When it comes to leveling quickly and efficiently in Path of Exile 2, few builds come close to the sheer speed and devastation of the Twink Explosive Grenade Mercenary. Built for players with access to early-game gear and looking to blast through content with surgical precision, this setup is all about POE2 Currency leveraging Explosive Grenade to delete enemies from the screen while maintaining relentless mobility and survivability.

In this blog, we'll break down what makes this twink leveling build so effective, how to set it up, and why it's quickly becoming a fan favorite for experienced players looking to dominate the campaign.

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Why Choose the Explosive Grenade Mercenary?

This build is designed for speed, simplicity, and impact. You'll focus on tossing grenades that deal massive area-of-effect (AoE) fire damage, allowing you to fly through zones with very little resistance. While it's classified as a “twink” build (meaning it relies on having access to gear that isn't available to fresh characters), it's still approachable if you've already played through POE 2 with one character and can share items.

Pros:

- Insanely fast clear speed

- Easy-to-use skill loop

- Minimal button pressing

- Strong from level 1 with twink gear

- Smooth progression through Acts 1–10

Cons:

- Gear-dependent to function optimally

- Not viable for league-start or first character

- Requires frequent flask and utility skill use for sustain

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Core Mechanics: Explosive Grenade

At the heart of the build is Explosive Grenade, a skill that throws a fire-based grenade at a target location, dealing massive damage on impact and igniting nearby enemies.

When paired with Projectile Multipliers, Area of Effect, and Burning Damage scaling, each grenade becomes a miniature nuke. Add in twink items that boost early damage and survivability, and you've got a build that melts everything from the get-go.

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Skill Setup & Supports

The main skill setup looks like this:

Explosive Grenade +

- Trap Support – Converts grenade into a trap for safer deployment

- Chance to Ignite – Scales your burn uptime

- Increased Area of Effect – Larger explosion radius

- Burning Damage – Directly boosts your ignite damage

- Trap Cooldown Recovery – More frequent trap placement

This configuration allows for consistent AoE, while burning enemies down passively. Combined with fast movement and trap utility, you rarely need to stop moving during maps or quests.

---

Leveling Strategy and Progression

Levels 1–30: Early Domination

As a twink character, you'll start the game with some of your key gear already equipped or ready to slot in by level 10. Use early Explosive Grenade links as soon as you unlock the skill and immediately begin farming efficiently.

Recommended progression items include:

- +1 to Fire Spell Skill Gems wands

- Wanderlust boots for movement speed

- Goldrim helmet for all resists

- Lifeforce flasks to support sustain

Move quickly through early acts using explosive chain-trap loops and keep your resistances and life values as high as possible.

Levels 30–60: Scaling Burn and Trap Mechanics

This is where the build hits its stride. You should be scaling:

- Trap Damage

- Burning/Fire Damage

- Ignite Chance

- Cooldown Recovery for traps

By now, your flasks are optimized, your resistances are capped, and you can start testing higher mob density and tougher boss encounters. Use movement skills like Roll or Dash to reposition between trap throws.

---

Passive Tree Priorities

The passive skill tree focuses on:

- Trap and Mine Damage

- Burning and Fire Damage over Time

- Life and Life Regeneration

- Trap Throwing Speed

Key notables:

- Explosives Expert – Massive burn damage increase

- Trapper's Arsenal – Extra trap limit and throw speed

- Ashen Shell – Scales your ignite effects for longer fights

Since this build avoids direct combat, you can go lighter on defensive nodes and lean into mobility and burn scaling instead.

---

Gear Recommendations (Twink-Specific)

This build thrives with gear passed down from another character. Essential pieces include:

- Wands with +1 to Fire Spells

- Ashcaller Sceptre (for early burn damage)

- Tabula Rasa (free 6-link)

- Wanderlust Boots (30% movement speed)

- Goldrim Helm (all resists)

You'll also want:

- Flasks with freeze immunity, movement speed, and life regen

- Rings or amulets with fire damage to spells, cast speed, or life regen

---

Playstyle Tips

- Stay mobile: Use positioning to keep distance between you and mobs.

- Cycle traps: Don't throw all traps at once—maintain uptime by staggering throws.

- Pre-load traps at doors or boss spawns to nuke targets as they appear.

- Always keep up utility flasks to avoid stuns, chills, and slows.

This build isn't about face-tanking—it's about preparation and positioning.

---

Endgame Transition Options

Once you complete the campaign, you can:

- Continue using this build with improved trap and DoT gear

- Transition into a more defensive trapper build for mapping

- Respec into a fire-based spellcaster or ignite stacking boss killer

The versatility of the Mercenary ascendancy allows for multiple trap-based archetypes, so you're not locked into one path after leveling.

---

Final Thoughts: Explosive and Efficient

The Twink Explosive Grenade Mercenary is one of the fastest and most efficient leveling builds in Path of Exile 2, offering screen-clearing potential from level 1 and nearly unmatched campaign speed. With the right gear, itHere's an 800-word blog based on the Twink Explosive Grenade Mercenary Leveling Guide from Maxroll for Path of Exile 2:

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Twink Explosive Grenade Mercenary Build: The Fastest Leveling Strategy in POE 2

When it comes to leveling quickly and efficiently in Path of Exile 2, few builds come close to the sheer speed and devastation of the Twink Explosive Grenade Mercenary. Built for players with access to early-game gear and looking to blast through content with surgical precision, this setup is all about leveraging Explosive Grenade to delete enemies from the screen while maintaining relentless mobility and survivability.

