PoE 2 - Endgame Grenadier Mercenary Build [BUILD UPDATE]

[@baconoverlord7982]

Thank you for being one of the few YT posters that actually includes a build... for their build video.

[@bobdole8248]

Can we get an update on this one currently?

[@michellewalker4481]

Used this build for my character. Easily clearing T14 right now. Thank you!

[@edjumuhcated]

Any update on this build? Great build, hit a wall and this one made everything so much easier. Thanks for this.

[@uberchipmonk2568]

This build works great! One thing to change! If you have culling strike in the ascendancy tree, it completely negates overkill, making Herald of ash useless.

[@_zsebtelep8502]

Did you do the math? I had the same idea but herald is fix to proc if you do more dmg but cull the weak i think no.

[@uberchipmonk2568]

@_zsebtelep8502 no I didn't do any math. Merely pointing out that if you proc culling strike, you can't overkill on the same hit.

[@ponchera9501]

I was using explosive grenade with explosive shot and i was struggling mannnn, ty soo much for this build

[@datninja038]

Big props to you! I was hesitant to use the helmet, but I did and it was game changing. Ty for showing me the way!

[@MrAndrei4777]

Thanks for the details and tips and tricks.

[@adrianimfeld8360]

That helmet makes me wanna play gemling merc again! I rerolled to LA deadeye because merc felt too clunky

[@biduMandias]

the heck do you mean by too clunky?

[@sittkukk8278]

@@biduMandias means reloading feels like ass / clunky.

[@XanniedOut]

the link to Fearless Dumbo Version is broken. keep getting 404 not found when click

[@j45002]

The oil grenades will detonate the gas grenades on their own but you have to throw the gas grenades out first. The explosion from the oil grenades when they actually hit an enemy instead of landing on the ground will detonate the gas grenades

[@sykocaine]

Thanks for this guide, i got back up to 90% evasion after acrobatics with capped resist minus chaos - when i die its bc i got too lazy or greedy. Appreciate the effort. I'm also going tier 15s working my way to the citadels.

[@Ruffneck058]

Great video again! I was waiting for this before getting into maps with my merc, this helps allot :).

[@headboil]

This is the merc type I use. Try sorcerer ward. Works really well especially once you pump up evasion and armor. Everything dies too fast anyway to notice culling strike hahah GG keep blastin!

[@HolyAdamBOMB]

Definitely going to try this build, thank you for sharing!

[@leroyrobenson]

Thanks for the guide! Looks super fun!

[@junkbbq8838]

Heads up idk why but the demand for this headgear has gone way up. It took me over an hour to get a person that had it and willing to trade

[@Xmpting]

What were the support gems you used on your gas grenade? I cannot make out the red one you’re using that’s darker

[@DemonAce227]

The oil/gas grenade combo works when detonated by explosive grenade. If you don't have/want the unique helmet.

[@DemonAce227]

I was wrong, the oil grenades allow the target to be ignited and that ignite is what auto triggers the gas explosions. My bad

[@DemonAce227]

Strangely enough.. I just found the boots that leave behind a burning trail as you walk, and the ignited ground from this item will detonate the gas grenades immediately. So many inconsistencies

[@preslim84]

I got lucky to get the Radiant Greif as I was leveling and it was a dream, but I dropped it late game cause I thought I needed the stats, but maybe I should go back to it. I have to use 2 supports for fire dmg and ignite chance on gas for it to work and its a bit slower

[@pschepps]

I hear Radiant Grief just nullifies Decimating Strike since you are doing damage with ignite and monsters are no longer "full life"

[@Lolcohol]

Oh shit yeah that's why it sometimes didn't work on bosses. Thanks for the tip!

[@pschepps]

@@Lolcohol I am in a dilemma now too. Trying to see if Radiant Grief is even worth it now. That decimating strike is nuts and I don't think I like Sorcery Ward. The other node seems useless outside of Zealous Inquisition

[@Funthingswitholivia]

I feel so cheesy using this. It's amazing! I essentially just put down the turret for aggro then spam gas grenades, allowing the helmet to blow them up. Does weapon damage even matter or should I be looking for all mana help? Does putting gems in my regular weapon do anything?

