Meet your future best friends: Here’s what we know about the Mercenaries coming to Diablo 4 in Vessel of Hatred

Starting in Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred, players no longer have to adventure alone — the Pale Hand Mercenaries will be right alongside you. The return of Mercenaries (teased with the expansion’s announcement) has been an anticipated improvement, and Blizzard shared additional details on their return during Gamescom 2024. Let’s meet the “motley crew” joining players in October!

The road of hatred is bereft with dark deeds; it is better to walk the path with an ally by your side.

Enter the Pale Hand Mercenaries, a varied group of four (to start) unlocked during the main quest for the Vessel of Hatred. Mercenaries have a unique backstory, questline, and skill tree to bring to the table. Each Mercenary seems like a genuine character, but it’s up to you to decide who is your favorite:

• Raheir, the steadfast Shieldbearer, is a defender who escaped the streets of Gea Kul to be trained by Iron Wolves.
• Varyana, the Berserker Crone, massacres your enemies to sate her brutal bloodlust through battle after abandoning her cannibalistic tribe.
• Aldkin, the Cursed Child, lives with the consequences of dark Khazran rituals performed on his mother; his Metamorphosis turns him into a powerful Demon, placing a dangerous ally by your side.
• Subo, the Bounty Hunter, is out to prove he’s not a drunken, disgraced archer despite being shunned by his people in the mountains; battle his marked targets for buffs such as reduced cooldowns.

Once you unlock the feature, Mercenaries can be hired when you’re playing solo and selected as Reinforcements for your times of need. Your hired Mercenary is your constant companion, leveraging their entire suite of chosen skills to support you. Reinforcement Mercenaries are more restricted, arriving during combat to perform a skill based on the event (called an Opportunity) you define.

The benefits of Mercenaries are not static; earn Rapport with your Mercenary for additional skill points to invest in their tree, customizing their playstyle to compliment yours. Rapport is gained by hiring a Mercenary or using them as a Reinforcement in battle. Advancing through their ten levels of Rapport also grants reward caches, while Rapport earned beyond the cap nets you Pale Marks to purchase more rewards from the Mercenary’s Den.

It’s exciting to see battle companions returning to the Diablo franchise—their absence was strongly felt after Diablo 2 and Diablo 3. The Pale Hand Mercenaries are just one of the many changes in the Vessel of Hatred expansion, so stay tuned. We’ll see you in Nahantu!