Path of Exile 2 patch 0.2.0 will add third Mercenary Ascendancy, likely with hirelings

In their latest tease for Path of Exile 2 patch 0.2.0, GGG has unveiled one of the new Ascendancies they are introducing. From the looks of it, it is a Mercenary subclass who might be able to summon — you guessed it — mercenaries. As in hirelings, not other Mercenary-class players (although that would be neat).

Theoretically, any class in Path of Exile 2 can dip their toe into summoning Skill Gems, but all of these at the moment are morbid Witch-flavored Occult abilities. If nothing else, this adds some much-needed flavor in a highly popular ARPG playstyle.

It has been confirmed that Animate Guardian from Path of Exile 1 is not making it into the sequel, so this might be the closest we get to it.

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Upcoming Mercenary Ascendancy in Path of Exile 2 0.2.0 might also imply better summons AI

Summoning classes are the default fallback for many players to learn an ARPG, due to promises of a more relaxed playstyle. From that regard, the Witch definitely delivers in Path of Exile 2, and with good scaling options for mapping.

The 19 temporary Ascendancies added to Path of Exile 1 for its Legacy of Phrecia event also had its share of summoners, such as Harbinger (Witch) or Puppeteer (Templar). Naturally, it's not a surprise that GGG might lean into this class fantasy, and potentially add an alternate way to approach it.

The Spirit-based summoning system, currently in place, will also likely be the main sauce for the upcoming Mercenary Ascendancy. Yet, there is also the possibility that Path of Exile 2 takes a Mercenary-exclusive alternative approach to Spirit reservation. Conscripting living hirelings does, after all, cost Gold rather than Mana.

That said, what appears to be a summoning Ascendancy for the Mercenary will make it all the more necessary to fix the only lingering drawback of these playstyles: how dumb the summons are.

Between them getting stuck on doors, standing on hazardous patches of ground, and, in general, not being very good at aggro-pulling, it really drives home the point that these are mindless undead minions. To make human summons more believable, improving summons AI would probably be the greatest thing about this patch — if they get around to it.

Ultimately, all of this is mere theorycrafting, and we'll only learn the details when Path of Exile 2 patch 0.2.0 goes live in a few weeks.

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Two more Uniques teased for Path of Exile 2 patch 0.2.0

This will likely be an expensive meta pick-up (Image via GGG)

On the other hand, the Witchhunter (another Mercenary Ascendancy) is also getting some love, thanks to a particularly juicy Unique coming in Path of Exile 2 patch 0.2.0. The Deepest Tower, a fresh Unique helmet, will make it so that all nearby enemies count as being on Low Life. It's just as well, because Witchhunter does need the boost to pair up against how absurdly powerful Gemling builds are.

The other Unique teased this week is the Prism Guardian shield, which adds +1 Spirit for every 50 Maximum Life, which makes it the perfect pick-up for a STR/INT class, making it even more likely that Druid is coming in 0.2.0.

Check out more Path of Exile 2 news and guides on Sportskeeda:

• GGG is doubling down on Towers in Path of Exile 2 patch 0.2.0, now with bosses and league mechanics
• GGG reveals 5 new Support Gems coming in Path of Exile 2's March update
• Complete Crafting guide for beginners
• Path of Exile 2 Gemcutting guide