Mercenaries are a new feature that was added with the release of the Vessel of Hatred Expansion as well as when Season 6 started.
This allows you to hire Mercenaries to accompany you into battle as well as enlist them to back you up in your time of need.
There are 4 Mercenaries for you to choose from but not all of them are available from the start, which requires that you complete quests to unlock them.
How To Unlock Mercenaries?
Mercenaries can be unlocked once you have progressed with the Vessel of Hatred Campaign and have completed a quest called The Hand Remembers The Blade.
This is where you and Raheir have made it to The Mercenary Den, which is the hideout of The Pale Hand Mercenaries, which he was a part of.
After The Hand Remembers The Blade, you will be able to do each of the quests required to unlock the other mercenaries (Raheir is automatically unlocked) to hire them later.
All Mercenaries
1) Raheir the Shield Bearer
Raheir is a blacksmith who loses his arm to the Burned Knights and now wields a shield to charge into battle against your enemies.
He utilizes his shield to protect you and can knock enemies down, stunning them and more to provide you with an opportunity to attack them.
Raheir is unlocked by progressing with the Vessel of Hatred Campaign.
2) Subo the Bounty Hunter
Subo is a bounty hunter who excels at dealing ranged Physical Damage and Fire Damage to enemies depending on his skill that is chosen.
This ranged mercenary can set up traps to ambush your enemies or set them on fire with incendiaries and explosives.
Subo is unlocked by completing the A Feather On The Scale quest.
3) Varyana the Berserker Crone
A bloodthirsty warrior, Varyana resembles a Barbarian with a twist of being crazed and powerful when it comes to melee attacks.
She can deal with Physical Damage and will often cause your enemies to Bleed, while also giving you a boost of speed and even damage in battle.
Varyana is unlocked by completing the Slayer’s Retribution quest.
4) Aldkin the Cursed Child
Discovered later as an abandoned and cursed youngling, Aldkin shows promise with his powerful ranged attacks, which are either meant to deal Shadow Damage or Fire Damage.
While Aldkin is powerful, he tends to lose control but becomes quite useful when it comes to taking out multiple enemies or dealing large amounts of damage to single foes.
Aldkin is unlocked by completing the A Nameless Mystery quest.
How To Hire Mercenaries?
To hire a mercenary, approach them in The Den and interact with them, which will allow you to view their menu.
You can also view your Mercenary’s menu by opening your inventory and selecting the last tab to the right.
Mercenaries may also be dismissed if you prefer not to have them accompany you and you may replace any other mercenary by speaking to and hiring another one.
Mercenaries that have been hired will follow you around and use their skills at will while also making basic attacks on your enemies depending on their weapons. (Determined by Core Skill)
How To Enlist Mercenaries?
Enlisting a Mercenary for Reinforcement will allow you to have them assist you in a fight when a certain Opportunity is met.
The Opportunity that you select may include when you cast a spell, become injured, impaired and more depending on what you prefer.
You may choose a Core Skill for your Reinforcement Mercenary to use, and this will happen when the Opportunity that you have selected has been met.
An example would be to choose Haunt as a Core Skill with Aldkin and choose an AOE Spell that stuns enemies, which would make Aldkin use his skill when you cast yours.
Mercenary Rapport
Mercenary Rapport is gained when you have a Mercenary hired, which acts as a sort of ranking system that is separate for each Mercenary.
Rapport will be gained when you complete activities with Mercenaries or slay some of the stronger enemies, providing you with a certain amount of Rapport.
Gaining Rapport will allow you to increase your Mercenary Rapport Rank, which allows you to obtain various rewards.
Amongst these rewards are Pale Marks, which are used to make purchases when you are Bartering with Fayira as well as upgrades to add more to the Bartering Stocks available.
Verdict
The Mercenaries that you can hire each have their uses and may be utilized to improve your buildings further and keep your character alive.
It would be ideal to progress with each Mercenary if you want to make the most out of the Bartering feature since this provides more items to purchase.
Some Mercenaries may be more useful than others depending on your class and build, which makes mixing and matching both fun and strategic as you progress through the game.
