Merc Weapon (High damage vs Low damage)

[sudkamp]

What is more desirable? A merc that does damage, or a merc that does no damage at all?

For example, should your insight be made out of a regular poleaxe or a etherial CV/CA?

I've seen people go with both high or low. Personally, in hardcore shouldn't you be doing all the damage. We don't really want your merc to die constantly from iron maiden, or killing an FE type of monster.

I dunno what are your opinions.

[TheDarkSide]

Depends on the build you are using really . The merc should complement your skill set in some way and can be any of those descriptions you mentioned . It's probably best to say Im making this build --- what merc works best for this ...


:thumbup:

[ZappaFan]

More difficult to level a merc that never kills anything. I'd rather have to be careful with IM/FELE & Dolls than to forgo my merc doing much damage in all other areas of the game.

[AgentMarth]

High damage for me. I'd rather have to babysit him around IM, then 24/7 around any monsters pack since he can't leech and stay alive worth a damn.

[Full_Circle]

General Play: High Damage
Meph: Low Damage (Kelpie)
Diablo: Low Damage (Lawbringer)
Baal: High Damage (Insight, Reapers, Etc.)

[sudkamp]

General Play: High Damage
Meph: Low Damage (Kelpie)
Diablo: Low Damage (Lawbringer)
Baal: High Damage (Insight, Reapers, Etc.)

Good answer, exactly what I was looking for.

[MoUsE_WiZ]

Well, it depends not only on what you're running, but what you're running it with.

CS with a blizz sorc, for example, you might want a high damage weapon to kill De Seis. Baal with an infinity light sorc, on the other hand, you might want low damage to prevent suicide via IM.

Meph I don't think really matters, honestly I've never had death-by-merc-poking-dolls. I use reapers there, as I'm sure most people who frequent this forum could tell you ~_~

Anywhere else... higher is better, though exceptions can be made (Azurewrath A3 merc, for freeze+sanctuary, I've heard can be nifty on pindle... I've never tried it, just as an example).

[AgentMarth]

I use reapers there, as I'm sure most people who frequent this forum could tell you ~_~

Whaaat? This I have never heard! Haha.



Again, low damage is just for IM right? Which is where? Chaos, and Keep 3, and Throne. What else is in Chaos, Keep 3 and Throne? Thats right, really hard hitting monsters. What helps to keep your Merc alive through that? Thats right, leech. What helps the Merc to leech? Oh thats right, a weapon that deals damage!

The only possible way you can even save a low damage Merc with IM on them is to TP to town fast, or port away. Well, TPing to town can take a bit, and be too late, and porting can't always be done. Even with a low damage weapon, he can still kill himself. So again, whats the point of not losing the Merc to IM, if you lose him to Frenzytaurs, Dolls, Witches, etc?

[ZappaFan]

The only possible way you can even save a low damage Merc with IM on them is to TP to town fast, or port away. Well, TPing to town can take a bit, and be too late, and porting can't always be done. Even with a low damage weapon, he can still kill himself. So again, whats the point of not losing the Merc to IM, if you lose him to Frenzytaurs, Dolls, Witches, etc?

Exactly. Best way to keep a merc alive is to have them hit hard, hit fast (less interruptable), and leech.

Incidentally, I just started using a Reapers on an Act II merc for the first time ever, and I must say I'm totally impressed with it. I have a real nice eth obedience thresher on one merc and a 200% ed 15%LL Reapers on my other one and I think I like the reapers better. Having that decrep on all the time eliminates the need to BC (BC cancels the Decrep).

[McCain123]

For me it´s low damage. In WSK you have OKs and in high damage weapons, your merc is a one hit wonder on himself ( no chance to save his butt ). In CS there is again OKs, in Durance you don´t have OKs, but I would hate to die from a doll explosion, caused by my merc and there are always laggy situations, where he manages to kill a few. For high damage weapons, only act 1 and 2 as well as some specific superuniques ( eldritch, shenk, pindle, e.g. ) are usefull and your merc can stand these with a low damage weapon aswell. Shaftstop and Gaze socketed with Ums or allres jewels is all it needs to keep him alive. Even with the lowest Insight Voulge your merc has a listed damage from 100-400, leaches a bit and will kill himself with IM, but it takes him 4 or 5 hits to do so and that is enough time to tele away and save him. Last but not least, I try to avaiod fights with regular monsters and go as directly as possible for the superunique. Mephisto is unleachable, Diablo is unleachable and Baal has 1/5 drain effectivness. Super leach values won´t keep your merc alive here anyway.

[MoUsE_WiZ]

What helps to keep your Merc alive through that?
Again, depends on what you're playing.
In the case of enigmadins or infinity sorcies, with cta (or outside bo), killing everything before they really have a chance to own your merc keeps him alive.

In the case of my singing barbie, having everything perma stunned does a pretty good job too, though that's a highly specific sort of situation that the OP isn't likely to find himself in ^^

But yes, in the case of, say, baaling an orb/fb sorc, I'd take high damage for tanking over low damage for avoiding death to IM.

Well, TPing to town can take a bit, and be too late, and porting can't always be done.
I find that the volgue insight takes ~5 hits to suicide himself, and that's if he's hitting hard.
As opposed to even a bill where he can 1 shot himself.

He still dies once in a long while, but it's a lot less frequent than it'd be otherwise.

[Timbooo]

For me it´s low damage. In WSK you have OKs and in high damage weapons, your merc is a one hit wonder on himself ( no chance to save his butt ). In CS there is again OKs, in Durance you don´t have OKs, but I would hate to die from a doll explosion, caused by my merc and there are always laggy situations, where he manages to kill a few. For high damage weapons, only act 1 and 2 as well as some specific superuniques ( eldritch, shenk, pindle, e.g. ) are usefull and your merc can stand these with a low damage weapon aswell. Shaftstop and Gaze socketed with Ums or allres jewels is all it needs to keep him alive. Even with the lowest Insight Voulge your merc has a listed damage from 100-400, leaches a bit and will kill himself with IM, but it takes him 4 or 5 hits to do so and that is enough time to tele away and save him. Last but not least, I try to avaiod fights with regular monsters and go as directly as possible for the superunique. Mephisto is unleachable, Diablo is unleachable and Baal has 1/5 drain effectivness. Super leach values won´t keep your merc alive here anyway.


i agree with this entirely. My merc has low dmg and never dies because of shaft + gaze socketed with ums. The only reason i would want a merc to do high dmg is if i have a build that cant hurt certain immunities. Being a hammerdin however this is never the case :)