Path of Exile 2 (PoE 2) introduces a wealth of new skills and ascendancy tweaks, and few builds feel as satisfying as the Mortar Cannon Tactician. This build blends the raw explosive power of Mortar Cannon with the tactical utility of the Tactician ascendancy, creating a playstyle that's equal parts destructive and defensive. Whether you're a new player looking for a forgiving league starter or a veteran chasing endgame dominance, this guide breaks down everything you need to turn your Tactician into a walking artillery strike.

What Makes the Mortar Cannon Tactician Special?

At its core, this build revolves around Mortar Cannon-a meta skill gem that summons a cannon ballista totem. This totem uses socketed grenade skills with significantly improved cooldown recovery, turning every fight into a barrage of explosions . Paired with the Tactician ascendancy (a subclass of the Mercenary), you gain access to totem buffs, immobilization tools, and armor-based defenses that make the build both powerful and resilient.

One of the build's biggest strengths is its versatility. It excels at crowd control, clearing entire packs of enemies in seconds with overlapping grenade blasts. It also holds its own against bosses, thanks to strategic totem placement and damage scaling. Best of all, it's relatively easy to gear, with only a few key uniques needed to reach its full potential .

Core Mechanics & Ascendancy Choices

To master this build, you first need to understand its two pillars: the Mortar Cannon skill and the Tactician ascendancy. Let's start with the skill itself.

Mortar Cannon is a totem-based meta gem that requires a crossbow to use. When activated, it summons a single cannon totem (with a duration of 8 seconds) that fires socketed grenade skills . While the totem reduces the damage and attack speed of supported grenade skills, it grants 100% increased cooldown recovery, meaning your grenades fire far more frequently than if used directly.

For the Tactician ascendancy, prioritize nodes that enhance totems and defenses. The optimal path is Suppressing Fire → Right Where We Want Them → A Solid Plan → Polish That Gear . This combination lets your projectiles pin enemies (preventing them from acting), reduces the reservation cost of persistent buffs, and turns your armor into extra stun and ailment threshold-critical for staying alive .

Don't sleep on Strategic Embankments, either. This notable node makes your Mortar Cannon totem grant an aura that adds 25% of your damage as extra fire, boosting your explosive output even further .

Skill Gem Setup

Your skill setup will evolve as you level, but the core combination remains consistent: Mortar Cannon paired with grenade skills and support gems that amplify area of effect (AoE) and damage. Here's the breakdown for endgame:

Primary Skill (Mortar Cannon): Socket Mortar Cannon with Explosive Grenade (your main damage source), Multishot II, Elemental Armament II, and Double Detonation . This setup maximizes AoE coverage and explosion damage, turning single grenades into screen-clearing blasts.

Support Skills: Add Explosive Shot to detonate grenades manually, ensuring you don't waste damage mid-air . For mobility, use Black Powder Blitz-a travel skill that replaces your dodge roll and detonates nearby grenades, keeping you moving while dealing damage .

Utility Skills: Include Oil Grenade to apply exposure to bosses (reducing their elemental resistance) and Herald of Thunder for extra elemental damage and crowd control . For defenses, add a Banner skill (like War Banner) to boost your totem damage and glory generation .
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