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The Mercenary is one of the strongest classes inPath of Exile 2on account of its damage output and utility. While the damage part has been good ever since the release of the game, the utility part has been significantly improved after the release of theTacticianAscendancy class in Dawn of the Hunt League.
The Tactician is a class that boasts support capabilities alongside survivability and damage, and can be built both as a pure support or a hybrid. If you’re interested in the Tactican class from Dawn of the Hunt, here’s a guide that will cover all the necessary details.
Path of Exile 2 is in early access and builds will change when the final version of the game releases somewhere in the future.
Tactician Build Overview
Tactician is one of the most unique Ascendancies in the game, as it gives a variety of opportunities to you as a player. you may build your character for a solo playthrough, where youdecimate your enemies with immense elemental damage, or you can play as asupport character, where you help buff your friendsin a cooperative-focused gameplay.
However, before you can do that,you’ll have to level up the Tactician as a standard Mercenary class, which means the focus will be on the usual skills such asFragmentation Rounds,High Velocity Rounds,Explosive Grenade,Gas Grenade, and much more.
This will ensure that your campaign is very smooth as you will breeze through both the early game and the Cruel Mode with ease. Once you reach maps, you can switch your build depending on what you feel is necessary, as you will have more than enoughUncut Spirit Gemto unlock new spells.
The only problem you will face as a Mercenary is thatthis class is quite squishy, and you will die if you’re able to’t dodge boss attacks. However, the trade-off to this is that theMercenary can easily stun bosses,which opens up free damage windows for you.
This guide will strictly focus on the build that will help you with solo play. However, an additional section will be provided towards the end if you want to build the support Tactician that will benefit your friends in cooperative-focused mode.
Tactician Leveling Guide
Act 1
In Act 1, focus on getting your basic skills that will carry you through the early game. Start with Fragmentation Rounds, as it helps in dealing with mobs quite effectively. Use it for a while until you unlock High Velocity Rounds andFlash Grenade. You will also need to attachScattershotandDouble Barrelto High Velocity Rounds and attachOverpowerandSecond Windto Flash Grenade.
Once you level up a bit more, unlockGalvanic Shardsand attachLightning InfusionandMartial Tempoto this skill. Finally,defeat the King of the Mists bossfor yourfirst Uncut Spirit Gemand unlockHerald of Thunder.
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Act 2
In Act 2, you will level up some of the existing skills, unlock new ones, and get access to your Ascendancy class. The first skill you’ll need tounlock is Gas Grenade, andattach ScattershotandMagnified Effectto it. You’ll also have to unlockExplosive Grenadeand attachSecond WindandInspirationto it.
Remove High Velocity Roundsas you won’t need them anymore. Finally,Explosive Shotis an important unlock in Act 2, and you’ll have toattach Martial Tempo to it. In the case of Galvanic Shards, attachConductionin place of Martial Tempo.
You’ll alsounlock the Tactician Ascendancy classhere bycompleting the Trial of Sekhemasand unlocking the nodesPin Buildup and Suppressing Fire.
Act 3
In Act 3, focus on leveling up your skills once again, as there aren’t as many unlocks. The only ability you will need to unlock here isOil Grenade, and attachEncumbranceto it. While you don’t need it yet, you may also unlockRipwire Ballistaand attachLockdownandPersistenceto it.
Complete the Trial of Chaos and unlock the Pin BuildUp and Right Where We Want Themnodesfrom the Tactician Ascendancy. Finally,defeat the boss Ignagduk, the Bog Witch,and unlock the skillGhost Danceusing an Uncut Spirit Gem. you’re able to attach the Support GemClarityto Ghost Dance.
Clarity
Cruel Mode And Mapping
In Cruel Mode,not much will change when it comes to your build, as most of the damage abilities are already in place. The new skill you’ll need isWind Dancer,which you canunlock using an Uncut Spirit Gem.
Additionally,use twoLesser Jeweller’s Orbtounlock new gem slots on Gas Grenades and Galvanic Shardsand attachPrimal ArmamentandPierceto them, respectively.
Tactician Support Build
If you’re looking to play your Tacticianas a support,your leveling process won’t change much, but the Ascendancy points you unlock alongside the skills you unlock will need a little tweaking. When it comes to theAscendancy, you’ll need A Solid Plan, Watch How I Do It, and Whoever Pays Best.
Additionally, you’ll have to unlock the skillsDefiance Banner,War Banner,Ancestral Warrior Totem,Blasphemy,Overwhelming Presence,Dread Banner. All of these skills can beunlocked using Uncut Spirit Gems. Here’s what your support Tactician skill tree will look like:
Passive Skill Tree
Tactician is a Dexerity-based class, so most ofyour points will focus on increasing that particular stat. In the early game, focus onunlocking Remorseless as quickly as possible, followed byRicochet, Grenadier, and Adrenaline Rush.
All of these skills willenhance your base damage, while Grenadier will increase the usage of the Grenade skills.
Following this,you’ll unlock Lightning Rod, Flash Storm, Overwhelm, and Giantslayer. Among these, Flash Storm and Lightning Rod are extremely valuable as theyincrease the effectiveness of Galvanic Shards and Herald of Thunder.
You’ll also need access toEscape Velocity and Freedom of Movement, as they willprovide Evasion Rating and movement speed, both of which help with survivability.
If you’re building the Tactician as a support, you’ll need access to the Banner-specific nodes, which includeFeel no Pain, Inspiring Leader, Polymathy, Bannerman, Blade Catcher, and Mind Over Matter. All of these skills increaseattributes and defense, which will not only help you but your team as well.
Gear And Weapons
Tips To Play Tactician Build
Playing the Tactician build is very simple, and the only thingyou need to worry about is cooldowns. Start with theOil Grenade and follow that with an Explosive Shotto ignite a target.Throw in Gas Grenades, which will immediately ignite, thereby dealing massive damage to enemies.
This willput all your skills on cooldown, but you can use this period todrop Explosive Grenades to deal damage, until the abilities are back up once again. While you are performing your rotations, drop the Ripwire Balista,which will pin enemies with its powerful bolts, thereby creating openings for you to deal damage.
