2 is crucial to making them effective allies in combat. Below are some essential tips for efficiently leveling your Mercenaries:
Level Mercenaries Simultaneously: If you are running multiple Mercenaries, it’s important to ensure that they all gain experience at a steady rate. Use the early stages of the game to balance experience distribution between your Mercenaries, especially as they can complement each other in combat.
Focus on Synergy: When choosing which Mercenaries to level, aim to create synergy between them. For example, if your main character specializes in melee combat, consider pairing them with a ranged DPS Mercenary and a support or tank Mercenary. This balance ensures that each Mercenary plays their role effectively.
Equip Your Mercenaries Well: As your Mercenaries level up, they will benefit from better gear. Be sure to keep their equipment updated, especially weapons, armor, and accessories that fit their role. For Tank Mercenaries, focus on defensive stats like health, armor, and resistances. For DPS Mercenaries, prioritize damage bonuses, critical strike chance, and attack speed.
Upgrade Skills: Each Mercenary has a set of skills they can unlock as they level up. Make sure you upgrade their skills to maximize their potential. For tanky Mercenaries, you might want to prioritize skills that increase their aggro generation or survivability. For DPS Mercenaries, focus on unlocking powerful offensive abilities and passives that enhance their damage output.
Use Mercenaries in Key Combat Scenarios: Make sure to take advantage of Mercenaries in difficult combat scenarios. For example, when facing large packs of enemies, use support Mercenaries to heal and buff, while DPS Mercenaries deal with the main threats. Tanks should focus on crowd control and holding enemies at bay.
Manage Mercenary Aggro: If you are using multiple Mercenaries, be mindful of how they interact with each other in combat. Tanks should always be the first line of defense, while DPS Mercenaries should follow up with powerful attacks. If you have a support Mercenary, ensure they stay out of danger while healing and buffing the party.
Optimize Mercenary Pathing: In PoE 2, Mercenaries are controlled by AI, which means they might not always take the most optimal route during combat. Use positioning and movement to guide them toward high-priority targets or away from dangerous areas.
Use Mercenaries for Farming: One great way to level your Mercenaries is by using them for farming. As you run through areas, they can clear enemies quickly while you focus on other aspects of the game, such as loot collection or quest progression.
Mercenary Interactions and Party Management
As you level up your Mercenaries, managing their interactions with your character and each other becomes more important. Consider the following strategies for effective party management:
Mercenary Tactics: Some Mercenaries may have unique tactics, like prioritizing high-health targets or avoiding enemies with certain debuffs. Make sure you understand these tactics and use them to your advantage.
Control Aggro: Tanks can be positioned to absorb damage from elite bosses, while DPS Mercenaries can target weaker enemies. Understanding how your Mercenaries approach combat will help you keep them alive and maximize their effectiveness.
Party Synergy: If you are playing in a group, make sure your Mercenaries complement the skills of other players. For example, if another player has a tanky build, you might choose a DPS Mercenary to fill the role of dealing high damage.
Conclusion
Mercenaries in cheap POE 2 Currency are more than just companions; they are valuable assets that can aid you throughout your journey in Wraeclast. Leveling and optimizing your Mercenaries is an essential aspect of progressing through the game, whether you are tackling difficult bosses, exploring new zones, or farming for loot. By understanding the different types of Mercenaries, how to level them effectively, and how to maximize their potential, you will have powerful allies by your side, ready to face whatever challenges lie ahead. Happy adventuring!
