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THE HIRELING RESUMÉ MANUAL v1.1
By Blade (BladeY2J@hotmail.com)
15th March 2002
Diablo II LOD Expansion v1.09D
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••¤•• INDEX ••¤••
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• Introduction
• Why?
• Basics
----\ Useless Items and Mods
----\ Potions and Healing
----\ Experience Points
----\ Leveling
----\ Magic Finding
----\ Hireing and Resurrecting
----\ Hireling Death
• Combat
----\ Hireling vs. Hireling
----\ Hireling vs. Player
----\ Hireling vs. Bosses
• Hireling Classes
----\ Act One: Rogues Scouts
----\ Act Two: Desert Mercenaries
----\ Act Three: Ironwolves
----\ Act Five: Barbarians
• Which one should I use?
• Version History
• Credits
• Copyright Information
- Since the Expansion Pack it gotten alot harder in Nightmare and Hell
difficulty, so difficult that sometimes you need to party with other players
to complete certain quests depending on your character class. However with a
well eqiupped hireling you can increase your effectiveness quite easily. So,
why shouldn't you have a hireling? Besides do you really use all that gold
you have in your stash?
- Most people don't realise the value of having a hireling around and those
that do, don't know the precise details of getting the hireling you want.
Or even how to use and equip them properly. Hopefully after reading this
every player will acquire a hireling and take advantage of the extra help.
- Useless Items and Mods
All hirelings have an unlimited supply of mana so anything that adds to
mana, Energy or mana steal will have no effect upon your hireling. Items
that add to Vitality will also have no effect on your hireling. However
+life items can be used.
- Potions and Healing
Hirelings regenerate life naturally, however in the heat of battle it may
become necessary to give your hireling a potion to rebuild his health. You
can give both Healing and Rejuvenation potions to your hirelings.
The Prayer Aura as well as Holy Bolts can heal your hirelings.
- Experience Points
Think of it as being in a party with your hireling at all times. You both
gain experience from your respective kills as well as any kills from other
party members. As with yourself hirelings will not gain experience well
from killing monsters higher than their level so if your hireling dies
always try to resurrect him as soon as possible. You DO NOT lose
experience when using a hireling, none, zero, zip, zilch... got it?
- Leveling
Hirelings cannot surpass you in their level. The only way this can be
possible is if you manage to buy a hireling that is higher than your current
level. Your hireling will not gain any experience until you pass their level
after which they will level up within a few kills. The highest level your
hireling can attain is 98.
- Magic Finding
On Magic Find runs, if the hireling makes the final kill, both your total
Magic Find and the Magic Find of the hireling will be combined and applied.
- Death
Hirelings die when their hit points reach zero. It's important to note that
Hirelings can die from poison unlike yourself. Don't heisitate to cast a TP
if you've been hit with a stif dose of poison.
- Hiring and Resurrecting
You can resurrect a dead hireling at any mercenary captain or at Tyreal.
However you cannot buy any hirelings from Tyreal. According to good ol'
Blizzard, "There are none that would brave the horrors of Act IV for merely
gold" but you can take your existing hireling along with you.
- Level Ups: At each level Rogue Scouts will gain
+ 1 Strength
+ 2 Dexterity
+ 6.5 Defence
+ 8 Life
+ 1.5 to all Resistances
- A.I.: Rogues seem to be the most intelligent of all the hirelings in that
she tends to move away from danger and finds a safe place before firing off
her arrows again.
- Skills: Rogues specialize in either Fire or Ice arrows. Ice is generally
prefered over Fire. If equiped with items that give +3 to All/Amazon skills
she will be able to do a short ranged 'Lightning Hose' attack which is quite
powerful. Rogues also make use of Inner Sight which illuminates enemies in
the surrounding area and weakens their defence.
- Equipment: Rogue Scouts are ranged attackers who make use of bows,
but not crossbows. They may also equip a helm and armor but no "Amazon Only"
equipment.
