Merc Gear advice

Currently have a level 72 Sand merc with freeze aura. His weapon is a

Bonehew with 2

Amn runes in it. The question is, am I better off sticking with this or the 4 open socketed colossus volgue I have? If I go with the volgue, what runeword do I put in there? I don't have any high runes (

Lem being my highest)so should I wait? Should I trade the volgue for better items/runes? He currently is using griswald's armor and

Helm.

Any advice is appreciated!

Depends on your build a lot - Insight is great if you utilize mana a lot. You can also afford reaper's toll which is quite decent (may be purchased for

Lem atm)

Duriel's Shell,

Tal Rasha's Horadric Crest /

Guillaume's Face are all very affordable.

On my merc, I'm using

Griswold's Heart socketed with +strength jewels so that he can use my

Eth CV Obedience (edit: I mean Insight, got my RWs mixed up again...)

Also, a good runeword option for armor is Treachery.

Lastly, a decent super-budget

Helm option that I found out works quite nicely is

Duskdeep, especially if you up it to exceptional. Until any of these options are on your table, just equip whatever best rares you can find, but finding a 4os polearm to give him Insight should not be any problem at all.

Happy Hunting!

To counter mana issues the runeword Insight is a good midgame weapon for your

Colossus Voulge.

Budget load:

Bonehew

Leviathan

Tal Rasha's Horadric Crest

Endgame for starters:
Obedience
Treachery

Crown of Thieves

Good endgame setup:
Infinity /

The Reaper's Toll /

Tomb Reaver
Fortitude / Chains of Honor / Treachery

Andariel's Visage

The last setup depends on personal preferences.

The weapon depends on your class. The breakpoints for your hirelings attack speed are important. Ethereal items are better than normal ones.

Good luck and "May RNGesus smile upon you!"

StandinSoe wrote: 3 years ago

Depends on your build a lot - Insight is great if you utilize mana a lot. You can also afford reaper's toll which is quite decent (may be purchased for

Lem atm)

What word do you suggest if I don't use mana? I'm a straight summoner with bear and synergies maxed

halflife wrote: 3 years ago

Duriel's Shell,

Tal Rasha's Horadric Crest /

Guillaume's Face are all very affordable.

On my merc, I'm using

Griswold's Heart socketed with +strength jewels so that he can use my

Eth CV Obedience.

Also, a good runeword option for armor is Treachery.

Lastly, a decent super-budget

Helm option that I found out works quite nicely is

Duskdeep, especially if you up it to exceptional. Until any of these options are on your table, just equip whatever best rares you can find, but finding a 4os polearm to give him Insight should not be any problem at all.

Happy Hunting!

Thanks! Right now I'm using

Griswold's Heart and

Griswold's Valor. I have

Duriel's Shell and

Guillaume's Face. Once I get leveled enough where the shell has more defense than heart, I'll switch them. I want Infinity in my Colossus Volgue, but that's a while away.

Numarun wrote: 3 years ago

To counter mana issues the runeword Insight is a good midgame weapon for your

Colossus Voulge.

Budget load:

Bonehew

Leviathan

Tal Rasha's Horadric Crest

Endgame for starters:
Obedience
Treachery

Crown of Thieves

Good endgame setup:
Infinity /

The Reaper's Toll /

Tomb Reaver
Fortitude / Chains of Honor / Treachery

Andariel's Visage

The last setup depends on personal preferences.

The weapon depends on your class. The breakpoints for your hirelings attack speed are important. Ethereal items are better than normal ones.

Good luck and "May RNGesus smile upon you!"

Am I better of with Reaper's Toll than

Bonehew at the moment? I have the volgue for Infinity, and that's what I'm working towards, but that's forever away to get two

Ber

hav0c_2 wrote: 3 years ago

Am I better of with Reaper's Toll than

Bonehew at the moment? I have the volgue for Infinity, and that's what I'm working towards, but that's forever away to get two

Ber

The Reaper's Toll is for physical damage dealers. Infinity is for elemental damage dealers. It depends on your class and play style. More information is needed. A druid is listed in your profil.

A base for Infinity should be something that you will keep for a very long time: Ethereal

Great Poleaxe or Ethereal (Giant)

Thresher with 15% ED. You don't want to craft an expensive runeword in a

Colossus Voulge.

Numarun wrote: 3 years ago

hav0c_2 wrote: 3 years ago

Am I better of with Reaper's Toll than

Bonehew at the moment? I have the volgue for Infinity, and that's what I'm working towards, but that's forever away to get two

Ber

The Reaper's Toll is for physical damage dealers. Infinity is for elemental damage dealers. It depends on your class and play style. More information is needed. A druid is listed in your profil.

A base for Infinity should be something that you will keep for a very long time: Ethereal

Great Poleaxe or Ethereal (Giant)

Thresher with 15% ED. You don't want to craft an expensive runeword in a

Colossus Voulge.

Thanks! I'm straight damage dealing, so I'll look for a reaper's toll. The ethereal CV not worth the big runes? Am I better off getting rid of it then, or put Insight into it? Mana isn't an issue

hav0c_2 wrote: 3 years ago

Thanks! I'm straight damage dealing, so I'll look for a reaper's toll. The ethereal CV not worth the big runes? Am I better off getting rid of it then, or put Insight into it? Mana isn't an issue

I like the good old

Colossus Voulge, but due to its slow attack speed, there is less chance of getting an effect like the Crushing Blow within a certain time frame. In addition, its Strength requirements are very high. (see "ayrie"'s comment in

Colossus Voulge)

I wouldn't use it for endgame gear. It's my personal opinion.

And my a2 mercs (sand) all benefited heavily from the Treachery runewords. 45% increased attack speed and

Fade are just massive for this "budget" armor.
Find in addition a

Tal Rasha helmet, people give these away for free partially. It is a 10% life leach.
You can also look out for a

Vampire Gaze alternatively.

What your merc usually looks for:
Speed increase ( Treachery)
Damage reduction (

Vampire Gaze)
Life leaching (various as mentioned)

Don't bother too much with an armor for him. If you have access to hell games, stroll around cow runs and look for 3 open socket armors.