Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred Guide – How to Recruit all Mercenaries

Mercenaries finally make their appearance in Diablo IV, with the Vessel of Hatred DLC. These battle brothers (and sister) will faithfully serve alongside your character and have a skill tree all their own. They may also be called upon in a purely reinforcement capacity, instead of accompanying your character at all times.

This Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred guide outlines how to unlock access to all four currently available mercenaries.

Raheir

This blacksmith turned mercenary is essentially the tank, equipped as he is with a tower shield. Raheir can be relied upon to adequately defend and heal both himself and you, while your character engages in either close combat or ranged strikes.

Raheir can be unlocked by completing “The Hand Remembers the Blade” during the course of the main quest. Interact with him post-completion and he will become available to recruit at The Den.

Varyana

A close-combat mercenary equivalent to a Barbarian, Varyana is ideally teamed with ranged characters to complement their offensive capabilities. Melee characters can also benefit from the pairing, via boosts to Attack Speed and damage dealt.

Varyana can be unlocked by completing the “Slayer’s Retribution” quest acquired via the Brutal Note pinned to a bloody stake in The Den.

Aldkin

Half-demon mage with a bevy of area-of-effect spells to call upon, Aldkin works best as support for close-combat characters who can defend him from attackers, while he handles crowd control with status effects like Vulnerable and Daze.

Aldkin can be unlocked by completing the “A Nameless Mystery” quest acquired via the Archive of Kuo Chosah found in The Den.

Subo

An archer with a variety of ranged area-of-effect attacks, mostly explosive, to rely upon. Subo is an effective support for melee characters holding the frontline in combat, while he manages crowd control with an array of status effects.

Subo can be unlocked by completing the “A Feather on the Scale” quest acquired via the Muddy Letter lying under a mercenary helm in The Den.

Hiring Mercenaries And Enlisting Reinforcements

Only one mercenary can be hired as an active companion at any given time. However, as soon as a second mercenary is unlocked, the option to Enlist Reinforcements becomes available.

In order to use reinforcements, begin by binding a mercenary skill to one of your own character’s skills. Every time your character makes use of that particular skill, it will automatically call upon the Reinforcement mercenary to carry out their own skill in tandem.

Leveling Mercenaries

Mercenary XP is referred to as Rapport, and this is earned automatically by mercenaries when they are actively fighting alongside your character. The chosen Reinforcement mercenary also earns Rapport, even when not on the field, but at only half the rate of the Hired mercenary.

Those are the four mercenaries made available to hire in the Vessel of Hatred DLC for Diablo IV.