How do I keep a Merc alive in NM (and beyond)?

phifi wrote: 3 years ago

I dont care if he dies during Boss encounters, but since hell difficulty it got something like a babysitter sim for everything but normal trash mobs

Yes thats standard Hell expeience. Can't be TOO easy or it wouldn't feel very hell-like.

Besides getting better gear for merc, you can try bugging your merc, it will make him impossible to target by melee attacks. However, keep in mind that monsters will target you instead, but if you are playing ranged build, you should be fine.

Here is quick video about merc bug

If anyone has the same problems as me:
I ended up equipping my merc with a Smoke armor as i do not have the other runes or items as suggested. It helped a ton with those +50 All res.

phifi wrote: 3 years ago

If anyone has the same problems as me:
I ended up equipping my merc with a Smoke armor as i do not have the other runes or items as suggested. It helped a ton with those +50 All res.

ah great point! smokes resistances are amazing. added smoke to my original response so others can see it at top.

Just wanted to confirm, Merc Bug still works in D2R. I was using it a few minutes ago. Night and day difference.

Krythic wrote: 3 years ago

Just wanted to confirm, Merc Bug still works in D2R. I was using it a few minutes ago. Night and day difference.

another great reminder! added this + Smoke to my New Players Guide #11 and my reply at top. Thanks guys.

Meanwhile i progressed a bit and upgraded the gear of my merc.

Now i have to make the decision between an Insight on

Colossus Voulge or

The Reaper's Toll.
What is better in term's of surviveability?

Other items he has right now are Andariels Visage and Duriels Shell. What would be the next usefull upgrades? Is Treachery better than

Duriel's Shell?

phifi wrote: 3 years ago

Meanwhile i progressed a bit and upgraded the gear of my merc.

Now i have to make the decision between an Insight on

Colossus Voulge or

The Reaper's Toll.
What is better in term's of surviveability?

Other items he has right now are Andariels Visage and Duriels Shell. What would be the next usefull upgrades? Is Treachery better than

Duriel's Shell?

recommend a NON

Colossus Voulge Insight, 210 str,

Eth Treachery in a sub 180 str base, and a

Tal

Mask with a

Shael for fhr
something like a 4os

Thresher or

Cryptic Axe or giant

Poleaxe from hell cows

Not a common strategy, but off hand

Wand with lifetap can keep him alive in bad situations. Of course, its a bit of a burden to switch cast but sometimes better than him dying.

Wolfie83 wrote: 3 years ago

recommend a NON

Colossus Voulge Insight, 210 str,

Eth Treachery in a sub 180 str base, and a

Tal

Mask with a

Shael for fhr
something like a 4os

Thresher or

Cryptic Axe or giant

Poleaxe from hell cows

thx for the tip but why not a

Colossus Voulge?
And does

Tal

Mask drop with Socket or do u use the

Larzuk quest for it?

phifi wrote: 3 years ago

Wolfie83 wrote: 3 years ago

recommend a NON

Colossus Voulge Insight, 210 str,

Eth Treachery in a sub 180 str base, and a

Tal

Mask with a

Shael for fhr
something like a 4os

Thresher or

Cryptic Axe or giant

Poleaxe from hell cows

thx for the tip but why not a

Colossus Voulge?
And does

Tal

Mask drop with Socket or do u use the

Larzuk quest for it?

Larzuk

Colossus Voulge is 210 strength req on merc, won't get that naturally until merc is level 99, you'll need a strength item to even use it,

Cryptic Axe is 165 str,

Eth CV at level 93 without strength items

Wolfie83 wrote: 3 years ago

Colossus Voulge is 210 strength req on merc, won't get that naturally until merc is level 99, you'll need a strength item to even use it,

Cryptic Axe is 165 str,

Eth CV at level 93 without strength items

this is a good reminder. I also just recently created a CV Insight for my merc and went "DOH, he can't use it" and rummaged through my stash and found a rare

Helm with +27 to str and problem solved

Late to the discussion, but just like ethereals aren't worn out by mercs, life drain doesn't apply to them. That's how I beat

Duriel in normal as a low level javazon, my merc poked him with Malice.

Lafarga wrote: 3 years ago

life drain doesn't apply to them

Really? i only thought their life regen cancelled out the small effect from Malice. Its annoying how only some things work for the merc and others don't. Like how Prevent Monster Heal doesnt work

super sad glitching the A2 merc got fixed in patch 2.3 . Emilio always dying so easy. RIP

Fire Wall nerf, Broken IAS frames reversed and Merc bug....

A very brutal combo I found is

Kira's Guardian and

Guardian Angel. Gives the Merc 90% all res, and if you socket those bad boys with Ums, your merc will very very rarely die even when facing hydras from Hell

Travincal (the Ums are there to counter the occasional convition aura that they may have).

Also, this combo + a reaper's toll is what I use as the merc that goes along with my smiter. The merc normally survives the entire ordeal with lifetap procted by my smytey, unless he receives some crazy Uber poison from

Lilith.

(notices that thread had been dead for a while, o well)