Twink Explosive Grenade Mercenary Leveling Guide

The basics of Twink Leveling are to:

• Buy & Prepare Items
• Setup Items & Skill Gems
• Have a Plan & Go!

The guide provides the following for a seamless leveling experience:

• Trade Links
• Step-by-Step Skill Gem Progression
• Passive Tree Routing
• A Leveling Plan that has been tested multiple times
• & a Full Video of the run

The first step is to buy and prepare items, organized into the following categories:

• Equipped Items
• Inventory Items
• Stash Items

Unique items are bought, and Rare items are either crafted during the run or prepared on your main character in advance. No expensive Unique items are required, and no hard-to-craft Rare items are selected. If an item is optional it is noted. Furthermore, if you've been actively mapping, you may already have acceptable Rare Items or some of the consumables listed below.

Equipped Items

Equipped Items are used from the beginning of the run. Take care when purchasing or crafting items that the level requirement is 2 or lower.

• Mist Whisper = 1ex
  • Sockets: 2 Desert Runes
  • Optional: Purchase with a Corrupted Implicit = 5ex+
• Foxshade = 1ex
  • Sockets: 2 Glacial Runes
• Luminous Pace = 1ex
• Midnight Braid (Optional) = 1ex
  • Alternative: A Rare Linen Belt
• Horns of Bynden (Optional) = 1ex
  • Alternative: Any Rare or Unique Helmet
• Rare Gloves
  • Acquisition: Purchase Stocky Mitts from Renly or Finn in Act 1 Normal
  • Crafting Method: Alchemy, Essence or Transmute Augment Regal Exalt
  • Desirable Mods: Flat Damage to Attacks, Strength, Intelligence, Mana
• Rare Rings x2
  • Acquisition: Purchase an Iron Ring or Lazuli Ring from Una or Finn in Act 1 Normal
  • Crafting Method: Alchemy, Essence or Transmute Augment Regal Exalt
  • Desirable Mods: Flat Damage to Attacks, Strength, Intelligence, Mana
• Rare Amulet
  • Acquisition: Purchase a Crimson Amulet from Una or Finn in Act 1 Normal
  • Crafting Method: Alchemy, Essence or Transmute Augment Regal Exalt
  • Desirable Mods: + Level to All Projectile Skills, Flat Damage to Attacks, Strength, Intelligence, Mana
  • Alternative: Surefooted Sigil = 3ex+
  • Surefooted Sigil is useful for going faster, and can be hot swapped with a damage amulet on bosses.
• Magic Lesser Life Flask
• Magic Lesser Mana Flask

Inventory Items

Inventory Items include gear that is equipped soon, or are small items that are carried in advance, to save time later. In this run Inventory Items have a level requirement of 14 or lower.

• Wanderlust = 1ex
• Erian's Cobble (Optional) = 1ex
• Uncut Support Gem Level 3 x18 = 1ex x18
  • Note: Most players have extra Uncut Support Gems from mapping. If not, it may be faster to farm them in maps instead of individually trading for them.
• Lesser Jeweller's Orb x 3
  • Note: Lesser Jeweller's Orbs are best bought in bulk via the in-game Currency Exchange.
• Rare Sturdy Crossbow (Optional)
  • Sockets: 2 Desert Runes or 2 Storm Runes
  • Acquisition: Purchase from Renly or Finn in Act 1 Normal
  • Crafting Method: Alchemy, Essence or Transmute Augment Regal Exalt
  • Desirable Mods: % increased Physical Damage, Flat Damage to Attacks, + Level to All Projectile Skills, Attack Speed
  • Note: A well crafted Sturdy Crossbow is a marginal upgrade over a Mist Whisper.
• Sapphire Charm
• Ruby Charm
• Any Rare Rings or Amulets with a Level Requirement between 3 to 14 (Optional)
• Payload Support

Stash Items

Stash Items are equipped in later acts. In this run Stash Items have a level requirement of 16 or higher. All Rare Items have the same crafting methods listed above.

