In Path of Exile, there are more than 30 mercenaries that can be hired to help you. They have different skills and abilities, so you can choose one that matches your play style. This PoE 3.26 mercenary tier list picks the best merc classes or archetypes to use for your build.
PoE 3.26 Best Mercenary Tier List
Mercenaries in Path of Exile 1 3.26 are special AI companions that players can hire by dueling and defeating them. Each mercenary comes with their own equipment, including weapons, armor, and sometimes unique items, and can carry up to six active skills, each supported by up to five support gems or effects that boost their power. These mercenaries have exclusive skills and special support gems you can’t find on player characters. You can hire up to three mercenaries, but only one can accompany you at a time, and you can swap them out in town whenever you want. Mercenaries automatically heal when out of combat and can be revived for a gold fee if they die. Their gear can be customized by replacing their equipment with your own items, but their original default gear stays locked unless you dismiss them. Choosing the right mercenary depends mostly on your build and what you want to improve.
1. Kineticist - S Tier
The Kineticist is a rare mercenary with three stats: strength, dexterity, and intelligence, so it can wear many different kinds of powerful unique gear. This flexibility lets it fit into almost any build. It shines in big, open maps like Jungle Valley or Beach because it can kill monsters from afar before they even get close to you. On top of that, it gives you a Haste buff, which speeds up your movement and attack speed. The Kineticist uses skills like Elemental Weakness to make enemies take more damage and Flame Wall to add extra fire damage, helping you clear groups of monsters quickly and safely. With the right Merc gear, it can even create strong damage loops that keep going, which is amazing for PoE 3.26 endgame farming.
2. Withertouch - S Tier
The Withertouch focuses on pure intelligence and is perfect if you want to boost your damage, especially for boss fights or tough maps. This mercenary brings the powerful Malevolence skill, which increases your damage over time effects, making your poison, ignite, or bleed hit much harder. It also improves your survivability by wearing gear that heals itself or makes enemies take extra damage nearby. Even though it’s not as flexible in gears as the Kineticist, Withertouch is a fantastic choice for players who want to focus on strong single-target damage and stay alive longer during long fights.
3. Eruptor - A Tier
Eruptor is a strength-based mercenary who excels with fiery, close-range attacks. Its main skill, Volcanic Fissure of Snaking, throws out a powerful fire blast that can melt large groups of enemies instantly. Eruptor is also tough because it naturally has high armor and can use defensive skills like Molten Shell to absorb damage. This makes it a great partner for players who want a mercenary that can both dish out heavy damage and soak up hits. It’s especially useful if your build uses fire damage or melee weapons.
4. Fallen Reverend - A Tier
The Fallen Reverend combines strength and intelligence, which lets it equip unique items that can protect you from elemental damage or curses. It offers useful auras like Zealotry, which boosts spell power, and Wrath, which adds lightning damage to your attacks. This makes it a great assistant for caster builds that want extra damage and defensive buffs. Plus, it can carry items that transfer harmful elemental effects from you to the mercenary.
5. Flaming Charlatan - A Tier
Flaming Charlatan is a strength/intelligence mercenary who loves fire damage. It supports your build with the Anger aura, adding flat fire damage to your attacks and spells, and the Herald of Ash, which causes enemies to explode in fire when they die, damaging others nearby. This mercenary is perfect if you rely on fire skills or want to add strong fire damage without changing your gear. It also helps clear packs faster by spreading fire damage between enemies.
6. Bladecaster - A Tier
Bladecaster is a dexterity/intelligence mercenary that provides great buffs like Grace (which increases evasion and defense) and Aspect of the Spider (which slows enemies and makes them take more damage). It uses fast melee and ranged skills, like Blade Vortex and Ethereal Knives, to deal extra damage and control groups of monsters. Bladecaster works well for builds that mix spells and attacks, especially those needing more defense and utility.
7. Cruel Mistress - B Tier
Cruel Mistress is an intelligence mercenary who weakens enemies with curses such as Despair and pulls them together with skills like Void Sphere. It also offers the Zealotry aura to boost your spell damage. This mercenary is useful if your build relies on curses and crowd control, helping you hit enemies harder and group them for big area attacks. However, it doesn’t deal much damage on its own, so it works best as a support.
8. Manyshot - B Tier
Manyshot is a dexterity mercenary who provides the popular Hatred aura, adding cold damage to your attacks, and Grace, which improves evasion to help you dodge attacks. While it doesn’t kill enemies very fast, it’s great for freeing up your mana, so you can use other powerful auras or skills. Manyshot is a good choice if you want more defense and elemental damage without spending skill points or currency in Path of Exile 3.26.
9. Stormhand - B Tier
Stormhand focuses on intelligence and uses electric damage skills to shock and slow enemies. It offers some control and extra damage, but it isn’t very fast at clearing monsters. It works well for players who want a little extra lightning damage and crowd control, but don’t need a mercenary that can solo clear.
10. Shattersword - B Tier
Shattersword mixes dexterity and strength and is better at hitting single targets than groups. It’s okay for melee builds that want a bit more damage, but it doesn’t provide many buffs or crowd control skills, so it’s less useful for fast clearing.
11. Swiftblade - C Tier
Swiftblade is a quick dexterity mercenary who attacks fast but doesn’t do a lot of damage or provide strong buffs. It’s best if you want a mercenary that moves quickly and can keep up with you, but don’t rely on it for heavy damage or support.
12. Bloodletter - C Tier
Bloodletter is a dexterity mercenary focused on critical hits and single-target damage. It can hit hard but lacks good crowd control or useful auras, so it’s not the best for clearing groups or boosting your defenses.
13. Storming Zealot - C Tier
Storming Zealot is a caster mercenary that gives some healing and buff support, but isn’t very powerful in damage or crowd control. It’s okay for players who want some extra survivability.
14. Frosthand/Flamehand - C Tier
These mercenaries specialize in cold and fire damage, respectively. They offer some elemental damage boosts, but are not very powerful for clearing or supporting.
15. Earthshaker - D Tier
Earthshaker is a strength mercenary who uses ground control skills to slow or stun enemies, but deals weak damage and doesn’t provide strong buffs or survivability.
16. Ripper - D Tier
Ripper is a dexterity mercenary who attacks quickly but doesn’t hit very hard or offer useful auras, making it less helpful for most builds.
17. Smoulderstrike - D Tier
Smoulderstrike uses fire skills but has low damage and poor support abilities, so it’s not very effective in hard fights.
18. Toxicologist - D Tier
Toxicologist focuses on poison and damage over time, but has weak damage and low survival, making it less useful for serious endgame content.
19. Sniper/Thunderquiver/Flamequiver - D Tier
These dexterity mercenaries have ranged skills but lack powerful auras or strong damage, so they are more niche or situational choices.
20. Reanimator - D Tier
Reanimator summons minions to fight, but doesn’t deal much damage itself and offers limited support.
21. Bastion/Combatant - D Tier
Strength melee mercenaries with average damage and minimal buffs, mostly useful for beginners or the early game.
22. Bladebitter/Blade Ambusher/Shock Ambusher/Frost Ambusher - D Tier
Dexterity mercenaries focus on single-target damage with little utility or crowd control.
23. Sanguimancer - D Tier
Intelligence mercenary using life leech and damage over time, but weak survival and burst damage.
Google Safe
0
Home
Follow us on Discord
