Diablo 4: Best Mercenaries to Hire

The introduction of mercenaries in Diablo 4’s Vessel of Hatred expansion has sparked plenty of discussion among players. Initially, a bug prevented some from accessing mercenary skill trees, but this issue has since been resolved, allowing players to fully utilize these new companions. With their unique skills, passives, and perks, mercenaries have become an invaluable asset for both solo and co-op play.

To unlock mercenaries, players must progress through the Vessel of Hatred campaign until they gain access to the Mercenary Den. From there, they can hire a primary mercenary, who will follow them on their journey, actively assisting with skills and abilities that complement the player’s build.

Players can also hire a secondary mercenary, which functions differently. Instead of following the player directly, secondary mercenaries trigger a chosen active skill under specific conditions, such as when the player activates one of their own abilities. This unique mechanic works in both solo and co-op modes, offering versatility for various playstyles.

With four distinct mercenaries available, each catering to different combat preferences, selecting the right companion can significantly enhance your gameplay experience. In this guide, we’ll explore the best mercenaries to hire, helping you choose the perfect partner for your adventure in Diablo 4. Let’s dive in!

#4: Aldkin

Aldkin is a versatile mercenary with a unique perk, Blasphemous Fire, which allows him to temporarily transform into a powerful demon form. However, this transformation comes with a drawback, as it curses the player for its duration. The type of curse depends on Aldkin’s skill tree: Curse of Darkness or Curse of Flames. Despite the risk, Aldkin’s skill set can provide powerful offensive and support options, making him a valuable addition for certain playstyles.

Skill Trees and Abilities

Shadow Skills

• Haunt: Inflicts shadow damage over time and functions as a basic skill with Shadow Strike.
• Field of Languish: Reduces enemy damage and movement speed, enhancing survivability.
• Chain of Souls: Deals shadow damage over time and stuns enemies.

Shadow Passives

• Terrify/Exhaustion: Adds vulnerable or daze effects to Haunt.
• Paranoia/Condemned: Enhances Field of Languish with daze effects or an execute mechanic for low-health enemies.
• Amplified Suffering/Shared Pain: Boosts Chain of Souls with extra damage or cooldown reduction.

Flame Skills

• Flame Surge: Delivers AoE fire damage and functions as a basic skill with Fire Shot.
• Storm of Fire: Unleashes a high AoE fire damage attack with burning effects.
• Wave of Flames: Deals massive fire damage and includes a knockback effect.

Flame Passives

• Covered in Ash/Raging Violence: Enhances Flame Surge with increased damage or crit chance.
• Eradication/Ember’s Gift: Buffs Storm of Fire with more damage or resource regeneration.
• Burning Chaos/Raging Havoc: Improves Wave of Flames with cooldown resets or damage-over-time effects.

Tips for Using Aldkin

Aldkin’s Field of Languish offers useful crowd control and survivability but is less effective in this role compared to Raheir. Players who want to avoid his curse mechanic may find Aldkin more suitable as a secondary mercenary, triggering his powerful abilities without being directly affected by the curses.

For damage-over-time builds, Wave of Flames is particularly effective, helping to maximize damage output during solo leveling. Whether as a primary or secondary mercenary, Aldkin’s skills can be tailored to suit a variety of strategies, making him a strong choice for players who can work around his curse mechanic.

#3: Varyana

Varyana is a powerhouse mercenary tailored for melee-focused players, boasting a unique perk, Massacre, that enhances both her and the player’s combat efficiency. Each kill stacks “Massacre,” granting bonus movement speed at thresholds of 10, 25, 50, and 100 stacks. This makes Varyana not only a damage-dealing force but also a mobility booster, perfect for fast-paced gameplay.

Skill Trees and Abilities

Cleave Skills

• Cleave: Delivers physical damage and applies bleeding damage over time; functions as a basic skill with Double Strike.
• Bloodthirst: Increases attack and movement speed for Varyana while granting an attack speed buff to the player.
• Whirlwind: Inflicts continuous physical damage and bleeding, ideal for crowd control.

Cleave Passives

• Hysteria/Recklessness: Adds an attack speed bonus or a vulnerable effect to Cleave.
• Intimidated/Bloodlust: Reduces enemy damage or boosts attack speed further when using Bloodthirst.
• No Escape/Taste of Flesh: Enables Whirlwind to pull in enemies or heal when striking bleeding foes.

Shockwave Skills

• Shockwave: Deals physical damage with a knockdown effect; functions as a basic skill with Heavy Strike.
• Earthbreaker: Delivers moderate physical damage and knockdown.
• Ancient Harpoons: Deals medium physical damage while stunning enemies.

Shockwave Passives

• Crushing Force/Reprisal: Adds a knockdown chance or automatically knocks down enemies when Varyana is crowd-controlled.
• Rampage/Dismembering: Increases damage to CC’d enemies or grants an exposed effect to Earthbreaker.
• Annihilator/Iron Grip: Allows Ancient Harpoons to slow enemies or reduce their impairment resistance.

Why Choose Varyana?

Varyana excels as a primary mercenary, especially for melee builds. Her ability to boost attack speed through Bloodthirst, combined with her strong DPS capabilities, makes her a standout choice for solo players seeking fast and efficient combat. She’s particularly effective when melee DPS is the focus, as her skills synergize well with close-range playstyles.

Additionally, her ability to apply bleed effects and control enemy movement with knockdowns and stuns enhances her utility in battle. Whether tearing through hordes with Whirlwind or immobilizing foes with Shockwave, Varyana ensures relentless pressure on the battlefield. For melee enthusiasts, she’s a top-tier ally who brings both power and speed to the fight.

