The introduction of Mercenaries in Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred marks a significant evolution in the
Diablo IV Items franchise's gameplay mechanics, stirring excitement among veterans and newcomers alike. This guide aims to provide comprehensive insights into the revamped Mercenary system, detailing their functionalities, how to recruit them, their skill trees, unique Rapport system, and much more.
Understanding Mercenaries in Diablo 4
In the Diablo universe, Mercenaries have traditionally served as helpful NPC companions that players could hire to aid them in combat. However, in Diablo 4, the reimagined Mercenaries come as pre-established characters, each with distinctive identities, abilities, and backstories.
The Role of Mercenaries
Mercenaries serve two primary roles in Diablo 4:
Hired Mercenary: These characters accompany you during solo play, acting as a supportive party member. They possess unique abilities and passives, contributing to the gameplay experience.
Reinforcement: This type of Mercenary can be summoned under specific conditions in either solo or group play, providing a tactical edge in combat. They remain for a short duration, using a designated skill before departing.
You can only have one Hired Mercenary and one Reinforcement active at any time, which adds a layer of strategy as players must choose their companions wisely to optimize their gameplay experience.
Unlocking Mercenaries
There are four primary Mercenaries available in Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred. Each Mercenary is unlocked through a specific quest or mission:
Raheir: Unlocked during the main campaign, this Mercenary is unavoidable and serves as an introductory companion.
Aldkin: Can be recruited during the mission titled “A Nameless Mystery.”
Varyana: Available through the quest “Slayer's Retribution.”
Subo: Found during the mission called “A Feather on the Scale.”
Upon meeting the criteria to recruit them, players will find these Mercenaries in The Den, which serves as your central hub for managing your companions and gear.
The Den: Your Hub
The Den is a tranquil haven where you can configure your Mercenaries, modify equipment, and strategize for upcoming battles. This area becomes accessible once you recruit Raheir. Within The Den, you can engage with your Mercenaries, equipping them with gear, adjusting their skill trees, and checking your Rapport progression.
Hiring and Managing Your Mercenaries
Managing your Mercenaries is essential to maximizing their utility during your adventures. Here's how to both hire and manage them effectively:
Hiring Mercenaries
Engagement: Speak to any available Mercenaries in The Den to initiate the hiring or enlistment process.
Hiring: Selecting to hire a Mercenary brings them along as an active party member for solo play.
Enlistment: This option registers a Mercenary as a reinforcement, allowing you to set conditions under which they’ll enter into battle.
The Mercenary Menu
The Mercenary menu (accessible via Shift + S on PC) allows players to manage their companions beyond a trip to The Den. Here, players can modify various aspects:
Skill Trees: Customize your Mercenary's abilities, choosing two active skills from a preset selection.
Reinforcement Configurations: Adjust the conditions under which a reinforcement will appear, providing greater flexibility in your strategies.
It’s important to note that direct switching of Mercenaries is not feasible through the menu, necessitating a visit to The Den for such changes.
Skill Trees of Mercenaries
Each Hired Mercenary has access to a modest yet impactful skill tree, enhancing their performance as they gain experience points (XP).
Mechanics of Skill Trees
Passive Effects & Abilities: Each Mercenary includes one passive effect and six unique abilities. However, players can only select two abilities to be active at any given moment.
Linear Progression: Unlike the player classes, Mercenary skill trees have a linear progression system. Players must stay on a set path once they choose an ability, limiting the cross-branching often found in traditional RPG skill systems.
Respec Options: Players can respec their Mercenaries' skill trees freely from the Mercenary menu without incurring any cost.
Earning Skill Points
Skill points are a crucial component of enhancing your Mercenary's capabilities. These points are primarily earned through the Rapport system, which is detailed in the following section.
Mercenary Rapport
Each Mercenary in Diablo 4 has its own reputation system called Rapport. It works exactly like seasonal vendors, granting rank-up rewards as you earn XP with that Mercenary in your party. You can earn Rapport for both hired and reinforcement characters, although reinforcements earn Rapport half as quickly.
Rapport ranks and rewards can be found in the hired Mercenary menu for any character in The Den. Select the "Rapport" tab and claim your rewards. Most characters have the same Rapport rewards, as shown below.
Bartering For Items
Diablo 4 Bartering For Items
All Mercenaries in Diablo 4 trade with Pale Marks, a new currency type you'll earn through the Rapport system. These marks can be used to purchase items from Fayira in The Den. Despite the name, you don't haggle for Diablo 4 items or lower prices in this system; it's a simple vendor shop.
Fayira's stock refreshes every day, but you can force a reset by selecting the "Reset Stock" option under the vendor panel. Doing this is free for your first reroll, but subsequent rerolls in the same day cost 50 Pale Marks each.
What Fayira sells is dependent on Mercenary upgrades. Rapport ranks 5 and 8 will upgrade the bartering shop with additional options, usually loot caches. Each Mercenary has two upgrades, totaling eight shop upgrades if you get every character to Rapport 8 or
buy Diablo IV Items higher. The good news is that your Rapport progress is account-bound, so you only need to do this once per season.
