When you've got the mercenary you want D2R Items, make sure that you equip them with the appropriate gear that will increase their effectiveness. Additionally, it is important to know that ethereal items that aren't repairable in mercenaries, are extremely useful because these items aren't affected by merc technology.

Items that are socketed and Runewords are extremely powerful

Even in the early going the game will begin to produce gems that you can put into items with sockets. They can be extremely beneficial for weapons that are socketed in particular can give you a massive gain in damage. Although the characteristics of a product aren't ideal, bear in mind that having a large number of sockets can transform your weapon when you apply them properly.

That's the place Runewords come in. Like all the gems you'll discover, Runes can be placed in sockets for beneficial effects. But if specific runes are included in items in a certain order buy D2R Ladder Items, you'll activate the runeword. Runeword.