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The Armory
Diablo II Strategy and Tactics
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NiteFox
Member since 8-Jan-03
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11-Feb-03, 10:19 AM (GMT) |
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"Old merc for new?"
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Just hit Act 3 NM, and now I happen to be perusing Ashaera's stock of fearless men. I already have an Iron Wolf merc, a cold sorc now clvl 47. The range of mercs on sale at Ashaera's is currently 36-41. Now, are there any added benefits to trading in my Normal merc for a NM merc, or will I just be taking a massive clvl hit? I'm currently looking through the stat sheets of cold mercs on Diabloii.net, and it actually seems that NM mercs are weaker than Normal mercs of the same level. Are there any benefits to hiring a higher diff merc?  "Kitsune Densetsu"
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Baajikiil
Member since 13-Jan-03
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11-Feb-03, 04:04 PM (GMT) |
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1. "RE: Old merc for new?"
In response to message #0
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>>I'm currently looking through the stat sheets of cold mercs
>on Diabloii.net, and it actually seems that NM mercs are
>weaker than Normal mercs of the same level. Are
>there any benefits to hiring a higher diff merc? The only benefit that I have heard of, is the different auras on act2 mercs. Another benefit is that if your merc has fallen behind your own lvl, you may be able to hire another one closer to your lvl. Of course, that does not apply to you. I have read that there are slight differences in merc stats depending on what diff you hire them in, and that normal is the best to get them in. (the difference is not that huge though) |
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_DOK
Member since 13-Jan-03
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11-Feb-03, 05:05 PM (GMT) |
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3. "RE: Old merc for new?"
In response to message #2
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LAST EDITED ON 11-Feb-03 AT 05:07 PM (GMT)
EDIT: damn used the wrong PC at work. I used my friend's(_DOK) this is Baajikiil responding.>And am I right in thinking that Hell mercs also come in
>fast-cast flavors? If so, then I'll probably hold off until
>then. I've never heard that hell act3 mercs get a faster casting rate than the regular ones, but I can't say no for certain. I think it's fairly unlikely though; I think I would have heard of it. I'm pretty sure that other than a few stat and perhaps minor skill lvl differences, the act3 mercs are all the same regardless of difficulty. Anyone know for sure? |
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Baajikiil
Member since 13-Jan-03
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11-Feb-03, 06:44 PM (GMT) |
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6. "RE: Correct"
In response to message #5
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>Yep. That's right. Resists are less of a problem As I understand it, mercs resists will be 2% lower if hired in NM, and another 2% lower if highed in hell. I read this on Spirea's, so it might be out of date though. >I gather that this shot was taken back in the
>heady days of 1.03, so I'm wondering if Fast Cast mercs are
>still in the game.
>
>Probably not. *Sigh* Yeah, this shot was from pre LOD, where mercs were more of an oddity than the fixture they are now. AFAIK, all act3 mercs cast at same rate. |
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Chameleon
Member since 9-Jan-03
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11-Feb-03, 06:46 PM (GMT) |
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7. "RE: Old merc for new?"
In response to message #0
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>Just hit Act 3 NM, and now I happen to be perusing Ashaera's
>stock of fearless men.
>
>I already have an Iron Wolf merc, a cold sorc now clvl 47.
>The range of mercs on sale at Ashaera's is currently 36-41.
>
>Now, are there any added benefits to trading in my Normal
>merc for a NM merc, or will I just be taking a massive clvl
>hit?
>
>I'm currently looking through the stat sheets of cold mercs
>on Diabloii.net, and it actually seems that NM mercs are
>weaker than Normal mercs of the same level. Are
>there any benefits to hiring a higher diff merc? I just love mercs, so spend a bunch of time looking into them.
* The lower the diff you hire in, the stronger the merc will be (ie. Normal mercs are the best).
http://www.lurkerlounge.com/spirea/Hirelings/Stats.shtml As for the choice of a Cold Iron Wolf, well, lets just say that I personally would never use one.
If your char needs more damage, Nightmare A2 Offensive (Might Merc).
If your char needs a PI killer, Normal A1 FireArrow with +3 skills (Amazon or All Skills).
If your char needs a defense boost, Normal A2 Defensive (Defiance Merc).
If your char needs to prevent swarming, Nightmare A2 Defensive (Holy Freeze).
If your char needs a meat shield, Normal A5.
If you want Thorns, Nightmare A2 Combat. http://www.forgottenorder.orgChameleon, The Lost Thief
*Pads away into the darkness*
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NiteFox
Member since 8-Jan-03
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11-Feb-03, 07:14 PM (GMT) |
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8. "RE: Old merc for new?"
In response to message #7
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As for the choice of a Cold Iron Wolf, well, lets just say that I personally would never use one.
If your char needs more damage, Nightmare A2 Offensive (Might Merc).
If your char needs a PI killer, Normal A1 FireArrow with +3 skills (Amazon or All Skills).
If your char needs a defense boost, Normal A2 Defensive (Defiance Merc).
If your char needs to prevent swarming, Nightmare A2 Defensive (Holy Freeze).
If your char needs a meat shield, Normal A5.
If you want Thorns, Nightmare A2 Combat.Funnily enough, I don't want any of those. I just want something that will slow down the advancing hoards (Except cold immunes) and also leave no corpses behind. I like Cold mercs, they do the job just fine. Besides, what self-respecting Werewolf Druid needs a meat shield?  They are the meat shield. I'd like a merc that would stand behind me and hurl snowballs over my head, but alas if only the AI were up to it most times... "Kitsune Densetsu"
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