POE 3.26 Mercenaries of Trarthus Guide – Renown, Infamous Mercenaries, and Companion Strategy

How to Use Mercenaries: The Basics

The Mercenaries of Trarthus mechanic is accessible early in the Campaign—you’ll encounter duelable NPCs in zones like Rivers and Mud Flats, as your screenshots show. Learning how to engage with them effectively will amplify your league experience from day one.

1. Encounter and Duel

• Each zone features at least one Mercenary NPC—highlighted on your minimap—and they’re duelable as soon as you interact 

• Winning the duel unlocks three options: Hire, Take Item, or Exile.

• Clicking any option locks in your choice—so it’s crucial to decide based on their gear, skillgem loadout, or your current needs

2. Hire, Take, or Exile?

• Hire: Pay gold to add the Mercenary to your roster. You can have up to three hires, with one active at a time 

• Take Item: Choose a single piece of their gear, keeping it for yourself 

• Exile: Banish the Merc type for the next 10 zones—helpful for hunting rarer archetypes

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3. Renown and Infamous Mercenaries

• Renown is your performance badge:

  • +1 Renown per duel victory, up to rank 3

  • –1 Renown for losing or opening encounter and leaving without action

• Higher Renown increases the chance to encounter Infamous Mercs—powerful variants with unique loot and guaranteed Uniques

• This system encourages active dueling instead of skipping for easier but worse rewards 

4. Renown, Infamous Mercenaries & Unique Item Drops

The Renown system is a powerful progression mechanic in the Mercenaries of Trarthus league. As your Renown increases through consistent dueling, you unlock access to Infamous Mercenaries—elite versions of standard mercs with higher stats, deadlier skill setups, and critically, the chance to drop powerful items and uniques.

How Renown Progression Works

• Renown Ranks range from 0 to 3 and are earned by successfully dueling Mercenaries across zones.

• Losing a duel, fleeing, or simply inspecting gear without fighting lowers your Renown, preventing farming exploits.

• Once you hit Renown Rank 3, you begin to regularly encounter Infamous Mercenaries, denoted by:

  • A gold chain icon next to their name

  • Unique titles (e.g., “The Keitan Chainbreaker”)

  • More powerful skills and better loot tables

Example Encounter: Unique Drop from Infamous Merc
Ruhato (Act 2 – Western Forest) dropped Lochtonial Caress after a successful duel. He was marked as Infamous, offered strong melee skills, and rewarded early unique gloves that boosted early DPS scaling.

• Infamous Mercenary Level 16

• Carries a Lochtonial Caress (Iron Gauntlets)—a low-level but iconic Unique that grants cast and attack speed, with a chance to gain power, frenzy, or endurance charges on kill

• Skills include:

  • Tunnel Slam

  • Cleave

  • Leap Slam of Groundbreaking

  • Molten Shell

  • Enrage

This fight illustrates several key league mechanics:

• The Infamous tag signifies elevated difficulty and unique drop eligibility

• Upon victory, the item (Lochtonial Caress) drops on the ground and is lootable just like a boss drop

 

5 .Using Hired Mercenaries

• Once hired, your Merc becomes a permanent companion—no upkeep required 

• In party play, a Mercenary counts as half a player, boosting map difficulty and loot quantity accordingly 

• If your Merc dies in combat, pay a gold fee in town to revive—they don’t respawn on their own

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6.  Optimizing Merc Gear and Build

• Access the Mercenary Loadout UI to swap gear easily—this includes weapons, armor, gloves, and jewels

• Merc gear types:

  • Offensive: Buffs DPS (with physical, elemental, or spell scaling)

  • Support: Curses, auras, crowd control utility

  • Defensive: High armor/resists, block, life regen

• Some unique items, like Scornflux or new Imbued Uniques, only appear on Mercenaries

• Mercs can’t change their skill gems—gear is the main way to customize performance

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6. Strategy Summary

Phase	Action Strategy
Campaign	Duel early; Evaluate gear/skills; Choose Hire/Take/Exile
Mapping	Keep Renown at 3; Use Infamous Mercs for better rewards
Loadout	Equip gear to complement your build (damage, support, tank)
Endgame	Rotate Merc loadouts: DPS for mob layers, support for bosses

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Master these steps and you’ll turn Mercenaries into more than just companions—they’ll be integral to your damage, utility, and loot progression in Secrets of the Atlas. Ready to see which Merc type suits your build best next?

