Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred: Mercenaries, how to unlock and who to choose

The Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred expansion adds a new mechanic to the game, Mercenaries. These are NPCs that accompany you in combat throughout Sanctuary and each have their own particular set of skills.

The Diablo 4 Mercenaries differ from previous games iterations of this mechanic, as you can actually have two of them equipped at once. A primary Mercenary to aid directly and a secondary to act as a Reinforcement. Additionally you can build Rapport with your Mercenaries and trade with them.

Here's everything you need to know about these new characters in Diablo 4 and how you unlock each.

How do I unlock Mercenaries in Diablo 4?

Unlocking Mercenaries is an unmissable campaign quest you will be directed to while playing through the Vessel of Hatred expansion. This quest is called 'A Magpie in Flight' and can be found in Gea Kul .

You'll find the first Mercenary, Raheir is standing next to the Blacksmith. Talk to Raheir to start the quest. Following this through will unlock Raheir as a Mercenary and the Mercenary hideout 'The Den' .

The Den

The Mercenary Den is the secret gathering place for the Mercenaries of the Pale Hand. This Den is a hideout for the player to pick up quests to unlock all of the available mercenaries, hire and dismiss them, trade, and also have access to standard town features like the Blacksmith, Occultist and such.

Raheir will be unlocked as part of the story, and you can now click on him to hire as your Mercenary or as a Reinforcement (which I will explain later).

You will notice that Raheir will now also act as a Blacksmith whenever you return to the Den. Additionally, you can now pick up the three other story quests to unlock Subo, Varyana and Aldkin.  These are indicated as Purple priority quests in this area.

What is the difference between Mercenary and Reinforcements?

As a solo player, you can hire one Mercenary to follow you into battle at all times, and a Mercenary to act as a Reinforcement. Reinforcements Mercenaries only appear following an action you choose, and you also choose the skill they use.

Your Mercenary will disappear when you join other players, but your Reinforcement will still be activated. So a party of four players can each have a Reinforcement Mercenary to help in critical situations.

Each Mercenary, Perks and Skills

Each Mercenary has its own Skill tree for which you can take two paths. At the top of each skill tree, each Mercenary has a Perk which applied before you choose your skill path. The skills for each unlock as you build Rapport with your Mercenaries. The chosen tree determines their Weapon and Basic Attack. You can equip up to four skills: one active Mercenary Core skill paired with a Core Passive, and one Mercenary Iconic skill paired with an Iconic Passive.

Raheir The Shield Bearer

Raheir has an AoE Barrier ability that reduces incoming damage for himself and nearby players, while boosting Armor and defensive buffs through Resiliency. He is an ideal choice for players with more aggressive builds who need extra survivability.

Raheirs perk: Valiance - When you are damaged for at least 15% of your current Life at once, Raheir comes to your aid to negate the damage, Knock Down Close enemies for 1.5 seconds, and grant you Unstoppable for 0.5 seconds.

Raheir's two skill trees are the Shield Charge skill, and Ground Slam.

Subo The Bounty Hunter

Subo is a ranged bounty hunter who offers AoE support from a distance, and will mark targets that provide buffs when killed. Subo's playstyle is expected to sit between the support roles of Varyana and Aldkin, making him compatible with most builds.

Subo's perk: Seeker - Subo will call out an enemy target and mark them for 10 seconds. Killing this enemy before the mark expires grants 33.0% of your maximum resource and reduces the next mark's cooldown by 10 seconds.

Passive: Subo reveals nearby enemies, traps and materials.

Varyana The Berserker Crone

Varyana specializes in close-range combat and using a grip ability to pull enemies in closer. She uses a killstreak mechanic that increases in strength as she kills more enemies. Varyana is a well rounded choice for most playstyles, but particularly suits melee DPS builds.

Varyana's perk: Massacre - You and Varyana stack Massacre together on kills. Each stack grants you both 1%[+] Movement Speed, up to 100%[+]. Massacre resets after 7 seconds of not killing an enemy.

Aldkin The Forsaken Child

Aldkin is a Mercenary that casts Shadow or Fire damage depending on which skill tree you choose, he'll shapeshift between human and demon.

Aldkin's perk: Blasphemous Fate - Aldkin occasionally loses control of his curse, transforming into a ferocious demon for 22 seconds. This grants Aldkin powerful new abilities, but the unleashed evil curses you for its duration.

Curse of Darkness: You and nearby enemies become Vulnerable.

Curse of Flames: Your direct damage Burns enemies for 30% damage over 3 seconds, but you lose 10% of your Maximum Resource per second.

Aldkin's curse and demon form are determined by his Mercenary Core Skill.

What is the difference between a Mercenary and a  Reinforcement?

You can choose a Mercenary to Hire, and a Mercenary as a Reinforcement. The latter will be the only option available in multiplayer.

Reinforcements come to your aid at key moments in combat, you select the skill you want and the Opportunity that triggers it.

Opportunities arise from various situations, such as the player using a specific skill or becoming Crowd Controlled. This adds another layer of depth to playstyle customization, enabling players to prioritize different abilities or gear choices depending on their Primary and Secondary Mercenaries.

Mercenary Rapport System

Building Rapport with your Mercenary will also unlock rewards similar to the Reputation UI you will be familiar with from the Season reputation quests. The more you use your Mercenary, the more Rapport you will build and you will gain access to more rewards. Reinforcements earn Rapport at a 50% rate.

Pale Marks and Bartering

You'll also earn a new currency using your Mercenaries, called 'Pale Marks.' You can then use these at a merchant called Faiyra within the hideout to trade. Faiyra will be unlocked as you progress your Mercenary story quests.

Unlock Bartering Upgrades by gaining Rapport with your Mercenaries. You can reroll the store once per day for free, and further rerolls will require Pale Marks.

This guide is a work in progress that will be amended with suggestions for optimal Mercenary builds as we play more of the Vessel of Hatred expansion and Season 6 content.

Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred | was $39.99 now $35.49 at CD Keys (XBOX)

Pricing for the new expansion starts from $39.99 MSRP, with the Deluxe and Ultimate coming with some extra cosmetics. If you don't care about cosmetics, grab the cheapest edition for all the new content and you'll still get a new Snow Leopard pet. The Deluxe Edition gets you a War-Cat mount, Premium Battle Pass token and Spiritborn Armor Set, as well as another Wolf pet. The Ultimate Edition comes with all of the above plus 3000 Platinum to spend in the Diablo store, Angel and Demon Wings, a THIRD cat pet, armor sets for all classes, and the Nahantu Town Portal.

Deluxe Edition | was $59.99 now $53.29
Ultimate Edition | was $89.99 now $79.09