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THE HIRELING RESUM� MANUAL v1.1
By Blade (BladeY2J@hotmail.com) 15th March 2002
Diablo II LOD Expansion v1.09D
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                             Ï INDEX Ï
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 Introduction
 Why?
 Basics
----\ Useless Items and Mods
----\ Potions and Healing
----\ Experience Points
----\ Leveling
----\ Magic Finding
----\ Hireing and Resurrecting
----\ Hireling Death
 Combat
----\ Hireling vs. Hireling
----\ Hireling vs. Player
----\ Hireling vs. Bosses
 Hireling Classes
----\ Act One: Rogues Scouts
----\ Act Two: Desert Mercenaries
----\ Act Three: Ironwolves
----\ Act Five: Barbarians
 Which one should I use?
 Version History
 Credits
 Copyright Information



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Ï INTRODUCTION Ï
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- Since the Expansion Pack it gotten alot harder in Nightmare and Hell difficulty, so difficult that sometimes you need to party with other players to complete certain quests depending on your character class. However with a well eqiupped hireling you can increase your effectiveness quite easily. So, why shouldn't you have a hireling? Besides do you really use all that gold you have in your stash?



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                             Ï WHY? Ï
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- Most people don't realise the value of having a hireling around and those that do, don't know the precise details of getting the hireling you want.
Or even how to use and equip them properly. Hopefully after reading this every player will acquire a hireling and take advantage of the extra help.




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                            Ï BASICS Ï
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- Useless Items and Mods
All hirelings have an unlimited supply of mana so anything that adds to mana, Energy or mana steal will have no effect upon your hireling. Items that add to Vitality will also have no effect on your hireling. However +life items can be used.

- Potions and Healing
Hirelings regenerate life naturally, however in the heat of battle it may become necessary to give your hireling a potion to rebuild his health. You can give both Healing and Rejuvenation potions to your hirelings.

The Prayer Aura as well as Holy Bolts can heal your hirelings.

- Experience Points
Think of it as being in a party with your hireling at all times. You both gain experience from your respective kills as well as any kills from other party members. As with yourself hirelings will not gain experience well from killing monsters higher than their level so if your hireling dies always try to resurrect him as soon as possible. You DO NOT lose experience when using a hireling, none, zero, zip, zilch... got it?

- Leveling
Hirelings cannot surpass you in their level. The only way this can be possible is if you manage to buy a hireling that is higher than your current level. Your hireling will not gain any experience until you pass their level after which they will level up within a few kills. The highest level your hireling can attain is 98.

- Magic Finding
On Magic Find runs, if the hireling makes the final kill, both your total
Magic Find and the Magic Find of the hireling will be combined and applied.

- Death
Hirelings die when their hit points reach zero. It's important to note that
Hirelings can die from poison unlike yourself. Don't heisitate to cast a TP if you've been hit with a stif dose of poison.

- Hiring and Resurrecting
You can resurrect a dead hireling at any mercenary captain or at Tyreal.
However you cannot buy any hirelings from Tyreal. According to good ol'
Blizzard, "There are none that would brave the horrors of Act IV for merely gold" but you can take your existing hireling along with you.

Act One:    Kashya
Act Two:    Greiz
Act Three:  Asheara
Act Four:   Tyreal (Resurrects only)
Act Five:   Qual-Kehk



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                             Ï COMBAT Ï
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- Hireling vs. Hireling
The Player vs Player penalty is 1/2 for Hirelings attacking other Hirelings.

- Hireling PvP
The Player vs Player penalty for players or Hirelings attacking other players is 1/4.

- Hireling vs Bosses
Hireling damage is 50% against Bosses in Normal, 40% in Nightmare, and 25% in Hell difficulties.



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Ï HIRELING CLASSES Ï
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 ACT ONE: Rogues Scouts 
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- Level Ups: At each level Rogue Scouts will gain
+ 1 Strength
+ 2 Dexterity
+ 6.5 Defence
+ 8 Life
+ 1.5 to all Resistances

- A.I.: Rogues seem to be the most intelligent of all the hirelings in that she tends to move away from danger and finds a safe place before firing off her arrows again.

- Skills: Rogues specialize in either Fire or Ice arrows. Ice is generally prefered over Fire. If equiped with items that give +3 to All/Amazon skills she will be able to do a short ranged 'Lightning Hose' attack which is quite powerful. Rogues also make use of Inner Sight which illuminates enemies in the surrounding area and weakens their defence.

- Equipment: Rogue Scouts are ranged attackers who make use of bows, but not crossbows. They may also equip a helm and armor but no "Amazon Only" equipment.

- Recommended Equipment:

BASIC (Affordable and effective)
Cliffkiller Bow
Tal Rasha's Mask
Spirit Shroud

ADVANCED (Expensive but optimal)
Windforce Bow socketed with a Shale Rune
+2 Valkryie Wing Helm socketed with a 40%ED/15%IAS Jewel
Skin of the Vipermagi socketed with a 40%ED/15%IAS Jewel.



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 ACT TWO: Desert Mercenaries 
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Why can you only get Mercs with the good Auras in Nightmare? Well Blizzard decided that if you want a powerful aura you should be willing to level up your merc yourself instead of buying a high level one in Hell. Inversely it wouldn't be good to give you a powerful aura in Normal now would it?

- Level ups: At each level your Desert Mercenary will gain
+ 1.5 Strength
+ 1.5 Dexterity
+ 9.5 Defence
+ 10 Life
+ 1.5 to all Resistances

- A.I.: They appear to attack enemies and move on to the other one that is closest to you if you're being attacked from all sides. However being melee they don't run away from danger even when close to death. You should run away so that he follows you whenever you give him a potion to give the potion time to take effect.

- Skills: Desert Mercenaries use some Paladin Auras together with Jab as their attack skills. There have been rumors of them using Conversion as well but no solid evidence has been discovered as yet.

` Normal and Hell Auras: The ones that suck.
Combat - Prayer (Regenerates Life... slowly)
Offensive - Defiance (Increases Defence... bah)
Defensive - Blessed Aim (Increases Attack Rating... bleh)

` Nightmare Auras: The ones that rock!
Combat - Thorns (Reflects damage taken)
Offensive - Might (Increases damage done by your party)
Defensive - Holy Freeze (Slows and chills enemies, top choice by many)

- Equipment: Desert Mercenaries are Melee attackers who use Spears or
Polearm class weapons. They may also equip a Helm and Armor.

- Recommended Equipment:

UBER SLOW "Holy Freeze"                             + 30% - 54% slow
Blackhorns Mask                                     + 20%  slow
Kelpie Snare socketed with Amn Rune                 + 75%  slow
Duriel's Shell or Shaftstop
TOTAL  Minimum  = 125% slow

BASIC (Affordable and effective)
Hone Sundan Yari socketed with three Amn Runes
Tal Rasha's Mask
Duriel's Shell

ADVANCED (Expensive but optimal)
Cruel Colussus Voulge of Quickness socketed with two Anm Runes
Perfect Vampire Gaze Helm Socketed with Ber Rune
Shaftstop socketed with Ber Rune.



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 ACT THREE: Ironwolves 
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Ironwolves are not recommended past Nightmare. In Hell each monster is immune to an element so your mercenary can become totally useless in some situations.

- Level ups: At each level your Iron Wolf will gain
+ 1.5 Strength
+ 1.5 Dexterity
+ 4.5 Defence