Mercenaries in Diablo 4: How to unlock them and which ones are the best

One of the thrilling new aspects introduced in the Diablo 4 expansion is the inclusion of mercenaries. These NPC allies can join players on quests, dungeons, and various adventures, providing support and fighting alongside them. In this guide, we will delve into how to unlock the mercenaries, the types available, and which ones might be the most suitable for your journeys.

Unlocking Mercenaries

Mercenaries are part of the expansion, so only players who have purchased this content can utilize them. There are four unique mercenaries, but they won’t be accessible from the beginning. As you advance through the campaign, you’ll have the chance to unlock each one.

The first mercenary available is Raheir the Shieldbearer, who can be recruited once you reach the Mercenary Hideout in Nahantu during the expansion’s storyline. This happens relatively early in the Act VII campaign, so it shouldn’t be overlooked. In this hideout, you can also interact with specific objects to begin priority quests related to the other three mercenaries. These quests are simple and can be completed after reaching the hideout.

Types of Mercenaries and Their Features

In Diablo 4, there are generally two categories of mercenaries that you can recruit:

• Main Mercenary: This mercenary fights alongside you at all times during solo play and uses both active and passive abilities to assist you.
• Reinforcement Mercenary: This secondary mercenary can accompany you during solo play or when teaming up with others, provided certain conditions are met.

Your main mercenary will be your primary companion during solo adventures. Additionally, you can recruit a second mercenary as a reinforcement, who will activate a special ability to assist you when specific triggers occur, such as dropping to low health or using one of your skills.

Raheir the Shieldbearer

“Raised in the tumultuous streets of Gea Kul, Raheir learned from the honorable Iron Wolves. He wields his shield with great skill to block attacks and shield you from the hordes of Teganze.”

• Availability: Complete the main quest “The Hand Remembers the Blade.”
• Archetype: Tank.
• Advantage: After you take a certain amount of damage, Raheir rushes to your side, negating damage, knocking down nearby enemies, and granting you unstoppable status.

Subo the Bounty Hunter

“A former archer from the mountains, exiled by those he once aided. Now he lives as a bounty hunter. Subo stays at a distance, firing volleys of arrows that devastate enemy hordes. He marks targets for you, and defeating them awards bonuses like reduced cooldowns on your abilities.”

• Availability: Complete the priority quest “A Feather in the Balance” after your initial visit to the Hideout.
• Archetype: Rogue (Ranged DPS).
• Advantage: Reveals all enemies and materials on the minimap and marks a target; killing this target restores some of your maximum resource and lowers the cooldown for Subo’s skills.

Aldkin the Cursed Child

“Aldkin is a being that is half child and half demon. Born with a demonic aspect due to dark rituals performed by the primal khazra of the Citadel with his mother, he can transform into a powerful demon to fight by your side.”

• Availability: Complete the priority quest “An Unnamed Misery” after your first visit to the Hideout.
• Archetype: Fire Caster.
• Advantage: Aldkin occasionally loses control of his curse, transforming into a fierce demon. This grants him new and powerful abilities while the unleashed malice curses you.

Varyana the Old Berserker

“An ancient cannibal who left her tribe when they began to dabble with darker forces. Varyana makes a living as a mercenary. She has a Massacre meter that grows stronger as blood fuels her blades and powers her killing spree. She wields brutal melee weapons, using them like butcher knives; those within reach fall instantly.”

• Availability: Complete the priority quest “Vengeance of an Assassin” after arriving at the Hideout for the first time.
• Archetype: Berserker (Melee DPS).
• Advantage: You and Varyana accumulate Massacre when performing kills, granting increased movement speed.

Leveling Up and Strengthening Mercenaries

Enhancing your mercenaries in Diablo 4 is easy. Simply hire them to join you, and as you defeat tough enemies, complete events, and engage in various activities, each mercenary will gain affinity—a resource that allows you to level them up. They earn affinity as you gain standard experience points.

• The more affinity you earn with a mercenary, the higher their level increases, up to a maximum of ten for each.
• This ultimately allows you to unlock new skills in their mercenary panel by investing points, similar to your own skills panel.
• Your mercenaries’ levels are shared across all your playable characters, including seasonal ones.

Note that your main mercenary will always gain more affinity than your reinforcement mercenary, who receives half the affinity for the same activities. However, you can always visit the Hideout to choose which mercenary will be your primary companion and which will be your reinforcement to ensure both progress over time.

When playing in a group with other online players, your main mercenary will not accompany you, meaning they won’t gain affinity during those sessions (but the reinforcement will). Additionally, mercenaries benefit from experience bonus objectives just like your character does.

As you level up your mercenaries, you’ll earn Pale Marks, which you can use for trading with them in the Hideout to acquire new legendary items or open chests containing guaranteed materials and runes.

Which Mercenaries are the Best?

When discussing the top and bottom mercenaries, players often recommend the following based on their attributes:

• Raheir: Capable of blocking incoming damage, offering healing, and dealing a fair amount of damage to enemies.
• Aldkin: Applies vulnerabilities to foes, inflicts crowd control effects, and has excellent explosive damage.
• Varyana: Provides additional mobility and speed, draws groups of enemies, and deals decent damage.
• Subo: Assists in managing resources, deals moderate damage, and possesses several crowd control abilities.

Keep in mind that while there are no significant differences among the mercenaries, and they may not drastically influence your build, you can opt to use those you prefer or who best complement your needs in various situations.