Mercenaries use Merc-specific versions of some skills which are balanced separately from their counterparts.Warcries: Whirlwind, Battle Cry, & Battle Orders instead of Bash & Stun.Act 5 mercenaries (Barbarians) now use the following skills:.Lightning: Static Field instead of Charged Bolt.Cold: Blizzard instead of Glacial Spike & Frozen Armor.Act 3 mercenaries (Iron Wolves) now have passive mastery skills which grant elemental bonuses and Life after each Kill, and they use the following skills:.Magic: Magic Arrow, Strafe, & Slow Movement instead of Fire Arrow/ Cold Arrow & Inner Sight.Cold: Freezing Arrow instead of Inner Sight.Fire: Exploding Arrow instead of Inner Sight.Act 1 mercenaries (Rogue Scouts) now use the following skills:.Warcries: No Aura (uses Battle Orders) |.Dark: No Aura (uses Merc Amplify Damage) |.Holy Freeze (was available from Nightmare).Prayer (was available from Normal/Hell).Desert Guards no longer have different auras when hired from different difficulties - these auras are no longer available from Act 2 mercenaries:.Mercenaries from each act now have auras, rather than just Act 2 mercenaries.Skills have minimum level requirements, so mercenaries won't be able to use some skills at lower levels.Mercenaries have 'hard points' in their skills, so will gain effects from them that are limited to hard levels.When Desert Guards or Barbarian mercenaries use 1-handed weapons, their weapon damage is doubled - this makes 1-handed and 2-handed weapons more comparable.Mercenaries can get set bonuses when equipping multiple set items.Ethereal items do not lose durability when mercenaries use them.Old mercenaries drop their equipped items when a new one is hired.

Act 5 mercenaries (Barbarians) can equip swords, axes, tipped maces/hammers (all maces except clubs), & Barbarian helms.Act 4 mercenaries (Ascendants) can equip staves.Act 3 mercenaries (Iron Wolves) can equip shields, Paladin shields, 1-handed swords, wands, scepters, tipped maces (not clubs/hammers), knives (daggers/throwing knives), & Sorceress orbs.Act 2 mercenaries (Desert Guards) can equip polearms, spears, & javelins.Act 1 mercenaries (Rogue Scouts) can equip bows (including Amazon bows), crossbows, & quivers.All mercenaries can equip helms, chests, gloves, boots, & belts.

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