- Recommended Equipment:
BASIC (Affordable and effective)
Cliffkiller Bow
Tal Rasha's Mask
Spirit Shroud
ADVANCED (Expensive but optimal)
Windforce Bow socketed with a Shale Rune
+2 Valkryie Wing Helm socketed with a 40%ED/15%IAS Jewel
Skin of the Vipermagi socketed with a 40%ED/15%IAS Jewel.
Why can you only get Mercs with the good Auras in Nightmare? Well Blizzard
decided that if you want a powerful aura you should be willing to level up
your merc yourself instead of buying a high level one in Hell. Inversely
it wouldn't be good to give you a powerful aura in Normal now would it?
- Level ups: At each level your Desert Mercenary will gain
+ 1.5 Strength
+ 1.5 Dexterity
+ 9.5 Defence
+ 10 Life
+ 1.5 to all Resistances
- A.I.: They appear to attack enemies and move on to the other one that is
closest to you if you're being attacked from all sides. However being melee
they don't run away from danger even when close to death. You should run
away so that he follows you whenever you give him a potion to give the
potion time to take effect.
- Skills: Desert Mercenaries use some Paladin Auras together with Jab
as their attack skills. There have been rumors of them using Conversion as
well but no solid evidence has been discovered as yet.
` Normal and Hell Auras: The ones that suck.
Combat - Prayer (Regenerates Life... slowly)
Offensive - Defiance (Increases Defence... bah)
Defensive - Blessed Aim (Increases Attack Rating... bleh)
` Nightmare Auras: The ones that rock!
Combat - Thorns (Reflects damage taken)
Offensive - Might (Increases damage done by your party)
Defensive - Holy Freeze (Slows and chills enemies, top choice by many)
- Equipment: Desert Mercenaries are Melee attackers who use Spears or
Polearm class weapons. They may also equip a Helm and Armor.
BASIC (Affordable and effective)
Hone Sundan Yari socketed with three Amn Runes
Tal Rasha's Mask
Duriel's Shell
ADVANCED (Expensive but optimal)
Cruel Colussus Voulge of Quickness socketed with two Anm Runes
Perfect Vampire Gaze Helm Socketed with Ber Rune
Shaftstop socketed with Ber Rune.
Ironwolves are not recommended past Nightmare. In Hell each monster is
immune to an element so your mercenary can become totally useless in
some situations.
- Level ups: At each level your Iron Wolf will gain
+ 1.5 Strength
+ 1.5 Dexterity
+ 4.5 Defence
+ 6 Life
+ 1.5 to all Resistances
- A.I.: Ironwolves generally try to stay away from danger but being
sword weilding warrior mages they tend to get themselves surrounded more
often than the Rogues. When that happens, they die rather quickly.
- Skills: Ironwolves come in three elemental flavours.
` Cold: Ice Blast, Glacial Spike and Frozen Armor. (Most useful)
` Fire: Inferno and Fireball
` Lightning: Charged Bolt and Lightning (Lightning pierces)
- Equipment: Ironwolves are warrior mages, that can only use a one handed
sword, helm, shield and armor. They can wear the most equipment of all the
hireling classes. They rarely swing their sword so try to find one with
resistances or knockback.
- Recommended Equipment:
BASIC (Affordable and effective)
Culwen's Point (Cold/Lightning), Hellplague (Fire)
Peasant Crown
Spirit Shroud Armor
Sigon's Shield
ADVANCED (Expensive but optimal)
Culwen's Point (Cold/Lightning), Hexfire (Fire)
Harlequin's Crest Shako
Skin of the Vipermagi
Lidless Wall
- Level ups: At each level your Barbarian will gain
+ 2 Strength
+ 1 Dexterity
+ 7.5 Defence
+ 12 Life
+ 1.5 to all Resistances
- A.I.: Basically the same as the Desert Mercenary except that they
manage to stay alive longer due to their skills. Bash does knockback
and Stun disables the enemy for a period of time.
