Poll: why some ppl dont use hirelings

[Aldarad]

Poll: why some ppl dont use hirelings

I noticed that while I always have a merc, many others dont. I wonder why?

 

[Quietus]

I noticed that while I always have a merc, many others dont. I wonder why?

Some people play PvP, and mercs are a bad idea there. They die in one hit, cost a boatload to resurrect, and if you carry around enough gold to resurrect them any noticeable number of times, you're begging for someone to kill you and take it.

 

[Merick]

Everyone can benefit from defiance, holy freeze, or might. It's foolish not to have one. Especially now that you don't even have to level them.

 

[Aldarad]

Some people play PvP, and mercs are a bad idea there. They die in one hit, cost a boatload to resurrect, and if you carry around enough gold to resurrect them any noticeable number of times, you're begging for someone to kill you and take it.

PvP! I always forget about PvP! Intresting.

 

[Uncle_Mike]

PvP! I always forget about PvP! Intresting.

3 reasons spring to mind:

1. pvp as said above, mercs die fast and help little
2. if you often do full clears of areas where iron maiden can be cast by monsters mercs tend to die all the time (I never used merc on my cs hammerdin)
3. ignorance

Mike

 

[Cooked]

I use the NM act two hirelings, combat or defence.

I also use the act one rouges as they help me level faster early on. Generally I give the act one hireling a six socket bow with six flawed sapphires, a three socket bone helm with 3 flawed rubies and a three socket breast plate with two flawed rubies and one flawed amethyst for added strength; or dex ...whatever; so they can use the bow.

 

[krischan]

It depends on the character and on what I'm currently doing with him.

My meteorb sorc doesn't want a merc around her when she's doing Meph+Andy runs because he stirs up monsters and spoils the moat trick. However, versus Eldritch, Pindle and the Tunnels she uses one all the time.

My fana-zealot never uses a merc because I'm almost exclusively do Baal and Ãœber runs with him (body parts+Tristram). The merc doesn't survive very well there, so I'm not bothering with getting money to resurrect him all the time.

My zon always has a merc around her, except in the CS where he stays dead when he gets IMed until I'm through with the CS and Diablo.

My lightning/FO sorc uses a merc all the time and he gets resurrected as soon as he dies - he's wearing Infinity, after all. I'm doing key runs with her.

 

[Baynson]

The use of a merc I feel is mandentory. I do mostly frenzy barbs and as a close-in combat char, the barb benifites greatly with the help of a merc. I like my merc to be able to cast decreptify as it will hinder all but the most stubern monsters with physical immune properties defenseless. I hate it when the die, I get more determind to kill the dirty mangey scum that killed him.

 

[psych]

My pure nova sorc (wearing infinity) uses a holy freeze merc. In normal play he has an eth insight thresher, whenever I go to the Chaos Sanctuary I exchange this with an insight thresher so he does not kill himself in 1 hit and he still provides auras.

My dreamerdin uses a faith rogue, she is a nice add-on in terms of damage and speed, but if she dies (for example in uber runs) the dreamer still works great on his own.

 

[TurbulentTurtle]

I use a merc for most of my characters, except for my dueling characters like stated above. I can't understand the people who see their mercs get killed in a dueling game, then go ressurect them and try again.

 

[Eilo Rytyj]

I have 2 characters that rely on a merc, and 2 that don't.

My Meteorb runs an Insight/Prayer merc. It's there to tank for me, and crazy mana regen makes me almost mana burn-proof. Double Prayer healing heals up any scratches I get from teleporting around, and I've gotten used to not using potions on her any more.

My Fishymancer needs the merc for its Might aura.

however...

My IK barb does not need a merc. Sure, the Might aura helps, and makes things faster, but with no teleport I have no way of getting him out of a tight spot, and he usually dies to Nihlathak or Tomb Vipers anyway.

My uber-runner Zealot does not need a merc. With the merc's current gear it has no hope in uber-trist, so I never bother. Fanaticism and Fort give plenty of +dmg% already to Grief.

If I did want to use a merc with my IK barb or Zealot, it would have to be an act 5 merc with an eth Last Wish CB, eth upped Arreat's and eth Fort. CTC Life Tap for a WW barb and Fade to keep him healthier (and make him look like a ghost barb too). A 15% IAS jewel in Arreats gives a 15 frame attack. Zealot's Fanaticism works wonders too, 12 FPA with 15% IAS jewel in Arreat's + Fanaticism.

 

[ZygFryD]

I usually have a merc for my chars, but my Meph killer sorc does not have one because he gets me into trouble too often.

 

[Evrae Altana]

All of my chars use mercs, but I usually invest too much into them. Just a Shaft and a Gaze/Tal's mask with the appropriate weapon for the build I'm using.

 

[ModeratelyConfused]

The only two chars I have that don't use a merc are my IK barb and my UT Smiter/Zealer.

 

[graal]

I dont get mercs until im at a pretty high level. If i make new funny builds i have items around lvl 10 as well as around lvl 35 until they finally get their end-items later on. I dont keep merc stuff for a lvl 25 merc around on those chars just to change it after some baalruns.

All serious chars though gets a merc.

 

[BloZ]

I rarely get a merc as mercs always die with me (bad luck maybe?) and don't really give me any advantage without the proper gear. I would really like to have an Infinity merc on my Javazon but on NL Infinity is way too expensive for me...

My characters do fine alone, but if I really need one, I will use a merc.

 

[pancakeman]

I usually use a merc on all my chars, if only for a couple hundred to a thousand extra dmg. My WW barbarian, however, uses my favorite mercenary of all. With a 4.1k stone, andys, and an Insight partizan, he could tank better than my barb. Crude, I know, but effective.

Like Bloz, I can't afford the expensive stuff on NL, so I generally mf a Bonehew and pop a shael or two in it, or if I'm really lucky a Viperfork with a pRuby for some differing elemental damage.

Didn't think anyone else played NL, Bloz.

 

[TurfTalker]

They're ugly.

 

[pancakeman]

They're ugly.

That is important.

 

[Evrae Altana]

They're ugly.

That's true. I'd resurrect my merc a bit more if they looked prettier.