Pretty sure we should be running Infinity on the Merc over Decrep, since we already Zerk Magic damage vs. phys, and the hit rate is one of the biggest hindrances to WW/Zerk DPS.
https://d2.maxroll.gg/d2planner/2801061m#10

That said, it's still a slower build than A2 Merc for pure goldfinding. You lose out on like 1kGF from gear alone if you wanna get good enough DPS to justify the swap, since Chance Guards over Laying of Hands is generally just bad idea for clearspeed.

This post was edited by Exokek on Apr 17 2022 08:58pm

Yeah, I know. Been experimenting a lot, but I haven't really made it click yet.
Grief+LW or 2x Headstrikers are the top contenders so far for me though. I've dropped Gavel for Demonlimb with good results too.

Yeah.
The big thing to look for is basically just high damage range + high chance to hit for burst.
A2 Merc is notoriously amazing for that, since a War Pike can hit for upwards of 20k a pop.
Using Beast on your Barb, A2 Merc can hit 5.56 hits/second and still smash for 20k+ https://d2.maxroll.gg/d2planner-ptr/fq0106r3#3

So far, A5 Merc hasn't had the same level of burst, and that means you see a lot more healing on the council. Even Fury's PMH doesn't work, because the healing at Trav isn't from natural regen but from spell casts.

Grief PB + Last Wish PB give max attack speed on 2 Frenzy stacks for the Merc, and the damage range is very high.
Drawback is that of course, Last Wish will override Gavel/Battle Cry very frequently, so you need to basically just let the Merc do its own thing, and at best keep Gavel for Phys Immunes.

The most you can do is wield a Beast in your main hand, and that makes the Merc hit max speed on 0 stacks of Frenzy right off the bat. It also makes Demon Limb a lot less mandatory, since the Merc can hit 84%~ hit chance on main hand without Limb.

Just an example, with a 45 Find Item Version (78% Find Item success rate, accounting for Find Potion synergy), with 337MF/1472GF
https://d2.maxroll.gg/d2planner-ptr/fq0106r3#18

33 Find Item version (76% Find Item success rate), 380MF/1976GF
https://d2.maxroll.gg/d2planner-ptr/fq0106r3#20

Beast also has the advantage of giving your Merc a better chance of pushing through Holy Freeze.

This post was edited by Exokek on Apr 18 2022 05:51am

I agree. I think the lack of high bursts compared to A2 merc is a big issue. The healing from council is causing problems. How are your results using those max dmg jewels? Still not enough I take it?

It works fine, but it's still noticeably not enough to just 1-tap everything like A2 Merc tends to do.
I'll need to test another armor setup soon, just need to find someone who has it for sale.

If A2 Merc didn't struggle as much vs. Stone Skin I'd be so much happier going back to it.

This post was edited by Exokek on Apr 18 2022 06:19am

Keep us posted on the results. I'm curious about the armor though

So guys, I've question regarding our Frenzy guy -
shall I invest in Beast offhand or give a try Fury in mythical sword?
Or both ?

I'd probably advise against investing in an act 5 merc as things are right now. Especially if you already got a good setup for your act 2 merc.

grief / last wish with DIY maxdmg armor is good, with visionary/8LL circlet socked with Cham/30max, but... man.
it's just not bursty ;_;

a2 merc is so much simpler to gear

This post was edited by Exokek on Apr 19 2022 08:56am

Yeah exactly. No point in spending the fg on a bunch of expensive items (last wish is not free) when cheaper setups will get you even better results.