Where can I hire these mercenaries?
PoK and starting cities will have mercenary liaisons.
Can I hire a mercenary to use alongside Jobaner?
Yes, you can have a pet and a mercenary up at the same time.
So we can have two pets at once now?
Not exactly...a mercenary is not a pet. It's a mercenary.
What classes can I hire as mercenaries?
Currently, only tank and healer mercenaries are available. More might be available as time goes on (like DPS or CC mercenaries).
Will the healer mercenary heal pets?
Yes, it will heal a pet.
Are mercenaries restricted to SoD zones?
No, you can use them anywhere (except in raids), though they will require the SoD expansion to purchase.
Wait, I have to pay these things money?
Yes, they will have a specific initial "hire" fee, and then a different "upkeep" fee that will have to be paid every 15 minutes. This is why coin is weightless now, so you can carry plenty of it around to pay the upkeep for your mercenary.
Will they count toward the requirements for tasks/missions?
Yes, they should.
Will they suck?
No, they shouldn't do "dumb things" like heal someone who is at 95% health, though their power is somewhat tied to the "rank" of the mercenary you purchase (and better ones are more expensive, might be locked behind specific faction/flags, etc.). They can also be set to a specific stance, so if, for instance, you want the mercenary to be aggressive in its healing habits, you could set it to that stance for heavier healing but less efficiency.
What are the stances?
1. Balanced: Same as defensive before, except it will no longer cast debuffs or offensive spells (like root).
2. Aggressive: Same as balanced except will cast debuffs and offensive spells.
3. Efficient: Same as balanced except chooses heals based mostly on mana efficiency (might even let you die). Designed to be used in groups with other damage mitigation sources.
4. Reactive: Same as balanced except chooses heals based mostly on damage rate. Less likely to let you die, but more likely to run out of mana before the combat is over. Use in emergencies.
Will a tank mercenary be subject to the same rules as my pet (i.e., will it be able to hold aggro over a PC in melee range of the mob)?
No, the mercenaries will be able to hold aggro over a PC in melee range, unlike pets.
Can I give the mercenary summoned gear?
No, you cannot gear the mercenaries.
Can the healer mercenary rez me if I die?
Yes, assuming the mercenary does not die as well. They will not rez while in-combat, to prevent abuse.
So wait, the mercenary can die?
Yes, the mercenary will have HP and can be killed just like any normal player.
Do mercenaries steal loot/coin from the group, ./split, etc.?
No, they will not be included in such things.
Can a healer mercenary change its mind mid-cast and interrupt their own spell to cast something different if the situation warrants it?
Yes, their AI is sophisticated enough to do this, though it's stance- and rank-specific to a degree.
Will the mercenary wipe a group by casting a heal on the puller while they're pulling?
No, this is where the new roles (MA, tank, puller) come into play- you set a puller as "puller" and the mercenary will know not to heal them when they're out of range splitting mobs.
Can my pet be set as MT?
Yes, if you set yourself (as the owner of the pet) to one of those roles, the pet will inherit that role.
Will the mercenaries have the same names as my pets? I don't want a mercenary named Goner!
No, they will use a different pool of names that are not pet names.
What will they look like?
They look like Scarlett Johansson. Erm, no, wait- wrong fantasy. They'll have different models depending on rank- some might look like sirens, some might look like goblins, others might even look like dragons.
So, tell me more about these "ranks".
"Apprentice" mercenaries will not have access to the more advanced stances. "Journeyman" mercenaries will have access to some of the more advanced stances. "Master" mercenaries will have access to ALL of the advanced stances.
What do I have to do to get access to the locked mercenaries?
Apprentice Tiers I - V and Journeyman Tier I will be available to everyone when the expansion launches. Journeyman Tiers II - V will be unlocked as you progress through the expansion content. Master Tiers I - V will not be available at launch, but will probably make an appearance sometime after launch.
Will a mercenary count toward the required number of players needed to set a campfire?
No.
Can I use Suspend Minion on my mercenary?
No, but mercenaries will have their own Suspend feature specific to them. It will suspend the mercenary so you can keep it without having to pay the upkeep cost. Be aware, though, that there's going to be a fairly long timer associated with the ability, so you can't unsuspend your mercenary 5 minutes after you suspend it. The length of the timer is not known at this time, but it is expected to be in the 30-60 minute range.
What's the point of suspending it if I have to wait that long?
Let's say you're using your mercenary as the only healer in a group, then a cleric guildmate logs on and joins you. They expect to be around for a few hours, so this allows you to pocket the mercenary for those few hours that you won't need it. The alternative would be dismissing the pet, but as mentioned earlier, the initial cost to purchase a mercenary is set fairly high, so dismissing your mercenary a few times a week and having to re-hire one would get really expensive.
Will the healer mercenary buff me?
Yes, some mercenaries will have buffs they can cast on you. This will probably be tier-specific to an extent.
Will mercenaries steal exp from me?
Yes, they'll take a portion of the exp like a normal player in your group would.
Can I AFK and let my pet + mercenary kill mobs all night and farm exp for me?
No, you'll have to deal damage to the mob yourself in order to receive exp for the kill, just like you already have to do with your pet, to prevent abuse of the system.
Will they wake mezzed mobs and kill enchanters (please say "Yes"!)?
No, they should not wake mezzed mobs.
