Mercenary Only Build Guide - SSF Viable

---------------- | Act 1 | ---------------- When you enter town - Buy Smite - Look for MS boots and/or a RRG - Grab a coral ring and wear it until you have your merc After breaking some eggs - Get Decoy Totem as reward (could save merc/you) - Get Frostblink as reward - Buy Sniper's Mark (1 wisdom) - Look for MS boots again if you don't have them - Try to have sockets for gems After entering Prison - Grab Faster Attacks as reward After Brutus - Get leap slam as a reward - You can buy Vitality and Clarity at this time and start running them (1 transmute each) - Look for MS boots again if you don't have them ---------------- | Act 2 | ---------------- After Chambers of Sins - Grab Skitterbots (1 Alteration) *** If you need a Merc upgrade reset Wetlands a few times to find a new Merc (remember to exile Int and Str/Int) *** You can chose to exile Dex/Int if you don't care for Blade Ambusher You can chose to exile Str if you don't care for Earthshaker or Eruptor. This group is also just tanky in general You can chose to exile Str/Dex if you don't care for Combatant ---------------- | Act 3 | ---------------- Leave Clarity, Vitality, and Precision at level 5 for now After Crematorium - Grab Elemental Weakness if you are using a melee Mercenary - Grab Purity of Elements (1 Alteration) - Grab Haste (1 Alteration) Swap to Purity of Elements instead of Skitterbots In The Solaris Temple Level 2 - Grab the added fire damage craft in the room next to Dialla - Add this to as many of your mercs decent items as you can (Rings, Amulet, Gloves, Weapon) Costs 4 Transmutes After Defeating General Gravicius - Grab Pyroclast Mine (up to you if you want to start using this now or later) *** If you need a Merc upgrade reset The Ebony Barracks a few times to find a new Merc *** Merc can be below the waypoint as well, so check that area first You can find Kineticist for sure once reaching the Tower If you switch to one you will need to run Precision ---------------- | Act 4 | ---------------- After defeating Voll and opening the mines - Grab Flame link - Drop Smite (or keep if you want) After Malachai - Grab Minefield Support (1 Alch) ---------------- | Act 5 | ---------------- If you need the mana regen at this point you can start leveling Clarity again After allocation Leader of the Pack - Turn on Haste *** If you need a Merc upgrade reset The Ossuary a few times to find a new Merc *** For Ossuary you may need to go to character select and teleport to Ruined Square to save time ---------------- | Act 6 | ---------------- After clearing Twilight strand - Grab Arrogance (1 Chance orb) - Grab Generosity (1 Chance orb) Stop leveling Clarity at level 10 and only level it if you need more mana regen *** If you need a Merc upgrade reset The Tidal Island a few times to find a new Merc *** ---------------- | Act 7 | ---------------- You can start leveling Precision and Vitality again At this point Kineticist starts feeling decent to use If mana is quite low stop leveling Vitality and Precision for a bit around level 10 After geting over to the Soverignity wheel you should ben fine to level them again *** If you need a Merc upgrade reset The Ashen Fields or The Dread Thicket a few times to find a new Merc *** ---------------- | Act 8 | ---------------- You can add Arrogance to Clarity and Vitality when you feel fine about the life reservation If you don't want to reserve life right now, then wait till Arrogance is leveled and you have more life After allocating Sovereignity - Grab Flesh and Stone from Yeena Act 2 (1 Alteration) - If you stopped leveling Vitality and Precision you can begin leveling them again here *** If you need a Merc upgrade reset The Harbour Bridge a few times to find a new Merc *** This can be a good time to look for a Kineticist with Kinetic Blast of Clustering supported by Chain, Return, or Fork ---------------- | Act 9 | ---------------- *** If you need a Merc upgrade reset The Blood Aqueduct or The Tunnel a few times to find a new Merc *** ---------------- | Act 10 | ---------------- *** If you need a Merc upgrade reset The Ossuary a few times to find a new Merc *** For Ossuary you may need to go to character select and teleport to Ravaged Square to save time ---------------- | Maps | ---------------- You now need to get a few upgrades: - Automation and Steelskin (can get early if you want) - Vaal Haste - Pyroclast Mine of Sabotage (Grind lab) - Victario's Influence (Can be farmed with cards) - Mid game merc gear (Item set in PoB items) - A good amount of Strength, Life and Chaos resistance - Oils for Champion of the Cause and your Merc's node (most likely pen early) Recommended Mercs (See video for more details) Manyshot (best bosser in my opinion) Thunderquiver Sniper (Watchout for brutality) Kineticist (best mapper in my opinion) Eruptor Earthshaker (Watchout for brutality) Combatant ----------------------------------------------------- | How to craft Merc's end game jewellery | ----------------------------------------------------- Farm Jun missions for Rings, Amulets, and Belts for Fire and Chaos resistance mod (You can do this on all gear, but I just did jewllery) Lazy option (Takes more tries) Recom the item with another item that has t1 fire res on it (Probably better using predictable with this) Annul option - Annul the item down to 1 prefix and 1 suffix (Fire and Chaos res) - Alteration spam the other item for t1 fire res and 1 prefix (Different than other item) - Recom with unpredicatable mode - Hope for all 4 mods, 2 suffix, or 1 prefix and 2 suffix. Craft on hybrid Fire and Cold/Lightning