|Mercenary|Hireling|

[wilbert]

I'm hoping we have Hirelings that can follow us/Lvl with us/Wear items we equip to them and maybe use some skills.

Diablo 3 Production :thumbup:

[slickr]

yeah why not.
you could equip them with armor in D2:LOD

[Verashiden]

I want basic commands such as

"Kill em All"

"Watch my Back"

"Don't attack"

"HOLY SWEET ANGELS RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!!"

That is all ^_^

[JunkStory]

I want basic commands such as

"Kill em All"

"Watch my Back"

"Don't attack"

"HOLY SWEET ANGELS RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!!"

That is all ^_^

:yes: haha I agree :yes:
Remember the voice commands in D2 using the numpad? Time to put them to good use this time.

[stillman]

I hate merc's. I thought my chr was supposed to be the hero.

Plus, no matter how good they make the AI, they will still be very annoying in their behavior.

[pjbenkis]

I want fast action, mercs on the fly. Kind of like we saw in the gameplay footage. You get the help when it fits the story, but you are the hero, its up to you to save the world. Those peons die off because they aren't the heroes, its up to you to save Sanctuary.

If they do put mercs in the game, I want them disposable like Guild Wars. I pick up the help I need and they are gone when I hit town. I want them to take a slot on the drops because they are there, helping out, part of the group. Don't give me a Nightfall style merc I need to manage and get gear for, thats what a classic RPG is for. This is supposed to be an action based RPG, all action with the customization of an RPG.

What I want is scripted NPC's who help when needed and die off when I need them most, right before the big boss. Make me want to be that hero type who can live through the tough stuff.

[5zigen]

Guess I'm the only one that hates mercenaries.

I hope theres some sacrifice to using them so they arent looked at as a "necessity"

[stillman]

Pjbenkis, that's a good idea, but I don't like how the "heroes" are using other humans almost as slaves or human shields where we all know they are pretty much going to die if they work for us. It just doesn't seem very heroic.

I thought D1 was fine and dandy where there was no merc and we could focus more on our chr.

[wilbert]

I hate merc's. I thought my chr was supposed to be the hero.

Plus, no matter how good they make the AI, they will still be very annoying in their behavior.

Mercenary/Hireling made d2 alot more fun,just having temporary ones doesn't feel the same. I get attached to my hirling,there so much fun, i'd really be dissapointed if they were not in the game. I liked to pick my hireling's name and really enjoyed seeing how much dmg they do why they back you up,or whatever each hireling did best.

[Hodl Pu]

They weren't necessary in D2 LOD. I'm sure they wont be necessary again, just fun to use (for some people, like me)

[JunkStory]

I hate merc's. I thought my chr was supposed to be the hero.

Plus, no matter how good they make the AI, they will still be very annoying in their behavior.

that's fine, no one will force you to use a merc :smug:

[Grawner]

nope, no one is forcing anyone to use a merc..
i use 'em, and i also get kind of attached to my merc. i choose my merc carefully, give them a cool name and so on.
i would be kind of sad, if ´there weren't any mercs in D3.

[Machina]

I sometimes used to give a merc ago but I would quickly remember why I never really bothered:

-The gold penalty is far too prohibitive. In D3 the penalty could be tied to the merc itself - so the merc loses xp but you lose nothing.
-They attack anything and everything, and in order to stop them you have to either teleport away or run away and pull on the invisible string. There should be basic command prompts in D3 to prevent this.
-They die too easily, even with the best gear. They need to be built like tanks in D3.

[SlechtWeerBeer]

I always become attached to my merc.. Until it dies, again.

Crap AI where you have 0 control over (oh, wait, you can let it run into mobs. Now only if it would get out!) is not going to cut it with what the gameplay trailer has shown us. I think..

[DeadorK]

I hardly thought the barbarians in Act V were weak. They made an excellent addition to my army, and often tanked it out himself when I was raising all my skeletons. Some classes have mercs as a sort of penalty. Barbarians leaping around. I couldn't do anything to stop the horde of skeletons from brutally slaughtering my rogue friend standing in the doorway.

[Boss]

Barbarians are a dim-witted lot. Goes for NPCs and players alike. Don't know why we're bringing these guys back..

[DeadorK]

Because they are awesome.

[Verashiden]

Mercs weren't weak unless you didn't know how to use them >.>.

[Sein Schatten]

Sorc or Necro without a merc? Unpossible!
But this time, let's give them some commands. Kill on sight, defend me, wait here.

[Unholy_Carnage]

Too many people enjoy using mercs for them to take it out. A bit more control over them would be nice, spending 1 million gold to revive them because they want to stab the pretty monster with iron maiden on them again and again needs to not happen, though. I'd like to see them develop a bit more, i.e. they dont just have one aura and a jab skill, for example...

[wilbert]

Another good reason to have hireling, merc is that you got to keep your hireling, merc, healed, this made gameplay more exciting.


Diablo 3 Production :thumbup:

[imjustsomeguy]

As much as I liked having mercs in D2 I would rather not see them in D3, at least nothing more than the temperary ones shown in the gameplay video.

The function of mercenaries should be distraction and crowd control in certain situations, not a big sourse of damage and monster clearing. In D2 the mercs were very strong and with crushing blow destroyed bosses. They kind of made all the characters pet classes. I like playing pet classes, but I also like going solo.

