Anyone else just kinda hate the whole mercenaries mechanic?

Hate? No

Underwhelming? Yeah. There is not a lot of interaction with other content in any meaningful way, nor much depth.

So, first league in a year or so, pretty underwhelming.

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trixxar#2360 wrote:

Hate? No

Underwhelming? Yeah. There is not a lot of interaction with other content in any meaningful way, nor much depth.

So, first league in a year or so, pretty underwhelming.

Given the short time frame in which GGG pumped this league out, we shouldn't be surprised. =9[.]9=

I didn't even make it out of Act 1 this league. So yes, I hate it.

They can (re-)enable builds. A build of mine that I thought was dead is about to come back, and only because of my Merc. They make it possible to access mechanics that'd otherwise have either too high opportunity cost or simply wouldn't work together on the same character. They are not just "stat sticks".

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BaumisMagicalWorld#0673 wrote:

They are not just "stat sticks".

You say Mercs are not just stat sticks, but for the vast majority of cases, that’s exactly what they are, walking bundles of extra auras, curses, and utility buffs, free player power.

On top of that, most of these bonuses are things Animate Guardian has been providing minion builds for ages. The Merc’s contribution is largely repackaging those familiar convenience buffs and power creep into one unit for everyone.

Only in very rare cases does a Merc truly act as a build-enabling game changer. Take the solo-player aura bot setup, where the Merc actually carries the clear and your character exists solely to support it, allowing full content clearing without the need for a second player. Or consider the passive charge stacker builds that exploit unique item combinations to generate insane flat damage while bypassing mechanics that would normally make those items unworkable. Those are the real exceptions, but they’re niche, expensive, and certainly not common.

Those builds weren’t invented by you, and given your well-known budget constraints, a single item from those setups likely exceeds your entire league’s net worth. So claiming credibility for those rare exceptions when your own setup is just a glorified stat stick holder is a bit rich.

If your build only functions because it’s getting free player power handed to it via a Merc, it’s not truly enabling, it’s a sign the build relies heavily on borrowed strength and convenience. If your build can only survive thanks to this stat stick, that’s less clever design and more a obvious indicator that your build is bad if you just rely on a Merc boosting your stats to become useable.

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VoidWhisperer42#5989 wrote:

If your build only functions because it’s getting free player power handed to it via a Merc, it’s not truly enabling, it’s a sign the build relies heavily on borrowed strength and convenience. If your build can only survive thanks to this stat stick, that’s less clever design and more a obvious indicator that your build is bad if you just rely on a Merc boosting your stats to become useable.

I can't believe I'm saying this, because I agree with all the rest of your post.....but actually in his defense I disagree with this.

Creating a single build across two "players" is actually quite a novel and creative concept. But only if neither are simple aurabots. Sure it is borrowed power that shouldn't exist in the first place, but utilizing it BECAUSE it exists in this moment is the very reason for league mechanics to exist. This is actually pretty standard for leagues: creating characters that can ONLY function thanks to the league mechanic, and cease to function without it. I would even say this type of build is MORE clever design than any tried-and-true proven build that can work in any PoE environment, all the time.

But like you said, these types of things are incredibly rare, niche, and likely underperforming like crazy. They SHOULD be far more common, yet they aren't because the stat-stick mercs are just completely off the charts beyond godly powerful. In the other thread about stackers, this sentiment is the biggest reason given: no one thing should be so completely dominant as to make any other decision simply the "wrong" decision. While the facts about stackers were completely wrong, the sentiment is true and that can be seen in all its glory with Mercenaries. If you are NOT running your mercenary as a pseudo stat-stick AG hybrid....you are simply using them objectively wrong. The gap is that wide between their usages and the payoffs. In all aspects; budget and expected power return in offense and defense.

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VoidWhisperer42#5989 wrote:

If your build only functions because it’s getting free player power handed to it via a Merc, it’s not truly enabling, it’s a sign the build relies heavily on borrowed strength and convenience. If your build can only survive thanks to this stat stick, that’s less clever design and more a obvious indicator that your build is bad if you just rely on a Merc boosting your stats to become useable.

A lot of words to say absolutely nothing. I did not say it wasn't functional, though I am aware that nuance and subtle differences far exceed your capabilities. It's okay, it just takes time to learn. Patience, my friend.

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BaumisMagicalWorld#0673 wrote:

A lot of words to say absolutely nothing. I did not say it wasn't functional

A lot of words that actually say more than you think, and funny enough, you already admitted the same earlier. Nothing but a stat stick :)

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BaumisMagicalWorld#0673 wrote:

A build of mine that I thought was dead is about to come back, and only because of my Merc. They make it possible to access mechanics that'd otherwise have either too high opportunity cost

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VoidWhisperer42#5989 wrote:

A lot of words that actually say more than you think, and funny enough, you already admitted the same earlier. Nothing but a stat stick :)

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BaumisMagicalWorld#0673 wrote:

A build of mine that I thought was dead is about to come back, and only because of my Merc. They make it possible to access mechanics that'd otherwise have either too high opportunity cost

Nah, man. You just seem to think you are so clever in all your replies. I understand it may be difficult for you to tell the difference between glorified stat sticks and circumventing high opportunity costs, though they are not the same thing, but I realize I'm wasting my time trying to teach you anything. Some simply can't see a brick wall for all its bricks. Have a good one, broskie. :)

/shrug

I do get the sentiment that they are stat sticks, and i do agree that they are, even if they enable some builds. It's probs more an intellectual definition of what builds pertain to more then anything, in my view a build that needs added power to function isn't a build, this includes all those PoBs with ticked flasks etc.



If the build doesn't stand on it's on then it's not a build. The reason i hold to this idea is because for me and my builds i want to be able to take the base functionality and then add onto it with the league mechanics. That way i will always have the build i like and i know works, everything on top is the icing for the cake. This also means i can have multiple functional builds to choose from depending on buffs/nerfs/changes.