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PoE 2 Build

[0.3] Lockdown Explosive Shot Tactician - Delete All Content - Endgame to Starter Build Guide

0.3 TTE

End Game

Starter

Tactician

Mercenary

Creator

By FGKorbyn21

Updated on Sep 29, 2025

Sep 29, 2025

Build Overview

Here's my guide for my Explosive Shot Tactician Endgame to Starter Build for patch 0.3 The Third Edict!

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🚨Work in Progress, be sure to come by the Twitch Stream for the Newest Skill Tree and Gems as I'm changing it to test new things!🚨

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🚨I've included a League Starter Leveling Guide, Early Mapping Guide, and Endgame Guide to cover your run on Mercenary from Start to Finish. Click the appropriate Tab for Gear and the Passive Tree🚨

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Glove Crafting Video Here --> Here

Amulet Crafting Video Here --> Here

The Tactician received a TON of buffs in the 0.3 update so it was time for an update to my previous Tactician build! This ascendancy is GREAT for Offense and Defense as the Right Where We Want Them Ascendancy Node allows ALL Projectile Damage to Pin and prevent them from performing any actions. This means they can't Move or Attack leaving them open to all our Attacks!

We use Explosive Shot combined with the new Nova Projectiles Support Gem to allow it fire in a circle around us which clear EVERYTHING with ease. We'll use the Valako's Vice to convert our Fire Damage --> Lightning Damage which means we can use Herald of Thunder for extra Clear Speed. We'll run Run and Gun and Spray and Pray for a ton of Damage and Movement Speed when Firing.

Our Single Target DPS is handled by Explosive Grenade as this plus the new Abyss Desecration Mods have MASSIVELY increased the DPS of these Grenades. I'm talking INSTANT melt of Uber Pinnacle Bosses like butter. We'll boost the damage of our Grenades by using Rapid Shot to build up Heat which boost our Grenade Damage. We'll also mix in Mortar Cannon and Mirage Archer to get EVEN MORE Grenades which we instant detonate with Explosive Grenade so no pesky Detonation Time. The Siege Crossbow will also add an Additional Projectile for MORE Grenades.

Our Defenses are Bolstered by Scavenged Plating for more Armor, Charge Regulation which gives us 20% More Defenses when we have an Endurance Charge which we'll generate via Armour Break III on Explosive Shot and Eroding Chains. This will give us the scraps for Scavenged Plating and the Endurance Charges. We convert all our Evasion into Armor using Iron Reflexes and use the Tactician Ascendancy Node Polish That Gear to get Deflection from Armor. Combine this with Glancing Blows and we have Lucky Deflection. I also use Blasphemy with Enfeeble to provide some Extra Damage Reduction and stack as much Life as possible.

We take advantage of the Constricting Command as this allows us to use super strong Surrounded Nodes such as Frantic Fighter, Tactical Retreat, and Thrill of Battle. We also get to Ignore ALL MANA COST thanks to Defy II.

Overall the build is a fun 1 to 2 button build for Mapping which can Melt Uber's with ease and is surprisingly chunky with 90% Physical Damage Reduction, 87% of Armor Applies to Elemental Damage, 75%+ Deflection, Enfeeble, Pin, and Intimidate via Fearful Paralysis.

Permanent Buff's From Act Rewards Recommendations:

Valley of the Titans

- +30% Increased Charm Charges

The Venom Crypts

- +25% Increased Stun Threshold

Halls of the Dead

- +5% Lightning Resistance
- +5% Cold Resistance
- +5% Fire Resistance

Goddess Of Justice

+30% Increased Life Recovery from flasks

The Seven Pillars

+5 to all Elemental Resistances (Interchangeable)
15% Increased Global Defenses (Interchangeable)

Strengths and Weaknesses

Melt Uber Pinnacle's
Insane Clear Speed
1-2 Button Gameplay
Armor Gear is Cheaper than Most
LOTS of Explosions
EZ to Craft Crossbows
Infinite Mana (Defy II)

Not as Tanky as ES Build
LOTS of Explosions (Possible FPS Drops)

Build Variants

Uber Endgame Variant

Budget Endgame Variant

Act 1

Act 2

Act 3

Act 4

Interlude Acts

We'll convert all of our Fire Damage --> Lightning Damage by using Valako's Vice. This allows us to focus on 1 type of Elemental Penetration and Shock Targets for More Damage. We can also take use of Herald of Thunder which is the best Herald in the game right now.

We'll use the Constricting Command to take advantage of some strong nodes like Frantic Fighter and Tactical Retreat to get tons of Damage. We also can abuse Defy II for INFINITE MANA and Lucky Damage.

We'll be using Explosive Shot plus Nova Projectiles for Clear as this will shoot the projectiles all around us. We'll start using Explosive Grenade for single target DPS and eventually get the Mortar Cannon and Mirage Archer for TONS of Grenades to NUKE bosses.

Use Explosive Shot to Detonate the Grenades so we don't have to worry about Detonation Time.

