In my previous playthrough (to lvl 71) I ran into a mercenary now and then and from dialog options I would offer to take their mission, and "map updated" would appear upper left.
But....I had discovered so much of the world at that point that I couldn't tell where I should go, and nothing showed up in misc list.
The mercs are starting to show up again (lvl 40), but I don't always get the chance to take over their mission.
What are you supposed to do with these guys, I'm really curious?
Periodically, a guard (usually Whiterun) would also talk about steering clear of some scary place, but half the time I couldn't quite catch where they were pointing me.

The mercenary doesn't give you a quest, but just directs you to a (random?) place where you can go kill and loot. If you've already been there, then the merc's info is not news to you. Same thing for guards' remarks, except you don't even get a map update.

The only time I talked to a Mercenary is when they marked my already full map. I never did find that marker.

Thanks, glad it's not just me... Wish the mercs would mention a location so I'd have an idea.

i find the same thing, you get the map update but have no idea where they wanted you to go. i just kill them and take their items, usually ebony gear

the guards aren't so bad for me as they tell you where to go and what to expect inside (bandits, hagravens, etc) and since i play on low volume i have subtitles on and can read the location name and check it to the map. when i start a new character i talk to the guards in each city until they stop giving a full answer and can usually get 3 or 4 new map locations.

I had a mercenary/hunter come up to me once, saying they had been atttacked by Vampires, and wanting a cure disease potion. They told me to sttay away from the cave/ruin/whatever, and pointed to it on the map, but didnt give me a name, so I dont know where it was.

I've had guards warn me to stay away from various locations, due to bandits, Forsworn, necromancers, whatever. They name the location and the general direction, so I at least know where they are talkinga bout.

Whenever I find a mercenary walking down a road I generally sneak up behind them and slice their throats, and then loot their bodies with those fancy ebony armor and potential weapon. It's nothing personal but business. You can get a lot of gold for what they have on anyways.

Lol same here, I've only followed one once, most of the time I threaten them to tell me what mission they are doing and then fight them... what can I say, my characters are jerks.