Diablo 4‘s first expansion is set to launch this October. The Vessel of Hatred will take players to the jungles of Nahantu, a brand-new region for the hit action RPG. Players will have access to a new class called the Spiritborn, giving the game a character class that uses animal aspects to deal massive damage to the minions of Hell. Even if you don’t want to start a new character in Diablo 4, the new expansion will give you a new skill tree to play with via the addition of Mercenaries. At Gamescom, developer Blizzard Entertainment has pulled back the curtain on the Pale Hand Mercenaries, letting fans see an in-depth look at how they’ll work.
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Four different Mercenaries are coming with the Vessel of Hatred. Rahier the Shieldbearer has been trained by the Iron Wolves. Veteran fans of the series will remember when the group was introduced in Diablo 2 by their former leader Asheara. They’ve been involved in every game since then, but Rahier represents their return to mercenary work for players. Varyanan the Berserker Crone is more damage-focused compared to Rahier’s protective abilities. She has her own Massacre meter which makes her even more dangerous as she racks up her kill count.
Aldkin is a half-human, half-demon who uses magic and can shapeshift into a full Demon to attack your enemies. Finally, Subo the Drunker Archer sits back from combat and pings enemies with arrows. You can also use his marking skills to earn yourself extra boons for taking out the monsters he’s marked. Mercenaries are unlocked through the main questline in Vessel of Hatred. You’ll be able to switch between them, but unused mercs can still assist you in combat through the Reinforcement mechanic. Using this, you can activate your mercenaries when different combat effects take place.
As you play with each mercenary, you’ll build Rapport with them. Once you reach enough Rapport, you’ll be able to upgrade their skill tree. Each merc has 10 levels for you to work through, and continuing to level them past Level 10 will earn you Pale Marks. Those can be spent in the Mercenary Den to purchase new gear for your character.
Diablo 4 is available now on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC platforms. The Vessel of Hatred expansion launches on October 8th, which will coincide with the start of Season 6.
