Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred Mercenaries: How to unlock, best pairings & more

Mercenaries are new to Diablo 4 in Vessel of Hatred. Here’s how to unlock them, a breakdown of each character, and which one works well with what character class.

Returning from Diablo 2 and 3, Mercenaries have finally been added to Diablo 4 after being absent from the base game. Not only do Mercenaries provide you with an NPC companion for your character to banter with, like in Diablo 3, but they’re also an AI ally in combat and can become an integral part of your build.

For example, if you’re a melee-focused Barbarian, having a Mercenary sling some elemental spells at your foes from a distance can be a superb support system in battle. Or, if you’re playing as a glass cannon, having a powerful tank engaging enemies while you blast mobs from afar can also be an effective strategy.

How to unlock Mercenaries in Vessel of Hatred

Mercenaries are unlocked simply by following the main Vessel of Hatred story quests until you’re sent to speak to Raheir in Gea Kul during the A Magpie in Flight quest. He’ll eventually guide you to the Den where the rest of the Pale Hand group hang out.

From this hideout, you can chat to the various Mercenaries, unlock more of them, and earn rewards through a new currency system. You’ll be able to recuit one main Mercenary and another as a reinforcement.

If you’re playing multiplayer, you’ll only be able to use the reinforcement Mercenary, but if you’re playing single player you’ll essentially be able to use two Mercs. One as a follower, the other as backup. You unlock each Merc by completing their personal side quest, so it’s worth unlocking at least two when you arrive at the Den.

Every Mercenary in Vessel of Hatred

Here’s a breakdown of every Mercenary added to the game in the DLC, and everything you need to know about them:

Raheir

Raheir is a powerful tank and is a defensive character, using his massive shield to soak up enemy attacks and then hit back with powerful blows. Many of his skills are similar to that of the Barbarian class, so partnering up with other melee classes could make for a powerful duo.

However, we found the true value of Raheir was when he was partnered up with weaker classes like the Sorcerer, Rogue, or Necromancer. Not only does Raheir serve as a literal shield against attacks, he can keep enemies busy while you fire spells, arrows, and anything else into the fray.

Raheir is the first Merc you unlock and is a credit to any build, however, the other Mercenaries have more specialist skills. Pairing him with Alkin was an effective combination of powers.

Aldkin

Aldkin is a demonic/human hybrid and uses his demonic abilities to protect other humans. He makes use of fire and shadow magic and mostly assaults enemies from a distance with a range of projectiles and AOE attacks.

While Aldkin can certainly help make any class more dangerous, he’s most valuable to melee focused classes like the Barbarian where he can provide ranged and elemental support to a class that lacks these two things.

Essentially, the player can run into battle while Aldkin supports from a distance, exploiting enemy weaknesses that most physical attacks tend to ignore.

Subo

Subo is a crossbow-wielding Rogue who is reminiscent of Diablo 3’s Demon Hunter or that game’s Lyndon the Scoundrel Mercenary. He also throws explosive jars that inflict some nice AOE damage to mobs of demons.

Unlike Aldkin, who is designed to add some elemental attacks to the player’s arsenal, the main purpose of Subo is to provide more generalized support from a distance. This too is helpful to those playing as melee heavy classes, but it’s also very effective for those running minion builds. We also found him especially helpful when playing as the Spiritborn.

You see, enemies will tend to engage the player’s minions first, with them serving as a distraction while Subo fires volleys into mobs and pelts them with exploding jars. We also found pairing Subo with the Rogue to be fun, as it effectively doubled our offensive capabilities.

Varyana

Varyana is a Barbarian class Mercenary who’s a close-combat specialist and the most powerful Merc in melee combat. Unlike Raheir who battles defensively, Varyana is all about offense, specializing in crowd control.

She also becomes more powerful as her kill streak grows. Players who like to hang back and cast spells, chaining their attacks will get the most use out of Varyana. We’d not recommend her to players who like to rush into combat and chop up all the demons themselves though, as Varyana has this covered.

We found her most helpful when playing as the Sorcerer, Rogue, and Necromancer, but she was also a fun addition to our Druid and Spiritborn characters. Pairing her with Subo was especially wild.

How do Mercenaries work in Diablo 4?

Mercenaries work differently in Diablo 4 to how they did in Diablo 2 and 3. Unlike in earlier games, you’re unable to equip them with gear. However, Diablo 4 still lets you level them and expands this mechanic, giving each Merc their own skill tree where they have primary and passive abilities.

As you level your Mercs you’ll unlock more skills and once you’ve maxed them out, you’ll be able to share this progress with all your other Seasonal and Eternal characters. This means that you’ll be able to pair different Mercs with different characters, and everyone will benefit from the time you’ve spent leveling them.

You also don’t need to worry about the well-being of your Mercs like you did in Diablo 2. Rather than needing to be replaced or resurrected at great cost, Mercenaries in Diablo 4 simply respawn and go right back to slaying demons. Those who dislike using followers are also under no pressure to use them, as Mercenaries are entirely optional.

Hired Mercenary

You’ll be able to bring two Mercs with you if you play the game solo, one as your follower and another as reinforcement. Hiring a Merc will see them follow you, occasionally comment on things, and give you access to their full skillset.

Essentially, they’ll be your constant companion until you dismiss them and will become an important part of your build and overall strategy. You can also switch them with other Mercs you’ve unlocked if you return to the Den.

Reinforcement Mercenary

Your reinforcement Merc works a little differently. They’ll need to be assigned to a certain skill you use, and once their cooldown is over and you use that skill, they’ll briefly enter the battlefield and use one of their abilities before vanishing again. This means you can control how often they appear, and the strength is comparable to their cooldown.

For example, you may choose to bring Subo as your follower but with Aldkin as your reinforcement. If you decide to attach Aldkin to your Ultimate attack, every time you use it he’ll appear and cast a spell against your enemies. Both skills will then enter cooldown before they can be used again.

Or you could decide to attach him to your regular attack skill, summoning him more frequently. For this to work, you’d be wise to use one of his skills with a minimal cooldown, that way you can summon him every few seconds. Just know that the more powerful abilities have longer cooldowns.

To learn more about the new mechanics in Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred, check out our guides on the Kurast Undercity, the Dark Citadel, and the new Realmwalker events of Season 6.