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Hireling Info? - AngryMob - 10-04-2004

hello fellow lurkers, this is my first post on this forum :D *yay* and i just have a quick question regarding mercs. i currently am playing a bone / summon necro, focusing on skeletons / skel mast. im wondering about trying an act1 rouge merc, just because ive never really used one other than in act1 normal (quest reward...yay.) is it worth trying? or should i just stick to the classic cookie-cutter act2 aura mercs like everyone else...
also if anyone has any sites with more info on mercs and their stats (more than what is on Arreat Summit,) i would appreciate links or whatever.

thanks again B)

*Mobsta*


Hireling Info? - vmxa - 10-04-2004



I would use the free merc until I can get a better one. I like Iron Wolf merc with cold. In Hell it is not as useful as it is in the other levels. There just seems to be more Immune to Cold in Hell.

Still it is very nice to freeze attackers when you are not a tank.


Hireling Info? - ShadowHM - 10-04-2004

AngryMob,Oct 4 2004, 03:40 PM Wrote:  i currently am playing a bone / summon necro, focusing on skeletons / skel mast.  im wondering about trying an act1 rouge merc, just because ive never really used one other than in act1 normal (quest reward...yay.)  is it worth trying?


thanks again  B)

*Mobsta*
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Welcome to the Lurker Lounge. :) First, a plea. Writing your request in standard English would be a Good Thing™. It just makes it so much easier to read and respond.

Second, it really depends on what your game style is and what holes you have in your offense. I didn't really understand what you meant by Bone/Summon Necromancer. If you are using Bone Armour only and your damage comes entirely from the skeletons bolstered by Amplify Damage, then a Might Mercenary could well be the way to go. If you tend to use a lot of Bone Wall and Bone Spear, then you may find that you trap your Desert Mercenary, leaving him vulnerable to ranged attack and unable to reach any monster to leech life from. If that is so, a Rogue Mercenary might be a good thing. They are mostly hip-huggers who will cower beside or behind you and plink away over the Bone Walls.

Perhaps you could clarify your game style, so you can get a better response?

Quote: if anyone has any sites with more info on mercs and their stats (more than what is on Arreat Summit,) i would appreciate links or whatever.

For more information than you ever wanted to know about hireling stats, try this post at the Amazon Basin.


Hireling Info? - [wcip]Angel - 10-05-2004

Hi, Angrymob!

I always use this website when I have questions about mercenaries.

Welcome to the forum!



Hireling Info? - AngryMob - 10-05-2004

Let me explain myself a bit clearer. First off, I apologise for the unproper english...I am actually 22 years of age, and I guess I get sucked into all the D2 kiddie language while online. Obviously this forum is a bit more sophisticated, so I will refrain from using words such as "1337 haXor" :lol:

I am currently lvl 52, skeletons are maxed, and mastery is close. I use amp/decrepify as my main curses, and I am planning on using bone spear/spirit as a secondary attack to my skeletons. I think I will try the Rogue merc, just because I would rather seperate myself from the masses and try something different. I was just curious if there are any benefits from recruiting a NM or Hell merc over the Normal level one.

Again, sorry for my childish jibber-jabber, you know how it is to be in a game with 6 players, 5 of them under 15. :blink: :blink:



Hireling Info? - Wyrm - 10-05-2004

ShadowHM,Oct 4 2004, 07:35 PM Wrote:If you are using Bone Armour only and your damage comes entirely from the skeletons bolstered by Amplify Damage, then a Might Mercenary could well be the way to go.

I have to disagree, I've never found Might mercs to be the best option. Personally, I prefer the Thorns merc for Hell (takes out those fanat, extra strong bosses like nothing, and is the only real way to kill phys immune monsters if you amp them to knock it off), with a Blessed Aim one as a second choice, since unless you're incredibly lucky and have skels hitting 80% of the time or more, the AR bonus of BA will outweigh the damage bonus of Might (there was another topic on the AB explaining how Might actually worked with skels, but I can't find it). For a comparison on mercs, check this thread at the Amazon Basin.

Although, BA merc + Beast + Bramble would be better than getting a Thorns merc. Good luck getting the runes though.

Edit: Oh yeah, forgot to mention. Get Dim Vision to at least level 10 base with enough bonuses to get it over 20. It will save your life countless times in Hell against Gloams (and other ranged attackers as well, but those are the ones that can really shred your life and army down in a couple seconds).


Hireling Info? - ShadowHM - 10-06-2004

AngryMob,Oct 5 2004, 12:04 PM Wrote:I think I will try the Rogue merc, just because I would rather seperate myself from the masses and try something different.  I was just curious if there are any benefits from recruiting a NM or Hell merc over the Normal level one. 


[right][snapback]57092[/snapback][/right]

The path less travelled is always more fun. :)

In terms of Rogue Mercenaries, there is no benefit to recruiting one in NM or Hell. In fact, those recruited there will be slightly weaker in the long run than ones recruited in Normal. You will have to balance this against the tedium of levelling one hired in Normal when you are already clvl 52.

Quote:Again, sorry for my childish jibber-jabber, you know how it is to be in a game with 6 players, 5 of them under 15.

Actually, I don't, as I play with adults. Occasionally, the children of those adults join in, but they always try to behave like adults too. You have my sympathy. :)


Hireling Info? - Obi2Kenobi - 10-11-2004

AngryMob,Oct 5 2004, 11:04 AM Wrote:I was just curious if there are any benefits from recruiting a NM or Hell merc over the Normal level one.
The only benefit of hiring in Nightmare over normal is with act 2 mercenaries if you want a different aura. Never hire a mercenary in hell. For all mercs other than act 2, hire in normal, they'll have the best stats. However, the level they are hired at doesn't matter.

Quote:Again, sorry for my childish jibber-jabber, you know how it is to be in a game with 6 players, 5 of them under 15.  :blink:  :blink:
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Ah, but do you know how it feels to be in a game of 5, with all of them under 15, and one wishing they weren't? :) (aka me a few months ago)


Hireling Info? - Knijnknelis - 10-21-2004

I like act 1 mercenaries. I think they are good because you'll have them since the second quest and they will lvl up quite fast. Also I like a friend allways behind me shooting at my enemies while I rush into combat :)