Manic Pixie Dreamgirl: An Alternative Endgame Hireling
Greiz, the Lut Golein Mercenary boss must be the wealthiest NPC in all of Diablo, because just about every hero across the realms keeps on paying him vast sums of Gold to constantly hire/resurrect his mercs.
They are very good mercs to be fair, straight up indispensible to certain builds, but they're not exactly exciting.
This here thread serves to showcase an alternative type of hireling certain builds may wish to try out for both fun and profit, which I dub: the Manic Pixie Dreamgirl.
What is it?
The Manic Pixie Dreamgirl hireling (MPD for short) is an Act I rogue built around the Delirium Runeword, which usually only ever sees play amongst Druids.
Delirium comes with an 11% chances to cast level 18 Confuse (i.e. 15.3 ft radius) on striking, and the MPD's primary point is to proc this curse frequently for truly marvelous battlefield control with all the enemies on screen turning on each other, making them sitting ducks.
Compared to the standard Act II merc, it is a completely different play experience to have an MPD back you up, where it actually feels like the Hireling is adding something to the proceedings, rather than just making some of your own numbers bigger.
Also, when she turns into a Bone Fetish MPD actually keeps on firing Arrows and it's funny as hell to watch.
What do I need to get an MPD?
First and foremost, you need a Delirium ( Lem Ist Io) helmet, which is equipable as early as level 51, assuming the base is a 3os Diadem (i.e. no str req).
If not going for a Diadem, the Demonhead has the lowest Str requirement at 102 ( Bone Visage is the only viable alternative at 106).
To support the Delirium core mechanic, 2 things are needed on the MPD: Improved Attack Speed and Life Leech.
Breath of the Dying ( Vex Hel El Eld Zod Eth) comes with both a whooping 60% IAS and 12-15% LL, along with a litany of other great mods (30 all attributes, prevent heal, 300-400 ED, etc.)
One pricier alternative would be Ice ( Amn Shael Jah Lo), which only has 20% IAS and 7% LL, but comes with a level 18 (read, 20 with Delirium) Holy Freeze aura as well as some other goodies.
BotD will neccessitate a Crusader Bow or Hydra Bow base, whilst Ice can be made in the faster Great Bow or Blade Bow, potentially letting you hit a higher IAS breakpoint in total, which may balance out the lower LL.
For the chest slot, the ever popular Archon Plate Treachery ( Shael Thul Lem) is a very solid choice here with it's 45% IAS, 20% FHR, and of course it's Fade (and Venom) proc that combines beautifully with Delrium's procs.
With a BotD in a Crusader Bow, this will get you to the 10 frame breakpoint, whilst with Ice in Great Bow it gets you down to 9 Frames.
The pricier altnerative here would be a Chains of Honor ( Dol Um Ber Ist), covering resistances and granting another 8% LL and 8% DR, but no IAS (i.e. 11 frames on Ice, and BotD).
Edit: As a super-budget option, Edge ( Tir Tal Amn ) reaches the 9 fps breakpoint with Treachery, but only has about a third or fifth the DPS/surviveability of the main two options, which combined with the bad scaling on Thorns relegates it to being viable in Nightmare only.
As a sample, here is the stats on a level 92 Act 1 Normal Rogue with BotD and Treachery.
Whilst I've found the odd reference to putting Delirium on a rogue, there doesn't seem to be a comprehensive guide on this best I can find.
Also, don't call me Shirley.
Does MPD work for my build?
MPD works for any character that doesn't already rely on curses (i.e. some Necros) or absolutely need their Act II Merc to provide them with Meditation or Conviction aura (i.e. some Sorcs).
She pairs beautifully with most Paladins, especially Zealots but also Hammerdins, Trapsins and most physical damage dealers.
How is MPD's surviability?
Actually better than most Act II mercs best I can tell, especially when given a BO boost to health.
Unlike Act II Mercs, MPDs will actually aim to not walk into deathtraps first chance they get, and at the 10 FPS breakpoint (i.e. 2.5 attacks per second), she'll proc her11% chance Confusion in less than 5 seconds once she starts firing, and even then her defensive procs tend to take care of her attackers rather efficiently (also its a plus when Fade procs ofc).
Based on my own tests, MPD can handle Hell Cows, Baal Runs, Pindle Runs and most other common farming routes without issue, with the exception being Travincal. The combo of Hydra and Curses wreck MPD same as any merc, maybe worse.
Does MPD shine anywhere?
1. Nihlatak runs: Over the course of 100 runs, MPD died exactly once from accidentally teleporting in right on top of a CE whilst cursed. On all other runs, she never needed healing and actually helped greatly by regularly procing Confusion on cursed rooms full of of Vipers and Chargers that would otherwise have been a headache to deal with.
2. Mini Ubers: With MPD, the Furnace of Pain was even easier than usual, and while the mobs in Matron's Den usually murdered my Act II merc frequently and were a headache to Hammer to Death, MPD's presence made getting to Uber Andariel trivial whist she never got close to dying. Certainly won't be red-portaling without an MPD ever again.
3. Uber Tristram: MPD largely trivialises the nuisance that is the mobs spawned by the big 3. She's not remotely as untouchable here as she is in the lesser uber dungeons, but that bit of breathing room to hit a Life Tap and start Smiting away really makes the whole ride a lot smoother.
Okay, this sounds pretty sweet, but I'm not sure it's for me
Using the afforable options, you can make your own MPD for the price of a Vex, Zod, Ist, 2 Lems and some change for the other runes and bases. So like 10 Ists and change total.
Give it a try and watch in amazement as your Manic Pixie Dream girl completely changes your play experience.
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