which merc?

[cakofony]

which merc?

I started a hammerdin and got it up to 71, but haven't really used a merc much because ive been getting rushed, and they die kinda fast. I which merc should I get for mf grinding in hell? I read somewhere that an a2 nm merc is the best, but which one? They said to throw him a polearm with insight or something runeword that gives meditation aura.

What other gear should I try to get for him?

 

[BAMFSpecialOps]

Re: which merc?

An act 2 merc with insight is usually the best for a pvm hammerdin because it allows you to spam hammers without worry of running out of mana. Defiance merc gives you greater defense, Holy freeze merc slows down all of the monsters in the area, and Might merc doesn't help your dmg but it does allow him to kill more and leech more back. Shaft/gaze is a cheap set up for alot of DR% on your merc to help him survive, stone armor gives him great def, tals helm gives him great life leech, there are a lot of different combos that you can use on a merc, whats your price range like?

 

[cakofony]

Re: which merc?

I dont have many high runes right now, but i have shaftstop in the stash, would that be any good on him? My budget is fairly low, I need to save the really good stuff for enigma... what is the best way to get jah and ber?

 

[BAMFSpecialOps]

Re: which merc?

Shaft/Tals mask/Insight is a great set up on a merc and pretty cheap.

 

[cakofony]

Re: which merc?

how should I go about finding a 4 socket polearm?
will the aura go for everybody in my party, or just the merc and myself?
which merc do you personally prefer for magic find farming?

 

[cakofony]

Re: which merc?

holy freeze merc sounds like the best, if it slows their attack speed. That would probably help me stay alive better than the defence merc.
Is there a guide that shows which mercs have which auras (and what exactly they do)? I just dont know which merc is "might" and "defiance".

 

[BAMFSpecialOps]

Re: which merc?

NM offensive is the Might merc, 4 socket pole arms, farm norm/nm cows, the aura will go to everyone in your party.

Oh, and I forgot that the merc with prayer gets a 'bonus' from wearing insight and it nearly doubles his regeneration(and of yours/party) rate.

 

[cakofony]

Re: which merc?

oh wow, which is the one with prayer? I'll have to use that one.

 

[cakofony]

Re: which merc?

kk found out that the prayer merc is the combat one from norm/hell.
i farmed nm cows (the second i walked in i accidentally killed king...). but, i got an etheral 3 socket polearm that does 27-58 and a regular 4 socket that does 9-15 dmg. Do you think it is worth using an add socket from the a4 quest on this? or should I use the other?

I also just got tals helm too :-D

 

[ColdFireSp]

Re: which merc?

You cannot add sockets to any item that already has sockets. I recommend running the pits with no magic find equipment, it's a great place to find nice socketable items.

 

[cakofony]

Re: which merc?

what do you mean by "the pits"? the ones in a1 highlands?

so far I found an awesome 3 socket claw w/ +2 venom and +1 mind blast, and a 5 socket polearm with really nice dmg, too bad i cant remove a socket...

 

[BAMFSpecialOps]

Re: which merc?

The pits are indeed the one in the highlands in act 1.

If that claw is a rt/gt it can be quite pricey, the regular 4os polearm is nice to use because your merc wont die as fast to IM when you get there.

 

[cakofony]

Re: which merc?

rt/gt? It says:

Superior Greater Claws
One Hand Damage: 20 to 42
15% enhanced damage
+2 to venom
+1 to mind blast
Socketed (3)

what do you think it's worth?

 

[BAMFSpecialOps]

Re: which merc?

Runic Talons/Greater Talons=rt/gt sorry.

Greater Claws have a slower base than the two listed above, but it could quite easily be a place holder chaos/fury claw for someone, I would list that up for trade bait.

 

[cakofony]

Re: which merc?

Should I put an eth shako on my prayer merc? wouldnt that help the amount it heals to be almost as good as the 10% life stolen each hit from tals?

 

[lumpor]

Re: which merc?

When choosing a merc, first think of the holy freeze one and might one. You don't use melee/ranged, and you have no way of slowing the enemies and little use of corpses. Therefore holy freeze is quite obvious

 

[Pitboss_2000]

Re: which merc?

Holy Freeze does indeed slow the attack speed, so you and your merc will get hit far less often. Giving your merc a Shako will indeed increase the level of his aura, and thereby his healing abilities.

I found a 4-socket partizan on my very first Nihlathak-run on hell, but I guess that was just pure luck.

 

[cakofony]

Re: which merc?

Right now I cant decide which helm to put on my merc, I have an eth shako that somebody put a ptopaz in, and an eth vampire gaze (nothing in the socket, 15% dmg reduction, 6% life steal) I cant decide which to use.
I still have the shaftstop, but i have been using lionheart runeword because it gives enough str (+25) to use my good insight.

Do you think i should trade in the prayer merc for a holy freeze? it would decrease the dmg that I take, and number of times it dies. my brother started leveling a summoner necro, and I will probably grind hell with him, and prayer could help keep his minions alive (but then again, holy freeze would make them live longer as well).

any input or opinions?

 

[BAMFSpecialOps]

Re: which merc?

Use the gaze with lionheart, the dr%/leech will benefit him more than the skills from shako.

It's up to you on the merc, if you feel you need the slow effect from the holy freeze merc to survive than use it, but if you use redemption at all to fill up your bulbs than the corpses have a very important role in your survival.

 

[cakofony]

Re: which merc?

I dont use redemption. I am thinking about putting a perfect amethyst in gazem is this really dumb? it would get me just enough to use the really good insight (I am 8 short, which is 4 levels)