The Mercenary system introduces an exciting new way to enhance your gameplay. Whether you're tackling tough dungeons, engaging in PvP, or simply exploring Sanctuary, Mercenaries and Reinforcements provide powerful strategic advantages. This guide will delve into how these features work, including Mercenary abilities, their progression through Rapport, Bartering mechanics, and the differences between Mercenaries and Reinforcements.

What Are Mercenaries?

Mercenaries are NPC allies that you can recruit to aid you during your adventures in Diablo 4. Unlike the followers of Diablo 3, Mercenaries are not passive companions. They engage in combat, use abilities, and provide unique buffs based on their specific class and playstyle. They can be an essential part of your strategy, allowing you to tailor your party to your needs.

The Mercenary system provides players with four distinct characters, each with their skills, perks, and personalities. These Mercenaries can be recruited through quests, and each has its unique abilities that can complement your chosen class and combat style. Mercenaries can serve as both a consistent companion and a source of power, making them valuable additions to your team.

How to Unlock Mercenaries

Mercenaries become available as you progress through the main story of Diablo 4. Here's how you can unlock each Mercenary:

Raheir: Unlocked after completing the Act VII quest, The Hand Remembers the Blade.

Varyana: Unlocked after completing the priority quest, Slayer's Retribution.

Aldkin: Unlocked after completing the priority quest, A Nameless Mystery.

Subo: Unlocked after completing the priority quest, A Feather on the Scale.

Additionally, unlocking these Mercenaries also opens up access to The Den, a personal hub area where you can manage your Mercenaries, craft items, and interact with vendors.

How to Use Mercenaries and Reinforcements

Once you've unlocked your Mercenaries, you can start utilizing them to enhance your combat effectiveness:

Mercenaries

Mercenaries follow you around at all times and assist in combat. Each Mercenary has a set of class-specific abilities that they will automatically use during combat, and you can also interact with them to issue commands. These abilities will trigger at regular intervals, so you'll always have support in the heat of battle.

Reinforcements

In addition to the Mercenary you have actively recruited, you can enlist a second Mercenary as a Reinforcement. This feature allows you to call upon their help during combat for a one-time ability activation. You can customize how and when Reinforcements will act:

They can be set to combo with your abilities for maximum impact.

You can set them to react to specific conditions, such as your health dropping below a certain threshold.

Reinforcements can also be triggered to activate their abilities automatically when you perform combat.

Reinforcements follow the cooldown listed on their abilities, so timing their use effectively is crucial for strategic advantage.

Rapport and How to Gain Rapport

Rapport is a system designed to strengthen the bond between you and your Mercenaries. By building Rapport, you unlock additional perks, skills, and abilities for each Mercenary, making them more effective in combat. Here's how Rapport works:

Gaining Rapport: Rapport is gained naturally as you spend time with your Mercenaries, using them in combat, completing activities, and defeating enemies. The more you work alongside a Mercenary, the stronger your bond will grow.

Rapport Levels: There are a total of 10 Rapport levels, and gaining new levels will unlock rewards such as skill points for your Mercenaries, new perks, and other benefits.

Maximizing Rapport: For maximum benefits, you should aim to reach Rapport Level 5 with any Mercenary. This unlocks the Bartering system with Raheir's daughter, Fayira, allowing you to trade Pale Marks for Legendary items.

Rapport Rewards

Levels 1-4: Unlock skill points to empower Mercenaries with new abilities.

Level 5: Unlock Bartering and the ability to purchase rare and Legendary items from Fayira.

Level 10: Once you reach max Rapport with a Mercenary, they provide you with Pale Marks, a special currency used for Bartering.

Bartering and Pale Marks

At Rapport Level 5, you unlock the Bartering system. Fayira, Raheir's daughter, will offer a selection of Legendary items in exchange for Pale Marks. Bartering functions similarly to other merchants in the game but offers better items suited for high-level content.

Pale Marks: These are the primary currency used for Bartering and can be earned through two primary ways:

Rapport: As your Rapport increases with your Mercenaries, you will be rewarded with Pale Marks.

Mercenary Events: Special events tied to your Mercenaries will also reward you with Pale Marks when completed. These events often feature one of the Mercenaries you've recruited and are similar to World Events but with the added benefit of earning Pale Marks.

You can refresh the selection of items available for purchase once per day for free, with the option to refresh again using Pale Marks.

Mercenary Skills and Passives

Each Mercenary has their own unique set of skills and passive abilities, which can be customized to suit your playstyle. Here's a breakdown of the different types of abilities available to your Mercenaries:

Core Skills

Each Mercenary has one core ability that is the main highlight of their toolkit. This is the skill they will use most often and can be customized by selecting different passives to modify its effects. Some examples include:

Raheir: A tank-like Mercenary with skills that boost his defense and aggro enemies.

Varyana: A ranged Mercenary with abilities that focus on dealing damage from afar.

Aldkin: A healer Mercenary, offering powerful healing abilities to keep your team sustained.

Subo: A versatile Mercenary that can either deal damage or provide utility, depending on the needs of the player.

Perks

Every Mercenary also comes with a set of unique Perks that enhance their abilities. For example, some Mercenaries have damage reduction, while others can apply debuffs to enemies, improving your chances in combat.

Iconic Skills

Each Mercenary has two Iconic Skills, powerful abilities that are unique to them. These abilities can be customized further with passives, which modify the effect or duration of the ability, making it a key part of your Mercenary's strength.

Mercenaries vs. Reinforcements

While Mercenaries and Reinforcements are both powerful additions to your team, they serve slightly different roles:

Mercenaries: These are your primary companions, following you in combat and actively participating in battles. They perform their abilities automatically and can be controlled for additional customization.

Reinforcements: These are secondary Mercenaries that you can call upon during combat. They have specific abilities that can be activated when needed, but unlike Mercenaries, they are only temporarily summoned for one action or cooldown. Reinforcements allow you to add extra layers of strategy, providing more flexibility in tough battles.

Conclusion

The introduction of Mercenaries and Reinforcements in Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred adds depth and complexity to the game, allowing you to customize your combat experience further. Through the Rapport system, you can enhance your Mercenaries, unlocking powerful abilities and gaining access to Bartering to acquire legendary D4 items. Having Diablo 4 Gold and Legendary items at your disposal is essential for progressing in Diablo IV. By understanding how to farm gold efficiently, complete Mercenary events, and utilize the Bartering system, you can unlock powerful items and upgrade your Mercenaries for greater combat effectiveness. Whether you're farming gold, crafting high-quality gear, or acquiring rare items through Bartering, mastering these systems will be key to your success in Diablo 4.

MMOexp Diablo 4 Team