MERCENARIES
Anyone desperate enough can put up a fight against the demons, but only the exceptionally strong and brave will follow plundering maniacs such as yourself into the pits of Hell.
CARE AND FEEDING
Are mercenaries any good?
Mercenaries are very adept at destroying the common threats in Sanctuary, provided you 'help them help you' with potions
and useful items. They may meet the reaper in the uberquests and heroic areas, though, unless skillfully
supported.
How do I equip my mercenary?
High defense and resistances will keep your mercenary alive. Defensive statistics are more
important than sheer damage, because a dead mercenary does zero damage.
Can I increase the damage of an Act 3 mercenary?
Act 3 mercenaries have high energy and energy factor, so these statistics are less important.
What will help a lot is +x% to Spell Damage, -x% to Enemy Resistances
and +x to All Skills. If you have elemental damage buffs like Bloodlust
or Elemental Totem, pile them onto your mercenary as well.
I heard the Act 5 mercenary rules all, is this true?
Mercenaries have been greatly improved in Median XL version 1.95 and ancient wisdom about
the older Median XL versions may no longer apply. Until more players provide
feedback about them, the best you can do is experiment!
KNOWN MERCENARY BUGS
My mercenary stands there and doesn't do anything!
This is a bug with mercenary AI in Diablo II. If you walk, the mercenary will also walk, and this occasionally causes it to
freeze up. To cure this, jump into a town portal.
My mercenary is slow and does no damage!
Mercenaries in Median XL gain much of their power from an invisible aura-like effect. You are not supposed to see how
things like this work under the hood, but it does mean that the mercenary needs to attack a few times until the bonus is activated.
Give him some time to warm up and get into the battle mindset!
THE SISTERS
Weakened by the prolonged siege, the Sisters of the Sightless Eye may not be in fighting condition. But help them liberate the Monastery and watch them rise and shine.
Bonuses
Starts with 30 energy, +6 energy per level
Defensive Harmony: slows attackers by 25%, +1% per 5 levels
Ranger Skills
| Lvl | Name | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CASCADE | Effect: shoots arrows at all nearby enemies |
| 12 | VANQUISH | Effect: briefly increases physical damage |
| 24 | WRAITH ARROW | Effect: arrow that unleashes homing spirits |
| 24 | BROADSIDE | Effect: fires a massive stream of arrows at nearby enemies |
| 90 | WAR SPIRIT | Effect: adds crushing blow and automatically casts spike novas |
Priestess Skills
| Lvl | Name | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BARRAGE | Effect: shoots arrows in random directions |
| 12 | BLOOD TIDE TOTEM | Totem effect: increases maximum life by a percentage |
| 24 | VINDICATE | Curse effect: heals party and increases damage when victim dies |
| 24 | DEATHSTRIKE | Effect: mercenary shoots her bow and calls down an energy blast |
| 90 | TREMOR | Effect: all visible enemies lose 25% of their current life |
THE TOWN GUARD
Several trading routes converge at Lut Gholein, the jewel of the East. When the demons blocked access over land and the kraken nested in the port, travelling merchants, mystics and warriors were forced to take up arms to replace the dwindling numbers of town guards.
Bonuses
Starts with 20 energy, +4 energy per level
Suppression: crushing blow 25%, +1% per 5 levels
Grit: damage reduced by 20%, +1% per 5 levels
Exemplar Skills
| Lvl | Name | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | RETALIATE | Effect: retaliates when struck with a damaging shockwave |
| 1 | RETRIBUTE | Effect: retaliates when struck by lowering resistances by -25% |
| 6 | LIFEBLOOD | Effect: slowly regenerates lost life over time |
| 12 | KING OF BLADES | Effect: automatically casts bouncing blades at nearby enemies |
| 90 | DISINTEGRATE | Effect: destructive blast of physical and magic damage |
Shapeshifter Skills
| Lvl | Name | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WEREBEAR | Effect: turn into a bear, increasing life and armour |
| 1 | CLAW TORNADO | Effect: melee attack that sends out spinning whirlwinds |
| 6 | BLOODLUST | Effect: increases all damage of the party |
| 12 | POUNCE | Effect: teleport onto an enemy, causing a powerful shockwave |
| 90 | THORN FIELD | Effect: melee attack that summons a ripple of spiked thorns |
Fighter Mage Skills
| Lvl | Name | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | TITAN STRIKE | Effect: melee attack that heals and increases stats |
| 1 | GUARD TOWER | Effect: summons a guard tower that shoots arrows at enemies |
| 6 | GLACIAL NOVA | Effect: cast a gigantic nova that completely freezes enemies |
| 12 | FORTRESS | Effect: summons a ring of guard towers around the mercenary |
| 90 | TIME FIELD | Effect: field that slows the movement and attack speed of enemies |
THE IRON WOLVES
Kehjistan is the wellspring of magic. This is where the first magically attuned hunter-gatherers settled at ley nodes and founded the primeval mage clans. Their distant sons of seventh sons will not give up the ley nodes to the forces of Hell without giving them hell first!
Bonuses
Starts with 200 energy, +20 energy per level
Unearthly Power: +250 energy factor to spell damage, +5 per level
Warp Armor: total defense +100%, +1% per level
Bloodmage Skills
| Lvl | Name | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | FLAMEFRONT | Effect: cast a wave of multiple streaking fireballs |
| 1 | PUNISHER | Effect: slow moving bolt that deals lethal poison damage |
| 12 | GIFT OF INNER FIRE | Effect: instantly regenerates the party's lost life |
| 24 | PYROBLAST | Effect: giant fireball that explodes in a pool of flame |
| 90 | LICHE FORM | Effect: mercenary turns invulnerable and shoots Punishers around |
Necrolyte
| Lvl | Name | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | HUNTING BANSHEE | Effect: spirit follows random targets before exploding |
| 1 | CHARM | Effect: converts enemies to fight other enemies |
| 12 | HEX | Curse effect: damage and spell damage boost when victim hits you |
| 24 | HAILSTORM | Effect: rains deadly cold on target enemy |
| 90 | VENOMOUS SPIRIT | Effect: casts a powerful homing spirit of lethal poison |
Abjurer Skills
| Lvl | Name | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | FORKED LIGHTNING | Effect: cast multiple forked lightning bolts |
| 1 | BANISH | Curse effect: reduces monster life by a percentage |
| 12 | STARFIRE | Effect: web of magical energy that reduces enemy resistances |
| 24 | SUPERNOVA | Effect: cast a gigantic nova of lightning |
| 90 | SUPERBEAST | Effect: morph into a demon, gain spell damage and speed |
THE BARBARIANS
Considered uncivilised man-beasts by some, sons of the nephalem by others, the only reason why few outsiders have reported their considerable shamanic prowess is because they were usually at the receiving end of it.
Bonuses
Starts with 10 energy, +2 energy per level
Mountain King: 20% bonus to strength and dexterity, +1% per 10 levels
Skills
| Lvl | Name | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | GIFT OF THE WILD | Effect: increases all damage of the party |
| 12 | THUNDER SLAM | Effect: damages and stuns enemies in a radius |
| 18 | SHOWER OF ROCKS | Effect: melee attack that drops rocks that reduce physical resist |
| 60 | ANCIENTS' HAND | Effect: melee attack that unleashes a shockwave through the ground |
| 90 | WARBAND | Effect: summons a barbarian army |