I read about mercenaries that you could hire in EQ2. Do you need an expansion for them to work? Is there any "trial" or "test" at lvl1-10 or whatever so you can at least get an idea what they're about?
You need to have Age of Discovery to use Mercencaries. Currently $40 I believe. You get access to use Dungeon Maker tokens, Mercenaries and you can Reforge your amor/jewelry. Also you may now use the Beastlord class. Many say AoD is a "Service Pack" and less of an Expansion and it is semi true but it is still required for it.
One quick question on the Mercs - does it cost in-game currency to hire them or if you purchase AoD, they are free to hire? Sorry if it has been asked!
You cannot hire them at all if you do not have AoD. It takes in game currency to hire them, and they have a half hourly (real time) in game currency fee as well. The cost is based on your character level and the 'level' of the merc (regular/mid-range/elite).
