Why you should prioritize farming Mercenaries in Path of Exile: Secrets of the Atlas

The new Mercenary League mechanics in Path of Exile 3.26 may be the best currency farming method right now. Mercenaries are a frequent spawn and are usually present in each new area you enter. You can either hire them, exile them, or grab one of their items.

It turns out the Mercenaries have some deep pockets that can contain useful items and rare currencies. This article will explain why it may be worth farming them for loot this League.

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Farming mercenaries in Path of Exile 3.26 can turn profitable

Mercenaries in Path of Exile are bringing some of the rarest currencies, like Divine Orbs, in their pockets. Multiple Reddit posts have now confirmed that acquiring these items is possible as early as Act 4.

Many players are showcasing rare currencies like Divine Orbs, Scarabs, Hinekora’s Lock, and other rare items held by mercenaries. One user showcased Kalandra's Touch unique ring, which is currently priced at over 10 divines.

3 Divine Merc reward in Act 7 byu/caddph inpathofexile

Kalandra's Touch from a regular Mercenary in Act 10! byu/Gagantous inpathofexile

Act 8 Uhhhhhhhhh byu/DontEatSocks inpathofexile

Sure, I don't mind... byu/Sporrik inpathofexile

These posts come less than 24 hours after the release of Mercenaries of Trarthus League, and the community seems quite happy with the new League mechanics. One thing to note is that most of the drops are Divine Orbs.

Even if the currency isn’t something super rare, small items like Orbs of Fusing and Jeweller's Orb are quite useful in the early game. Getting these items without spending anything is already an incredible quality of life.

Lochtonial Caress unique gloves (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

For me, one of the mercenaries was holding Lochtonial Caress during Act 2. While this may not be the Divine Orb drop I was looking for, it’s decent equipment for my minion build. These unique gloves are one of the best items for the campaign.

Killing monsters while these gloves are equipped has a 10% chance to grant Frenzy or Endurance Charge. Its unique ability, Conduit, will share the charges with all minions, which are the primary source of damage in the build.

There’s also a free cosmetic Twitch drop for Charges as part of the Secrets of the Atlas launch campaign. It can be claimed starting June 21. Full details regarding free cosmetics have been explained here.

But is this enough to call it a viable farming method? As of this writing, Grinding Gear Games has yet to provide an update on whether this is intentional. Until then, yes, it is a good source for some extra currency. If you’re lucky, you may get incredible loot with a trade-off of losing XP on defeat.

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Mercenaries of Trarthus League mechanic overview

Good loot or a support character, you choose (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

If you still don’t know how the Mercenary Challenge League works, here’s a quick recap. Mercenaries from the city of Trarthus have started appearing throughout the game from Act 1. When encountered, there are three options:

• Hire: Spend some gold to hire a Mercenary to aid you like a team member. Inspect their gear and skills before hiring to get a better companion.
• Take Item: If you already have one or a few at your service, instead of hiring, you can choose an item to take from them. These can be a piece of gear or the currency they are holding.
• Exile: When choosing this option, the same archetype of Mercenary will not appear for a set number of encounters.

Choosing any of the options will start a fight with the Mercenary, and the rewards can only be claimed after defeating them. You get nothing if you are defeated. There’s also a Renown system that increases your rank if you fight the same mercenary multiple times.

Winning a fight grants one Renown, which can be increased up to three. Backing out of the fight after checking the mercenary’s gear, or a defeat, will lower the Renown rank by one. Higher Renown rank results in better mercenary skills and loot.

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Check out more on Path of Exile:

• Path of Exile 3.26: Biggest buffs and nerfs
• Path of Exile 3.26 Secrets of the Atlas: Runegrafting explained
• 7 Best League Starter builds in Path of Exile 3.26