Hireling

[Noquid]

It says you can befriend them or use them as cannon fodder. Am I missing a step? Is there a way to befriend them? (meaning they have an opinion of you) I'm using a hireling, was just wondering if I'm missing something. I've had the hireling in my group for quite a while now and when we rest, the hireling just kinda stands alone off to the side with no tent or personal camp.

[EricHVela]

The "befriend" text is part of a joke. The most players can do is get mechanical "inspiration" from their backgrounds for certain player actions. Players can try to befriend them or use them as fodder, and Larian won't judge. Try as one might, it won't happen, but players can use them as fodder all they want.

They're extensions of Withers (with a successful skill check), and Withers doesn't want to be your friend, that judgmental jerk. Unless that decrepit corpse gets more action than anyone else, he has no valid say on relationships and, especially, flesh (of which he barely has any).

[id795078477]

Hirelings are nothing more than a fig leaf to cover for the case when PC didn't find enough companions (or disposed of them through some other means)

[Bluebeak]

Originally posted by id795078477:

Hirelings are nothing more than a fig leaf to cover for the case when PC didn't find enough companions (or disposed of them through some other means)

You can also use hirelings as party members in unique circumstances. Hirelings represent races that you can't normally have as party members like gnomes and dwarves. And some abilities only work on those races. IE: Throwing party members.

[アンジェル]

Originally posted by Noquid:

Hireling
It says you can befriend them or use them as cannon fodder. Am I missing a step? Is there a way to befriend them? (meaning they have an opinion of you) I'm using a hireling, was just wondering if I'm missing something. I've had the hireling in my group for quite a while now and when we rest, the hireling just kinda stands alone off to the side with no tent or personal camp.

Like EricHVela wrote it is more of a joke. The hirelings are basically "empty husks" remote controlled by Withers.

[seeker1]

Yep. If you want a dwarf in your party, and didn't make your Tav one ... you gotta get a hireling.

If you want a sorcerer in your party, and you didn't make your Tav one, and didn't multi-class or respec a companion as one ... you gotta get a hireling.

They're for filling in gaps. The # of hirelings max you can have is 3, without a mod. This means in a standard 4 person party, it is entirely possible to do the entire game without any companions. Now a party of 6 ... requiring PLB ... well you'll need that other mod, requires Script Extender, that raises the hireling cap above 3. If you want to go "all hireling".

Befriend them? Ehhh, they are without interactions. They do have some banter in a non robotic voice once outside camp, some of their quips are a bit funny.

Also, there are a few mods out there to let you make some folks people wanted to be companions, like Alfira, but are not, also be your bard hireling. Again, don't expect any interactivity beyond typical hirelings. There's weird stuff that doesn't make sense from a game perspective, but yeah, it's possible through these mods to make Orin your hireling ... I have no idea what happens when Orin clone meets real Orin, "LOL".

Last but not least, they make a very nice test lab for trying out custom mod classes and subclasses on before you give them to Tav or companions, and that's how I often use them, to figure out which ones I like.

[youngrising172]

Originally posted by seeker1:

Yep. If you want a dwarf in your party, and didn't make your Tav one ... you gotta get a hireling.

If you want a sorcerer in your party, and you didn't make your Tav one, and didn't multi-class or respec a companion as one ... you gotta get a hireling.

They're for filling in gaps. The # of hirelings max you can have is 3, without a mod. This means in a standard 4 person party, it is entirely possible to do the entire game without any companions. Now a party of 6 ... requiring PLB ... well you'll need that other mod, requires Script Extender, that raises the hireling cap above 3. If you want to go "all hireling".

Befriend them? Ehhh, they are without interactions. They do have some banter in a non robotic voice once outside camp, some of their quips are a bit funny.

Also, there are a few mods out there to let you make some folks people wanted to be companions, like Alfira, but are not, also be your bard hireling. Again, don't expect any interactivity beyond typical hirelings. There's weird stuff that doesn't make sense from a game perspective, but yeah, it's possible through these mods to make Orin your hireling ... I have no idea what happens when Orin clone meets real Orin, "LOL".

Last but not least, they make a very nice test lab for trying out custom mod classes and subclasses on before you give them to Tav or companions, and that's how I often use them, to figure out which ones I like.

There is no mod that allows you to have more than 3 hirelings at this moment. Hopefully people who make mods can fix that.

[Dynadroo]

Hirelings are indispensable for my play style.
Halfling Bard who can walk through tiny crevasses and heal the party - yes. (She swiped an entire smokepowder horde today from a Zhentarim storeroom right under their noses)
Githyanki Monk who can blast people prone from 9M away and jump farther than Misty Step, yes.
Am I going to play the game as these characters? No.
They're awesome. I much prefer them to crappy characters like Wyll or Halsin.