Can mercenaries choose to leave you high and dry in the middle of a fight?
Yes, they can, actually. It should be relatively rare, and the likelihood of it happening goes down as you purchase better mercenaries, but they do have an innate chance to decide, "This fight looks like certain death, I'm out of here!" and flee. This is called a "confidence level" and the likelihood of it happening also goes up depending upon the level of the foes, so a red-con mob has a greater chance to scare the mercenary than a green-con mob.
Wait, what?
More information on confidence:
* Confidence is based off of the con of the enemies, the number of enemies, and any mitigating effects placed on them (stun/root/mez/charm/fear).
* The rating of an encounter is computed as a ratio of the number of group members vs. the number of enemies of even con. Enemies that are not of even con get count for more or less than a single even con mob. Mitigating effects reduce the "enemy equivalents" an enemy is counted as.
* In a group of two (you and your merc), apprentice mercs are balanced to get nervous with more than 2 even cons. Journeymen get nervous around 4 even cons.
* The higher the tier of your merc, the less chance it has to lose confidence when the encounter rating is higher than its confidence. This is evaluated only when a new enemy adds to the encounter, and then it gives you 10 seconds to get the situation locked down before actually losing confidence.
* Their chance to lose confidence is 25%, 20%, 15%, 10%, 5% respectively for tiers 1 through 5.
* If a merc loses confidence it will be dropped to the bottom of any hate lists it is on (to avoid it dragging a bunch of mobs with it) and it runs a short distance.
* Once it has lost confidence, it will re-evaluate the encounter every tick to see if it is confident again. Mitigating effects will come into play here if mobs can be locked down.
* All in all, this is something that should be fairly rare and predictable for each grade and tier of merc.
Can mercenaries be feared/charmed?
Yes, they can generally be susceptible to the same detrimental effects that players are susceptible to. You cannot change their stance while they are charmed/feared. You can, however, dismiss the mercenary if you wish.
Can lower-level players use these?
Yes, though you will obviously not be able to hire the same type of mercenary a level 85 player can hire. The cost of the mercenary goes *up* as you gain levels, since they're going to want more money to stick around and help you as you move them into more difficult content.
Will they gain levels as I gain levels?
Yes, they should scale automatically as you level.
Ooh, I have the most brilliant idea! I'm just going to shroud down to level 5 to buy a mercenary cheaply, then unshroud and I'll have a dirt-cheap mercenary at level 85!
Already been thought of and worked around, sorry. If you unshroud to transfer the mercenary to a higher level player, you'll be charged the hire fee again- at the correct amount- for doing so.
Will my mercenary run off and aggro mobs like the old-school pets did?
No, they will not draw aggro from mobs unless you're actively attacking them.
Can mercenaries stop fleeing mobs?
Yes, the healer mercenary can cast a basic root if necessary. There are several different things that warrant whether the mercenary deems it "necessary" to do so or not, including whether the mob is already snared and what stance the mercenary is in.
Can stances be changed on-the-fly?
Yes, they can.
If I LD/log off, will my mercenary continue to charge me?
No, it will not.
How long will my mercenary stay in the world when I'm not?
It will disappear at the same time you do.
So I can keep my mercenary even when I log off?
Yes, mercenaries are meant to stay with you indefinitely- that's part of the reason for the previously-mentioned expensive initial hire cost. You're discouraged from actually dismissing them regularly.
Will mercenaries give mercy rezzes (rez someone else in my current zone that's not in my group but is desperately seeking a rez)?
No, they will only rez people who were in your group at the time of death, or people who have been in your group for the entire previous billing interval. If you have had your mercenary suspended and bring it out specifically to rez someone who just died, you will have to wait a full billing interval before the mercenary will rez that person.
How often do I have to pay the upkeep fee for my mercenary?
Every 15 minutes.
Will they charge me even if I'm AFK?
No, if you have been AFK for a full billing cycle (15 minutes), the mercenary will know that and temporarily stop charging the upkeep fee until it detects movement from the owner again (showing that the owner is no longer AFK). In order for this to happen, you have to set the mercenary to a passive stance prior to going AFK. If they were in a passive stance for the entire duration of the previous upkeep interval, they will not charge an additional upkeep fee at the start of the next interval.
Can I filter the mercenary spam?
Yes, the mercenary is set to announce to the group when it's doing things like healing, but it has its own filter system that can be used to deal with those messages as you see fit.
Can mercenaries fizzle?
Yes, they can.
Can I buff my mercenary?
Yes, they have the same amount of buff slots that players do (taking into account AA's).
If I run out of plat, can I transfer ownership of my mercenary to someone else?
Yes, they will have to pay the upkeep costs though. If they can't, you'll get an error message telling you why the transfer didn't work.
Can mercenaries be used in all zones?
No, some zones are mercenary-restricted zones and your mercenary will be automatically suspended when you enter such a zone.
Can I rez my mercenary if it dies?
Yes, even if you are not a class that has rez spells, although there will be a waiting period before that option becomes available (meaning you will have to wait several minutes from the time the mercenary dies before you will be allowed to rez it).
How can I get more information on the mercenaries?
This isn't enough? There's additional information in the mercenary UI windows.
... i also would have expected clerics or tanks to complain to some extent about mercs taking grp spots but it seems they just get their own merc and are off soloing something else...
