Okay so last weekend I finally decided to dust off my old Lightning Sorceress in Diablo 2 Resurrected. Wanted to push her through Hell difficulty, right? But man, those lightning immune monsters are everywhere! Really need a good mercenary to handle them.
First Try: The Act 2 Defensive Guy
I remembered folks always talk about Act 2 mercs. Figured the Defensive one with Holy Freeze aura sounded solid – freeze things, slow ’em down, should help my squishy Sorc stay alive while zapping. Slapped on my best gear at the time: a simple Insight polearm for mana regen (super necessary!), a basic helm, and the best armor I had. Felt pretty good heading out into the Bloody Foothills.
Started okay. Freeze aura popped, monsters got chilled. I’d Static Field a bunch then let him poke ’em with the spear while I rained lightning. Felt efficient! But then… Durga the Siege Boss happened. Holy smokes. My guy just folded like wet paper. Revive costs started racking up super fast after that against tougher packs, especially any mobs with nasty elemental attacks. It felt terrible constantly draining gold just to keep him breathing. Sure, the freeze helped me, but he died way too easy. Scratch one.
Next Up: Act 2 Might Merc
Okay, thought the problem was his damage. Need him to kill faster! Went back to town, grabbed the Might aura guy from Act 2 Nightmare. Theory was more damage from him = dead immunes faster = less danger for everyone. Found a decent damage polearm – higher than before.
Went back out. Boom, aura active, monsters taking bigger hits. Cool. He definitely packed more punch than the first guy. But… same problem emerged, honestly worse. Because he needs to be in the fight to hit things hard, he just gets surrounded and obliterated constantly, especially by ranged attackers or crowds. Seriously thought it would be different, but it felt like I was babysitting. Gold hemorrhaged even faster. The damage was good, but dead DPS is zero DPS, you know? Not a winner for my setup.
The Surprise Winner: Act 1 Fire Rogue
Honestly, I was kinda frustrated. Those expensive Act 2 mercs kept wiping. Remembered reading some niche advice about Act 1 Rogues. Figured, why not? Went cheap to start. Gave her a fairly basic bow (not Insight, obviously!). Crucially, gave her gear focused purely on one thing: surviving. High resists helmet and armor.
Man, what a difference! This gal just stays alive. She hangs back way behind me. Any lightning immune I see, I just point her at it. She starts shooting fiery arrows from a mile away. Yeah, her single-target kill speed on immunes isn’t as explosive as the Might merc theoretically could be, but it’s constant and safe. She never blocks my path, rarely gets hit by big spells because she’s so far back, and doesn’t attract every monster onto her head like the melee guys do. Freed me up to focus on positioning and zapping. Didn’t have to resurrect her once the entire session! For grinding zones with annoying immunes like Hell Chaos Sanctuary or running Baal, she’s been an absolute rock. No constant gold drain, just reliable fire support.
The Verdict So Far
Look, for my Lightning Sorc who needs someone to reliably, cheaply, handle scattered lightning immunes while dodging most of the battlefield chaos?
- Act 1 Fire Rogue wins easily for me. Total lifesaver. Her staying power and ranged attacks are perfect.
- Act 2 Might Merc? Maybe later with insane gear (like a Fortitude armor or something), but early-mid Hell? Too fragile and expensive for this job.
- Act 2 Defensive Merc? Nice idea with the freeze, but he just can’t take the heat needed to be near the monsters he’s supposed to help kill.
Seriously, stop sleeping on the Rogue! She’s doing work for my Sorc without breaking the bank every 5 minutes.
