MF calc ?

[joe05]

Merry Christmas.

How does Diablo 2 LoD calculate MF ?
I'm trying to juggle items that work best between me and my Merc.
I can either go Me-132% MF / Merc-20% ... Me-92% / Merc-60%
As it stands, I can play it either way with my Hammerdin.
But, when a certain items looks more advantageous, I'd like to switch
Does it matter who kills the creature OR does the MF calc add the MF from both characters.
Right now, I'm doing Mephisto runs ... I can't really tell if I get better drops with the extra 40% on ME/Hammerdin ... with my Hammer pumped up, I assume I'm making the kill ... it seems the drops are better ?(...I've been switching gear to test the MF), but I have to stash a +46 Life/+42 Mana Circlet ... right now I can get by without it, but I know Life/Mana will become vital later ... right as I quit, I put the 40% MF on my Merc and Mephisto dropped two Gold weapons = now I'm confused
Very hard to tell who made the kill with all those hammers swirling

[moltovir]

When you make the kill, only your MF counts. When the merc makes the kill, his MF is added to yours for the calculation. Don't be worried about 40% more or less: if you want unique items, that 40% hardly counts. You got two gold items simply because you got a lucky drop, not because you equipped 40% more MF The goal is to find a nice balance between MF and safety/killing speed: try to get at least 100-200% MF on your main character, without sacrificing too much resistances or +skills. It's better to give your merc powerful equipment for survival rather than MF, since you'll be making the most kills and you don't want to spend thousands of gold everytime the merc dies

[joe05]

Moltovir - thanks.
Now, if I can just find a Tarnhelm, I'd bet set