[@XxDaafgXx]

How do I get the helmet?

[@dackerman123]

@@XxDaafgXx You can trade for it.

[@mwiemachdenmundzu2541]

Thank you🎉

[@rev-d5e]

Hello! been following your guide and it helped me clear Cruel and now in end game. trying to improve gear by following your stat suggestions. Question on Herald of Ash, is it better than attrition? I think i saw it somewhere that that was bugged or something... Thanks for all your help!

[@chenjoya7792]

ty for the helmet idea!

[@Xephez]

I was looking at the build on mobalytics, I was wondering on the nodes that gives the +5 to stats, but it doesn't say if is str, dex or intel. Is the website not showing those propertly or what should i pick for those?

[@Lolcohol]

Oh I added that to the endgame ones but not the earlier ones. Add as much Dex and Int as you need, then throw the rest into Strength for the extra life :)

[@daveprince13]

Does projectile dmg scale with grenades? Wondering why you went IAS over that at the beginning.

[@rjoneswv23]

I think the oil grenade needs to ignite the enemies in order for this to work without the unique helm

[@jays41186]

Have you seen palsteron’s version? It shreds

[@Lolcohol]

I haven't! But Pal makes awesome builds so I'm not surprised :) Ill have a look

[@shelavkrief6993]

Can u update the atlas points in moba

[@TheBigOBob]

You can get a bunch of evasion and extra armor if you take the glove armor/evasion passive. Im sitting at 83% evasion, 51% armor atm. But will see if i can drop some damage for more defense... life/armor since you are still clearing pretty quickly.

[@sinai4494]

what mtx are you using? I like the ww1 flamethrower trooper look together with the gas grenades xD

[@masterdoan]

The chars you see perform best and sell trials and all is always deadeye infernalist or the lightning spec with projectiles over all screen and maybe here and there a very well geared warrior. U never see any other class super up videos or selling Ascendancy 4 or something.

[@gobbbbo]

where to put 3 ascen points?

[@Krangbot]

The burning ground used to ignite gas clouds but they patched it out. Also as noted below, the new strat is to oil grenade a mob, light them on fire then just chunk gas nades at the lighted mob and that will auto-ignite the gas.

[@Lolcohol]

Thanks for confirmation. I thought I was going crazy because so many people asked me about it and I was sure it worked but then it didn't and I thought I misread or something.

[@MrAustin575]

@@Lolcoholso is the helmet still worth it?

[@Ivadrez]

An ignited mob on the burning ground will trigger the gas cloud, similar to how the helmet works. I don't have the helmet yet so I just oil - explosive shot - spam gas for instant pops for now

[@saschaberger7201]

@@Ivadrez well yes but u dnt need the burning ground for then... just the burning mob is enough

[@Ivadrez]

@@saschaberger7201 The burning ground is what ignites the mobs immediately, so I need it for now since I don't have the helmet or anything else 😅

[@pascualbad]

It's crazy. I got this drop in the act 2 boss map and died to an on death effect and lost it good all ggg

[@AJxPrime]

Same ! But an Exalt dropped instead and used it to trade for one lol

[@dpolenz79]

I detest all the stupid ass on death mechanics. You think you’re all done with the encounter and then you get zapped by stuff on the ground in an empty room.

[@final3418]

Lolcohol, my fav crafter playin same build as me 🥳 if you're not sure with Decinating Strike, I can recommend that, it was my third ascendancy point and mapping seemed to be much smoother with that 🤟

[@datninja038]

Have you run into, not being able to cut through bosses ES in high tier maps?? I'm at the point where I can't get through the ES but when I do I start to do a ton of damage? Any thoughts?

[@markvanderwerf8592]

For survivability, why not use the evasion becomes armour node? Seems evasion gets poor at some point because bunch of special attacks can't be evaded and evasion doesn't help as much from randomly getting oneshotted. Also all these cooldown reduction nodes seem unnecessary? Many of them only give like 5% and you can already fire 4 grenades. Plus in the situations where you need that many grenades you are fighting a boss and probably want some oil grenades anyway.

