Path of Exile 2 continues to redefine what players expect from an action RPG, and few builds exemplify this better than the current Crossbow Mercenary with Explosive Shot and Grenades. In its current state, this setup is not just strong—it is outright absurd. Bosses evaporate in milliseconds, Tier 15 to Tier 17 maps feel trivial, and even traditionally punishing encounters like the Arbiter of Ash barely register as threats. What makes this build so dominant is not a single overpowered interaction, but a perfect storm of new mechanics, support gems, ascendancy synergy, and POE 2 Divine Orbs.

At the heart of this destruction is one key change: Mercenary’s access to Eternal Rage. Combined with explosive projectile gameplay, grenade utility, and the Tactician ascendancy, the result is a playstyle that is fast, safe, and overwhelmingly lethal.

Eternal Rage: The Core of the Build’s Power

The defining mechanic behind this build’s success is Eternal Rage, which allows the Mercenary to permanently sit at 45 Rage. This is not a temporary buff that requires constant upkeep or risky gameplay—it’s a permanent state. That alone translates into a 45% more damage multiplier, applied universally across your offensive output.

In Path of Exile 2, damage multipliers stack in terrifying ways when they interact with elemental scaling, shock, exposure, and armor break. Eternal Rage effectively supercharges every single part of the build. Explosive Shot, grenade detonations, Herald of Thunder procs—everything benefits.

This constant Rage generation also fundamentally changes how the Mercenary feels to play. There is no downtime, no ramp-up period, and no awkward moments of weakness. From the moment you enter a map, you are operating at maximum efficiency.

Explosive Shot: Screen-Wide Annihilation

Your primary skill, and the star of the show, is Explosive Shot. On paper, it already looks strong. In practice, it is devastating.

Explosive Shot functions as both a high-impact single-hit skill and a pseudo-clear ability. On hit, it detonates, often eradicating entire packs instantly. In fully juiced Tier 15 maps, a single shot is usually enough to wipe the screen. There is no need for careful positioning, kiting, or rolling. You simply fire, and enemies cease to exist.

What elevates Explosive Shot even further is its synergy with Shock. Because the build heavily invests into elemental damage balance, your shots reliably apply Shock to enemies. This is critical, because Shock acts as the gateway to one of the build’s most explosive mechanics: Herald of Thunder.

Herald of Thunder: Three Hits, One Death Sentence

Herald of Thunder plays a deceptively important role in this setup. Once an enemy is shocked and killed, Herald of Thunder activates and begins firing three lightning bolts.

Here’s where the interaction becomes absurd:

First Bolt – Often applies Shock to nearby enemies.

Second Bolt – Hits a now-shocked enemy, frequently killing it.

Third Bolt – Consumes the Herald of Thunder buff, triggering a massive burst of bonus damage.

This rapid sequence happens almost instantly. Against rare enemies, this often results in a near-instant overload of damage that deletes them before they can react. Against packs, it chains repeatedly, turning your explosions into cascading lightning-fueled death.

The end result is clear speed that rivals or surpasses the fastest builds in POE2—without sacrificing boss damage.

Grenades: Utility, Control, and Insurance

While Explosive Shot handles most situations on its own, grenades are what push this build into “out of control” territory.

You have access to several grenade types, each serving a specific purpose:

Gas Grenades – Used primarily on bosses to apply exposure and set up massive damage windows.

Explosive Grenades – Deliver raw burst damage, especially effective when layered.

Stun Grenades – Instantly erupt due to reduced explosion duration, locking down tougher enemies.

Adhesive Grenades – A critical choice that ensures grenades explode exactly where you place them.

The adhesive mechanic is crucial. Without it, grenades might bounce or roll away, reducing reliability. With adhesive grenades, everything detonates precisely where you want it—right under the enemy.

Against rare monsters or tanky elites, a single grenade often finishes the job. Against bosses, grenades serve as the setup that makes the kill inevitable.

Bossing Strategy: Simple, Brutal, Effective

Boss fights with this build are almost comically straightforward.

The general sequence looks like this:

Open with a grenade to apply exposure.

Drop one or two gas grenades to amplify damage taken.

Fire Explosive Shot into the area.

Watch the boss get pinned, armor broken, and obliterated.

Pinned enemies cannot take actions. They cannot retaliate, dodge, or counterattack. Combined with armor break, this leaves bosses helpless. If you want to add insult to injury, you can throw in a stun grenade—but in most cases, it’s unnecessary. The fight is already over.

This simplicity makes the build especially appealing for players who want consistent boss kills without mechanical stress.

Tactician Ascendancy: Why You Don’t Die

Despite having around 2,000 HP, this build feels nearly immortal in mapping scenarios. The reason is not raw life stacking, but layered defensive mechanics provided by the Tactician ascendancy.

Tactician allows you to pin enemies with projectile damage. Pinned enemies are effectively crowd-controlled to the extreme—they cannot take actions at all. No attacks. No spells. No movement.

On top of that, pinning enemies also breaks their armor, which directly feeds into another defensive layer: Scavenged Plating. By pinning and breaking armor, you rapidly generate stacks of scavenged plating, often sitting at the maximum of 10 stacks.

At full stacks, you reach around 81% armor, which is more than enough to survive potential one-shots. Combined with enemies being unable to act, this creates a scenario where incoming damage is both reduced and infrequent.

In short, you don’t die because enemies don’t get the chance to fight back.

Passive Tree Evolution: Rage Takes Center Stage

The passive tree for this build looks noticeably different from previous Mercenary setups. The major shift comes from the ability to now accommodate four Rage nodes.

These nodes amplify everything Eternal Rage provides, further enhancing damage, speed, and overall efficiency. While the tree still focuses on elemental damage, projectile scaling, and grenade synergies, Rage is now the backbone of the entire setup.

One of the few challenges when building this tree is balancing elemental damage. Because Shock, Herald of Thunder, and exposure all scale off elemental interactions, you must ensure your damage types are properly aligned. Once achieved, however, the scaling becomes exponential, allowing you to push damage into absurd territory.

Mapping Experience: No Rolling, Just Zooming

One of the most striking aspects of this build is how it changes moment-to-moment gameplay. Traditional Mercenary builds often rely on rolling, repositioning, and careful timing. This one does not.

Thanks to faster reloads from a new Lineage Support Gem, combined with overwhelming damage, you simply move forward and fire. Explosive Shot is spammed endlessly, grenades detonate instantly, and entire screens disappear without resistance.

Fully juiced Tier 15 maps feel effortless. Tier 16 and 17 maps barely slow you down. You are not reacting to enemies—you are erasing them before they become relevant.

Why This Build Defines POE2’s Current Meta

The Crossbow Explosive Shot Mercenary encapsulates what makes Path of Exile 2 exciting: deep mechanical interactions, powerful ascendancy identity, and builds that feel radically different from what came before.

Permanent Rage, grenade-centric gameplay, pin-based crowd control, and lightning-fast clearing combine into a setup that is both flashy and brutally efficient cheap POE 2 Divine Orbs. It excels at mapping, annihilates bosses, and remains surprisingly tanky despite low life totals.

While future balance passes may inevitably rein this build in, its current form stands as one of the most dominant and satisfying playstyles POE2 has to offer. For players looking to experience absolute destruction with minimal friction, this build is not just strong—it is unforgettable.