what is a merc?

[diablo fan]

what is a merc?

is it the thing u can hire? and they help you kill stuff? and can u give your little helper a different weapon? and how?

 

[Orphan]

is it the thing u can hire?

Yep, Mercs (or hirelings) can be recruited in each of the acts (excluding act 4). The mercs that are available are:

Act 1: Rogue Archers (talk to Kashya)
Act 2: Desert Guards (talk to Greiz)
Act 3: Iron Wolves (talk to Asheara)
Act 5: Barbarians (talk to Qual-Kehk)

The earliest you can hire a merc is either after completing the second quest in act 1, or after reaching level 9.

and they help you kill stuff?

The mercs follow you and help you kill stuff.

and can u give your little helper a different weapon? and how?

You can equip mercs with weapons and armor, by opening their inventory (the shortcut is 'o', I believe) and placing armor and weapons like normal. Keep in mind that certain mercs can only wear certain equipment. For example, the act 1 rogue mercs can only equip bows, body armors and helms.

For information on the skills that the mercs get (or anything else for that matter) check out http://www.battle.net/diablo2exp/basics/hirelings.shtml

Best of luck

 

[Dacar92]

Usually called "moron", the merc is a little helper who can become relatively helpful through the game. They each have a different aura. The "might" moron is probably the most used. Get an offensive moron from act 2 in NM or hell and he will carry the might aura. The moron nickname comes from times when they stand around a corner and watch or stare at the wall as you get pummeled by Oblivion Knights or other not so nice Sanctuary folks.

 

[super_gray]

Someone you can talk to on those lonely nights when youre in your tent on your own. A companion. A friend. A hero.

 

[GenXCub]

This is probably a given for you, but if you're not playing the LoD expansion to Diablo 2, you can't equip your mercenaries, nor take them into different acts.