This is a guide for using mercs and is geared towards smobbing although with the search skill a merc's good for exploring too. If there's anything I've missed post below and I'll add it to the guide.
Where to hire Mercs
LS: Go all west from Four King's, 6s 2w n. You'll find Four King's (4k) west of Caemlyn, just follow the road.
DS: From the well in the Ruined Keep, 2w 3n 2w n.
To view the merc menu, simply type 'list'. Cycle through the available mercs by typing next or n. When you've found a merc you want, type 'hire'. Make sure you have enough money and type close when you've finished hiring.
NB: If you're just doing one or two smobs don't hire the two best mercs, leave them for somoeone else who might spend a few hours. The same mentality applies if you're going to idle out or afk indefinatly, use the return home command otherwise nobody else can use them.
Stats
Mercs have stats that compliment their class. A thief has high dex, a warrior high stregnth etc. Obviously the better the stats the more useful a merc will be but use the right equipment for the right stats. A thief wearing abs isn't going to be much use and they'll die quickly. Consider collecting two kits in separate packs and using them for your mercs, the better the kits the longer they'll survive and the more smobbing you can do. If you're using the merc to carry spare equipment it will negativly effect thier ob, db and pb. Remember to make them drop it before you hit a smob and to pick it up after.
Constitution is an important stat for a merc, the higher the better. Some smobs deal out emote damage that will eat thier hp's however the high the def. E.g warrior A with 19 15 15 15 21 will be more useful in the long run than warrior B with 21 15 15 15 18. If a merc needs to regen order them to rest or sleep, it'll regen faster.
Strength isn't so important as con. In my experience a mercs bash landing % is low even with a decent bashing weapon, unless you have a heron or steel bound club spare. If you do need a merc to do the bashing for you equip then with the best bashing weapon you can find and max out their parry. A merc wearing just abs with no trinks will get hit every round and if you're doing a chain of smobs you'll need to wait for them to heal which can be time consuming.
N.B: Certain weapons need high strength to be wielded, this applies to mercs as well. If a merc can't wield a weapon it may not have the strength to do so.
Dexterity again the higher the better basically. Since the max dex is 22 for a thief they make the for most useful merc. Get a full dodge kit and they can buff a most of a smob, not to mention they have attack (two attacks per round with a dagger). A thief with a lion etched deals out a lot of damage.
Skills
Skills are a valuable asset but mercs with an extra skill outside those of it's class will cost more. You'll notice any extra skills are highlighted in blue below stats in the merc menu. Mercs will come fully practiced in every weapon type, shield parry, dodge, ride and rescue. Each class will also have its own particular skills. Thieves have pick, sneak, shield block, hide and precise strike. Warriors and rangers can both bash but only ranger has search. If you use a mercs search or pick skill it will cost 40-60 copper so make sure you've some spare cash.
Pick: Useful for doors obviously and can be used while the merc is engaged. Handy for smobs where the door locks on repop.
Search: Order a merc in a direction (e.g 'order merc east') and if there's a hidden door they will say its name. Only mercs with the search skill may then open the door.
Bash: Self explanatory, however a merc can't be ordered to bash a target other than the one it is engaged on.
Rescue: You can use this skill to either be rescued or rescue your other merc. This will cause 2 rounds of lag for whoever is rescued, use with caution.
At the time of writing the skills sneak, hide, shield block and precise strike aren't as frequently used while smobbing as those of pick, search and bash.
Commands
All commands begin with 'order merc' or 'order thief/warrior/ranger'. If you've two of the same merc, 'order 2.merc' or 'order 2.thief/2.warrior/2.ranger'. You can also use 'order all' (o a) to command both mercs at the same time. It's worth noting if you're using zmud, cmud or some similar program you can stack commands before you enter a room using the ; to seperate each command. E.g 'south;kill king;order all assist me;order warrior bash'.
This is not a full list, just the one's used most often. Go to the wiki page to see the full list of commands (http://www.kinslayermud.org/wiki/index.php/Mercenary)
Actions
'order merc hold <item>' - Mercs can hold two items if the second item to be held is a light source.
'order merc put <item> <container>' - Equiping your merc with a pack lets you store spare equipment.
'order merc flee' (o merc f)' - Self explanatory, although if a merc is haggard they won't be able to flee. Check their moves with the report command.
'order merc crawl entrance/crawl out' - Used to enter (crawl entrance) and exit (crawl out) the Morat'torm smob.
'order merc remove <item>' (o merc rem <item>) - Also self explanitory. You can also order a merc to 'rem all',
'order merc wear <item>' - Much like the remove command you can order a merc to wear all.
'order merc <position>' (o merc <position>) - You can order a merc to rest, sleep, wake or sit.
'order merc <direction>' (o merc <direction>) - Useful if you don't want to have to ungroup for pk, you can simply put them out the way. Using just e for east will work, e.g 'o merc e'. See search skill for more info.
'order merc drop <item>' - Drop stuff you don't need, enough said.
'order merc assist <name>' (o merc ass) - The merc will join your fight by default if the you don't specify a name.
Skills
'order merc return home' - This will dismiss the merc. They'll attempt to give you all their equipment as well as a % of the money you paid to hire them.
'order merc open <door name>' - The merc will attempt to open the specified door. If it's a hidden door they'll need the search skill to do so.
'order merc rescue <name>' (o merc res <name>) - Rescues the specified person, the command 'o merc res' will rescue you by default.
'order merc pick <door name>' - If a door can't be picked by a merc, it can't be picked at all.
'order merc bash' (o merc ba) - A merc can only bash the target it's engaged on.
Misc
'order merc report' (o merc rep) - This will display a mercs stat info as well any extra skills it has.
'order merc inventory' (o merc i) - Shows you whatever the merc is carrying.
'order merc rendezvous here' - This command will set the room your in as a return point. Should the merc be ordered to or involved in pk, they will return there.
'order merc rendezvous' - This will manually send a merc to the return point specified. Note for both commands you can use 'o all rendezvous' etc.
'order merc save' - The merc will save all of the equipment it's wearing, useful if there's an unexpected crash. If there is a crash when you log on later go back to where you hired the merc and type 'retrieve'.
Smobbing
Group all before you enter a smob. If you're not grouped with the mercs you'll end up buffing the entire smob.
Stacking commands gives you a chance to target one mob before being aggro'd. If a smob is ungrouped you can enter, hit one mob and order your mercs to assist. As long as this is done before the mercs are engaged by the other mobs you'll all attack the same target. Three weapons on one mob will finish it quicker however some smobs are grouped and this strategy won't work.
Good equipment will keep your merc alive longer. Generally a parry or dodge setup are the best choice for a merc since this will avoid damage altogether. Abs mercs will get hit often and need to regen.
Mounted mercs don't use personal moves. Where possible have your mercs ride, a haggard merc can't flee.
Keep checking your mercs stats with the report command when you're on a smob. You can keep an eye on their health and you'll know if they need to flee or not.
Set a rendezvous point as soon as you've hired your mercs. Mercs auto assist when you're attacked or attack something. If you attack another player or they attack you the merc will assist and then disappear. If you set a rendezvous point they'll return there instead.
Remember to check your target before hitting a mob. The thieves in caemlyn respond to 'thief' as does the thief merc.
Use an alias to save you the hassle of typing a command every time. There are four you'll use most:
MA - order all assist me
MB - order all/merc bash
MR - order all report
MF - order all flee
How to Guide: MERCENARIES
Re: How to Guide: MERCENARIES
He's in a better place, now.
Re: How to Guide: MERCENARIES
Danir was Corin and Gorel little biatch.
Re: How to Guide: MERCENARIES
say bring a friend!