We'll use Mirage Archer equipped with Explosive Grenade for a little clear speed boost and Scavenged Plating for an Armor Boost. Herald of Thunder for extra clear speed, Blasphemy with Enfeeble more a nice DR Boost. Charge Regulation for 20% More Defenses since we have a 20% Chance to Gain and Endurance Charge with Armour Break III.

Equipment

Uber Endgame Variant

Budget Endgame Variant

Act 1

Act 2

Act 3

Act 4

Interlude Acts

Set 1

Set 2

Crossbow:

For Weapon Set 1:

Go for the Gemini Crossbow for Loads An Additional Bolt Implicit. Prioritize Physical, Fire, and Lightning Damage as this is the Primary Damage types of the build. Valako's Vice converts all Fire --> Lightning Damage so either works well. Go for Attack Speed, Level of All Projectile/Attack Skills, and Loads an Additional Bolt or Loads 2 Additional Bolts.

For Weapon Set 2:

Go for the Siege Crossbow for the Extra Grenade Projectile to Increase our Grenade DPS. Prioritize as much DPS as possible. You'll want as much Physical/Fire Damage as possible. Level of all Projectile Skills and Attack Speed are the best Suffixes available at the moment.

I'll have a video on Crafting a Crossbow here soon, will put link --> Here when finished.

Body Armor:

We're going to go for a Pure Armor Body Armor with as much Defense and Max Life as possible. You'll need to prioritize Life as much as possible around this time to ensure you're not getting One-Shot and have a decent Hit Pool. % of Armor Applies to Elemental Damage is also nice here for higher Elemental Damage Reduction.

Gloves:

We're going to go with Valako's Vice as this converts all Fire Damage --> Lightning Damage which allows us to Shock and take advantage of Herald of Thunder for even more clear speed. Try to get a Double Socket pair for more flexibility on Resistances or throw in 2 runes for Added Physical Damage to Attacks.

Helmet:

We're going to use Constricting Command with Requires -5 fewer enemies to be Surrounded! No More, No Less! This makes it so that we can take advantage of all of the Surrounded Nodes on the Tree and get a HUGE boost to Damage, Movement Speed, and Defense. This Helmet is currently 6 Div for a -5 and has been going down since it blown up at the start of the league.

Boots:

We're going to go for an Armor Base pair of Boots with at least 30% Movement Speed. Go for Max Life, Resistances, and Attributes here if waned. % Armor Applies to Elemental Damage is nice for more Defenses.

Belt:

We're going to swap to a Life and Strength belt. Pick up any needed Resistances as well here. As you level up, use any Belt that provides the best amount of Life and Resistances. Plate Belt is nice for some Extra Armor as well.

Amulet:

Go for any Amulet with Max Life and Level of All Projectile Skills. Preferably a Strength based or Life/Life Regen for extra HP. % Increased Armor is and to be nice for a Hit Pool increase if you can get them at this point. You'll need +42 Spirit if you want to use all the Spirit Gems shown here.

Once you've pathed to Spray and Pray, I re-anoint with Crushing Verdict for as much increased Attack Damage as possible. Acceleration is another good anoint for more Movement Speed and Skill Speed.

Rings:

Go for Added Fire Damage, Added Lightning Damage, % Fire Damage and % Lightning Damage. These are going to be the best increases to DPS but Physical and Cold is fine, just not as efficient as the others. Get whatever needed Resistances and Attributes needed here. An Abyss craft with 2-3% Life on Kill wouldn't be bad either.

Jewels:

We're going to use the Megalomaniac with an Attack Boost and Defense Boost.

Offense: Crushing Verdict, Supportive Ancestors, Wild Storm, Heavy Ammunition, Singular Purpose, Volcanic Skin, Coming Calamity, Wasting, Breaking Point, Harness the Elements, Stormbreaker, and more.

Defensive: Catalysis, Prism Guard, Trained Deflection, Ancient Aegis, Polished Iron, Projectile Bulwark, Glancing Deflection, Chakra of Thought, Lucidity, and more.

The Heart of the Well is currently the best Damage Boosting Jewel so try to get one with Gain Extra Damage as Lightning and Fire if possible. Increases to Attack Speed and Increased Armor from Equipped Body Armor is also nice if possible.

Lastly I use From Nothing with Passives in Radius of Pain Attunement. This allows us to access Nodes such as Swift Claw for for Damage, Molten Being for Damage and Defense, and Mental Perseverance for Defense. There are other good options but I like the Defense Boost from this area.

Rare Jewel Options are any with Increased Attack Damage, Projectile Damage, Reload Speed, Attack Speed, Lightning Damage, Fire Damage, Area of Effect, Crossbow Damage, % Life on Kill, etc...

Skill Gems

Uber Endgame Variant

Budget Endgame Variant

Act 1

Act 2

Act 3

Act 4

Interlude Acts

Support Gem Requirements:

Str 55

Dex 85

Int 40

Expand all

Explosive Shot

Explosive Grenade

Mortar Cannon

Rapid Shot

Mirage Archer

Herald of Thunder

Blasphemy

Scavenged Plating

Charge Regulation

Support Gems are Ordered in Priority of which you pick them!