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Why Mercenaries Matter

• Offer extra DPS, crowd control, auras, curses, and tanking on demand.

• Their distinct gear slots (weapons, armor, rings/jewelry) make them potent with proper items 

• Provide flexibility: equip an offensive merc for heavy mapping or a support/curse merc for boss fights.

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Building Your Mercenary

Here’s how to maximize your merc companion’s potential:

A. Choose the Right Style

• DPS-oriented merc: equip them with weapons and gear to deal strong damage—ideal for clearing mobs.

• Support/caster merc: focus on curses, auras, or debuffs to augment your main build.

• Tank/defensive merc: gear them for block, armor, recovery to soak aggro (aoeah.com).

B. Equip Ideal Gear

• Unique items like Kingmaker, Dying Breath, Doppelganger’s Guise, or Life-on-Block shields can dramatically improve performance (poe-vault.com).

• Defensive gear for support mercs includes high resistances, life, and recovery stats.

C. Skill Gems & Trarthan Gems

• Trarthan gems are unique to mercs and can only be taken via Take Item reward (poebuilds.net).

• Equip their skill setup for synergy—e.g., aura spreads, projectile curses—your merc mirrors a mini build.

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Integration into Your Journey

Campaign & Early Zones (Acts 1–10)

• First encouters begin as early as Riverways and Mud Flats—your screenshots show dialogues with Vastin and Vraktha, confirming early integration.

• Engage each mercenary via duel: this builds Renown, unlocking more powerful Infamous variants later

• Pick your first hire based on their role:

  • DPS merc for clearing trash

  • Support (curses/auras) for boss fights

  • Tank merc for tougher zones

• Take gear or Trarthan gem when available. Early campaign loot often includes low-level Trarthus gems or utility gear

Mapping Phase (Tier 1–10)

• Use Renown rank 3 to encounter better, often Infamous Mercs—more loot, better skills and gear

• Keep evolving your Merc’s gear: equip them with niche uniques like:

  • Anathema + Doedre’s Damning for triple curses 

  • Polaric Devastation for ailment synergy 

  • Defensive uniques like Eternal Damnation, Ignomon for survival 

• Rotate Merc types depending on map content:

  • AoE DPS for Delirium or Legion maps

  • Curse/support for boss or hardcore-threat maps

Tier 11–16 & Bossing

• Use must-have unique items to tailor your Merc:

  • Sporeguard, Gravebind for utility

  • Kingmaker, Doppelgänger’s Guise for aura retention

  • Eternal Damnation for elemental mitigation

• Switch in a specialized support Merc before entering pinnacle bosses—makes clearing mechanics much smoother.

• Merc survives map and levels with you; don’t worry about minion damage mods—Mercs have full gear scaling and are not minions

Group Play and Merc Strategy

• When in a party, Mercenary counts as half a player, scaling map difficulty and loot—so bringing them along is beneficial if you’re already farming in groups

• Don’t forget to revive your Merc in town after deaths—they hold onto gear and return in the next map

 Path to Endgame

• 100% Renown + Inviting Infamous Mercs becomes a powerful loot strategy—some even aim to reroll zone Merc spawns (“exile” unwanted ones)

• For pinnacle bosses and high-tier content, Mercs offer condensed support—either as defensive shields or supplementing DPS builds.

• Their gear flexibility means they stay relevant and powerful—even as your own character grows.

Summary Table

Stage	Mercenary Role	Goals
Campaign	Duo/Support/Pick starter gear	Gain Renown, gear, and early utility
Mapping (T1–10)	Rotate DPS/support gear into Merc	Run Infamous Mercs, synergy with build
Endgame (T11–16+)	Run specialized Merc for bosses	Boost AoE damage, add curses, tank
Party Play	Include Merc for loot & difficulty bonus	Enhance map returns

 

Tips & Best Practices for Mercenaries of Trarthus

1. Keep Renown High — Focus on Fighting, Not Skipping

   • Renown is earned by dueling Mercenaries and lost if you exit the dialogue without engaging 

   • Reddit users praise this design:

     “Renown obviously discourages … resetting the zones checking all the gear of mercenaries without actually doing the content” 

   • Higher renown increases your chance to encounter Infamous Mercenaries—the best source for rare gear and unique “Infamous” modifiers 

2. Aim for Infamous Mercs Early

   • Once your Renown reaches rank 3, you’ll start seeing Infamous Mercenaries—superior versions with better loot and summoned power

   • These rare foes often drop exclusive gear and Trarthan gems, making them a high-value farm target.

