The Mercenary class in Path of Exile 2 has quietly become more appealing in patch 0.4, thanks to several targeted buffs and mechanical adjustments. While the Mercenary is still not considered a top-tier meta pick in the Last of the Druids update, crossbow-based builds remain fun, efficient, and surprisingly effective throughout the endgame.

If you're planning to play a Mercenary in the current PoE 2 league, here are the best Mercenary builds to try in Path of Exile 2 patch 0.4.

1) Permafrost Witchhunter Build

Freeze remains one of the strongest crowd-control mechanics in Path of Exile 2, making the Permafrost Witchhunter an excellent choice for both mapping and survivability. This build revolves around Permafrost Bolts as a primary clearing skill, supported by gems like Projectile Acceleration to improve coverage and projectile speed.

For regular monsters, Permafrost Bolts function as a near single-button clear. By scaling freeze chance and increasing your Culling Strike Threshold, most enemies will fall in one hit without ever posing a threat. The real power of the build, however, comes from its bossing rotation.

Against tougher enemies and bosses, you'll combine Freezing Mark with Fragmentation Rounds. Once an enemy is Frozen, Fragmentation Rounds consume the ailment to trigger a powerful explosion. The interaction is extremely strong, often chunking bosses for massive portions of their health bar. While you may need to repeat the rotation two or three times, depending on your damage, the safety provided by repeated freezes makes encounters very manageable.

With the Witchhunter's upgraded Sorcery Ward providing universal damage protection, this build offers one of the safest Mercenary playstyles in patch 0.4.

2) Explosive Shot Tactician Build

Explosive Shot continues to be one of the most popular and visually satisfying crossbow builds in Path of Exile 2. Its innate area-of-effect damage makes it excellent for fast mapping, and support gems like Multishot allow it to fire a devastating barrage of explosive bolts.

A key item for this build is Arjun's Medal, which automatically loads an extra bolt when you land a killing blow. With enough damage investment, this mechanic effectively removes reload downtime entirely. Because of this interaction, many players choose to buy POE2 Items like Arjun's Medal early to accelerate progression and clear speed.

For boss fights, Explosive Shot benefits greatly from incorporating grenade skills into your rotation. While this increases button complexity, the damage payoff is significant. By stacking additional Spirit on your gear, you can also summon Mirage Archer to automate grenade usage, letting you focus entirely on scaling Explosive Shot damage.

This build excels as a high-speed mapper that transitions smoothly into endgame bossing with the right Path of Exile 2 Currency investment.

3) Galvanic Shards Tactician Build

If you're looking for another efficient single-button build, Galvanic Shards is a standout option in patch 0.4. The skill fires Lightning-infused fragments that can merge when hitting the same target, making it excellent for both clearing packs and dealing respectable single-target damage.

To elevate the build's mapping speed even further, pairing Galvanic Shards with Herald of Thunder is highly recommended. Using Magnified Area II increases the Herald's effective range, allowing it to zap enemies off-screen and smooth out clear speed significantly. The result is a fast, fluid playstyle similar to Permafrost Bolts, but with Lightning instead of Cold.

The Tactician Ascendancy is ideal here. Solid Plan provides 50% Spirit reservation efficiency for persistent buffs, while Right Where We Want Them allows projectile attacks to build Pin, preventing enemies from moving. This makes both clearing and bossing far more consistent, especially against mobile targets.

4) Siege Cascade Tactician Build

Siege Cascade offers one of the most unique crossbow playstyles in Path of Exile 2. Unlike traditional projectile skills, it fires bolts into the air that land on the ground, splitting into multiple projectiles before exploding after a short delay.

The strength of Siege Cascade lies in its scaling. There is no hard limit to how many projectiles a single shot can split into, meaning the more projectiles you stack, the more devastating each cast becomes. In dense packs, even one well-placed shot can obliterate everything on screen.

The main challenge is enemy movement, as targets can walk away before the explosions trigger. This is where Right Where We Want Them once again proves invaluable. By building Pin, you can lock enemies in place, ensuring they remain within the blast radius. Combining Combat Frenzy for Frenzy Charges and Barrage for added pressure turns Siege Cascade into a deadly bossing tool as well.

Final Thoughts

While the Mercenary may not dominate the Path of Exile 2 meta in patch 0.4, crossbow builds remain viable, affordable, and extremely fun. Whether you prefer freezing enemies solid, covering the screen in explosions, or locking down bosses with precise projectile setups, these Mercenary builds offer diverse and rewarding playstyles for the current league.