Path of Exile’s 3.26 update introduces a powerful new companion system — Hired Mercenaries — offering players more strategic depth and customization in both mapping and bossing. If you’ve ever wished for a reliable AI partner without the drawbacks of traditional minions, this system is a game-changer. Here’s a deep dive into how Hired Mercenaries work, how to optimize them, and what to watch out for.
What Are Hired Mercenaries?
In 3.26, players can now hire up to three mercenaries, although only one may accompany you in the field at a time. The remaining two will stay in town, and you can freely switch between them while in town or your hideout. These companions are designed for non-town content, including pinnacle boss fights, mapping, and league mechanics.
Equipment and Customization
Each mercenary comes with a default set of gear, but you’re free to equip them with your own items. These replacements can be added and removed as needed, allowing you to tailor their performance to your build or playstyle.
Warning: If you dismiss a mercenary before unequipping non-default items, those items will be lost permanently. The game provides a confirmation popup to help avoid accidental deletions.
Default equipment cannot be unequipped, and once replaced, it doesn’t return. This means it’s critical to manage their gear carefully, especially before making changes to your roster.
Mercenaries can also benefit from anointed passive skills and keystones, allowing for further fine-tuning of their effectiveness.
Combat Behavior and Abilities
When deployed, mercenaries automatically use their listed skills, including buffs, debuffs, and auras. However, they cannot use triggered skills (such as Cast When Damage Taken or other links from their gear). They are fully autonomous but recover all of their health automatically after a few seconds out of combat.
If a mercenary dies, you won’t lose their equipment, but they can only be revived in town, and doing so will cost you a gold fee.
Gameplay Mechanics and Interactions
Mercenaries are not minions, so they don’t benefit from minion-specific bonuses like increased damage or survivability. However, they do take reduced damage from certain monster skills, similar to minions, which helps them survive in tough encounters.
Importantly, mercenaries count as allied party members, meaning they can be affected by mechanics such as Conduit or link skills.
Each active mercenary also grants you access to a unique skill:
Order: To Me!
- Recalls the mercenary to your location
- Heals them for 25% of their life
- Has a 4-second cooldown
This utility spell can be used to reposition your companion during hectic fights or to give them an emergency heal.
Influence on Difficulty and Loot
Having a mercenary with you counts as half a party member, even in Solo Self-Found (SSF) mode. This impacts monster difficulty and loot drops, scaling the game similarly to playing with real party members — but not fully. The good news is that this extra challenge doesn’t affect monster stun or ailment thresholds, keeping fights fair and manageable.
Level Restriction
There’s one key limitation:
You cannot have a mercenary accompany you if you’re 20 or more levels below their level. This ensures players don’t rush into high-level content under-geared or under-leveled, and it keeps the system balanced for endgame use.
The Hired Mercenaries system in POE 3.26 adds a new layer of strategy, especially for builds that prefer AI support without going full summoner. From supporting auras to frontline brawlers, there’s a mercenary setup that can complement almost any build — as long as you’re willing to invest in their gear and manage them carefully.