• Thrillsteel (Optional) = 5ex+
• Icetomb (Optional) = 1ex
  • Note: Icetomb provides a large amount of Strength and Intelligence that can help equip skill gems. Most players need to equip one around Level 22 or higher to use Flammability. However, if your other Rare items have an adequate amount of attributes you can opt to keep your Foxshade equipped.
• Rare Crossbows
  • Specific Bases: Varnished Crossbow, Alloy Crossbow, or Bombard Crossbow
  • Acquisition: Purchase from Shambrin or Risu in Act 2 Normal & Oswald or Alva in Act 3 Normal
  • Crafting Method: Alchemy, Essence or Transmute Augment Regal Exalt
  • Desirable Mods: % increased Physical Damage, Flat Damage to Attacks, + Level to All Projectile Skills, Attack Speed
  • Note: If the Level 16 Varnished Crossbow is rolled well enough, it can be used all the way until a Level 33 Bombard Crossbow; meaning the Level 26 Alloy Crossbow can be skipped.
• Rare Boots
  • Specific Bases: Any Armour or Armour/Evasion Boots
  • Acquisition: Purchase from Shambrin or Risu in Act 2 Normal or Oswald or Alva in Act 3 Normal
  • Crafting Method: Alchemy, Essence or Transmute Augment Regal Exalt
  • Desirable Mods: 20%+ increased Movement Speed, Resists, Armour, Evasion
• Rare Gloves
  • Specific Bases: Moulded Mitts or Any Armour Gloves
  • Acquisition: Purchase from Oswald or Alva in Act 3 Normal
  • Crafting Method: Alchemy, Essence or Transmute Augment Regal Exalt
  • Desirable Mods: High Armour, Flat Damage to Attacks, Resists, Life
• Rare Body Armour
  • Specific Bases: Any Armour/Evasion Body Armour
  • Acquisition: Purchase from Oswald or Alva in Act 3 Normal
  • Crafting Method: Alchemy, Essence or Transmute Augment Regal Exalt
  • Desirable Mods: % increased Armour & Evasion, Life, Resists
• Rare Plate Belt
  • Acquisition: Purchase from Zarka or Risu in Act 2 Normal
  • Crafting Method: Alchemy, Essence or Transmute Augment Regal Exalt
  • Desirable Mods: Armour, Mana, Resists
• Any Rare Rings or Amulets with a Level Requirement of 15 or higher (Optional)
• Higher Level Mana Flasks
  • Grand Mana Flask
  • Colossal Mana Flask
  • Gargantuan Mana Flask
• Higher Level Life Flasks
  • Grand Life Flask
  • Colossal Life Flask
  • Gargantuan Life Flask
• Any Rare Jewel (Optional)

It's time to blast! Noted below are any key gear swaps, character breakpoints, or zone routings to assist with your run. There may be some discrepancies, depending on how many extra rare items you've crafted and which unique items you've selected.

Act 1 Normal

• Run Start
• Level 6
  • Equip Flash Grenade + Heft + Overpower
• Level 10
  • Switch Mist Whisper for a Rare Sturdy Crossbow
• Level 11
  • Switch Luminous Pace for Wanderlust
  • Switch Horns of Bynden for Erian's Cobble
• Defeat the King in the Mist & equip Herald of Ash
• Level 14
  • Equip Gas Grenade + Corrosion + Armour Explosion + Elemental Focus
• Before Count Geonor
  • Equip a Sapphire Charm

Act 2 Normal

• Before Rudja, the Dread Engineer
  • Equip a Ruby Charm
• Level 16
  • Switch your current crossbow for a Rare Varnished Crossbow
• Level 22
  • Equip Icetomb for Str/Int if required
  • Equip Flammability + Cursed Ground + Persistence. Note: this requires 52+ Intelligence.
  • Remove Fragmentation Rounds & Equip Explosive Shot + Nimble Reload + Martial Tempo
  • Equip a higher level Life Flask (Grand Life Flask)
  • Equip a higher level Mana Flask (Grand Mana Flask)
• Level 27
  • Switch Erian's Cobble for Thrillsteel
  • Switch Midnight Braid for a Rare Plate Belt
  • Before the Dreadnought: equip any other Rare Armour or Evasion items for additional survivability
  • After allocating Volatile Catalyst, Grenadier & Distracting Presence: switch Ingenuity for Payload in your Explosive Grenade links.

