Best Way to Level Mercenaries in POE 2

In POE2 Currency, Mercenaries are a unique asset, acting as both companions and damage multipliers. Leveling them efficiently can significantly impact your gameplay, especially in the early to mid-game. Yet, many players struggle with the optimal approach to leveling Mercenaries, balancing between personal character progression and ensuring their companion grows strong enough to support challenging encounters. Here, we'll break down the best strategies for leveling Mercenaries and maximizing their potential.

Understanding Mercenary Mechanics

Before diving into leveling methods, it's crucial to understand how Mercenaries gain experience. Unlike your main character, Mercenaries earn experience when they actively participate in combat. This means that simply having a Mercenary summoned doesn't guarantee progress—they need to contribute damage or provide supportive effects to nearby allies to gain experience. Knowing this mechanic helps players design strategies that benefit both the Mercenary and themselves.

Mercenaries also scale differently depending on their type and class. For instance, some are built for high single-target damage, while others focus on area-of-effect (AoE) attacks or providing defensive buffs. Understanding your Mercenary's role will influence the zones and enemies you target for faster leveling.

Choosing the Right Zones

One of the most effective ways to level a Mercenary is by selecting zones that provide frequent combat opportunities with manageable difficulty. Zones with dense groups of monsters are ideal, as they allow Mercenaries to contribute consistently and gather experience rapidly. Avoid zones that are too difficult for your level, as Mercenaries may die frequently, slowing down their growth and requiring you to spend additional resources on resummoning or revival.

Areas with monsters weak to your Mercenary's strengths can also accelerate leveling. For example, if your Mercenary specializes in fire damage, targeting ice-based enemies can result in quicker kills and more experience gained per encounter. Combining this approach with crowd-control abilities from your main character ensures that Mercenaries stay alive while maximizing their combat contribution.

Balancing Combat and Survival

While Mercenaries gain experience through combat, their survival is equally important. Over-leveraging a Mercenary in high-risk zones can result in frequent deaths, which slows progress and drains resources. Players should aim for a balanced approach, ensuring the Mercenary deals damage but also remains safe. Utilizing supportive items or skills that increase survivability—like defensive auras, life regeneration, or crowd control—can significantly enhance the leveling speed.

Additionally, some Mercenaries respond well to specific gear. Providing items that boost damage, attack speed, or defensive stats can accelerate experience gain while keeping the companion durable. Even minimal investments in equipment can drastically improve efficiency without overshadowing your character's growth.

Utilizing Group Play

Leveling Mercenaries in party settings is another highly effective strategy. Multiplayer encounters naturally provide more experience due to higher monster density and shared kills. If your Mercenary can contribute reliably in a team environment, their experience gain can be dramatically increased. Furthermore, coordinated attacks allow Mercenaries to shine in roles that might be challenging in solo play, such as drawing aggro or supporting with buffs while your teammates deal damage.

Leveling Mercenaries in POE 2 Currency for sale requires a strategic blend of combat participation, survival management, and zone selection. By understanding their mechanics, choosing optimal zones, balancing damage with safety, and leveraging group play, players can maximize the efficiency of Mercenary growth. The time invested in careful leveling pays off, as a well-developed Mercenary becomes an invaluable companion capable of handling high-level content alongside your main character.