[@rogueTF2]

Theres some modifiers that slow down CD recovery by 50%, but at that point its better to use a different map.

[@jacedddd]

You could have got a jewel socket much easier on the bottom left above the globe.

[@abobunus]

feels like i don't have enough damage on tier 15+ maps and I freqiently die by one shot. What to do? Are there any recommendations to solving my problem?

[@BodyRocker9]

I didn’t know that + levels of projectiles use more mana. No wonder I kept running out of mana so fast

[@khmarabroona]

Couldn't find anything in the guide about which sockets to use on weapon/gear - can you let me know which is best? Thanks

[@Lolcohol]

Hey I think on this version of the build I just used the resistance ones on my armour and then the Iron Rune for increased Physical Damage on the weapon

[@khmarabroona]

@@Lolcohol awesome, thank you!

[@captainahab6302]

Hey, thanks for the video Im currently following your build what do you think about sorcery ward instead of acrobatics we could aquire much more dmg without going so far in the passive tree ??

[@CAPTAINCHAOS_]

Would this build work for Gemling?

[@Lolcohol]

Absolutely -- it'd probably be better!

[@AnaaNis1233]

Build is great. But I really struggle to gather the resistances ... for the life of me can´t figure it out how you get to close to 70 pc

[@Xmpting]

I’m having trouble trading on console specifically ps5. Won’t let me connect to the website to trade, I’ve got my PlayStation account connected to my path account. Am I missing something?

[@gemini4243]

hi, im curious. i saw your build for wep is "Increased Elemental Damage with Attacks" what does it do? because the cost in the market are insanely high

[@ZhierOrreih]

I am running 75%+ of all resistance, 75% def 60%eva 9000 def and 5000 eva and smoke everything in my path. The problem is when enemies are to fast and has an elemental explosive after death, that is what I am afraid of.

[@paulwillson3081]

Thanks for this, can I just ask what is the need for attack speed with crossbows when your grenades work on cool downs not attack speed? Thanks 🙏

[@Jan_Steve_Rein]

You can shoot grenades out faster with attack speed. The cooldown reduction is for the grenades to refill

[@paulwillson3081]

@ makes sense so no point in having it silly, just balance them both out

[@OutperformThemAllii]

hey lolcohol, we should went dex or str?

[@ZikkemanYT]

you prolly need both anyway

[@sykocaine]

Hi unbreakable support gem does not work with wind dancer - any other suggestions for the 4th slot?

[@preslim84]

I'd look to drop Multitasking for Exploit, you have more than enough CDR imo

[@markvanderwerf8592]

Cdr is hardly needed with this build really. You can throw 4 grenades and already get some Cdr nodes in the grenadier ring and on the way down. I don't think you need to grab any extra.

[@MrPetty1996]

hey good guide, but idk why you using physical dmg on your weapon. Is it not fire dmg?

[@XanniedOut]

physical dmg gets converted to which ever elemental dmg by skills

[@zackeryhamme6548]

What dps do I need to aim for on my gas grenades right now they are at 900 and I feel it’s going to become weak

[@Lopsidedkarma]

Hey where are you getting the extra spirit from to use supports on the persistent buffs?

[@DayOfCasual]

body armour or amulet can roll spirit

[@LuckS221]

In act 3 and 6 you can do a mission that gives you permanent 30 spirit

[@Lopsidedkarma]

I have a base of 100 spirit atm but once i put support gems on its not enough, done those bosses but yeah qas just wondering ​@LuckS221

[@Lopsidedkarma]

​@@DayOfCasualcheers bit odd to get I guess as ya want resistance and stuff on those

[@markvanderwerf8592]

100 from campaign. Don't need much more as you can use the wind dancer and herald of ash (or another better for bossing) and then maybe another few gems. If you get more spirit from amulet/body armour it probably just goes into something like vitality support gem in which case you might as well just have gotten healing on your body armour it seems.

