In Path of Exile 2, the Tactician is one of the Mercenary's Ascendancy Classes, designed as a support-oriented commander archetype that shines through battlefield control, banners, and party-wide buffs. Rather than focusing on personal DPS, Tacticians enable allies, minions, and totems to hit harder while locking down enemies with powerful pin mechanics.
Its signature ascendancy passives—A Solid Plan (reservation reduction), Watch How I Do It (share weapon damage with allies), Whoever Pays Best (permanent banners), and Right Where We Want Them (enemy pinning/immobilization)—make it one of the most unique archetypes in PoE 2.0.3 The Third Edict / Rise of the Abyssals.
If you're looking for the best Tactician builds in PoE 2.0.3, these three setups stand out for both leveling and endgame.
1. Ballista Banner Tactician Build
The Ballista Banner Tactician is the most popular league starter for patch 0.3. It's a budget-friendly setup that uses Mortal Cannonballista totems with Explosive Shot to create overlapping explosions. This results in smooth campaign progression and fast map clears, even with minimal investment.
Why It Works:
· Permanent banners provide both offensive and defensive boosts.
· Refraction support allows armor to mitigate elemental damage, giving surprising tankiness.
· Scales well with life-stacking and cheap uniques, making it perfect for SSF or budget leagues.
Core Gear:
· Weapon: Cannode (ballista synergy).
· Helmet: Veil of the Night (massive life scaling).
· Gloves: Painter's Servant (Trinity uptime for free).
· Boots: Veteran Sabatons (defensive mobility).
This build thrives as a league starter thanks to its low-cost Path of Exile 2 Currency entry gear and straightforward scaling into higher content.
2. Bleed Bow Tactician Build
The Bleed Bow Tactician is the best all-rounder for patch 0.3. It scales bleed mechanics, armor explosions, and immobilize synergies, making it powerful in both clearing packs and killing bosses. With easily obtainable uniques, it's smooth to level and transitions naturally into endgame maps.
Why It Works:
· Herald of Blood + armor explosions shred packs quickly.
· Synergy with pins and immobilizers ensures enemies are locked down.
· Snipe provides devastating boss damage when timed correctly.
Core Gear:
· Weapon: Slivertongue (early bleed scaling).
· Quiver: Serrated Quiver (high physical damage).
· Armor: Edyrn's Tusks (bleed amplification).
· Later Upgrade: Ryslatha's Coil for burst damage.
The build excels at mixing strong single-target burst with smooth clear speed, making it ideal for solo progression.
3. Mortar Cannon Pin Tactician Build
The Mortar Cannon Pin Tactician is the ultimate endgame powerhouse for Tacticians in 0.3. By combining Mortar Cannon with Plasma Blast and artillery-style ballista support, it unleashes devastating AoE and single-target damage.
Its defining mechanic is pinning enemies with ballistas, which guarantees huge damage multipliers from both the ascendancy and passive tree. With enemies permanently immobilized, your skills consistently hit for 40–60% more damage.
Why It Works:
· Grenades and shocks provide smooth clears.
· Artillery Ballistas apply permanent maim + pin for insane multipliers.
· Crossbow scaling with flat phys/lightning damage + projectile speed turns into absurd DPS.
Core Gear:
· Weapon: High-PDPS crossbow with flat phys/lightning.
· Support: Projectile speed scaling (converts into projectile damage).
· Ascendancy: Leverages Right Where We Want Them for enemy lockdown.
This build is harder to gear early, but pays off as one of the most devastating endgame bossing and mapping setups in PoE 2.0.3.
Final Thoughts
The Tactician Ascendancy offers a refreshing playstyle in Path of Exile 2. Instead of brute-forcing encounters, it rewards planning, synergy, and control.
· Ballista Banner Tactician: Best budget/league starter.
· Bleed Bow Tactician: Best all-around leveling and mapping build.
· Mortar Cannon Pin Tactician: Best endgame damage and scaling potential.
If you're looking to experience Path of Exile 2.0.3 in a way that blends support, utility, and tactical power, these Tactician builds will carry you from Act 1 to the highest tiers of endgame.