The Deafening Wrath Mercenary Guide for Speedrunning PoE

 

Why This Mercenary Setup Is Game-Changing

In Path of Exile 3.26, players looking to crush the campaign quickly are turning to a new strategy: using a mercenary outfitted with a Deafening Wrath wand. This setup has proven capable of blasting through content fast, carrying your character from early acts all the way to Blood Aqueducts. The strategy hinges less on your own build and more on crafting the perfect kineticist mercenary who does the hard work for you.

If done right, this can bring campaign times under two hours for experienced players—and even for average players, sub-three-hour runs are possible. Let’s break down how to build and use this carry mercenary to full effect.

Building Around the Mercenary, Not Your Character

While your main character still matters, this strategy puts the spotlight on the mercenary. Whether you’re playing Guardian, Occultist, or something else, the core idea is simple: your mercenary should be doing most of the heavy lifting.

The kineticist mercenary can be active as early as level 26, and with the right items, it remains viable until late in the campaign. Your character mostly needs to stay alive, apply auras, or offer minor support. The mercenary's power makes your own gear far less relevant than usual during the leveling phase.

Farming the Perfect Mercenary: Start at Level 46

The first step is getting a kineticist mercenary with the right skill combo. You want to farm for this at level 46, because that's when you can equip a Deafening Wrath wand that’s item level 65+. This wand becomes equippable by the mercenary immediately, giving a massive power spike.

To farm it efficiently:

• Go to a level 46 zone (e.g., Mudflats in Act 6)

• Reset the zone repeatedly

• Interact with every kineticist mercenary until you find one with a solid setup

The process can take between 2 to 4 hours, depending on luck. Make sure your character remains within 10 levels of the mercenary spawn range, or they’ll stop appearing.

Ideal Wand Mods and How to Craft Them

A great wand for your mercenary includes:

• Tier 1 Lightning Damage (or Deafening Lightning suffix)

• Tier 3 Cold Damage

• Tier 3 Fire Damage

• Tier 1 Attack Speed

This creates a high-damage elemental wand that syncs perfectly with the kineticist’s rapid projectile style. Deafening Wrath makes it possible to use this kind of wand far earlier than its required level would normally allow.

While you don’t need perfect rolls immediately, investing time into wand crafting pays off quickly in campaign speed.

Coiling Whisper and Asiness’ Touch: Why They Matter

One of the most powerful gear combos for this mercenary setup is Coiling Whisper and Asiness’ Dental Touch. Together, they grant Soul Leader, a buff that significantly enhances the mercenary’s speed and damage.

Other recommended items:

• Wake of Destruction: adds lightning damage to attacks

• Thrillsteel: grants Onslaught for more speed

• Prismweave: improves elemental damage output

These items are relatively easy to obtain early and offer massive efficiency during leveling.

Recommended Kineticist Skills and Links

Your mercenary’s effectiveness depends heavily on the right skills. The most important is Kinetic Bolt, ideally with:

• Greater Multiple Projectiles

• Greater Attack Speed

While Lesser Multiple Projectiles also works, you’ll want to avoid Barrage Support—some kineticists will prioritize spamming it, which hurts DPS and clear speed.

Stay away from kinetic skills like Kinetic Blast of Clustering, as they tend to underperform or have poor AI usage patterns.

When to Start Using the Mercenary

You can start using your kineticist mercenary effectively at level 26. That’s when the wand scaling kicks in and the minion becomes self-sufficient in combat.

From this point through to the Blood Aqueducts, the mercenary can handle most fights on its own. Your job becomes more about movement, positioning, and avoiding death—especially since your main character's build may not be optimized for combat.

Keep in mind, however, that mercenaries won't appear if you're more than 10 levels above their spawn range. Plan your farming window accordingly.

Campaign Progression and Time Benchmarks

With this setup, many players are reaching Act 8 in as little as 90 minutes. That includes deaths, detours, and farming. If you avoid major mistakes, a full campaign clear under 2 hours is within reach.

One of the only risks comes from dying due to indirect effects, like the mercenary standing in a damaging ground effect or DoT zone while you link skills. Always check your minion's position before using support abilities.

The core value of this strategy is consistent speed, not just theoretical top-end times.

