As a seasoned veteran who's carved a bloody path through Sanctuary more times than I care to count, I’ve got a confession to make: I’ve grown oddly attached to my hired help. Ever since Vessel of Hatred dropped, these mercenaries have been my constant shadows—sulking through Nahantu’s jungles, cracking skulls in Helltides, and occasionally draining my entire mana pool at the worst possible moment. (Looking at you, Aldkin.) Over the last two years, I’ve tested every mercenary in every Torment tier, and let’s be honest—the pecking order hasn’t budged an inch. Some of these warriors are absolute champs, while others… well, let’s just say they’re benchwarmers. Here’s my brutally honest ranking, straight from the Den floor.
Before we dive in, a quick refresher: you can hire one Mercenary to follow you around and engage in combat, plus a Reinforcement who only shows up when specific conditions are met. Mercenaries don’t output mind-blowing DPS—their real value lies in utility, crowd control, buffs, and the occasional life-saving intervention. So, when I rank these folks, I’m looking at how much they actually help me survive and speed through endgame content. The star ratings are based on their overall performance in Torment IV and beyond, where every buff and debuff truly counts.
🏆 #1 Raheir – The Unshakeable Wall
If there’s one mercenary I’d trust to drag my corpse out of a Pit 150 boss fight, it’s Raheir. This guy is the first companion you unlock, and honestly, the devs might have peaked too early. His core perk, Valiance, is an absolute game-changer: whenever you’re about to eat a hit that deals 15% or more of your current health, Raheir just nopes the damage entirely, knocks down nearby enemies, and makes you Unstoppable for 0.5 seconds. I can’t even count the number of times that split-second immunity saved me from a one-shot mechanic. 😌
What makes Raheir the undisputed king is the sheer breadth of his support kit. In his Shield Charge skill tree, he Fortifies, Slows, grants bonus Armor and damage reduction, Taunts, Stuns, and inflicts Vulnerable—all in one package. It’s like having a personal tank who also moonlights as a crowd-control wizard. His Ground Slam line leans more into sustained healing and Taunting, but both trees have nodes that supercharge Valiance, tacking on extra effects like healing or resource generation after it triggers. Whether I’m running a squishy Sorc or a melee bruiser, Raheir makes everything feel smoother. He’s the gold standard, and nothing else comes close.
🔥 #2 Subo – The Eagle-Eyed Trapper
Subo is my go-to when I’m farming Helltides or speed-clearing The Pit. His Seeker perk is so ridiculously practical that it almost feels like cheating. Every 20 seconds, he marks a random enemy; killing it restores 50% of your Resource and reduces Seeker’s cooldown. But the real beauty? All nearby enemies and materials are permanently marked on your minimap. No more squinting at my screen trying to spot a stray goblin or a forgotten cinder—Subo’s got my back. For a guy like me who’s killed millions of demons and still manages to miss loot, this is a blessing. 😅
Combat-wise, Subo is no slouch either. His Wire Trap tree specializes in Slows, Knockdowns, and Immobilizes, while his Molotov line applies similar crowd control and boosts your Damage Over Time effects. If you’re running a Poison Rogue or a Bleed Barbarian, that extra DoT amplification is chef’s kiss. Sure, his personal damage is forgettable—but then again, so is everyone else’s. What keeps Subo in second place is that minimap utility. It’s a constant, tangible benefit that no other mercenary provides, and I honestly feel naked without it.
💨 #3 Varyana – The Frenzied Executioner
Varyana holds a special place in my heart, but I’ll admit she’s a bit of a one-trick pony. Her core perk, Massacre, stacks each time we kill an enemy, ramping up Movement Speed. At 100 stacks, you get a juicy 20% speed boost. For slow-moving builds—like a Landslide Druid or an Immortal Necromancer—this is a godsend. But for my Spiritborn zooming across the map at light speed, the buff feels redundant. Still, there’s something viscerally satisfying about watching her cleave through demons and stack that blood-soaked counter. ⚔️
Her utility is decent but inconsistent. The Cleave skill tree inflicts Bleed, grants you Attack Speed buffs, and debuffs enemies with Vulnerable or reduced damage. The Shockwave tree focuses on knocking foes down and applying bonuses against crowd-controlled targets. It all sounds great on paper, but in practice, the uptime on those buffs can be spotty, and her damage contribution is laughably low. She’s not a bad choice—far from it. But compared to Raheir’s blanket damage reduction and Subo’s constant minimap intel, Varyana just doesn’t bring enough unique value. If your build desperately needs movement speed, she’s your gal; otherwise, you’re better off with the top two.
👿 #4 Aldkin – The Tragic Demon Child
Oh, Aldkin. I wanted to love you. That spooky, tragic aesthetic? Top-tier. The ability to transform into a raging demon? Sounds epic. But in practice, Aldkin’s Blasphemous Fate perk is a nightmare. Every so often, he loses control and morphs into a demon for 22 seconds, gaining new abilities. The problem? During that transformation, both you and nearby enemies become Vulnerable, and any damage you deal drains your Resource over 3 seconds. I cannot stress enough how devastating this is. Imagine popping your ultimate, lining up a perfect burst rotation, and suddenly realizing your Resource is empty because Aldkin threw a tantrum. It’s the kind of self-inflicted sabotage that makes me want to fire him from the Den permanently. 😤
Even if you’re playing a build that doesn’t rely on a traditional Resource—say, an Infinimist Necro or a Thorns Barb—Aldkin still underperforms. His Flame Surge tree promises high damage, but in Torment IV, that damage is a drop in the ocean compared to yours. His Haunt tree offers some debuffs like Daze, Slow, and Stun, but every other mercenary brings similar control without the crippling downside. Aldkin’s design screams “glass cannon support,” but he’s more like a “glass peashooter that also breaks your weapon.” Until Blizzard reworks that Resource drain, he’s permanently benched in my crew.
Final Thoughts: Mercenaries are all about making your life easier, and Raheir and Subo do that in spades. Varyana has her niche, while Aldkin is a lesson in why cool visuals don’t always translate to good gameplay. Choose wisely, wanderer—your survival in 2026’s Sanctuary might just depend on which friend you bring along. 🤝