Mercs ?

[joe05]

Guys - "are all Merc's created equal"; so to speak ?. It seems many builds like the Act 2 Defense Merc. I'm guessung the Holy Freeze/Decrepify is "big" at the higher difficulties. Reason I ask is, no build prefers an Act 3 Merc. Well, I just found a Gold sword with high base damage; +8 max damage; 100% enhanced damage; 25% crushing blow. Found this on Act 1 quest 3 = would have been nice when I was playing the Barbarian. So, do I let the weapon dictate my choice of the Merc I use, or are there Mercs tailored for the character/style I'm using ?.
Currently I'm doing the Assassin/Trapper character. The Merc singled out again is the Act 2 Defense Merc/Holy Freeze.
Telemantros mentioned in a previous post, the Kelpie Snare/spear(?) = 75% slows enemies with big enhanced damage. Nice weapon if I can find it .
So, do you guys choose the Merc and then find the weapon, OR find a good weapon and then choose the Merc.
I'm looking to get to/through Hell with all the characters. Does that affect the Merc chosen ?

[Grimar]

i am very confused about your question, but you should get the merc you want to have as fast as possible! 'couse he/she gains xp, andyou want your merc to be as high lvl as possible...

[Dottie]

I always choose the merc frist, then you try to find him a suitable weapon. The reason is that if you want to change merc later it is a huge amount of work you have to put in, but items you find all the time.

All mercs are not created equal, and especially not created equal for all characters, so choose carefully. Most guides will tell you about the best merc choice for your particular build.

Yes, I think that almost everyone chooses merc with the intention of getting through all difficulty levels, but in case anyone would only like to finish normal the merc choices might be slightly different.

[moltovir]

Keep in mind that an Act 3 Merc will rarely (read: never) swing his sword. If you want to put the sword to use, give it to an Act 5 Barbarian merc. Most people would pick an Act 2 merc (the nightmare defensive HF merc) for a trapper and equip him with an Insight polearm (Ral Tir Tal Sol) because the mana regeneration from the Meditation aura is godly and the runeword does a good amount of damage in an elite polearm. You'll need to play Ladder on Closed Battle.net to be able to use it however.

[C Elegans]

You should choose merc depending on what character you are playing.uilds benefit from a merc, but some builds can solo the game without any merc whereas for other builds, a merc is necessary unless you play in a party. A Trapsin does not necessarily need a merc since she has a good minion of her own, the Shadow master, so theoretically, you could choose any merc you think is fun to play with. However, the Act 2 merces are the most used and generally the most efficient, due to their auras. I would think most Trapsins go for a Holy Freeze merc.

[joe05]

C Elegans/ Dottie / Moltovir - thanks for the advice. I was expecting that answer . I just hated to give up the best weapon I've found to date. I did notice the ladder runewords while researching, but I'm not good enough to compete online. I'm running scared most of the time on Normal difficulty. Your help as gotten 2 characters to Nightmare and hopefully the stickeys/links to other characters will get the rest there too.
Grimar - most get confused by my posts. The game has my head spinning most of the time due to the choices that need to be made. Being physically disabled/ limited manual dexterity, I have very little wiggle room when it comes to PvM contests. So, I have to try and get all the info as fast as possible. This gives me a better opportunity to get my characters through the difficulties + saves me from replaying them over :-( . I wasn't sure whether you guys picked the Merc or let the weapon you found first dictate "who" you used. It seems most builds I've read like the Act 2 Merc for the Holy Freeze. I was wondering if the other Mercs were of value etc(... especially if one found a super weapon). Yes, I always try to get my Merc leveled up ASAP. I even over level myself to give me a better chance. I know that the cap limit is 99 = I'll be unable to stay levels ahead "if" I get to Hell. But, first things first = if I get to Hell, I'll be happy.

Thanks guys for all your help.
The pre-play info saves me alot of hours of re-doing characters.

Maybe I get lucky and find "non-ladder" runewords
Would really help my chances.

[Grimar]

aaah! now i THINK i got you question.

you see, my guess would be that you thing that after you hav given an weapon to your merc, you cant get it back or replace it, so therefor you wait with using it...

but if you hit the "o" button, you will get you merc's inventory up. from there, you can change his equipment as much as you like

and when you hire an new merc, just take all the items of your old one and place them in your backpack before giving them to your new merc!

[moltovir]

Keep in mind that your merc can never have a higher level than your character. Also, runewords are not weapons you find like others, you have to make them with the runes you find

[joe05]

Grimar - yep, I've got the switching weapons/Merc stuff down . I always try to keep them supplied with the best gear.
Moltovir - did notice that Merc level fact :-(. I found a listing of the runewords = figured to stop bothering you guys and do some research. Seems some runes are "very hard" to come by = not sure if I can become the "Beast" .

On a side note, I have noticed in "my play", I have better success in "ranged/stand-off" builds. I may have to rethink the Paladin/Avenger build. If anyone knows a good "ranged/stand-off" Paladin build, I'd appreciate the info. Seems most aren't to thrilled with this character: from the walkthroughs I found while looking for builds. The "close in" fighting seems to be tougher on me physically ?. Like Moltovir's Necro-Summoner build said: "newbie friendly". Well, he was right, as that was the easiest time + most fun I've had to date.
I have to find more "newbie friendly" builds

Funny, I've reached "exalted member" status, yet all I do is ask for help.
Well, if anyone wants to know how to run away, I'll reply to that post
Love those 40% faster boots !!!

Thanks guys = time to lay some traps

[Lord Vivec]

well, it depends what character i have. My barbarian, which is level 67, has the knight merc that shoots cold spells, but my knight thats level 52 has a barbarian merc.

[FireLighter]

You play on single player not battle.net right?
Hammerdins are always fun although annoying unless you have FCR gear (faster cast rate), also shockadins (holy shock max it out with synergies if you have the latest patch) work well just keep your defense high and put a few points in holy shield.