Lately, whenever I roll a Mercenary in Path of Exile 2, I end up staring at two very different routes, and it changes everything from pacing to gear goals. One minute you're thinking about timing and crowd control, the next you're just chasing clear speed and never letting go of the gas. If you're farming and trading along the way, keeping an eye on PoE 2 Currency can quietly shape which setup feels realistic for your stash and your patience.

Witchhunter: Caltrops and Bear Grenades

This one plays like you're setting a trap and then cashing it in. You toss Caltrops first, not as an afterthought, but as the whole point. Enemies slow down, bunch up, and start taking awkward paths. That's your cue. You drop Bear Grenades where they'll actually stick, then you watch the fire interactions do the messy work. It's not "spam everything on cooldown" either. You'll mess up a throw, you'll over-commit, you'll learn. The payoff is huge when it clicks, because you're choosing the fight's shape instead of reacting to it.

Gemling Legionnaire: Galvanic Shards on Repeat

If you're the kind of player who hates stopping, Galvanic Shards feels like home. You get into a rhythm and it's hard to give up. Tap, move, tap, move, and packs just melt without you babysitting the setup. The lightning damage is steady, the hits come fast, and it rewards clean pathing more than clever baiting. In maps, it's the build that lets you zone out a little while still playing well. On bosses, you're doing the same thing, but tighter: keep your spacing, keep your uptime, don't panic-roll into corners.

Picking Your Pace

Most people don't choose based on raw power, even if they say they do. They choose based on feel. Witchhunter is for the player who likes control, likes planning two steps ahead, and likes seeing a big detonation as proof it worked. Gemling is for the player who wants fewer moving parts and more momentum, with damage that keeps ticking even while you reposition. If you're swapping between the two, you'll notice it right away: one asks for patience, the other asks for discipline.

What You'll Notice After a Few Sessions

After a night of grinding, the difference is mental fatigue. The trap-and-burst style can be more demanding, but it also feels satisfying when you're "on." The shard spam style is smooth, reliable, and great when you just want progress without a big brain checklist. Either way, you'll end up tweaking gear, links, and pacing as you go, and if you're trying to stretch your upgrades, hunting for cheapest poe 2 currency can fit naturally into that routine without turning the whole experience into spreadsheet gaming.