If you’re aiming to crush the 0.3 Abyssal league in Path of Exile 2, the Explosive Witchhunter Mercenary is an insanely good pick. It blends ridiculous clear speed with single-target burst that makes Uber bosses feel like they’ve got no fight in them. As a league starter, it ramps up fast without burning through a huge stash, so you can get going on a modest budget and still tear through maps. The real fun is in how Explosive Shot teams up with a set of Heralds to chain lightning bursts everywhere — the kind of chaos that keeps you moving and killing non-stop. It all comes together so smoothly you’ll be scooping up PoE 2 Currency before you even realise how much you’ve farmed.
Fast Mapping, Brutal Bossing
When running maps, you’re basically holding down Explosive Shot and letting its lightning-charged projectiles do the work. Supports like Nova Projectile and Double Barrel help trigger Herald of Thunder and Herald of Ice, creating those chain reactions that clear entire packs in seconds. For bosses or tanky rares, swap over to Shockburst Rounds — it’s nasty against shocked enemies and ramps damage into absurd territory. The Witchhunter ascendancy feels like it was made for this setup. Judge, Jury, and Executioner slaps a huge chunk of life off rare or unique mobs, while Pitiless Killer makes sure trash doesn’t stick around. It’s aggressive, snappy, and ridiculously satisfying.
Survivability Without Slowing Down
This isn’t one of those glass cannon builds that melts the moment something touches you. It runs a hybrid Evasion plus Energy Shield defense, pulling over 90% evasion with the Wind Dancer keystone to help keep hits manageable. Ghost Dance makes Energy Shield bounce back hard on dodges, so you’re staying topped while still charging forward. Around 5k ES with capped resistances keeps you safe even in T16 zones that are otherwise a nightmare. The passive tree pathing is simple — pick up projectile damage nodes like Spray & Pray and Heavy Ammo on the Mercenary’s right side, then swing left for the Beastial Skin cluster to bulk out defenses. This makes it feel balanced instead of fragile.
Gear and Upgrades
Starting gear doesn’t have to be fancy. With 20–50 Divines, you can already feel powerful and ready to push the league. Aim first for a solid rare crossbow with +2 projectiles, then later the dream upgrade is a Gemini Crossbow with extra bolts and high lightning DPS. The Three Dragons helmet is a game-changer, letting Explosive Shot apply shock and supercharge Shockburst Rounds. Until you get one, a decent rare Evasion/ES helmet works fine. For gloves, lightning conversion is key; for the rest, stack life and resists. Carcass Jack is a nice mid-tier pickup for bigger area coverage, speeding up clear even more. And honestly, the speed of farming with this setup means you’ll have the poe2 materials you need for high-end upgrades in no time, making it easy to push into Uber content solo without any slowdown.
