Fans of Diablo 2 would fondly remember their battles with their Hirelings against the Prime Evils and the Burning Hells. Unlike what some players expect, they never fought the Prime Evils alone in this hit sequel to Blizzard‘s gothic horror Diablo franchise. In fact, Hirelings will remain a staple in the sequel, and possibly Diablo 4, in evolving formats. And with Diablo 2: Resurrected coming soon, it makes sense to feel excited about fighting demons with these Hirelings once more.
Interestingly, Hirelings added another dimension to gameplay in the original Diablo 2 release. After all, players had to decide whether they needed a long-ranged specialist or a melee expert for their skirmishes. Moreover, players had the option to interchange Hirelings throughout their journey – adding a lot of versatility in the process. However, for newcomers out there, just which Hirelings stood out among the rest?
10 Barbarian Warriors (Act 5)
As with other Barbarians, the Barbarian Warriors serve as the stalwart guardians of Mount Arreat and the Worldstone within it. Additionally, their brute strength and weapons training make them capable warriors to best even the mightiest of demonic forces.
As with their namesake, the Barbarian Warrior serves as the equivalent of a Barbarian-based NPC. Like other Hirelings, the Barbarian Warrior can wear Helms and Body Armor. They also wield One-Handed Swords or Two-Handed Swords as their signature weapons. They may not dual-wield like the Barbarian player, but they can wear Barbarian Helms. In addition, they can wear Sazabi’s Grand Tribute, one of two three-piece sets that Hirelings can equip.
9 Barbarian Warriors: Take The Fight To Them
In contrast to the Rogue Archer’s ranged specialization, the Barbarian Warrior boasts its namesake’s fighting prowess. Stats-wise, the Barbarian Warrior boasts the most growth-per-level in Life (+12) and Strength (+2). It does have the worst rate for Resistances (+1.5) and has middling stats for the rest (+1.5 Dexterity, +7.5 Defense).
Like a Level-10 Barbarian, the Barbarian Warrior can access Bash (knockback attack) and Stun (temporary stun) as their default abilities. Despite appearing as far as Act 5 when players face Baal, their extremely straightforward skillset make them a recommended companion for spellcaster classes. After all, their penchant for melee makes them great melee attackers. However, given their lack of versatility, they might not be as useful for other technical players.
8 Rogue Archer (Act 1)
Rogue Archers serve as the first Hireling players can recruit in Diablo 2. After defeating Blood Raven, the Sightless Eye’s field captain Kashya will let a Rogue Archer accompany players in their travels. In terms of gameplay, Rogue Archers serve as the AI-controlled equivalent of the Amazon Class, albeit with limited abilities. Interestingly, lore-wise, Rogue Archers belong to the Rogue Class – which is also one of the primary Classes in the first Diablo game.
As Hirelings, Rogue Archers only wield Bows but cannot use Amazon Weapons, Throwing Weapons, and Crossbows. In terms of gear, they can only use Body Armor and Helmet – albeit they can use higher-end equipment as they level up.
7 Rogue Archer: Ranged Specialists
As ranged specialists, Rogue Archers boast the highest growth in terms of Dexterity, gaining +2 Dexterity every level. They gain access to decent +2 Resistances as with the Desert Mercenary and Iron Wolf, with below-average growth in everything else (+8 Life, +1 Strength, +6.5 Defense).
Unlike the other Hirelings, the Rogue Archer has an extremely straightforward toolkit befitting their recruitment in Act 1 of the game. They constantly have access to the Amazon’s Inner Sight Skill that illuminates enemies and lowers their defenses. The Rogue Archer may either have Fire Arrow or Cold Arrow as a primary offensive ability as well.
Additionally, Rogue Archers will retain the same set of skills regardless if playing on Normal/Nightmare versus Hell difficulties. And while they might seem “too simple,” they’re the only Hireling to specialize in long-range combat. In turn, they’re perfect for balanced play and for beginners.
6 Desert Mercenaries (Act 2)
Sultan Jerhyn of Lut Gholein hired the Desert Mercenaries to protect the city, given the Palace Guards have their focus on repelling the demonic forces in the palace – much like the role of Archangels against the Burning Hells at large. Under the leadership of Greiz, players can hire a Desert Mercenary as a Hireling in Act 2. Despite not having an obvious Class, their abilities imply a mixture of the Amazon’s polearm specialization mixed with the Paladin’s auras.