It would be cool to have a single pet class whose pet could be lvled and possibly geared up with stats you could customize, but I don't want to be forced into having company around with every class. It changes gameplay strategy and the overall feel of a class.

[Sein Schatten]

Too many people enjoy using mercs for them to take it out. A bit more control over them would be nice, spending 1 million gold to revive them because they want to stab the pretty monster with iron maiden on them again and again needs to not happen, though. I'd like to see them develop a bit more, i.e. they dont just have one aura and a jab skill, for example...

I always loved the Shadow Master. But, imo, being able to use all skills like him suits a character skill to spend skill points on more.

[Brother Laz]

I'm hoping we have Hirelings that can follow us/Lvl with us/Wear items we equip to them and maybe use some skills.

I, on the other hand, prefer a game where soft caster classes occasionally have to run away and slowing skills have an actual use... as opposed to getting a harvester combine that runs before you and tanks everything and slows them down and never dies if you give it good gear.

[AlexanderM]

I liked mercenaries, but I felt that the Act II ones consistently out-powered all the others. Auras on a mercenary were a nice touch, but eventually they became game-tilting (mostly in PvM). I think it was almost always meant to be a small help, but you, the player, are the hero, hence the damage penalties against act bosses and the like. In the gameplay trailer, the archers who join the barbarian are crushed in a single blow from the boss they encounter (epic in it's own right). I don't doubt that they will be back in some form, I just hope they don't end up so powerful.

As the emphasis has been stated to be on cooperative play, I think it's likely that we'll see mercenaries toned down, or have their role shifted away from "tank/damage/distraction/aura-provider".

[5zigen]

nope, no one is forcing anyone to use a merc..
i use 'em, and i also get kind of attached to my merc. i choose my merc carefully, give them a cool name and so on.
i would be kind of sad, if ´there weren't any mercs in D3.

No one is forcing you to use armor or skills either, but you'd be stupid to gimp yourself as much as that.

[sicilian]

What if they made the mercs more like squires than fighting companions. You could have a few different types that wouldn't help you fight, but would contribute in other ways...

1) The Squire - Has something like 4 inventory slots to help you carry more things.

2) The Leprechaun - More gold dropped from monsters.

3) The Sage - Identifies items on the go (possibly for a fee)

4) The Pathfinder - Increases your map visibility range to help you find places faster.

5) The Engineer - Identifies 50% of traps.

6) The Blacksmith - Repairs on the go (for a fee).

Each of these mercs would have some basic survival abilities and will run from enemies rather than engage them. They can die if you ignore them, but since they're not a necessity for combat, it wouldn't be crucial or as annoying.

You could even script it so that they automatically town portal back to town before an Act Boss (or they wait outside or something).

Thoughts?

[pantherus]

What if they made the mercs more like squires than fighting companions. You could have a few different types that wouldn't help you fight, but would contribute in other ways...

1) The Squire - Has something like 4 inventory slots to help you carry more things.

2) The Leprechaun - More gold dropped from monsters.

3) The Sage - Identifies items on the go (possibly for a fee)

4) The Pathfinder - Increases your map visibility range to help you find places faster.

5) The Engineer - Identifies 50% of traps.

6) The Blacksmith - Repairs on the go (for a fee).

Each of these mercs would have some basic survival abilities and will run from enemies rather than engage them. They can die if you ignore them, but since they're not a necessity for combat, it wouldn't be crucial or as annoying.

You could even script it so that they automatically town portal back to town before an Act Boss (or they wait outside or something).

Thoughts?

OK - that's an awesome idea! :)

[Gigashadow]

I sometimes played with mercenaries, sometimes without them, and I would prefer to have that choice. They were a nice addition to the gameplay sometimes.

[5zigen]

I sometimes played with mercenaries, sometimes without them, and I would prefer to have that choice. They were a nice addition to the gameplay sometimes.

As long as there's a point to the choice. Some penalty for using them or bonus for not using them. If the choice is just between having a huge advantage and not, it's not much of a choice.

[stillman]

Yeah, we are indeed "forced" to use them as the d2 system currently works, if you want to stay competitive. The "choice" to not use merc's limits us to only a few builds (like a very well equiped pnb necro who can kill fast enough to not require a tank...who also gambles so you won't want to waste gold resing a merc...who also does only chaos runs where a merc would get iron maidened all the time...while using a good computer that won't cause much lag further eliminating need for a tank...if you are patient and don't mind leaving a hc game whenever lag strikes...and if you like using bone prison as your tank). I can't think of any other builds who would not gain tremendously from a merc.

[pantherus]

A big problem with the D2 Mercs is, bar for a few builds, the Act 2 Mercs were far and away the best ones to use because of their auras. If you read through the build and strategies suggestions - almost every one of the them recommends the Act 2 Merc (even more specifically the Holy Freeze variety), a few Melee-centric builds recommend the Rogue...

If they do have mercs in D3 similar to D2 (though the movie suggests that they'll be more "cannon fodder" type mercs) then they need to be more universally useful so that they're all worth using.

[Wussenbol]

I hope their AI will finally improve. These desert hirelings often fail to see danger 10 seconds after I'm fleeing for it...