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The new Secrets of the Atlas expansion forPath of Exilehas launched with a new seasonal league: Mercenaries of Trathus. Wraeclast has seen a surge in rogue Mercenaries recently, most of which are equipped with some infamous gear. Defeat these Mercenaries in combat, and you’ll be able to claim their gear for your own.
More importantly, Mercenaries have introduced a companion system to Path of Exile, similar to Mercenaries in Diablo 2. You can bring these powerful NPCs with you across the campaign and endgame Atlas to offset your build’s weaknesses, add additional aura buffs, or simply buff your character’s loot quantity. Here is a complete guide to the new Mercenary system in Path of Exile’s Mercenaries of Trathus league.
What Are Mercenaries?
Mercenaries are optional boss fights that you’ll find during the Mercenaries of Trarthus league.Nearly every zone will spawn a Mercenary NPC that you may challenge to a duel.If successful, you’ll be able to claim any item on that Mercenary or hire them as a permanent companion. Think of them as Rogue Exiles you can hire to fight alongside you.
These Mercenaries follow you around in all content, including endgame maps and pinnacle boss fights. They act as an extension of your character, allowing you to offset weaknesses in your current build or act as a simple source of bonus loot—mercenaries count as half of a player for the purposes of co-op scaling. Virtually every player will want a Mercenary by their side. Fight enough of them, and you’ll even become somewhat of a legend in their clans, granting access to new endgame activities and rewards.
Encountering A Mercenary
Starting in Act 1,Mercenaries will appear as fixed encounters in virtually every zone. Keep an eye out for a crossed swords icon on your minimap. Speaking to the Mercenary will pause your game and display all of their current items—equipped weapons, armor, skills, and any currency items they have on hand. While inspecting their build, you have four options:
Unless you walk away from the encounter, you’ll be forced to duel with the Mercenary to receive a reward.Any item on the Mercenary may be selected as a reward before you start combat.If you pick their currency pouch, all of their currency will drop instead. This can be useful for target-farming certain slot upgradesthroughout the campaignand early mapping.
Hiring a Mercenary will make them a permanent companion, behaving just like a Specter or player summon. Mercenaries will fight by your side until their HP drops to zero, at which point they’ll retreat to town. Wounded Mercenaries may be healed for a small Gold fee.You may have up to three Mercenaries in your service at a time, but onlyonemay accompany you at a given moment. Your other two Mercenaries will be on call in your hideout, ready to be swapped at any time.
If you keep getting a Mercenary type that doesn’t benefit your build or playstyle, you may opt toexilethem instead. This willremove that Mercenary archetype from the encounter pool for the next ten zones.Archetypes refer to a Mercenary’s primary attribute(s), so you’re effectively blocking certain Mercenary builds from spawning.Only two archetypes may be blocked at a time.
Finally, if you realize that your character is too weak to best a Mercenary in combat, you may opt to walk away from the encounter altogether. Beware that walking awayandletting the instance end will cause your renown score to drop, a new league mechanic that determines Mercenary quality.
Mercenary Renown
Besting the Mercenaries in combat does more than spill their pockets. Whenever you defeat a Mercenary, your renown score increases. you may view your score by hovering over a Mercenary’s archetype icon on the top left of their UI.The higher your renown score is, the stronger Mercenaries you’ll encounter on your travels.Tougher Mercenaries will have stronger items with more modifiers, additional support gems linked to their skills, and a greater likelihood of spawning as an Infamous Mercenary.
Renown scales up to a maximum ofthree consecutive kills. Dying to a Mercenary or walking away from an encounter will lower your score by one.
Infamous Mercenaries
As you increase your renown and reach PoE’s mapping endgame, you’ll start to come acrossInfamous Mercenaries.These are a tier above your usual Mercs who are armed to the teeth.Infamous Mercenaries always spawn with at least one Unique item, and their Rare items are likely to spawn with an infamous modifier.Currently, the only way to get these infamous affixes is to fight Infamous Mercenaries.
If you check a Mercenary’s name, its archetype will be listed in its build panel. If it has the “Infamous” prefix in its name, it’s an Infamous Mercenary.Keep an eye on its skill and support gems as well.Some Infamous Mercenaries come with gilded gems that offer powerful effects you won’t find on other Mercenaries.
Hired Mercenaries
Every Mercenary you’ll find in Wraeclast will be classified underone of seven archetypes.The Merc’s main attribute(s) determine what archetype it’s in. For example, the Strength archetype tends to use slam-focused melee skills and warcries to decimate foes up close. In general,Mercenary archetypes mimic popular builds for each of the base classes.
Varies
Once you’ve hired a Mercenary,you can find them in your hideout or any hub town.Speaking to the Mercenary will let you view their current items and skills. If you’ve employed multiple Mercenaries, you can choose which one you want to bring with you. Your chosen Mercenary will stay by your side until they reach critical HP or you swap them for another character.
Mercenary Death
If a Mercenary dies, they will return to town instead. Healing them costs a small Gold free. Mercenaries donotlose items when they die.
While inspecting your Mercenaries, you’ll also be able to adjust their inventory.You can replace any items on your Mercenary with gear of your own.Once you’ve given a Mercenary an item, that slot’s original item will be lost. Bear in mind thatyou cannot take items that originally belonged to the Mercenary.Stripping Mercenaries of their goods is bad manners.
It’s worth noting thata Mercenary’s skillset, support gems, and levels are static.If you’re looking for better skills or a higher character level, you’ll need to scour Wraeclast for a better Mercenary.
