Diablo 4 Mercenaries system, explained

Diablo 4 continues to go strong, and big changes are on the horizon with the arrival of the Vessel of Hatred DLC, which includes the Mercenary system. We’ve got everything you need to know about the feature.

There’s plenty to look forward to with Diablo 4’s Vessel of Hatred DLC, releasing on Oct. 8, expanding the main story. Mercenaries are one of the new additions but the principle may sound confusing on paper, so we’ve streamlined an explanation for you.

What are Mercenaries in Diablo 4?

Mercenaries in Diablo 4 are recruitable NPCs to assist in exploration and combat, with each Mercenary having “extraordinary skills.” Each Mercenary has lore tied to them, which gets uncovered as you progress with each Mercenary.

There are four Mercenaries to collect, but you can only equip one at a time. However, the Reinforcement ability is a new feature that calls in another Mercenary for support when you cast a specific skill.

Each Mercenary has a detailed skill tree that enables players to tweak the Mercenary’s playstyle to their liking, complementing your character build.

All Diablo 4 Mercenaries

Each of the four Mercenaries fits a specific class and has individual strengths. We’ve outlined them all below:

• Raheir: Blacksmith and shield-bearer, a “more defensive fighter,” uses Shield as a bulwark. You meet them early in the campaign, and they introduce you to the Mercenary network.
• Subo: “The Drunken Archer.” Offers utility from range, away from close-quarters combat.
• Varyana: Close-range, melee-combat fighter. The Massacre meter requires you to kill enemies to fill the meter.
• Aldkin: Demon child and magic user. Ability to transfer from human form to demon form.

How to unlock Mercenaries in Diablo 4

Mercenaries in Diablo 4 will be recruitable by completing specific quests, unlocking them individually. To unlock the Mercenaries, you must complete all the associated questlines.

You unlock Raheir through the main progression, serving as an introduction to the feature, with the other three Mercenaries unlocked via acquisition quests.

The full details of how these quests work have yet to be revealed, but we expect to see more about the Mercenary feature and other changes coming to Diablo 4 with the Vessel of Hatred DLC and season six in a new Campfire Chat on Aug. 29.