#2: Subo

Subo is a versatile mercenary who excels in scouting and resource generation, making him a valuable asset for players looking to enhance their battlefield awareness and control. His unique perk, Seeker, highlights nearby enemies and resources while marking foes. Attacking marked enemies grants additional resource generation, offering both offensive and utility benefits.

Skill Trees and Abilities

Wire Tap Skills

• Wire Trap: Deals physical damage and stuns enemies; functions as a basic skill with Heavy Shot.
• Cover Fire: Delivers moderate physical damage and applies a slowing effect.
• Trip Mines: Inflicts significant physical damage with a knockdown effect.

Wire Tap Passives

• Piercing Arrows/Ready at Hand: Enables Heavy Shot to pierce enemies or grants movement speed upon damaging elites.
• Pin Cushion/Opening Fire: Enhances Cover Fire with immobilization or increased critical damage.
• Loaded Munitions/Mastermind: Boosts Subo’s traps with vulnerable effects or expands their AoE size.

Molotov Skills

• Molotov: Deals physical damage, stuns, and burns enemies; acts as a basic skill with Salvo.
• Snipe: Delivers high physical damage and applies knockback.
• Explosive Charge: Causes delayed physical damage in a large area.

Molotov Passives

• Scorched Earth/Share a Drink: Adds damage-over-time effects to Molotov or causes enemies to drop healing potions.
• Incendiary Bolt/Ambusher: Allows Snipe to cast Molotov on hit or grants Salvo a lucky hit chance.
• Thrillseeker/Bargaining Chips: Reduces cooldowns or increases overpower damage with Explosive Charge.

Why Choose Subo?

Subo’s Wire Tap skill tree is ideal for players seeking additional crowd control and utility, complementing their own CC abilities or those of another mercenary. His traps and stuns provide excellent battlefield control, while his Seeker perk ensures consistent resource generation without any drawbacks, making him a safer choice compared to Aldkin.

For players focused on damage-over-time builds, Subo’s Molotov skills can provide powerful burn effects and high AoE damage, creating a strong synergy with such playstyles. Whether as a primary or secondary mercenary, Subo shines by offering utility, control, and a steady stream of resources, making him an excellent pick for players aiming to balance offense and support in their adventures.

#1: Raheir

Raheir stands out as the most versatile and reliable mercenary in Diablo 4, making him a top choice for players seeking survivability and support. His unique perk, Valiance, mitigates incoming damage when the player takes a hit exceeding 15% of their max life. This perk not only cancels the damage but also knocks down nearby enemies and grants an Unstoppable buff, all on a cooldown. This lifesaving ability makes Raheir invaluable, especially in high-stakes endgame scenarios.

Skill Trees and Abilities

Shield Charge Skills

• Shield Charge: Deals physical damage and taunts enemies; functions as a basic skill with Shield Bash.
• Provoke: Taunts enemies while granting the player damage reduction.
• Crater: Inflicts physical damage, pulls in enemies, and stuns them.

Shield Charge Passives

• Raheir’s Guard/Vanguard: Provides an armor buff to the player or slows nearby enemies.
• Mocking Lure/Iron Wolf’s Ward: Boosts damage dealt to taunted enemies or enhances Valiance with knockback and an additional taunt effect.
• Iron Wolf’s Call/Sundering Shield: Grants a damage buff to the player with Valiance or adds a vulnerable effect to Crater.

Ground Slam Skills

• Ground Slam: Deals physical damage and slows enemies; functions as a basic skill with Shield Strike.
• Bastion: Significantly reduces damage and grants the player an Unstoppable buff.
• Shield Throw: Strikes up to three enemies with high physical damage while taunting them.

Ground Slam Passives

• Raheir’s Aegis/Draw Fire: Buffs the player’s resistances or taunts enemies when a healing potion is used.
• Inspiration/Iron Wolf’s Virtue: Increases player damage with Ground Slam and Bastion or allows Valiance to heal the player.
• Iron Wolf’s Arrival/Consecrated Shield: Makes Valiance trigger Ground Slam and Shield Throw or consecrates enemies hit by Shield Throw.

Why Choose Raheir?

Raheir’s ability to bolster survivability and control the battlefield makes him an exceptional choice for any class or build. His Shield Charge skill tree provides outstanding utility, with abilities like Bastion offering significant damage reduction and Valiance acting as a game-changing defensive perk. These features make him particularly valuable in the endgame, where survival becomes increasingly challenging.

For glass-cannon ranged builds, Raheir’s taunt abilities draw enemy attention, allowing players to deal damage from a safe distance. Meanwhile, melee-focused players can benefit from his armor buffs, damage mitigation, and ability to disrupt enemy formations with stuns and knockdowns.

Raheir’s versatility and synergy with virtually any playstyle cement his place as the best all-around mercenary in Diablo 4. Whether you’re facing hordes of enemies or a formidable boss, Raheir provides the support you need to survive and thrive.

Conclusion

Mercenaries in Diablo 4 are more than just companions—they’re strategic assets that can significantly enhance your gameplay experience. Each mercenary brings unique abilities, passives, and perks tailored to different playstyles, whether you need crowd control, survivability, or raw damage. From Raheir’s unmatched defensive support to Subo’s resourceful utility, Aldkin’s high-risk demon transformations, and Varyana’s melee-centric buffs, there’s a mercenary for every type of player.

Choosing the right mercenary depends on your class, build, and personal playstyle. Whether you’re a glass cannon looking for protection, a melee powerhouse seeking extra damage, or someone who thrives on crowd control and debuffs, these mercenaries can complement your strengths and offset your weaknesses.

Experiment with different setups, leverage their skill trees to suit your strategy, and maximize their potential to conquer the challenges of Diablo 4. With the right mercenary by your side, you’ll be unstoppable on your journey through Sanctuary!