Mercenaries in RPGs

[mlnevese]

Most, if not all, computer RPGs give you the option to recruit customized mercenaries, but I always avoided them because they don't have any story and never interact with your party.

Yesterday I finished my angel run on WoTR and decided to start a new one where I will be a melee lich (death knight, yay! ) and decided to give mercenaries a chance after reading so much about arcanist brown fur support. And wow! It's good! I really liked the class...

But I still feel torn between story and party optimal composition and may just go back to a save before recruiting the mercenarie... So how do you feel about mercenaries in RPGs?

 

[Skatan]

Only time I ever used it was in PoE POTD just to make it through the early game. Never finished that run and never used them in any other game. The older I get, the less I want to optimize my companion and the more I take them as they come. I have even used autoleveling in PKM to allow the NPCs to "be their own", so to speak.

 

[alice_ashpool]

Mercs are a nice option for later playthroughs and messing around, or in games like IWD that are designed for them. But I am pro-companions as an essential part of any party-based rpg.