There are three options for companions that can accompany you on your adventures, called Followers: the Templar, The Scoundrel, and The Enchantress. If you are playing Story Mode, you will find them gradually as you progress in the story. You will have all 3 immediately if playing Adventure Mode.
You can only have one Follower active at a time, and each one has a unique way they can assist you. To pick one, simply talk to them in any of the towns and choose to Hire them. Keep in mind that you can only hire a Follower if you’re playing solo.
General Mechanics
- No matter how you build them, Followers will never deal notable damage to enemies. This means that you want to focus on giving them Legendaries or Sets that will benefit your character in some way instead.
- Followers are completely controlled by AI, meaning they will use all of their Skills on their own.
- Follower Skills are not affected by Cooldown Reduction, with the only exception being the Templar’s Heal.
- When a Follower dies, they will automatically revive after 20 seconds.
- During this time, any effects from their gear or Skills will be nullified.
- Follower Skills can be changed at any time, but cannot be unlearned once you pick one (that is, you can’t have no skill selected).
- Make a note of it with the Scoundrel’s first set of skills and the crowd-control they come with. These might not be compatible with your endgame build.
- The only way to completely unlearn a Skill is to create a new character.
- Followers have a multiplier of 2.5x on their Primary Stat, making it easier to reach the Follower-specific goal of getting to 25,000 with it.
- Most Legendary Gems do not work when slotted into Followers’ items, with the exception of Esoteric Alteration and Mutilation Guard.
- If you have the Enforcer Legendary Gem equipped, its effects will work on the Follower.
Templar
Templar is the most defensive of the Followers – many of the Templar’s Skills will focus on healing and keeping enemies off of you. He is considered the worst of the three, because his additional defense is only useful for more fragile builds or for fresh characters that are low on their own survivability. Templar is still useful in some special cases, however, like in Hardcore Mode.
- Primary Stat: Strength
- Weapons: All non-exclusive 1-Handed weapons, Shields
- Unique equipment: Relics
Best Skills
Equipment
Flavor of Time will cause Pylon effects to last twice as long, while Nemesis Bracers makes Shrines spawn an enemy champion – both are essential pieces for all Followers. Gloves of Worship makes Shrine effects last for 10 minutes. The Enchanting Favor will make the Templar unable to get killed. Oculus Ring will give you a damage boost. If both you and Templar wear Unity, the damage you receive will be split between you two. The Captain Crimson’s Trimmings Set (2 pieces) and Leoric’s Crown will reduce the cooldown of Heal.
Just about every gem on the Templar’s gear will be a Flawless Royal Ruby, with the exception of a Flawless Royal Diamond on his Helm.
Stat Priorities
- Strength
- Cooldown Reduction
- Attack Speed
Scoundrel
Scoundrel is almost entirely offensive – his Skills focus on either damaging the enemy or boosting your damage. He is a good companion to bring along if you want to focus on increasing your overall damage. He works especially well with builds that can gather enemies together, or the ones that dual-wield weapons.
- Primary Stat: Dexterity
- Weapons: Bows and Crossbows
- Unique equipment: Tokens
Best Skills
- Level 5: Either Powered Shot or none (if your build wants to avoid extra crowd-control)
- Level 10: Anatomy
- Level 15: Piercing Shot
- Level 20: Night’s Veil
Equipment
Flavor of Time will cause Pylon effects to last twice as long, while Nemesis Bracers makes Shrines spawn an enemy champion – both are essential pieces for all Followers. The Skeleton Key will make the Scoundrel unable to get killed. Oculus Ring will give you a damage boost. If both you and Scoundrel wear Unity, the damage you receive will be split between you two. The Cain’s Destiny Set (2 pieces) will increase Scoundrel’s Attack Speed.
Just about every gem on the Scoundrel’s gear will be a Flawless Royal Emerald, with the exception of a Flawless Royal Ruby on his Helm.
Stat Priorities
- Dexterity
- Attack Speed
Enchantress
The Enchantress offers a mix of utility and damage buffs – she is the most versatile of the three Followers. She is the most used Follower since her Prophetic Harmony skill offers massive Cooldown Reduction, which is useful for almost any build.
- Primary Stat: Intelligence
- Weapons: All non-exclusive melee weapons except Polearms
- Unique equipment: Focuses
Best Skills
- Level 15: Temporal Pulse
- Level 20: Prophetic Harmony
- Level 25: Powered Shield
- Level 30: Focused Mind
Equipment
Flavor of Time will cause Pylon effects to last twice as long, while Nemesis Bracers makes Shrines spawn an enemy champion – both are essential pieces for all Followers. The Smoking Thurible will make the Enchantress unable to get killed. Oculus Ring will give you a damage boost. If both you and the Enchantress wear Unity, the damage you receive will be split between you two. The Cain’s Destiny Set (2 pieces) will increase the Attack Speed of the Enchantress.
Just about every gem on the Enchantress’s gear will be a Flawless Royal Topaz, with the exception of a Flawless Royal Ruby on her Helm.
Stat Priorities
- Intelligence
- Attack Speed
Farming Boost Sets for Followers
There are two armor sets that you can craft at the Blacksmith that will help you with farming either Greater Rift Keystones or Death’s Breath. Since the effects of these Sets Emanate (active even if on the Follower), you can give these to your Follower and not sacrifice your current build to improve your farming efficiency.
Sage’s Destiny (4 pieces)
- Set Pieces: Sage’s Apogee, Sage’s Ribbon, Sage’s Passage, Sage’s Purchase.
- Only 3 pieces are needed to get the full set effects.
- The full set doubles the amount of Death’s Breath dropped.
Cain’s Insight (4 Pieces)
- Set Pieces: Cain’s Insight, Cain’s Scrivener, Cain’s Habit, Cain’s Travelers.
- Only 3 pieces are needed to get the full set effects.
- The full set grants a 25% chance for a second Greater Rift Keystone to drop every time one does.