Ok I'll get this out of the way so we can skip over it: "Mercs suck". Got it. With that out of the way, I've been gone since about AoM. Coming back and slowly getting to 110, I've noticed that my 10 yr anni SK just ain't cutting it DPS wise. So unless my AA build for solo/molo DPS is really borked, I'm needing at least a Merc that can out DPS Lord Val. I see a lot of Mercs showing up on broker from the planes, like Dr Arcana. Anyone use any of these CoV mercs and what are your thoughts? Also, what should I focus on stat and AA wise to make life a little easier. No, I don't expect to DPS a zone like my zerker, but spending 4-5x longer on a named with my Templar makes me want to just shelve him.
I think merc suck because of that rumored Potency avoidance (aka combat mitigation?) Anyway, the most damaging merc is the one from the KA collector (the ranger sarnak) but even then, he does not do much damage, especially if it is not level 10 yet. Btw, any class can dps, i play a defiler, and have no problem doing solo (which is the only place where you should use merc). My ranger mercs is there mostly for tracking ability. Having a working mercs need some work, some real piece of armor, some reforge, a high weapon attack damage modifier, even some adornment (accuracy?) etc... Give him the old items you no longer use (so they are already infused too)
I'm not sure what to say.. even in ToT my defiler was doing 10x+ the dps of even 'dps mercs' and it's only gotten worse with KA and PoP. I've not seen any merc that comes close to the dps of any player.
When I solo with a merc, I generally use the inquisitor merc. The verdict that kills the mob at 12% saves me more time than the actual dps merc.
To make life easier, I would recommend focus on potency and hp. Life in the open world zones gets a lot easier after 30k, and life in heroics gets a lot easier after 50k. Also, I have been told that your hammer received a big buff and now does respectable dps, so you might want to pull it out and give it a swing if you have gotten the new tier of it.
I keep an enchanter merc on passive just to feed me mana after using Ethershadow Assassin. I've given up on the idea that mercs are good for any damage what so ever. As mentioned above, the newest tier Unswerving Hammer is great solo DPS. It essentially has an aura like Exorcise that does good AE damage for clearing trash. Be warned that it will hit any attackable NPC regardless of aggression. I could not tell if upgrading the spell tier had any effect on it. Apprentice and Expert seemed nearly the same. Also the damage shield from our Epic 1.0 is good in solo zones. It's basically worthless in raids where it used to shine, but again, good for clearing solo trash. I can't speak for how Templars compare to other classes, but the 400 fervor/2x potency buff the zone gives you feels like enough to manage. And ascension spells make anyone a DPS class it feels like. Soloing duo zones on the other hand is painfully slow. But so is duoing them.
