If you’re chasing a build that can rip through the 0.3 Abyssal league without grinding for weeks first, the Explosive Witchhunter Mercenary is a solid bet. This thing’s fast, blows up the whole screen, and dishes out serious damage to bosses. Explosive Shot does most of the heavy lifting – pack clearing is basically a matter of holding the button and watching lightning pop everywhere. The combo of Nova Projectile and Double Barrel shoots more bolts, which trigger Herald of Thunder and Herald of Ice for chain reactions you’ll never get tired of. It’s fun, it’s effective, and once you start stacking gear bought with PoE 2 Currency, it only gets nastier.

How the core loop works

Explosive Shot is your go-to for maps. Every projectile sparks off those Herald procs, and packs just vanish. Swap to Shockburst Rounds when you hit rares or bosses – the skill’s extra damage against shocked enemies means you’ll smash into crazy DPS numbers. The Witchhunter ascendancy makes this wrecking ball even scarier. Judge, Jury, and Executioner chunks away 30% of a rare or unique’s health on hit, and Pitiless Killer just finishes the job instantly. You barely slow down from mapping to bossing, which is why this setup feels so smooth.

Survivability matters too

Even in Abyssal’s nastiest maps, staying alive isn’t hard here. You’ll stack evasion to hit over 90%, then back it with hybrid ES defenses. Wind Dancer takes the sting when hits land, and Ghost Dance refills ES fast when you dodge. Around 5k ES and capped resistances puts you in a safe spot. You’ll path through the right side first for projectile notables like Spray & Pray and Heavy Ammo, then swing left for Beastial Skin for a bump in defense. The result’s a character that can glide through rippy T16s without feeling fragile.

Gearing up the right way

Starting out on 20-50 Divines is plenty – you don’t need to drop a fortune right away. First aim is a rare crossbow with +2 projectiles and decent lightning damage. Eventually, a Gemini Crossbow with extra bolts and big lightning DPS will push you over the top. The Three Dragons helmet is huge – it lets Explosive Shot reliably shock, feeding massive boosts to Shockburst Rounds. Until you get it, just grab a decent Evasion/ES rare helm. Convert lightning on gloves, stack life and resists on the rest, and consider Carcass Jack for bigger AoE. The fast clear speed means currency flows in quick, so upgrades come naturally. With the pace you’ll farm, you’ll be ready to take on every Uber boss in the game, and that’s when the Explosive Witchhunter Merc really earns the hype bought with poe2 gold.