[@kilamah8099]

I skilled my merc like wudijo did, so basically I have no evasion, u picked the node that converts all evasion to armor. I have around 5k armor 0es 0evasion rn. Do u guys think evasion + armor is better?

[@thomaswinter739]

Yes

[@zergnub7426]

Changed my build to this because it looks fun, but suddenly realised that you're a witchhunter, and I'm a gem thingy. Does it matter too much?

[@Lolcohol]

Gem guy is actually probably better! Make it your own and see if you can find Fearless Dumbo's version (I think he's working on a gemling version?)

[@zergnub7426]

@Lolcohol thanks I don't know a lot about the game but using your guide is super helpful. So thanks. Things are starting to make sense. I can feel the difference even between waystone 2 and 3. Won't be long until I get melted! Just hard to earn currency needed to buy better gear.

[@kylecoleman4777]

I'm really struggling with damage. I've gone by your build precisely and I am in Act II cruel siting at like 1.8k dps. I am not sure how to raise that, as I just got into a group with a level 48 that absolutely decimated a boss while I felt like I was doing nothing (currently level 54). Any tips?

[@Lolcohol]

I'd hop into the Discord! Likely problems: 1. Your weapon is bad or very low level 2. You haven't been leveling up your gems There could be a few other things but it's a bit hard to say but check those first!

[@kmaynard023]

Where did you find the helmet

[@Lolcohol]

On the trade site!

[@FirstOdin420]

Is the Witch Hunter Ascendancy 100% needed? I went with the other Ascendancy and wanted to know if that was a mistake or if I will be OK. I'm in the endgame.

[@Lolcohol]

Not at all! In fact I think there are better options so if you went Gemling, that will work for sure

[@o0fireshadow0o]

how do you deal with manna issues ?

[@Lolcohol]

Mana on kill is huge for mapping. Make sure your gems aren't too high level. Mana regen also helps and generic +Mana. There are some good anoints too but many are very expensive. I actually made a ballista set up with font of Mana and font of rage to further help :)

[@o0fireshadow0o]

@@Lolcohol Thanks yeah i was still having problems even after the mana on hit thing

[@Danddy2097]

Hello there, i have a question. i play similar build. and when i equip crosbow with much more physical dmg, but a litle bit less elemental damage, and when i check dmg of my abbility in gem skill interface, it shows that im doing more damage with more elemental damage weapon then with my high physical dmg weapon? anyone know why is this happening?

[@geomichi4305]

Why you need attack speed? i dont find anything relevant when the main things we use is grenade!

[@Lolcohol]

It let's you shoot the grenades more quickly:D

[@LuisPerez-lp9ng]

Dude, Lolcohol - I’m on console and trading for this helmet is nigh impossible. Not a single KZbinr anywhere has a video that covers trading from a console. Any chance you could? Sincerely, Sad-dude-that’s-been-following-your-build-from-day-1-and-can’t-get-this-helmet

[@migueldiaz2559]

use your phone for the trading, easier to use imo

[@scottporter4524]

Does having a lot of evasion help prevent you from getting raped by armor penetrating/breaking attacks that 1 shot you?

[@Lolcohol]

Yes because armour break doesn't affect evasion

[@scottporter4524]

@Lolcohol nice, thanks!

[@HappyPampers]

Can u link loot filter for this build pls)

[@Lolcohol]

I'm just using Neversink's filter!

[@preslim84]

I've taken Sorcery Ward to experiment, but I'm not sure if its worth it or not. Its amazing for blocking elemental of course, as it currently gives me a 2100 shield, but leaves me exposed to physical, especially ranged archers and the enemies with poke sticks with bleed. I'm in t13 maps, but it feels like it may not be viable till even later game when you have enough physical to compensate for the loss. I wish Impenetrable Shell was easier to access (150% armor from ranged attacks). I'm currently stacking armor + evasion with no plans for Acrobatics but may have to change course Kind of feels like Gemmling is the way to go for late game.