3. Evaluate Before You Hire

   • The duel UI shows the Merc’s gear, skill gems, and skill types—review this closely to determine if they complement your build 

   • Choose carefully: hiring costs gold, and you can only have three mercs with one active 

1. Strategically Use ‘Take Item’

   • If the Merc’s equipment or Trarthan gem suits your character more than they do the Merc, choose “Take Item” to pocket it without tying up a slot

   • Useful when you’re full or focused on a specific item, but don’t want to commit to hiring.

2. Use ‘Exile’ to Cull the Pool

   • Exiling a Mercenary blocks that archetype for the next 10 zones—ideal for avoiding duplicates as you hunt for specific ones

   • Useful tactic when targeting rare Infamous ones with desirable mods or skills.

1. Equip Your Merc Properly

   • Mercenaries can be geared using your stash. Focus on these archetypes:

     • DPS Mercs: equip high-damage weapons and supports like Doryani’s Prototype.

     • Support Mercs: gear for curses or auras using items like Sporeguard or Abhorrent Interrogation 

     • Tank Mercs: items like Belly of the Beast and Doppelgänger Guise maximize survivability .

1. Leverage Mercenary Utility Items

   • Unique items provide game-changing boosts:

     • Sporeguard: creates fungal ground and explosions on kill.

     • Gravebind: grants on-kill credit and item drop credit 

     • Ambu’s Charge: shares endurance charges for improved tankiness .

2. Rotate Based on Content

   • Map Clear: use a DPS Merc with wide AoE and high mobility.

   • Boss Fights: switch in a Support Merc (e.g., aura or curse-focused) to boost survivability and damage output 

   • Keep an eye on your Merc’s strength—if they lag behind your own level, dismiss and hunt a better one.

3. Party Scaling Benefits

   • Mercenaries count as half a player in party scaling, meaning monsters are tougher but drop more loot—equating to a net gain

4. Don’t Stress on Death

   • If your Merc dies, you can revive them in town with a small gold fee. They won’t reappear in the same area, helping to avoid frustrating respawns

5. Use Exile Strategically

   • Exiling removes an archetype for 10 zones, but you can have up to two exiled at once—plan ahead when targeting specific Mercs 

Conclusion – Conquer the League with Mercenary Mastery

Mercenaries of Trarthus is more than just another league mechanic—it’s a strategic expansion that redefines how you progress through Wraeclast in Path of Exile 3.26: Secrets of the Atlas. By managing your Renown rank, selecting powerful Infamous Mercenaries, and optimizing your companion’s gear and skills, you unlock one of the most rewarding gameplay systems POE has ever seen.

Whether you’re farming early uniques, testing Trarthus skill gems, or fine-tuning your build synergy, this system offers value from Act 1 to Tier 16 maps and beyond. Don’t underestimate the potential of your Mercenaries—they’re not just backup, they’re game changers.

As the league evolves, check back for updates on best mercenary setups, meta builds, and community-discovered strategies. And if you’re coming from Path of Exile 2’s early access, this is the perfect time to rediscover what makes POE1’s league design so impactful.

Ready to dominate Secrets of the Atlas? Start building your Renown, duel for loot, and command your way through Trarthus.

 

More Path of Exile 3.26 Guides You Shouldn’t Miss

Looking to push even further this league? Check out these essential companion posts to get the full advantage in Secrets of the Atlas:

• Best League Starter Builds for Path of Exile 3.26 – Secrets of the Atlas Meta Guide
  Discover the strongest and most beginner-friendly builds for powering through early content and pairing well with your Mercenaries.

• Path of Exile Beginners Guide for Secrets of the Atlas (3.26 League Start)
  Learn the basics of POE 3.26, including essential tools, leveling tips, and how to make the most of this league—even if you’re starting from scratch.

• Path of Exile: Secrets of the Atlas Ultimate Guide (3.26) – Mechanics, League, Bosses & Crafting Explained
  Everything you need to know about league mechanics like Threads of Consciousness, Memory bosses, and crafting systems unique to 3.26.

🔄 Bookmark these guides and come back as we update each one with new builds, drops, and meta strategies as the league evolves!