In this blog, we'll break down what makes this twink leveling build so effective, how to set it up, and why it's quickly becoming a fan favorite for experienced players looking to dominate the campaign.

---

Why Choose the Explosive Grenade Mercenary?

This build is designed for speed, simplicity, and impact. You'll focus on tossing grenades that deal massive area-of-effect (AoE) fire damage, allowing you to fly through zones with very little resistance. While it's classified as a “twink” build (meaning it relies on having access to gear that isn't available to fresh characters), it's still approachable if you've already played through POE 2 with one character and can share items.

Pros:

- Insanely fast clear speed

- Easy-to-use skill loop

- Minimal button pressing

- Strong from level 1 with twink gear

- Smooth progression through Acts 1–10

Cons:

- Gear-dependent to function optimally

- Not viable for league-start or first character

- Requires frequent flask and utility skill use for sustain

---

Core Mechanics: Explosive Grenade

At the heart of the build is Explosive Grenade, a skill that throws a fire-based grenade at a target location, dealing massive damage on impact and igniting nearby enemies.

When paired with Projectile Multipliers, Area of Effect, and Burning Damage scaling, each grenade becomes a miniature nuke. Add in twink items that boost early damage and survivability, and you've got a build that melts everything from the get-go.

---

Skill Setup & Supports

The main skill setup looks like this:

Explosive Grenade +

- Trap Support – Converts grenade into a trap for safer deployment

- Chance to Ignite – Scales your burn uptime

- Increased Area of Effect – Larger explosion radius

- Burning Damage – Directly boosts your ignite damage

- Trap Cooldown Recovery – More frequent trap placement

This configuration allows for consistent AoE, while burning enemies down passively. Combined with fast movement and trap utility, you rarely need to stop moving during maps or quests.

---

Leveling Strategy and Progression

Levels 1–30: Early Domination

As a twink character, you'll start the game with some of your key gear already equipped or ready to slot in by level 10. Use early Explosive Grenade links as soon as you unlock the skill and immediately begin farming efficiently.

Recommended progression items include:

- +1 to Fire Spell Skill Gems wands

- Wanderlust boots for movement speed

- Goldrim helmet for all resists

- Lifeforce flasks to support sustain

Move quickly through early acts using explosive chain-trap loops and keep your resistances and life values as high as possible.

Levels 30–60: Scaling Burn and Trap Mechanics

This is where the build hits its stride. You should be scaling:

- Trap Damage

- Burning/Fire Damage

- Ignite Chance

- Cooldown Recovery for traps

By now, your flasks are optimized, your resistances are capped, and you can start testing higher mob density and tougher boss encounters. Use movement skills like Roll or Dash to reposition between trap throws.

---

Passive Tree Priorities

The passive skill tree focuses on:

- Trap and Mine Damage

- Burning and Fire Damage over Time

- Life and Life Regeneration

- Trap Throwing Speed

Key notables:

- Explosives Expert – Massive burn damage increase

- Trapper's Arsenal – Extra trap limit and throw speed

- Ashen Shell – Scales your ignite effects for longer fights

Since this build avoids direct combat, you can go lighter on defensive nodes and lean into mobility and burn scaling instead.

---

Gear Recommendations (Twink-Specific)

This build thrives with gear passed down from another character. Essential pieces include:

- Wands with +1 to Fire Spells

- Ashcaller Sceptre (for early burn damage)

- Tabula Rasa (free 6-link)

- Wanderlust Boots (30% movement speed)

- Goldrim Helm (all resists)

You'll also want:

- Flasks with freeze immunity, movement speed, and life regen

- Rings or amulets with fire damage to spells, cast speed, or life regen

---

Playstyle Tips

- Stay mobile: Use positioning to keep distance between you and mobs.

- Cycle traps: Don't throw all traps at once—maintain uptime by staggering throws.

- Pre-load traps at doors or boss spawns to nuke targets as they appear.

- Always keep up utility flasks to avoid stuns, chills, and slows.

This build isn't about face-tanking—it's about preparation and positioning.

---

Endgame Transition Options

Once you complete the campaign, you can:

- Continue using this build with improved trap and DoT gear

- Transition into a more defensive trapper build for mapping

- Respec into a fire-based spellcaster or ignite stacking boss killer

The versatility of the Mercenary ascendancy allows for multiple trap-based archetypes, so you're not locked into one path after leveling.

---

Final Thoughts: Explosive and Efficient

The Twink Explosive Grenade Mercenary is one of the fastest and most efficient leveling builds in Path of Exile 2, offering screen-clearing potential from level 1 and nearly unmatched campaign speed. With the right gear, it's a smooth ride through all ten acts and a fantastic springboard into deeper endgame content.

If you're an experienced player looking for a second or third character to speed-run through the early game, this build is an absolute cheap POE 2 Exalted Orbs must-try a smooth ride through all ten acts and a fantastic springboard into deeper endgame content.