Merc Question

[JrShock]

Hi, I rushed myself to act2 NM and hired a merc there when I was level 1. So far he's level 12 and not gaining any life nor is he turning on his aura.

Is there any advantage to buying a low-level merc and leveling him step-by-step?

When will he turn his aura on and when will he turn on his aura?

He seems to be gaining a little defense (not much), but about 1 resist per level it seems.

Thanks

[prion]

in any act and any difficulty you can hire a merc near your level. There is no advantage to levelling him up the old way.

if you're quite a bit higher than level 12 i suggest just get a new merc.

[muzzz]

The game randomly determines what action the merc uses when engaging a monster. One of the possible actions is turning on his aura. In effect, how long it takes him to turn on his aura is completely random.

The level at which you hire a merc doesn't matter, but the difficulty you hire him in does. Mercs hired in lower difficulties will have slightly better stats.

[Monopoly]

The level at which you hire a merc doesn't matter, but the difficulty you hire him in does. Mercs hired in lower difficulties will have slightly better stats.

are we talking 20'ish?

[muzzz]

are we talking 20'ish?

Depends on merc type, stat, and difficulty levels being compared.

[thegiantturtle]

are we talking 20'ish?

20ish what? For Act 2 merc stats, check out posts 3, 4, and 5 here.

[helvete]

When will he turn his aura on and when will he turn on his aura?

That's quoteworthy

A lvl 1 merc can't have the NM auras, so you'll need to rehire. There is no advantage to level him the slow way (as was the case in earlier patches).

The higher level the merc gets, the lower is his chance of using his "aura attack". But he has to attack something to turn it on.