What kind a Barbarian is not using axes ?
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are you assuming what weapons they like?
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Bro… what kind a woke question this?!!
Barbs using everything is for Zug Zug!
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so… they can use something other than axes now?
only took me one post to make you realize they can use more than just an axe 
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???
Your reply did not answer absolute nothing, zero help, zero discussion why Barbarian mercenary is not design to wear more types of weapons.
that’s a stereotype.
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According to the lore for the Barbarian class, it does mention mastery of weapons. Keyword weapons (plural). Agreed, ActV merc should be able to yield both axes and maces.
Lore
“A nomadic wanderer, the Barbarian combines brawn and ruggedness with a mastery of weapons, using devastating melee attacks along with war cries to boost his allies—or demoralize his enemies.”
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they dont have any clean models for barb mercs to hold other weapons, and we know blizz isnt interested in having a barb look like theyre holding 2 swords but its actually two axes. there is 1 model with dual wielded axes, but it looks different from the current barb merc (much more ragged) and it may be missing other animations that the barb merc currently has.
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Why can’t they just use the player Barbarian model for holding other weapons for the ActV merc model? They could use existing assets and would take very little development time.
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Which is still infinitely more than no development time…
Rob Gallerani jumped ship a while ago, which is likely why the game is stalled like it is. That, and them swarming around the raging D4mpsterfire trying to fix it.
Fun fact: Act2 merc can use spear, javalin and polearm, yet they only have one appreance: holding spear jabbing.
And this is since lod time. Given that merc system exist since classic and they didn’t have the gear system back then, I suspect that they simple didn’t have “switching gear appreance” available to begin with…altho appreance should not affect the type of weapon a merc can hold.
OK … because …
they are mercenary helpers in a game …
they were designed to “help” you, not be overpowered …
it’s a 20+ year old design, that was “remastered” graphically, from a 20+ year old game
It’s a game! …
I mean, like, SERIOUSLY???
… why doesn’t the sun rise in the west?
… why is the color green?
… why does everything taste like chicken?
… why is water wet?
…
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I’m talking about the graphic model for the ActV merc model, what does that have to do with being overpowered? If they want to make a change to mercenaries, they could use existing art assets. That’s all I’m saying.
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when you said “model” and spoke of “adding weapon types” …
one can only assume that you were talking about using the PC barb as a model for the merc …
as such, mercs are designed to look different from PC’s, it’s a way differentiate between the two … again, it’s a 20+ year old design, from a 20+ year old game … and, it is only a game … lotsa games have quirks as such … do you go and try to change all of those games too?
Also, the current level of devs does NOT have the experience or education to change that much code in a game that was written in a code that existed before they were born …
Just accept it, use it, work with it … everyone else does …
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Doesn’t matter is game or not.
It is strange, a barbarian cannot use axes, basically saying a knight cannot using swords.
Why they decided to be like that, idk and for that asking, maybe it is really for balance between Mercs.
Any way, thank you all for replies!
I did not expect to read Lore quote 
Should be able to dual wield staves…
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They should be allowed to use axes and maces. Its simple easy change, yes they migt not have animations for other weapon types but so what? Act 2 merc doesnt also have animations for polearms either.
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Barbarian PC and hireling are the same Barbarians from Harrogath:
This is NOT the same case as it would be if someone, say, wanted to swap Rogue’s model with Amazon’s so she can use a crossbow.
And, yet, both are in a fantasy “game” … and the two need to be separate and identified as different, not indistinguishable from one another … Master & slave