Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred Mercenary system, explained

Modified Oct 08, 2024 05:27 IST

Diablo 4 Season 6 mercenary — Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred introduces an amazing Mercenary system - here's what you need to know (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred introduces a Mercenary system that is key to the overall experience. Similar to Diablo 2, players can bring one of a select group of allies into combat with them, but the system has changed noticeably since those days. At this point, there are four Mercenaries you can pick from, each with their talent trees you can sort through.

In addition, you can even Barter to try and get some powerful gear from these characters. After all, they can’t equip gear. These Mercenaries are powerful, but it’s all up to how you make the most out of them. Here’s what you need to know about this system ahead of the season’s start.

How to unlock the Mercenary system in Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred

You can unlock all the mercenaries very early, and run whichever you see fit (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

The Mercenary system unlocks in Diablo 4 once you complete the Vessel of Hatred main story quest Thrust Into the Dark. You will be led to The Den, a secret area, home to The Pale Hand. This is a group of mercenaries willing to aid you. However, you must take up a few side quests to unlock the other mercenaries, other than the first one. They are:

Subo, Bounty Hunter (Tricker/Rogue archetype)
Varyana, Berserker Crone (Cannibal Barbarian archetype)
Aldkin, Cursed Child (Part-demon, Shadow/Fire magic archetype)

These quests are relatively simple to complete and will give you permanent access to these characters. You can hire one to travel with you — but they can die, temporarily leaving you without their services. As you build Rapport with a Mercenary — by killing things in the world with them — you’ll gain reputation levels.

This will give you Talent points to spend with that mercenary in Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred, among other things. You’ll also receive Pale Marks, which are used in Bartering, as well as better rewards from the bartering pool. But before you do any of that, pick your allies.

Picking a main mercenary and secondary mercenary in Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred

You're never alone, with mercenaries (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

Once you have some mercenaries at your command, you can head back to The Den to hire one of these warriors. The main mercenary, the one you “hire” will journey with you at all times. They will use whatever skills you’ve selected for them at their whim. However, you can also bring a secondary character.

You can select a Mercenary for the role of “Reinforcements”. This will let you select one of the abilities you’ve unlocked for that character, to be something you can trigger. You’ll then pick one of your special attacks — when you use it, and activate that ability. This gives players a pretty spectacular way to set up amazing, crowd control/damage combos.

You can reel in players with Varyana’s Ancient Harpoons when you use the Spiritborn’s The Devourer, to keep people in place for their poison bath. Whatever ability is the most useful for you, pick it for this situation.

What is the Bartering system in Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred?

You can get some surprisingly good stuff from the Bartering system (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

Upon reaching Rapport 5 with any Mercenary, you’ll unlock the Bartering system in Vessel of Hatred. You can then use the Pale Marks you accrue, to trade these in for a variety of gear, or currency boxes.

For example, one of the rewards for Varyana is to unlock a series of items that all have Mobility Aspects on them. It’s likely worth waiting awhile before you start using Bartering, so you can have enough Pale Marks to unlock the types of armor or boxes you’re seeking. This also makes it worthwhile to run all of the Mercenaries, whether as a main character or reinforcements — both gain reputation as you play.

Check out our other Diablo 4 guides and features

Edited by Sijo Samuel Paul