Mercenaries
You can hire mercenaries to fight in your party, and they level up with you.
Compare the classes
Every recruiter hires every class.
Attribute growth
Each table value is the number of levels a mercenary needs to gain +1 in that attribute.
| Class | Strength | Dexterity | Constitution | Intelligence | Wisdom | Charisma |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warrior | 3 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Ranger | 4 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 6 |
| Cleric | 5 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| Rogue | 3 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Wizard | 6 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Druid | 6 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| Bard | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 2 |
| Necromancer | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
Every class also gains +1 to each resistance every level.
How mercenaries work
Recruiters serve you from level 10. Hiring costs more as your level and veteran points rise. Charisma lowers the price. For a particular race, choose a recruiter that prefers it and check that your class allows it. Compare races and hiring odds.
- Level progress
- (Your level − 10) ÷ 40, counting your level as at least 10 and at most 50
- Base price
- 20 gold + 400 gold × level progress × level progress + 15 gold × total veteran points,
- Purchase discount
- 0.2% per point of Charisma above 0, at most 25%
- Gold saved
- Base price × purchase discount, rounded up
- Hire price
- Base price − gold saved, at least 1 gold
Example ,Level 50,20 total veteran points,100 Charisma
576 gold hire price
Level progress: (50 − 10) ÷ 40 = 100%
Base price: 20 + 400 × 100% × 100% + 15 × 20 = 720 gold,
Purchase discount: 0.2% × 100 = 20%
Gold saved: 720 × 20% = 144 gold, rounded up
Hire price: 720 − 144 = 576 gold
Rounded means to the nearest whole number. Exact halves go to the even number, so 2.5 becomes 2.
Total veteran points (Veteran Level) are your unspent veteran points plus your learned veteran skill ranks. The character window shows them as the VT number beside your level, as in "Level 50 (VT 20)". Use 0 if no VT number appears. See Veteran points for the counting and reset rules.
You can keep up to 10 hired mercenaries. Your level sets how many of them can be active:
- Level 10+ · 1 active
- Level 20+ · 2 active
- Level 30+ · 3 active
- Level 40+ · 4 active
A party holds at most 5 members, including active mercenaries. Make room before summoning one.
Dismissing a mercenary sends it back to your roster. You cannot dismiss a mercenary or use a recruiter in combat. A dead mercenary must be resurrected before you can summon it again. Dismiss an active mercenary before renaming it. Remove the mercenary's equipped gear before permanently deleting it. Retrieve supplies before deletion if you want to keep them.
A mercenary always has your level. Its attributes and resistances grow as the growth table shows. Each total veteran point adds 0.25% of base Hit Points to maximum Hit Points. For Mana users other than Bards, it also adds 0.25% of base Mana to maximum Mana. Warriors and Rogues keep the same maximum Rage as total veteran points rise. Total veteran points do not change a Bard's active-song limit.
- Level contribution
- Your level ÷ 5, rounded down
- Veteran contribution
- Total veteran points ÷ 10, rounded down
- Skill rank
- Level contribution + Veteran contribution, at most the skill's maximum rank
Example ,Level 50,20 total veteran points,maximum rank 5
Skill rank 5
Level contribution: 50 ÷ 5 = 10, rounded down
Veteran contribution: 20 ÷ 10 = 2, rounded down
Skill rank: 10 + 2 = 12, limited to rank 5
Find Max rank in the Skills table on each mercenary class page.
Veteran Attack Power and Spell Power
Each of your total veteran points adds 1 to the mercenary's base Attack Power and Spell Power.
These orders apply to your mercenaries and combat companion.
| Order | Effect |
|---|---|
| Aggressive | Your mercenaries and companion attack the enemies you are fighting.They still heal and buff. |
| Defensive | Stop attacking but continue healing and buffing. |
| Group stance | Switch everyone to defensive stance if anyone is aggressive. Otherwise, switch everyone to aggressive. |
| Group attack | A Warrior mercenary attacks first.Other aggressive mercenaries and your companion join 1.5 seconds later.A defensive mercenary or companion takes the target but waits until you make it aggressive. |
| Individual attack | In aggressive stance, the selected mercenary or companion attacks your target and stops holding position.The order interrupts its current action.It ends Sleep on the target. |
| Hold Position | Mercenaries and companions stay in place until you order Follow or an attack. |
| Follow | Mercenaries and companions return to you and stop holding position. |
| Come Here | The selected mercenary or companion drops its target, stops casting, and moves next to you.The order does not work while it is feared, stunned, or rooted. |
Skillbar macros can give these orders to one mercenary by name, to all of them, or to your companion.
The corpse stays for 5 minutes. From level 50, Warrior and Rogue mercenaries can survive a hit that would kill them.
| Recovery method | When | Maximum Hit Points restored |
|---|---|---|
| A resurrect skill or scroll | While the corpse stays | 10% |
| A recruiter, for a fee | At any time | 10%, or full at the next summon if the corpse is gone |
| Your respawn, for a fee each | When you respawn | 10% |
A recruiter can resurrect one dead mercenary or all dead mercenaries in your roster. Resurrecting all requires enough gold for the complete group.
