If you have your eye on dominating the 0.3 Abyssal league in Path of Exile 2, the Explosive Witchhunter Mercenary is one of those builds that just clicks the moment you try it. It’s fast, it melts packs before they even react, and the single-target performance is brutal. Thanks to the slick interaction between Explosive Shot and a set of Heralds, you’ll trigger a chain of lightning blasts rolling across the screen in seconds – perfect for racking up kills and farming plenty of PoE 2 Currency without needing to break the bank. You can start with modest gear and watch this setup grow into something that tears through endgame content with ease.

Core Gameplay Flow

Out in the maps, it’s almost brainless – you hold down Explosive Shot, and the lightning-charged bolts, backed by supports like Nova Projectile and Double Barrel, start detonating everywhere. Herald of Thunder and Herald of Ice kick in for extra pop and coverage. When something tougher shows up – maybe a boss or a tanky rare – you switch over to Shockburst Rounds. They break the fight wide open, dishing huge damage to shocked enemies. Pair that with the Witchhunter ascendancy, where Judge, Jury, and Executioner slices a big chunk out of rare and unique life bars, and Pitiless Killer finishes the rest instantly. It’s all about keeping things rolling without giving enemies any room to breathe.

Defensive Setup

Survivability here is no afterthought. You’ll run a hybrid Evasion and Energy Shield defence that hits around 90% evasion – that alone dodges most incoming hits. Wind Dancer steps in for those rare moments when something lands, cutting the impact sharply, while Ghost Dance returns ES when you dodge. Aim for roughly 5,000 ES and maxed resists so you can face the nastiest Abyssal league encounters head-on. Pathing on the passive tree is simple: grab projectile nodes like Spray Pray and Heavy Ammo early on the Mercenary side, then swing left to Beastial Skin for those sturdy hybrid defences. It makes the gameplay feel consistently safe, without slowing you down.

Gear Progression

You can get started strong on about 20–50 Divines. Early, go for a rare crossbow with +2 projectiles and solid damage rolls. The top-tier chase piece is a Gemini Crossbow with extra bolts and high lightning output. One key unique is The Three Dragons helmet – it flips your elemental effects to let the Explosive Shot deliver reliable shocks, which massively buffs your Shockburst Rounds. If you have not found it yet, a rare Evasion/ES helm works fine. Look for lightning conversion on gloves, plus life and resists on your armour. A Carcass Jack is a nice bonus to spread your explosions over a wider area and keep the screen clear of threats.

The speed this build farms at means you’ll be upgrading quickly and pushing into solo Uber fights sooner than you’d expect. It’s balanced, it’s fun, and it’s got that satisfying feedback loop where every kill feeds into the next. For anyone looking to climb fast and rake in stacks of poe2 currency, the Explosive Witchhunter Mercenary hits all the right notes.