Act 3 Normal

• Level 30
  • Equip a higher level Life Flask (Colossal Life Flask)
  • Equip a higher level Mana Flask (Colossal Mana Flask)
• Level 31
  • Equip Oil Grenade + Encumbrance + Strip Away
• Level 33
  • Switch your current crossbow for a Rare Bombard Crossbow
• Defeat Ignagduk & link Herald of Ash to Clarity + Vitality
• Upgrade any items for rare items as you see fit.
  • All of Cruel Difficulty can be completed with gear equipped in Normal.

Act 1 Cruel

• Freythorn (King in the Mist) can be skipped.
• Continue Blasting.

Act 2 Cruel

• Continue Blasting.

Act 3 Cruel

• After defeating Ignagduk & achieving Level 58
  • Switch Herald of Ash for Attrition
• Continue Blasting.

• For general pack-to-pack clear, a single Explosive Grenade or two will suffice.
• Make sure to aim ahead, to where monsters will be, accounting for the fuse duration delay.
• To detonate Explosive Grenade's quickly, use Explosive Shot.
• Pro-Tip: To play aggressively, use Flash Grenade to pre-emptively stun enemies and dodge roll through them.

• For Tanky Monsters, first debuff enemies with Oil Grenade.
• Then fire a Gas Grenade.
• Then fire as many Explosive Grenade's as necessary.
• Before optionally concluding with Explosive Shot.

• For Single Target, begin with Flammability & Flame Wall.
• Then fire Oil Grenade & Gas Grenade.
• Then fire as many Explosive Grenade's as possible.
• If you run out of Explosive Grenade charges, weave in extra Gas Grenades.
• Again, using Explosive Shot is optional, since the grenades naturally explode on their own. That said, if the boss is mobile, detonating grenades early with Explosive Shot may be optimal.

• Rush through the Projectile Damage nodes & Cooldown Recovery on the right towards: Adrenaline Rush
• Afterwards acquire Grenadier, Cluster Bombs, Overwhelm & Distracting Presence
• Then path down for Repeating Explosives, Sand in the Eyes, Sand in the Eyes & Crushing Judgement
• Ensure you allocate Leather Bound Gauntlets with High Armour Gloves
• Afterwards finish the run with Singular Purpose, Blood Rush, Burning Strikes & Price of Freedom
• Note: Depending on your rare items, most attribute points should be intelligence to equip Flammability & Flame Wall

The video below goes over all the leveling steps while also showing gameplay and playstyle tips.

Does the run acquire all Passive Skill Points & Permanent Stats?

Yes

Can I ascend? Does it matter which Ascension I pick?

Yes you can! This run is ascendancy agnostic so it can work on either a Gemling Legionnaire or a Witch Hunter. If you are following this guide and are looking to ascend:

• You can complete the Trial of the Sekhemas in Act 2, around Level 20, for 2 Ascendancy Points.
• Afterwards, you can complete the subsequent Trials at your own discretion.
• Optionally: you can also purchase a 4 Floor Trial of Sekhemas carry for approximately ~20 exalts & 2 minutes of your time, at Level 20, for all 8 Ascendancy Points.

Note: The Gemling Legionnaire is the recommended choice, with Adaptive Capability being optimal as the first pick for speedrun purposes.

What's the purpose of a Twink Run?

The purpose of a Twink Run is to level a new character as quickly as possible through the campaign. Players using Twink Runs often view the campaign as the tutorial and maps as the true endgame.

What rewards did you choose from the Relics in Act 2 and Venom Drought in Act 3?

• Relic: 15% increased Mana Recovery from Flasks
• Venom Drought: 25% increased Mana Regeneration Rate
• Cruel Relic: 15% increased Life Recovery from Flasks
• Cruel Venom Drought: 10% to Chaos Resistance

• Level from 2 to 60 in under 6 Hours
• Acquires all Skill Points and Permanent Stat Bonuses
• No Expensive Unique Items & No Hard-to-Craft Rare Items

Credits

Written by: havoc616
Reviewed by: Crouching_Tuna
Language Reviewed by: Tenkiei