In terms of weapons, Desert Mercenaries can wield Javelins, Spears, and Polearms. Like the Rogue Archer, the Mercenaries may only access Body Armor and Helms. Additionally, Desert Mercenaries with equipment that grants them +X to All Skills will get a boost to their aura abilities.
5 Desert Mercenaries: The Amazon Connection
Given their inclination towards the Paladin Class, Desert Mercenaries boast the most growth in terms of Defense and second-highest growth rate for Life. They gain +9.5 Defense and +10 Life per level up. Meanwhile, they have average growth for everything else (+1.5 Strength, +1.5 Dexterity, +2 Resistances).
Despite their melee specialization, Desert Mercenaries have good aim. By default, they use the Amazon’s Jab Skill, enabling them to hit multiple enemies at once. Meanwhile, they have a Combat, Defensive, and Offensive Aura separate for both Normal/Nightmare and Hell Difficulties.
4 Desert Mercenaries: An Inclination Towards Auras
In Normal/Nightmare, they gain access to the Prayer Aura (Combat, constant healing), Defiance Aura (Defensive, boosts protections), and Blessed Aim (Offensive, increases Attack Rating).
Meanwhile, in Hell, they gain access to Thorns (Combat, constant damage to melee attackers), Holy Freeze (Defensive, constant slow), and Might (Offensive, increased damage).
Whereas the Rogue Archer’s distance ensures she doesn’t get damaged a lot, the Desert Mercenaries’ Combat and Defensive Auras easily enhance the user’s survivability. Additionally, while Diablo 2 boasts fast-paced gameplay, the defensive-inclination of the Desert Mercenaries may encourage more strategic play from players. In turn, they easily rank higher thanks to their more careful but straightforward playstyle.
3 The Iron Wolves (Act 3)
When players arrive in Kurast Docks and finish The Golden Bird, they can talk to Hratli and undertake the Blade of the Old Religion Quest. Upon completion, players will get an Iron Wolf companion free of charge. However, in Lord of Destruction, players only get this companion for free if they’ve completed the Quest without having ever hired a Hireling in their adventure.
Interestingly, as per lore, the Iron Wolves became notable not just for their skill in both magic and swordsmanship, but also for their loyalty. People know them for their services in Kehjistan to the East. In fact, the Sightless Eye’s Asheara established the Iron Wolves to make a difference amongst other mercenary companies. As such, even Deckard Cain knows of their heroics.
2 The Iron Wolves: Battlemages Afoot
The Iron Wolves come with both their sword-fighting magics and an interesting caveat. Unlike other Hirelings, they boast very minimal growth per level up. In fact, Iron Wolves have the lowest growth rate for Life (+6 per level) and Defense (+4.5 per level). In addition, they have minimal growth in other stats (+1.5 Strength, +1.5 Dexterity, +2 Resistances per level).
Interestingly, Iron Wolves do come with a unique toolkit, allowing them to cast spells from either the Fire, Cold, or Lightning skill trees respectively.
For Fire, they can cast either the Fire Bolt (a bolt of fire) and Inferno (a stream of fire). Likewise, Cold allows them to cast either Ice Blast (freezing ice blast) and Glacial Spike (massive AOE freezing), or Frozen Armor (added defense and freezes attackers). Lastly, Lightning enables them to cast Charged Bolt (burst of lightning) and Lightning (a large bolt of lightning).
1 The Iron Wolves: Useful Throughout
Despite wielding Swords and Shields, they can also tap into a lot of the Sorceress’s spells. As such, the Iron Wolves make for perfect battlemages to fight in the frontlines while players turn the battle to their advantage. At their core, despite their minimal growth, they can become quite durable and extremely useful thanks to their arsenal of offensive spells. In fact, Iron Wolves work best as the tank for supporting and non-elemental classes such as Necromancers and Druids.
Players can easily increase the efficiency of Iron Wolves with + All Skills and Faster Cast Rate bonuses in their armor. Additionally, players can grant them awesome boosts with Sazabi’s Grand Tribute and Isenhart’s Armory – the only two armor sets that Hirelings can wear.
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