Overview
This is a grenade Mercenary pitched squarely as a league starter for 0.5 — a crossbow character built to never stall during progression. The route is laid out step by step in a leveling-ordered Path of Building, with skills, passives and gear checkpoints matched to character level so a fresh player can follow along without getting lost.
The economy plan is the notable part: hold every Regal, Exalted, Alchemy, rune and Artificer’s orb until level 16, then pour all of it into a single crafted crossbow. Repeat the same all-in craft at level 33 on a Bombard Crossbow, which is later swapped for a Cannonade base around level 59. Late starters are advised to simply buy rare crossbows from trade instead of crafting. The creator also flags that the new grenade launcher base could become the endgame weapon if it rolls good modifiers.
The ascendancy is Gemling Legionnaire for its two new nodes, with Witchhunter offered as the lower-risk alternative. The creator is explicit that this is a starter meant to be respecced once T15 currency comes in, so the late-game setup is only sketched as reference items.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Fast, smooth leveling that is hard to get stuck on
- Clear level-by-level plan in the shared PoB, including skill swaps
- Cheap: one focused crossbow craft carries each stage of the campaign
- Works on Ranger / Huntress too with a slightly different tree start
Cons
- Explicitly a starter — the creator plans to respec after early T15 maps
- Weapon-dependent: the all-in crossbow crafts are the power spikes
- Several button presses on bosses (gas, ignition, Rage upkeep)
Key Skills
- Explosive Grenade — core clear and boss detonator
- Gas Grenade — from level 14; two thrown under a boss, then detonated
- Oil Grenade — from level 31; ignited under bosses for exposure and instant gas detonation
- Flash Grenade / Cluster Grenade — clear tools once damage allows
- Armour Piercing / Fragmentation Rounds — early clear and armour break before grenades take over
Gear & Anointments
- Crossbow craft at level 16, Bombard Crossbow craft at level 33, swap to a Cannonade base around 59
- Each piece otherwise just needs the reminders in the PoB (life, resistances, attributes)
- Short Fuse support and a fifth link on Explosive Grenade make clearing comfortable
- A Ballista-style totem is added once extra Spirit is available for boss damage
- Endgame (63+) uniques are only noted as references — specifics to be confirmed against the source video
Endgame Notes
The ascendancy lab plan skips the first two trials and runs the third immediately after the interlude. Past early T15 the creator intends to move to another build, so treat this as a campaign-to-early-maps vehicle.
Credits & Source
Build credited to resusx. See the source video for the full build’s gameplay footage + voice commentary: На чём я стартую лигу 0.5 в Path of Exile 2.