You'll use Explosive Shot with Nova Projectiles to clear everything around us. We'll use Armour Break III so we can Break Armor for Scavenged Plating and to generate Endurance Charges. This is so Charge Regulation can give us 20% MORE Defenses to increase our Hit Pool.

Explosive Grenade will be your single target DPS tool. Shoot your Grenades at the feet of the Boss/Rare and shoot Explosive Shot to Detonate all of them.

The Payload Support Gem, the Suffix from our Crossbow (Grenades have a 15-25% to activate a second time), and the Repeating Explosives Node effectively DOUBLE our Grenade DPS since they have a nearly 100% Chance to Detonate Twice. This applies to our Explosive Grenade, Mirage Archer, and Mortar Cannon!

Rapid Shot will be used to build up Heat which will let our Explosive Grenade consume 15 Heat to Gain 50% of Damage as Fire. This is purely set up for boss fights so we can squeeze more Damage out of our build.

Mortar Cannon is going to support you during Boss fights with more Grenades for you to Detonate and grab Agro. Place it down and shoot Explosive Shot to Detonate.

Mirage Archer will activate whenever you Dodge and spawn a Mirror Version of you which will Auto-Target nearby enemies and shoot Explosive Grenade at them. Same as the rest, shoot your Explosive Shot to Detonate the Grenades.

Since we use Valako's Vice, we can use Herald of Thunder for some extra clear speed. Use Scavenged Plating so we can boost our Armor, Charge Regulation will consume the Endurance Charges we Generate via Armour Break III for 20% MORE Defenses. Lastly, use Blasphemy combined with the Enfeeble curse so we'll take less damage from things that manage to get close.

Certain Skills Go on Certain Weapon Sets! See here what Set to put them on!

Explosive Shot - Weapon Set 1

Explosive Grenade - Weapon Set 2

Mortar Cannon - Weapon Set 2

Rapid Shot - Weapon Set 1

Mirage Archer - Weapon Set 2

Herald of Thunder - Both

Wind Dancer - Both

Blasphemy - Both

Scavenged Plating - Both

Charge Regulation - Both

Passive Tree

Uber Endgame Variant

Budget Endgame Variant

Act 1

Act 2

Act 3

Act 4

Interlude Acts

main:

123

set 1:

set 2:

We'll go for Remorseless for Projectile Damage, Feel no Pain and Battle-hardened for some Defenses, Fearful Paralysis for Intimidate for 20% More Damage Dealt to Intimidated Targets and they deal 20% Less Damage

Overwhelm is nice for a DPS boost and Colossal Weapon for AOE. Grab Cluster Bombs for an Extra Projectile, Adrenaline Rush will net us even More Movement Speed and Attack Speed. Thrill of Battle will net us a HUGE Attack Speed boost along with the benefits of the small nodes around it.

Last Stand, Frantic Fighter, Tactical Retreat, and Favourable Odds will give us an Offense, Defense, and Movement Speed buff permanently. Tempered Defences will give us a nearly 25% Effective Hit Pool Increase so make sure to not miss this node.

We'll path towards Spray and Pray and Run and Gun for 50% Increased Attack Damage while moving which is INSANE. The Reduced Movement Speed Penalty is nice for speeding through the campaign as well.

Grab Forces of Nature and Flash Storm as we'll need some Elemental Penetration for our other skills that don't have Rakiata's Flow. Gem Enthusiast will give a Move Speed, Mana, and Life Increase. Jack of all Trades will be a good DPS Increase as I have over 150 in each Stat.

Repeating Explosives is a much needed node moving forward for more Grenade DPS, Reusable Ammunition for the Reload Efficiency. Grab Demolitionist for a small Grendade DPS increase as well. Sand in the Eyes helps fire our Grenades a little faster and Giantslayer will provide a good Grenade Damage Buff.

Authority and the small nodes leading to it will provide a good AOE Increase. Iron Reflexes will convert all EV to Armor and we'll take Glancing Blows to give us Lucky Deflect. This allows Polish That Gear to be a bit more effective since we're now pure Armor.

Sitting Duck, Lockdown, and Pin their Motivation will allow us to Pin for Longer and Deal More Damage once they un-pin. Kept at Bay and Artillery Strike will give us an Additional Totem and some more Damage and Pin.

Molten Being, Swift Claw, and Mental Perseverance will provide a Hit-Pool and Damage Increase and are accessed via the From Nothing with Passives in Radius of Pain Attunement.

A Solid Plan will be your First Ascendancy Node you'll take so we can run more Spirit Gems. Suppressing Fire is the Second Ascendancy Node you'll take as its needed to path towards our third Node. Right Where We Want Them is one of the Strongest Parts of this Ascendancy and will lock down everything that we shoot. This is the Third Ascendancy Node you'll take. Polish That Gear will be the Fourth Ascendancy Node you'll take and it'll give us 20% of Armor as Deflection.

Atlas Tree

Uber Endgame Variant

Budget Endgame Variant

Act 1

Act 2

Act 3

Act 4

Interlude Acts

I dropped a Hinekora's Lock (90 Div) while recording from a Researchers Strongbox along with a few Divines already so I'll be running them for a while!