How to Handle Gear Progression and Scaling

Although the mercenary does most of the heavy lifting, you still need to consider gear upgrades as you progress. After equipping the wand and a few unique items like Wake of Destruction and Coiling Whisper, shift your attention to minor gear slots.

Suggested gear enhancements:

• Look for resistances and movement speed on boots

• Use Sacrificial Heart for elemental penetration and extra damage

• Ensure you have haste aura or similar support to boost minion actions

The goal is to keep the mercenary operating at high speed with solid damage output. You can focus more on survivability and utility on your own gear.

Setting Up Your Support Build (Optional)

If you want to go further, you can run a character dedicated to supporting the mercenary. Guardians are a good fit due to their aura strength and tankiness, but Occultist and Necromancer also work.

In a support build:

• Prioritize aura nodes and reservation efficiency

• Scale minion life and damage via passives and jewels

• Use convocation and minion movement skills for better control

You can go full summoner or simply amplify the kineticist’s output with aura stacking. Either way, this strategy can carry you into maps and beyond, if tuned properly.

What to Avoid with Mercenary Setups

Certain skills and gear interactions can ruin the mercenary’s performance. Be mindful of the following:

• Avoid Barrage or AI-confusing supports

• Stay away from kinetic variants that don’t scale well with projectiles

• Don’t equip gear that forces the merc to use spells over attacks

Another issue to watch is skill prioritization. If your mercenary randomly prioritizes a skill like Barrage, you’ll lose clear speed. Reset and try a different kineticist if this happens.

You may need to invest a few hours to find a mercenary with a proper AI pattern and good skill synergy.

The Future of This Build: Possible Nerfs

There’s always the chance that powerful combos like Coiling Whisper and Deafening Wrath will see balance changes. If they do, it could limit the power curve of this strategy.

Until then, this mercenary setup remains one of the fastest ways to level through the campaign. It’s highly accessible, fun, and incredibly effective—making it a top-tier strategy in PoE 3.26.

Even if a nerf hits one item or mechanic, the concept of focusing your entire strategy around a kineticist mercenary will likely stay viable in future leagues.

Final Thoughts: A Fast and Fun Way to Level in PoE

The Deafening Wrath mercenary strategy offers one of the fastest ways to clear the Path of Exile campaign. With the right wand, gear, and kineticist AI, you can let the mercenary do all the work while you breeze through acts with minimal effort.

Whether you're an experienced player or just looking to streamline your early-game grind, this setup is efficient, low-stress, and very satisfying to watch in action. Just remember to keep an eye on league mechanics and potential balance changes in future patches.

If you're tired of dying or slogging through the early acts repeatedly, give this mercenary-focused approach a try—you might never go back.

---

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: When should I start using the mercenary?
A: You can start reliably using the kineticist mercenary at level 26 with a Deafening Wrath wand, but you'll farm the best one at level 46.

Q: What’s the most important item for this strategy?
A: A Deafening Wrath wand with strong elemental rolls (especially lightning) is the core of the build. Coiling Whisper is also highly impactful.

Q: How do I farm the right kineticist mercenary?
A: Reset a level 46 zone and talk to every kineticist mercenary. Look for good skill links and behavior. This can take a few hours.

Q: What support class should I play alongside the mercenary?
A: Guardian works well for aura stacking and survivability, but any class that can boost minion effectiveness will work.

Q: Will this strategy still work if the items are nerfed?
A: While balance changes could affect performance, the core idea—mercenary-focused leveling—will likely remain viable in future leagues.

---

Stay Connected with Haplo Gaming Chef

Haplo Gaming Chef blends gaming guides with casual cooking streams for a truly unique viewer experience. Whether you’re here for clean, no-nonsense walkthroughs or just want to chill with some cozy cooking content between game sessions, this is the place for you. From full game unlock guides to live recipe prep and casual chats, Haplo Gaming Chef delivers content that’s both informative and enjoyable.

You Can Follow Along On Every Major Platform:

YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter/X, Threads, Bluesky, Pinterest, Flipboard, Facebook, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Medium, Blogger, and even on Google Business.

No filler, no fluff—just straight-up help for gamers and fun for foodies. Join the community today!
For More Guides Visit: Haplo Gaming Chef Website!