I recommend trying this out

Act 1 Merc - Ice / Ice


For the weapon, create the best HARMONY runeword bow that you can.
4os bow
It gives you lvl10 vigor. It's GREAT!

Strongly recommend this for mid tier Warlocks before you get Enigma, or if you choose to go without it. The Vigor increases your and all your minions/merc/team movement speak, and with all the manual running around warlocks do, it really feels great and makes it much more fun.
https://imgur.com/7aJDqVh.png

For the helmet, I have CURE RUNEWORD
3os helmet
It gives you lvl 1 cleansing. Also another quality of life boost. Poison and curses and other things fade away so quickly.
https://imgur.com/cX13RLq.png

For the armor
Just get whatever good armor piece you happen to have or find. She's got good survivability aleady, and an armor can only enhance that.

- You can give her whatever is available if you're poor. Aim for Hysteria Runeword. (Shael,Ko, Eld) https://diablo2. io/runewords/hysteria-t1674021.html
- There are some other creative options you can do if ur mid
- Highest tier probably Dragon, theoretically if you have cursed demon, the holy fire you get from dragon triggers amp from cursed demon

Honestly I really love how fast running feels while I don't have enigma right now. I bet once I get enigma i'll probably do less running.
So in the case of that , I might keep Harmony bow (with virgor, or I may not)

Wrath bow has 30% chance to cast Decripify on whatever the she hits, which can further help increase your damage
You can get either Brand/Faith/Ice ... for Concentration/Fanatacism/Holy Freeze

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Now the A1 merc compared to the A2 merc I had even with Gaze for life leach. She dies way less. And I feel great running around so fast.
Her AI update they gave her a few years ago, she's really smart and stays out of trouble for the most part. She's not that bad of a glass cannon, she can take some hits , but does a great job retreating and running away.
On top of that, her freezing arrows literally freeze monsters in their place. Holy freeze slows mobs down, but hers directly freeze the mob she uses that skill on. Holy Freeze is still nice though

Try out this build, its super cheap, you may have the ruines for it already. The act2 merc isn't needed for tank anymore, your demon takes over for that. Holy freeze is nice but it can be replaced with Mist bow. The rest, are QOL upgrades like Vigor that's actually worth checking out and seeing how much faster it makes all your mobs, you move faster and can evade / get out of dodgy situations. Maneuver much more quickly. Try it out.

This post was edited by PointSource on Feb 27 2026 01:48am

Didn't read but I agree

the running also helps me attack move attack move really quickly
Also helps me get out sticky situations quickly
try it out, my a1 merc is dyign less than my a2 merc (while poor)

How well does your merc keep up with you? From my experience they tend to wander off to outside aura range. I've been using temutele and telestaff which have been sufficient for cs runs.

In my experience:
The Treachery RW works better on Act1 merc's than Hustle/Hysteria

The Act1 Hireling has like 100+IQ versus the Act 5 at this moment

Insight bow on any caster made in a Elite Bow

On the melee builds with Act 1 Mercs is a choice between Mist or Faith / made in a Elite Ama Bow...
(The Harmony works great while going towards Hell, swap late Nightmare)

Ice RW with a Cold Soso don't really works (High Dmg Insight is way better)

Gaze & Bulwark Helm over Cure Helm (Or just get the Andy "ral" from the start)

Regarding the Wrath Runeword -> It is the best PVM bowie Runeword you can run (You'll have to use LOH gloves as well - you're a Amazon Godtier in PVM)

The Brand Runeword is not recommended, waste of Runes and a 4s Bow

I can see trying this with an Insight bow. I’ve been running an A2 Prayer dude to try and regen some of the life lost to Blood Boil, but I’m not sure it’s doing much.

Try it out you'll like it

But it dies in 1 hit from a doom knight, wtf

wondering if warlock is good mf build