Path of Exile 3.26 Cyclone Gladiator Journey: Mercenaries, Syndicate Farming, and Uber Defense

Today's build diary is not just about raw POE currency power or endgame DPS-it's about crafting a fun, defensive, and unique gameplay experience from scratch. This journey begins with humble beginnings, a tedious Sunder campaign, and evolves into a Cyclone Gladiator build that blends unstoppable defense with clever mercenary mechanics and solid currency farming strategies.

The Humble Beginning: Sunder and the First Lab

As always, the journey starts with a clean slate and no shortcuts. The campaign is tackled using Sunder, a skill that isn't flashy but is reliably effective at clearing early zones. It's far from my favorite skill, but when you're starting with nothing, you need something that simply works.

The first major milestone is, of course, the Labyrinth. I'll admit, I've always disliked lab runs. But since the addition of transfigured skill gems, the Labyrinth now feels worth the effort. It offers the chance at valuable rewards that can jumpstart a new build. This time, however, luck wasn't on my side-no jackpot gems. Still, free currency is free currency, and that small injection of value from Lab loot gave me enough to begin the next phase.

Early Investment: Building Toward the Endgame Shield

With a bit of starting capital, I decided against turning this into a one Divine Orb challenge. Instead, I made a single, purposeful purchase: a unique shield that will be a cornerstone of the final build.

This shield is no ordinary piece of equipment-it enables insane defensive layering in combination with Gladiator ascendancy. With it, I can reach 97% block chance for both attacks and spells, surpassing even the capabilities of high-end Swallen setups. It's not a cheap item, but its power is felt immediately, offering near-uber levels of defense from the moment it's equipped.

Before progressing to maps, I wiped my Atlas tree and removed all voidstones to simulate a true fresh start, even though I don't have a third account. From here, the goal was simple: push through maps with Sunder until I could find the perfect mercenary companion.

Finding the Right Mercenary: Rallying Cry and Big Damage

The build's core strategy relies heavily on mercenaries, which are game-changers in Path of Exile 3.26. The key was to find a mercenary with Rallying Cry and a two-handed weapon, as these companions offer unmatched damage amplification for my Cyclone setup.

Dual-wielding mercenaries exist, but they aren't ideal for this build's scaling. After several runs, I finally found the one. Not only did this mercenary have Rallying Cry, but he also came equipped with the right weapon type to support massive DPS boosts.

Transitioning to Cyclone: Gearing Up

With the mercenary secured, it was time to swap to Cyclone-one of the most satisfying skills in the game. Cyclone has an almost hypnotic rhythm: you hold down the button, spin through packs, and watch monsters melt away. It's not about theorycrafting billions of DPS but about how good it feels to play.

Core Gear for the Build

Mercenary Gear: A big two-handed stick (the higher the physical damage, the better), base gloves for life recovery, and rare armor with key Eldritch implicits.

Player Gear:

Facebreaker gloves (for huge unarmed damage multipliers).

Death Rush ring for speed and life recovery on kill.

Amulet with Dexterity, Intelligence, physical damage to attacks, and life.

Random rare boots and armor, focusing on high life rolls and resistances.

Cluster jewels and critical jewels to amplify physical damage.

A five-link body armor with the correct color setup was enough to get started. Later upgrades, like a six-link and better weapon options for the mercenary, would significantly improve bossing potential.

The Importance of Mercenary Synergy

This build does not work without the right mercenary. Rallying Cry boosts damage by scaling physical DPS, and additional auras like Pride dramatically improve damage output. With my mercenary geared and ready, it was time to take the build to its true form.

The defensive stats are remarkable. With 97% block chance and high effective HP, the build is practically invulnerable to hits. The main threat is damage over time, but with smart positioning and flask management, even that is manageable.

Cyclone Feels: Why I Love This Skill

Cyclone is not just a skill; it's a feeling. As soon as I started spinning, I remembered why it's one of my all-time favorites. There's something inherently fun about gliding through maps like a whirlwind, turning your brain off while still shredding content. The build might not boast the highest DPS in the game, but the combination of fluid movement and tankiness makes it endlessly enjoyable.Currency Farming: Syndicate and Scarabs

Before rushing the Atlas, I focused on earning Divine Orbs to fund upgrades. My starting Atlas was built around Essences for consistent income and Jun missions for Syndicate farming.

Why Syndicate?

The Immortal Syndicate is a treasure trove of rewards when optimized.

Safehouses offer unique loot and crafting opportunities.

Medallions from Syndicate encounters can be sold for high value, especially early in the league.

To maximize profit, I combined Titanic Scarab of Treasures with Glacier Maps. Glacier's unique enemy density pairs perfectly with Syndicate encounters, ensuring a steady stream of loot and experience.

Note: This is not the single most profitable strategy in PoE, but it provides steady returns and, most importantly, increases your chances of encountering mercenaries.

Upgrading for Bossing: Impale and Six-Links

While the build felt tanky, boss damage was initially lacking. The defensive focus had left me with underwhelming DPS against pinnacle bosses. It was time for upgrades.

Key Changes:

Upgraded my mercenary's weapon for higher base damage.

Swapped to a six-link chest piece, adding Impale Support, which is essential for physical builds.

Anointed the amulet for an extra layer of damage scaling.

After these upgrades, the difference was night and day. Bosses that previously felt like damage sponges were now melting in a reasonable time frame.

The Atlas Push and Final Voidstones

With improved DPS, I could confidently tackle Atlas bosses to secure my first voidstones. The build's defense made mapping smooth, and the mercenary's Rallying Cry aura allowed Cyclone to shred through tougher packs.

The final piece of the puzzle came when I found the ideal high-level mercenary with a Pride aura. This allowed me to swap my own aura to Purity of Elements, granting elemental ailment immunity and freeing up gear slots for offensive upgrades.

Current State of the Build

Defense:

97% spell and attack block.

High effective HP pool.

Near-immunity to most hit-based damage.

Offense:

Solid physical damage, boosted by Impale and mercenary buffs.

Smooth and consistent Cyclone clears.

The only noticeable weakness is damage over time (DoT), which bypasses block mechanics. With proper flask usage and positioning, however, this is a manageable trade-off for the near-invulnerability against hits.

Looking Ahead: Part Two of the Journey

With the Atlas now completed and the build performing well, the next stage is further optimization. Planned upgrades include:

More powerful cluster jewels to boost physical damage.

Improved mercenary weaponry for even higher Rallying Cry scaling.

Experimenting with new Cyclone variants using transfigured gems.

There are also currency farming strategies I haven't fully explored yet, such as juiced mapping or Heist farming, which could accelerate the build's progression.

Final Thoughts

This Cyclone Gladiator journey highlights what I value most in Path of Exile: how a build feels to play. It's not about hitting the highest DPS numbers on paper-it's about spinning through maps with confidence, knowing you can tank almost anything while enjoying the fluid, satisfying gameplay loop.

The combination of Gladiator block mechanics, unique shield synergy, and mercenary auras creates a build that feels powerful and safe, yet still engaging. With more upgrades on the horizon, this is buy Path of exile currency only the beginning.