In Vessel of Hatred, players are introduced to a new system of Mercenaries, ready to join your fight against the forces of Hell. This guide will walk you through the four unique Mercenaries available, how to recruit them, and how to optimize their skill trees to complement your playstyle.

Meet the Mercenaries

Raheir, the Blacksmith Defender

Raheir is the first Mercenary you’ll encounter in the campaign. A master blacksmith and shield bearer, Raheir is the epitome of defense, capable of soaking up damage and protecting your party with his bulwark. His abilities are focused on defense, crowd control, and mitigating damage, making him an ideal companion for players who prefer to stay in the thick of battle.

Subo, the Drunken Archer

Subo, whom you recruit later in the story, is a ranged specialist who excels at providing support from the backlines. Despite his drunken demeanor, Tubo is an expert marksman, delivering deadly precision from a distance. His skills revolve around utility, offering buffs, debuffs, and long-range attacks that can turn the tide of battle, especially against foes who are hard to reach with melee attacks.

Varyana, the Berserker Crone

Varyana is a close-range combatant with a unique mechanic: the Massacre Meter. This meter fills as she kills enemies, unlocking powerful abilities that make her even more deadly. Varyana's playstyle is aggressive and relentless, perfect for players who want to charge into battle and wreak havoc. Her utility skills and devastating melee attacks make her a formidable force on the front lines.

Aldkin, the Demon Child

Aldkin is the most mysterious of the Mercenaries, a magic user with the ability to transform between human and demon form. His abilities include powerful spells and a unique Reinforcement mechanic, where he can merge one of his skills with yours, allowing for devastating combo attacks. Aldkin’s versatility makes him a valuable asset for players who enjoy magic and want to bring a bit of demonic power into their arsenal.

Customizing Your Mercenaries

One of the key features of the Mercenary system in Vessel of Hatred is the expanded skill tree. Unlike previous iterations in the Diablo series, these Mercenaries can be customized to fit your playstyle.

Each Mercenary has a progression arc where you can unlock new abilities and enhance existing ones. This allows you to tailor their skill trees to complement your character build. For instance, you can focus on making Raheir an unbreakable tank, or you can give Varyana more utility skills to support your team.

Strategic Use of Mercenaries

The Reinforcement mechanic is a powerful new feature that allows you to integrate your Mercenaries' abilities directly into your own combat style. Here's how it works and how you can make the most of it

Understanding Reinforcements

Reinforcements enable you to attach a Mercenary’s skill to one of your character’s abilities. When you use this ability in combat, the linked Mercenary is summoned to perform a specific action. This system allows you to create devastating combos and enhance your own skills with the unique strengths of your Mercenaries.

Combining Skills for Maximum Impact

For example, if you’re playing as a melee-focused character, you could link Raheir’s shield ability to your primary attack. This would allow Raheir to appear and provide additional protection during your most intense engagements. Alternatively, if you’re playing as a ranged or magic user, linking Subo’s precision shot or Aldkin’s powerful spellcasting to your skills can provide critical support from afar, dealing significant damage or applying status effects to enemies.

Adapting to Different Combat Scenarios

The beauty of the Reinforcement system lies in its flexibility. You can tailor which Mercenary ability to link based on the type of encounter you’re facing. If you know you’re heading into a boss fight, linking Varyana’s Massacre Meter abilities to your primary skills could give you the edge you need to maintain sustained damage output. For larger battles where crowd control is essential, Subo’s utility abilities could be linked to help manage the battlefield.

Earning Rapport

Trust is most swiftly earned in the blood-strewn throes of battle. This trust with Mercenaries is known as Rapport. Rapport is what you’ll use to upgrade each Mercenary, earning skill points to unlock more of their abilities, caches, and increasing your ability to barter with each of your cohorts.

Earn Rapport with different Mercenaries by using them as Reinforcements or Hired hands in battle. Mercenary-related events will appear through Sanctuary to earn great amounts of Rapport with your loyal companion. Each Mercenary has 10 Levels of Rapport to earn, and repeating the last level will earn you additional Pale Marks.

Pale Marks

These potent Coins are earned through Rapport, granting you the ability to purchase items from each Mercenary and used to refresh their wares available for trade. Pale Marks can be used for Bartering with each Mercenary to purchase coveted items from their inventory.

Bartering

Each Mercenary has a specific inventory for barter, which can be upgraded to offer a wide variety of Caches. Pale Marks can be used to broaden the items they’ll have available to barter, along with influencing which items may appear in their inventory next.

Each Mercenary acts as a vendor and carries their own specialty within The Den. Seek out their corresponding talents as Blacksmith, Occultist, Jeweler, and trusty Stash holder.