Are you excited by the prospect of utilizing a Crossbow to a much greater extent in Path of Exile 2? How about commanding an army of minions or establishing totems to wipe enemies off the battlefield? If your answer is yes, then you will love the new Tactician ascendancy class! Read further to discover everything about this game-changing addition!

And if you ever need Path of Exile 2 currency during your journey, be sure to check out our PoE 2 Trade Store for the best deals!

The Tactician: Mercenary's Most Versatile Ascendancy

The Tactician is an ascendancy class for the Mercenary, arriving in Path of Exile 2: Dawn of the Hunt! This unique class blends minions, totems, and the Mercenary's default weapon—the Crossbow—into one strategic package. Let's explore the powerful ascendancy nodes that define the Tactician's playstyle.

Suppressing Fire

First up is Suppressing Fire, a passive that makes projectile damage build up "Pin" on enemies. This is essentially like having the Pin Support gem active at all times for projectile attacks. While it may not seem incredibly flashy, it serves as the foundation for an even deadlier combo with another ascendancy node!

Right Where We Want Them

Once you've pinned enemies down, you'll want Right Where We Want Them allocated. This node prevents enemies from attacking or using abilities for a short period—essentially a new form of crowd control.

While this effect functions similarly to freeze, the major difference is that it does not require cold damage. Just keep attacking and immobilize your foes before finishing them off!

Cannons, Ready!

For totem enthusiasts, the Tactician introduces Cannons, Ready!, an ascendancy node that massively increases totem fire rate. This is a huge deal because Path of Exile 2 previously lacked ascendancy-based totem enhancements.

One key mechanical change: these totems only activate when you attack. This makes crossbows like the Bombard Crossbow ideal, as they fire grenades to trigger totem attacks simultaneously!

Unleash Hell!

The Tactician appears to have an explosive personality and Unleash Hell! proves it. This ascendancy node triggers a periodic arrow bombardment on enemies, providing consistent area-of-effect (AoE) damage.

If you're playing a ranged crossbow build, this node is invaluable for support fire while you pick off enemies from a distance.

Watch How I Do It

The Tactician can also be developed as a minion-focused build, despite having only a handful of dedicated minion passives. However, he only needs one: Watch How I Do It.

This ascendancy node grants added attack damage to allies based on 25% of your main hand weapon's damage. For solo play, this mainly benefits minions—making Skeletal Snipers one of the best minions for the Tactician, as they fire fast, high-damage projectiles.

To truly maximize this ascendancy, be sure to get a high-powered crossbow—you'll find the best ones in our PoE 2 Store!

A Solid Plan

Even if the Tactician isn't on the frontlines, he can still be an incredible support. A Solid Plan reduces the Spirit reservation cost of persistent buffs by 50%.

If you're unfamiliar with PoE's mechanics, GGG uses "less" as a multiplicative value, meaning that this reduction is significant. With this node, you can activate two or even three more buffs than usual!

Whoever Pays Best

Banner skills have been underutilized in Path of Exile 2, but that's about to change with Whoever Pays Best!

This ascendancy lets you place multiple banner skills at once. Imagine running War Banner, Defiance Banner, and Dread Banner simultaneously—boosting your attack damage, armor, and ailment resistances all at once!

Stay Light, Use Cover

The Tactician isn't always on offense. Sometimes, you need to avoid damage, which is where Stay Light, Use Cover comes in.

This node provides a significant armor boost, but at the cost of evasion and physical damage reduction. However, there's a major advantage: enemies gain an accuracy penalty against you based on distance. The farther they are, the more likely they'll miss their shots!

Polish That Gear

Survival is key, and Polish That Gear reduces the likelihood of being stunned or afflicted with elemental ailments by 100%.

For new players: this means you are far less likely to get Chilled, Frozen, Shocked, or Ignited—making this node a must-have for high-end encounters.

Final Thoughts: The Tactician Brings Freshness to PoE 2

The Tactician ascendancy class is a breath of fresh air for Path of Exile 2, pushing underutilized mechanics—like banner skills, totems, and minions—into the spotlight.

• Banner skills become viable with Whoever Pays Best.

• Totem damage output skyrockets with Cannons, Ready!.

• Aura-based support builds will thrive with A Solid Plan.

• Minions gain new attack potential with Watch How I Do It.

• New survivability mechanics make evasion and armor hybrid builds possible.

If we had to sum up the Tactician in one word, it would be “strategic”. Unlike raw DPS-oriented ascendancies, this one thrives on careful planning and synergy.

What Do You Think?

Do you agree with our assessment? Is the Tactician the most exciting new ascendancy class in Path of Exile 2? Or do you think another class deserves the spotlight? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

And don't forget—if you're looking for PoE 2 currency, rare items, or the best crossbows, visit our PoE 2 Store for the best prices and deals!