The sad truth about merc leveling 1.11b (Act 1 Comparison)

[Shin00bi]

This may already be currently proved beyond doubt in the forums, but a recent debate in a game I had with someone inspired me to do this. Also, I guess you could say I'm a n00b when it comes to some of the subtle patch updates.

I was running normal baal games to level my Act-1 quest-free merc (Act 1 Fire Arrow Aliza, she started at level 12).

Someone that was joining my games whispered me:

ItHoldsChips whispers: hey, not that i'm complaining about free baal runz, but can't u rehire a merc to lvl it faster?
Kruelacrid-Stab: better stats if the merc starts low
helesock(babychum5) left our world. Diablo's minions weaken.
ItHoldsChips: no, only difficulty

He was right :(

Difficulty-level IS the only factor. Normal mercs will have better stats than hell mercs.

Here are the screenshots (As you will see, all mercs are level 81, and fire arrow Act 1, also, stats are shown in Hell difficulty to accurately show Resistance):

My Act 1 Fire Arrow (Free from Quest in Normal Difficulty) merc who leveled from 12-81 ::Kruelacrid-Stab:: :
http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/2256/screenshot014zd3.th.jpg (http://img508.imageshack.us/my.php?image=screenshot014zd3.jpg)

Act 1 Fire Arrow Merc, hired in HELL at merc-lvl 81 (on a different char. At the time, I wasn't sure so I hired on a lvl 83 char ::Kruelivid::) Note, the lower stats:

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/8329/screenshot012ul0.th.jpg (http://img508.imageshack.us/my.php?image=screenshot012ul0.jpg)

Act 1 Fire Arrow Merc hired in Normal at merc-lvl 81 (Same char as above ::Kruelivid::) Note it has the exact same stats as the merc who started at 12:

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/3168/screenshot015vk5.th.jpg (http://img508.imageshack.us/my.php?image=screenshot015vk5.jpg)

Needless to say, I feel a little stupid, but at least I know without a shadow of a doubt now; since I painstakingly tested it myself. Also, this is good news for people who want to test out a bunch of mercs, without making an end-all, be-all decision. (Say you hire a Holy Freeze act 2 NM merc, and finally make an ice bow. Just hire your fire-arrow merc in normal, and pimp the ice-bow, then VOILA -- a holy freeze merc that STAYS ALIVE).

And sorry, I don't have any older patch mercs still kicking to take this even further.

[Ax2Grind]

When the hire cap was in place, leveling the mercenary was the only choice. I was an expert at that, sticking fantastic gear on them so they could get a majority of the kills (getting more experience) while bacme their meatshield. I knew which act and area to level in, and wouldn't 'cow' it. Even in early .10 I maintained that practice, but with every ladder season, it becomes less and less useful to bother with it.

It was always only the difficulty that mattered, as the link on the homepage shows. Though it's a bit outdated, it's still close enough to get the the job done.

[Ava]

That's a good thing to know. Just a few questions:
-Does the same thing apply to other mercs? Have you tested it?
-How does hiring at nightmare factor into this? The reason I ask... does a Defiance merc from Normal have better stats than a Holy Freeze merc from Nightmare?

[LorveN]

That's a good thing to know. Just a few questions:
-Does the same thing apply to other mercs? Have you tested it?
-How does hiring at nightmare factor into this? The reason I ask... does a Defiance merc from Normal have better stats than a Holy Freeze merc from Nightmare?

-This is same for all types of mercs. Those hired in normal are better.
-Nightmare mercs have worse stats than normal mercs, so defiance mercs have better stats than holy freeze mercs. However, if you really want an aura availible on a nightmare merc, you don't really have a choice. Aura>Stats for sure.

[JME]

Check out the Merc/Moron Guide (http://forums.diabloii.net/showthread.php?t=304163), specifically the downloadable excel spreadsheet file, under "Merc Stats and Leveling Mercs." It lists the complete stats for mercenaries all the way up to level 99 and hired at various difficulty levels.

As said, difficulty hired is the only determining factor but if you want an aura from a NM act 2 merc then slightly lower stats is definitely worth the price. However, there is never a valid reason to hire a mercenary from hell difficulty.

[jiansonz]

there is never a valid reason to hire a mercenary from hell difficulty.

I can think of one: tournament rules that forbids you to visit earlier acts/difficulties.

[Ava]

-Nightmare mercs have worse stats than normal mercs, so defiance mercs have better stats than holy freeze mercs. However, if you really want an aura availible on a nightmare merc, you don't really have a choice. Aura>Stats for sure.I know, but I often can't decide between a Defiance or Holy Freeze merc, and this would be a plus on the Defiance side.

Thanks for the info everyone. I feel so stupid. I've been playing this game for many years and I had no idea.

[JME]

I know, but I often can't decide between a Defiance or Holy Freeze merc, and this would be a plus on the Defiance side.

Thanks for the info everyone. I feel so stupid. I've been playing this game for many years and I had no idea.

Just to compare, a level 90 defiance mercenary hired in normal would have 2030 hitpoints, 1487 defense, 199 strength, 161 dex, 2541 AR, 63 min and 70 max damage, 157 resists, 30 attack freq, 151 jab freq, level 24 jab, and level 18 defiance aura with a frequency of 10.

A level 90 HF mercenary (from NM) would have 1967 hitpoints, 1444 defense, 195 strength, 157 dex, 2478 AR, 61 min and 68 max damage, 154 resists, 30 attack freq, 167 jab freq, level 23 jab, and a level 16 holy freeze with a frequency of 10.

In other words, the HF merc has:
63 less life
43 less defense
4 less strength
4 less dex
63 less AR
2 less mind dmg
2 less max dmg
3 less resist all
= attack frequency
16 higher jab frequency
1 lower jab level
2 lower level aura with identical frequency

Taken as a whole, there really isn't a lot of difference and I doubt you would notice much of a difference between the performance of a normal or NM merc. As a result, the usefulness of the aura as it relates to your build is still the single most important factor. It's sort of like trying to compare the usefulness of a level 45 blizzard or a level 43 chain lightning. It really just depends on what you need to help with your build. However, hiring a mercenary in hell just arbitrarily limits your stats, which you obviously wouldn't want to do. Hope that clears things up a bit and don't feel bad; I learn new things about this game all the time.

[Ax2Grind]

How about separating those auras, and other mercenary abilities, into hell then? Let's say Rogues get Fire/Cold Arrow in normal with a 25% chance to cast it, nightmare Rogues get Exploding/Ice Arrow with 12.5% CTC, and hells get Immolation/Freezing Arrow with 6.25%. Makes certain people wait and certain items more useful, I'd assume. We can also add other auras people don't use, such as the resistance auras and such. Imagine an Iron Wolf with Fire Bolt in normal, Inferno in nightmare, and Fireball in hell... then again, imagine Inferno actually being fixed.

Yeah, it was a dumb idea.

[helvete]

Imagine barb mercs being specialists in the six weapon masteries, and that you could give a ribcracker or that godly rare eth thundermaul pindle just dropped.

Imagine NM ones dual-wield and hell ones being able to use shields.

[Ax2Grind]

The shield bit is abusive. They need only two-handers: swords in normal, axes in nightmare, maces in hell. That's good enough, since polearms with Zeal and spears with Jab can suffice for act two mercs.

[vknez]

they should put more versatility in (if ever comes) diablo 3. maybe even some skills development like on main character