Gear stays on the mercenary at its current durability after death.
- Level progress
- (Your level − 1) ÷ 49, counting your level as at least 1 and at most 50
- Base fee
- 5 gold + 295 gold × level progress raised to 2.8 + 10 gold × total veteran points,
- Purchase discount
- 0.2% per point of Charisma above 0, at most 25%
- Gold saved
- Base fee × purchase discount, rounded up
- Resurrection fee
- Base fee − gold saved, at least 1 gold
Example ,Level 50,20 total veteran points,100 Charisma
400 gold resurrection fee
Level progress: (50 − 1) ÷ 49 = 100%
Base fee: 5 + 295 × 100% raised to 2.8 + 10 × 20 = 500 gold,
Purchase discount: 0.2% × 100 = 20%
Gold saved: 500 × 20% = 100 gold, rounded up
Resurrection fee: 500 − 100 = 400 gold
A Scroll of Resurrection requires level 30. Healer mercenaries do not cast resurrection automatically.
Living mercenaries return when you respawn or when someone resurrects you. When you respawn, you pay the resurrection fee for each dead summoned mercenary, up to 4. If you cannot pay for all dead summoned mercenaries, none of the dead ones return. Hardcore characters cannot respawn.
Equipping a mercenary
Open the selected mercenary's equipment with the helmet icon. Each item must fit its slot and the mercenary's class. Your level must meet its level requirement. With a two-handed weapon in the main hand, the off-hand cannot hold a shield or instrument.
Gear stays equipped when the mercenary dies. Death does not lower its durability.
Equipment and augments increase a mercenary's attributes. Three matching, unbroken armor-set pieces give the set's attribute bonus. Mercenaries do not receive the five-piece skill bonus. Broken gear gives no active attribute bonus.
A repair kit restores equipped gear up to the kit's quality. Target your mercenary first, or the kit repairs your own gear. A hidden helmet remains equipped.
Auto-Consume
Each mercenary has food, utility potion, healing potion, and resource potion slots. Supplies in your backpack do not fill these slots. The Auto-Consume toggle is saved separately for each mercenary. Supplies are used only while you are in combat.
| Supply | Automatic-use condition |
|---|---|
| Food | When no food buff is active. |
| Utility potion | When no buff from that potion category is active. |
| Healing potion | Below 50% Hit Points, if at least 90% of the potion's healing would be used. |
| Resource potion | Below 25% Rage for Warriors and Rogues, or 25% Mana for Mana users other than Bards, if at least 90% of the potion would be used. |
Healing and resource potions each have a 15-second reuse delay.
Healers, taunts, and area attacks
Cleric and Druid healers consider you, your mercenaries and companion, and other party members within 12 yd of the healer, along with those members' mercenaries and companions. Healers prioritize allies with fewer Hit Points, allies under attack, and Warriors. Healers reserve 35% of maximum Mana rather than spend it on attacks.
Mercenaries skip training dummies when choosing targets automatically.
| Class | Moves behind the target after attacks |
|---|---|
| Rogue, Bard | Against any target |
| Ranger, Wizard, Necromancer | Against bosses, elites, and monsters with frontal-attack skills |
| Cleric, Druid | Against monsters with frontal-attack skills |
| Warrior | Does not move behind the target |
| Healing choice | Threshold |
|---|---|
| When healing starts | Below 90% Hit Points. Below 40%, healing can interrupt an offensive cast. |
| Heal-over-time buff | Below 70% Hit Points, without that buff already active. |
| Area heal | At least 3 allies below 60% Hit Points within healing range. |
| Single-target heal | At 75% Hit Points or lower, or 85% with full Mana. Above that, the ally must need at least half the heal. |
Healers cleanse before healing when their cleanse skill is ready: Radiant Cleansing for Clerics or Purity's Touch for Druids. Healers with the same owner avoid duplicate direct heals unless the target is below 40% Hit Points.
Warriors prioritize Challenge over other attacks. In aggressive stance, Battle Shout takes priority against groups attacking your party. At least two monsters must be within 20 yd of you and close enough to hit together.
Companions and mercenaries try to dodge area attacks with cast times of at least 1 second when they can reach safety. Familiars and aggressive Warriors do not try this escape. Healers can keep supporting you from safety.
Where to hire
A preferred race applies only to the classes that allow it. Each mercenary page shows the race that class gets.
| Map | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Garrick Ironclaw | Human | Crescent Coast | Map |
| Khorin Ironmantle | Dwarf | Everfrost | Map |
| Ruknar Flamefang | Fire Goblin | Molten Sanctuary | Map |
| Auren Whiskerweave | Felarii | Northern Wastes | Map |
| Blazek Grimspark | Dark Elf | The Molten Summit | Map |
| Selara Highmoon | Elf | Twilight Forest | Map |
Compare Hit Points, Mana, Attack Power, and Spell Power for every class and race at any level. See how many hires it takes to roll a strong mercenary.