Vespera Mercenaries Hub

Mercenaries are the closest thing Vespera has to a party without turning into a shared-party game. You hire followers with their own stories. One of them fights beside you in every battle. The rest run expeditions while you climb dungeons or the Tower. That split is easy to forget, which is why this hub exists. A Nightblade with an empty bench is leaving free gathering and combat coverage on the table.

This is not a shared campaign session. Your mercenary is an NPC. Other humans show up in factions and world bosses, which is a different loop.

The two jobs

Combat slot. Pick the hire that covers the hole in your class:

• Barbarian often wants extra ranged or control so packs stay in bleed range.
• Arcanist wants someone who still deals damage while you drink mana.
• Warden wants a frontliner who holds enemies inside traps.
• Nightblade wants cleave or a meat shield for hallway packs.

If two mercenaries seem equal, take the one whose skill is easy to auto. You will not micro them on a 24-hour offline window.

Expedition slots. Everyone not fighting should be walking. The full War Table, Standing Orders, and Caravan notes live on mercenary expeditions. Idle the bench the same way you idle gathering: start the route before you start a reclaim. If a mercenary story quest pops, finish it; those quests exist to make the hire more than a stat stick.

Hiring without going broke

Do not recruit the entire tavern on day one. One combat hire plus one expedition is enough until getting started is done. Gold still buys food. Food still buys your life. After the forge is stable — see gathering and crafting — expand the bench.

Patch notes mention mercenary damage inside Spire Tarot bonuses and offline combat. That means the combat slot is not cosmetic. If a reversed Tarot nerfs companion damage, consider pausing the Spire rather than blaming the class.

Caravans are a later presentation for journeys. New dispatches should show your current subclass portrait and any purchased Avatar Pack. They do not replace expeditions; they ride alongside.

How mercenaries touch the rest of the wiki

• Dungeon farms last longer when a hire covers your bad matchup.
• Tower Reclamation deaths drop when a frontliner exists.
• World bosses want you personally in the fight for better contribution, but the bench can still run expeditions during the wait. See factions.
• Gear sockets stay on you; mercenaries do not eat your Attunement gem. Keep gear and gems focused on the player character.

Practical roster plan

1. Hire the first combat mercenary the campaign offers.
2. Send the second hire on the shortest expedition.
3. After your first dungeon clear, replace the combat slot if they die more than you do.
4. Never leave the bench idle while you sleep. That is wasted 24-hour cap.
5. Before a Titan call, decide whether the combat hire’s kit helps the boss. Swap if the tooltip says so.

If you cannot tell who is good, pick the mercenary whose story you will actually read. You will look at them for hundreds of hours. The review talks about how much of Vespera is class fantasy; mercenaries are half of that fantasy.

The Mercenary War Table is the map. Example roster from a 1.0 screenshot: Bran Shieldbearer (tank hold), Mira Field Healer, Kael Axehand (striker), Syl Green Warden (support), Nox Shade Scout, Orin Gemwright (caster). Routes such as The Eastern Marches send them to Roadside posts, Tower Recon, or Starless Spire contracts for Vesper Crystals and Aether. Spend the ten small mercenary talent buttons on the hire in the combat slot, not on a bench warmer.