"Diablo 3" has now been officially released by Blizzard Entertainment. Before its release, the game broke several pre-sale records and became the most pre-ordered PC game of all time on Amazon.com. While the developers have added a host of new features, there are a few things that are still not clear.

However, here's a guide that will discuss about the Followers in "Diablo 3" and will answer any queries that you might have regarding the different Follower classes.

Who are the Followers?

Followers, as you may recall, were formerly known as Hirelings. These are Non-playable characters (NPC) who can be found right through Sanctuary and are willing to aid you in your battles. Apart from fighting for you, they can acquire new abilities, receive new and more effective equipments (if you want), and level up. Although you may not be able to customize your Followers as closely as your own Hero, you can turn them into effective aides if you are successful to customize them correctly.

How do the Followers perform in battles?

You can be assured that your follower will always accompany you in every battle you fight. You can customize them with weapons and equipments as per your liking, and each class of Follower can equip a unique accessory which is exclusive to their lineage. For example, the Templar can equip Relics, Enchantress Focuses, and Scoundrel Tokens. Remember that a Follower will not die in combat, but can take some damage which can be healed by special health globes. Although your Follower won't die, he/she will fall to one knee when they are exhausted and taken damage. They will remain unable to aid you for about 10 seconds before they are automatically revived and back to normal. Note that the Followers will be awarded XP for all the enemies they have defeated, but will still be unable to pick up stuff such as gold or other equipments.

How to hire a Follower?

You can Talk to, Hire, Dismiss or Retain a Follower by right-clicking on the Follower icon found at the upper-left corner of the screen that will open a menu. Note that you can hire only one Follower at a time. You can also choose to hire additional Followers, but your remaining hires will have to wait back at camp until you return. Remember to be fast and precise as you will be given 120 seconds to make your hiring decision. Now when you've chosen a Follower, he/she will start along with your Hero with one level less than him. For example, if your Hero is on level 12, you new Follower will begin on level 11.

Retraining a Follower

By retraining a Follower, you can select new skill sets after establishing a current path for your ally. Although it is quite a costly thing to do, it can be helpful if you are in need of different set of proficiencies for the current situation you are in. The three types of Followers are Templars, Enchantress and Scoundrels.

Who are Templars and what their skills are?

You will first encounter a Templar in the Cathedral in Act 1, Reign of the Black King. Templars, apart from being effective hand-to-hand combatants, can also carry a host of equipments such as spears swords, daggers and maces. These knights will do anything to protect the church and can be powerful associates to your Hero. They can also heal and taunt apart from fighting any enemies that may stand in your way. The Templars' skills include Heal (healing themselves or your Hero) in Level 5. This, however, will cost you a cool-down for 30 seconds. They may also intervene and taunt your enemies for about three seconds when your Hero's health is below 50 percent.

In Level 10, the Templars attain Loyalty, which is an improved version of Heal. This regenerates hit points per second for the Hero and Templar. Another skill, Intimidate, will slow enemies down by 60 percent for three seconds. In Level 15, Templars will launch Charge on the target that deals about 50 percent weapon damage and stun enemies who are within eight yards for a couple of seconds.

In Level 20, the ability of Inspire  an increase resource generation and can now help a wounded ally.

Who are Enchantresses and what their skills are?

Enchantresses will be first available to you in Act 2, Beneath the Burning Sands. These are powerful allies excelling with wands, two-handed weapons and staves. They have protective abilities and boast good defense with magic spells.

In Level 15, the Enchantress can charm the enemy into fighting for you for a few seconds. Forceful Push will summon an Arcane explosion. Reflect Missiles, in Level 20, allows the Enchantress and her allies to deflect any incoming attacks. You can also gain Powered Armor here. Disorient, in Level 25, confuses a selected number of enemies for a couple of seconds. They can also deal Erosion for weapon damage. Level 30 has Mass Control that will send hex to enemies within 15 yards, and turn them into chickens.

Another one, Focused Mind, increases attack speed by three percent.

Who are Scoundrels and what their skills are?

Scoundrels appear in Fields of Misery in Act 1, Sword of the Stranger. These are impressive marksmen and deal heavy damage with weapons such as bows and crossbows. Scoundrels are out for blood and can be useful for offensive onslaughts.

They have abilities such as Crippling Shot in Level 5 that can slow down enemies by 60 percent for three seconds. They possess Poison bolts for additional weapon damage. In Level 10, Scoundrels can blind enemies with Dirty Fighting and Vanish allows them to quickly disappear from the scene if they are injured.

In Level 15, they acquire Powered Shot where they send exploding arrows with 25 percent weapon damage for the enemy. Multishot is also available that enables a Scoundrel to fire three shots at one time.

Lastly, Hysteria is attained in Level 20. This allows Scoundrels and Heroes to land critical damage to the enemy that increases by 10 percent. Anatomy increases the Scoundrel's Critical Hit by three percent.