[@FranciszekWolc]

50% less armour and evasion is a big deal.. they should make that shield at 50% effectivness and leave our armour and evasion

[@preslim84]

@@FranciszekWolc ya i decided to respec 15 points and head into the warrior tree for the armor nodes to help mitigate it, we'll see if it works

[@RavagedBlightScience]

I'm in t17 maps and sorcery ward is good except for chaos dmg that's nerfed RN and slams which can be dodge rolled or avoided.

[@markvanderwerf8592]

Also went sorcery ward. To be honest everything in both gemling and witchhunter feels pretty crap for grenade build. Weapon passive points? Useless? Bunch of other stuff to finish off or do more damage to weak enemies, not what the build needs really. Concentration stuff also seems weak. Gemling stuff all feels more useful if you do crazier builds like dipping outside your setup. For example i was thinking if it could be good to do that and equip a wand to cast flammability spell (lower fire Res) on tough enemies.

[@preslim84]

@markvanderwerf8592 I'm now at t15 maps. I'm liking sorcery ward better now that my phys reduc is at 48% and evasion 70% and I plan to get evasion up to 75-77 by the end. Also Zealous Inquision is becoming better and better, it scales with mob hp and is just so good for mapping. And when I'm able to add back Cull in it will be a nice bonus. There is definitely a long period where witchhunter doesn't feel great, but it's starting to shine in the late game. But I have seen some crossbow builds that start as ranger for the +1 projectiles and tailwind DMG reduction ascendancy nodes, so maybe that will be a better option for you

[@wrexzer9945]

Does anyone know why the gas grenades say 3.3 second fuse duration but they explode after 1.3s? I timed it with a stop watch and the menu info seems incorrect?

[@ShaddyzZz]

Talents, support gem for reduced duration?

[@Lolcohol]

Yeah I have this too and I don't understand either. They explode way more quickly than expected

[@wrexzer9945]

@@Lolcohol I have zero talents and gems for reducing fuse duration and the only theory i have is that it's exploding on cooldown time since my cooldown is 1.35s but i cant confirm this at the moment. thanks for the reply's!

[@tezogaming9311]

Nice video. just im geting one shot in T9 or T10 maps with 45%armor 78%ev is it normal ? :/ my res are capped just chaos is 60% in my health is 1600

[@Lolcohol]

How often does that happen? :o you shouldn't be getting one shot too often with those defences but the balance is a bit bad right now. I found going Acrobatics felt better than a similar evasion armour pool like you had which is odd but maybe all the aoe stuff you can't evade is what's killing you?

[@saschaberger7201]

also get ya hp up 1,6k is crazy

[@wolfcam4462]

Are those carpel tunnel gloves?

[@LuckS221]

Nice

[@dennidenni8506]

Hey, the build looks so cool! Anyone knows if this performs on controller? I dont wanna spend 50 hours just to realize its unplayable without precise mouse targeting. Any help would be appreciated :)

[@labgamingtv]

yes sir having a blast with controller

[@Lolcohol]

It's decent on controller but I did find that WASD made it a lot easier to aim :)

[@XxDaafgXx]

I’m confused on the attacking portion of this build, I switched to it but whats the sequence of skill usage? Also how do I get this helmet?

[@Lolcohol]

There isn't a "skill rotation" - you use the skills you need to when you need to. You can find the helmet on the Trade Site: www.pathofexile.com/trade2/search/poe2/Standard/EROajpLS5

[@katofmine]

"how's it everyone?" ....what?

[@bigdemi]

This build is good until you get to late map bosses. Damage isn't great.

[@Lolcohol]

I must see what Dumbo did to push it over the edge if he figured it out. I ended up moving over to Monk but he may have taken it further. I'll chat to him!

[@Lolcohol]

Ps FearlessDumbo is a creator so check to see what he did

[@bigdemi]

@@Lolcohol Will do. Thanks

[@user-is2xk5xy1v]

This type of build is unplayable on pad and console cause autoaiming and lack of possibility to place nades precisely.

[@lucasbandeira5675]

Can you please toss what changes would you make if you were gemling (two of each support gem allowed)? The support gems is the only thing that's very hard for gemlings to follow in guides like these.

[@mikemac1298]

Merc builds look broken atm.

[@TheBigOBob]

No more broken than other classes lol.