- Skills: Barbarians either use Bash or Stun.
- Equipment: Barbarians are melee characters who can use a
one or two handed sword, a helm and armor.
- Recommended Equipment:
BASIC
Cloudcrack
Tal Rasha's Mask
Duriel's Shell
ADVANCED
Grandfather socketed with Amn Rune
Perfect Vampire Gaze Helm socketed with Ber Rune
Shaftstop socketed with Ber rune
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••¤•• WHICH SHOULD I USE? ••¤••
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- The most asked question on Hirelings. This depends on what type of
character you are. I've created a list of general character types,
figure out which you belong in and you'll be one step closer to
having a hireling. The better choices are listed first and so on.
Ranged: Ranger Paladins, Throwing Barbs etc.
` Act Two "Might Mercenary" for more damage
` Act Two "Holy Freeze" Mercenary
Ranged with Minions: Bow/Javelin Amazons, Bow Assasains etc.
` Act Two "Might" Mercenary for more damage
Spell Casters: Sorceress, Mage-a-Dins etc.
` Act Two "Holy Freeze" Mercenary
Spell Casters with Minions: Necromancer, Elemental Druid, Trap-Assasain
` Act Two "Thorns" Mercenary for weak/low damage minions
` Act Two "Might" Mercenary for stronger minions
Melee: Paladin, Barbarian
` Act One "Ice Arrow" Rogue
` Act Two "Might" Mercenary
` Act Three "Cold" Ironwolf (Normal and Nightmare)
Melee with Minions: Spear Amazon, Assasain, Druid
` Act Two "Might" Mercenary for more damage
` Act Two "Thorns" Mercenary for weaker minions
` Act One "Ice Arrow" Rogue
- Most chosen Hirelings
1. Act Two "Holy Freeze" Mercenary:
Holy Freeze slows and chills everything, even Cold Immunes. The slower the
monsters move, the less damage you take and the more time you have to react.
2. Act One "Cold" Rogue:
Only because the Lightning Hose skill isn't widely known. But she can hold
her own against almost anything with the right equipment.
3. Act Three "Cold" Ironwolf:
He freezes everything so you take far less damage and is available in
Normal mode where he is quite effective. You will want to move up to the
"Holy Freeze" Mercenary once you hit Act Two in Nightmare. In Hell he is
extremly useless.
4. Act Two "Might" Mercenary
The aura can increase your base physical damage by over 200% at lvl 20.
More damage isn't a bad thing, it's a good thing.
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••¤•• VERSION HISTORY ••¤••
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- v0.8 Beta This is a pre-submittal version.
- v1.0 First Edition of this FAQ.
- V1.1 Second Edition of this FAQ. Corrected some layout errors. Added the
"Uber Slow" equipment set for the Act Two hireling. Added Magic Find
information I somehow left out before.
- More minor updates.
- Updated "Uber Slow" equipment bringing it up to 125% minimum slow.
- God most importantly.
- GameFaqs.com for it's great collection of FAQ's
- Blizzard for making a great addictive game.
- The newbies on the GameFaqs D2:LOD Message Board for their incessant
annoying repeat questions on hirelings every single day. This is for you.
- If you like WRESTLING be sure to check out my site at...
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••¤•• COPYRIGHT INFORMATION ••¤••
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- You may use and alter this FAQ with your notes for your own personal use.
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original format.
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$1 for the cost of the CD you copied it to.
- If you disagree with these conditions please remove/delete this FAQ from
your storage archives.
- I have done Business Law, in addition to which I have a very experienced
lawyer in my immediate family so there WILL be a law suit if you violate
the copyright of this document.
- The only sites that have permission to use this FAQ are
• GameFaqs.com
• Cheats.de
• RPGClassics.com
If you wish to use this FAQ e-mail me for permission first.
