The Mercenary Contractor is a Fortress Age and Imperial Age politician introduced in Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition, available to all European civilizations. Choosing him to advance to the next Age confers different benefits depending on the civilization and Age.
If chosen to advance to the Fortress Age, the following mercenaries can be trained at the Tavern:
British – Jaegers and Harquebusiers- Dutch – Fusiliers and Elmetto
- Ottomans – Barbary Corsairs and Mamelukes
- Portuguese – Ronin and Li'l Bombards
- Swedes – Jaegers can be trained at Barracks, Blockhouses, Galleons, and Forts; Black Riders can be trained at Stables, Galleons, and Forts. Swedes already have them by default at the Tavern.
- Maltese – Armored Pistoleers and Cannoneers
- Italians and French – Mounted Riflemen and Royal Horsemen (they are also available at the Lombard)
- For the Italians, if the Advanced Politicians Home City Card was sent, they will get one additional Mounted Rifleman.
If chosen to advance to the Imperial Age (all European civilizations), all mercenaries have their hit points and attack increased by 50%, except Industrial Age mercenaries, who have their hit points and attack increased by 35% instead.
- For the Italians, if the Advanced Politicians Home City Card was sent, they will get two additional Royal Horsemen.
- Despite the description, outlaws currently do not gain benefits from this politician.
Strategy[]
As his name suggests, The Mercenary Contractor focuses on mercenaries. Since this is a Fortress and Imperial Age Politician, he can be picked twice in order to get the most out of mercenaries. Not all civilizations have the Fortress Age one, but for those that do, The Mercenary Contractor can immensely boost mercenaries by adding more mercenary options at the Tavern. It is a wise idea to use a deck that focuses on mercenary shipments and upgrades.
For the Swedes, the units enabled by The Mercenary Contractor in the Fortress Age are not enabled at the Tavern, but at Barracks and Stables, respectively making their Black Riders and Jaegers much easier to muster, as those buildings are not limited by a creation limit. The Mercenary Contractor's effects can be replicated by Swedish shipments; by shipping either German Mercenary Contracts (which also makes Landsknechts available) in the Industrial Age, or Contract Hessian Jaegers/Black Riders, which are both available in the Fortress Age for 1,000 coin. This makes the Swedish Mercenary Contractor more like the Inventor; it effectively acts as a way to access the effects of their shipments either earlier or more cheaply. Regarding the German Mercenary Contractors shipment, it is usually better to have this shipment in the deck and pick some other politician in the Fortress Age, since this shipment also improves mercenary hit points and attack by 20%, and this can be stacked with the Imperial Age Mercenary Contractor effect. In cases where the player needs Jaegers and Black Riders in the Fortress Age, the player should pick him early despite the shipment redundancy, as German Mercenary Contractors becomes available in the Industrial Age.
Considering the Dutch can accumulate coin quite easily due to their Banks, and Mercenaries cost just coin and population, The Mercenary Contractor can be picked more freely even if the player doesn't have a deck focused on Mercenaries. They may then use their coin surplus for some Elmettos and Fusiliers.
The Germans do not have the Mercenary Contractor in the Fortress Age, but they can still get him in the Imperial Age and get better mercenaries. They also have interesting shipments for mercenaries, such as Improved Mercenaries (which will stack up with The Mercenary Contractor in the Imperial Age) and Treaty of Westphalia.
Civilizations that have the Mercenary Contractor as an Fortress Age option may opt for revolting into revolutions that offer some other mercenary/outlaw advantages instead of aging up to the Imperial Age, at the cost of losing Imperial Age improvements and the Mercenary Contractor boost to mercenary stats. The British have Haiti, which gives improvements for Privateers and Pirates and offers shipments such as Royal Dahomets. The Portuguese, Italians, Maltese, and Ottomans may consider the Barbary States, due to shipments like Loyal Warriors and Outlaw Combat. The Italians may also consider Argentina. The Maltese and Ottomans may choose Hungary for its Pandours, Crabats, Hajduks, and Outlaw Combat. The Swedes may pick Finland for further improving Jaegers. For the Ottomans and their unique revolution Egypt, picking the Mercenary Contractor does not make a good synergy, since Egypt already makes Mamelukes available, making the Fortress Age Mercenary Contractor redundant. Another Imperial Age option available to all civilizations is El Presidente, due to the large amount of coin he provides, but in most cases it is usually better to pick The Mercenary Contractor twice. For filling the gap in the Industrial Age, The Tycoon or The Pope (the Maltese and Italians only) are the best options for a fully mercenary-oriented strategy.
Recommended shipments[]
All civilizations[]
- Military unit improvements: Depending on the Mercenary roster they can be useful.
- Military production shipments: the most important ones are Fencing School and Riding School.
- Advanced Arsenal ( all except Swedes and Italians).
- Chests of coin, Capitalism, Factories and other coin gathering economic shipments: Training mercenaries requires coin, shipping them also costs coin in most cases.
- Mercenary unit shipments.
- Mercenary Loyalty: Mercenary shipments cost less.
- Theaters ( All except Germans): Upgrades the Tavern to the Theater which can train Ronin; outlaws take -2 population.
British[]
- The Glorious Revolution: Provides the Church with The Black Watch technolgy which ships 8 Black Watches (Highlanders). Highlanders available at the Tavern Highlanders get +3 Line of Sight and +1 range, and the Regeneration ability.
Italians[]
- Lombard Shipments: Lombards are the Italian replacement of the Tavern and they can also turn wood or food into coin.
- Trattoria: Ships 2 Tavern Wagons and enables Taverns to be built up to a build limit of 2.
- Milanese Arsenal.
- Venetian Arsenal: Ships 1 Arsenal Wagon; Arsenals now increase the work rate of nearby military buildings including Lombards and Taverns.
- Advanced Politicians.
Dutch[]
- Bank-related shipments.
- Religious Freedom: Provides the Church with the Red Lancers technology, which ships 5 Red Lancers (Stradiots), Stradiots available at the Tavern; Stradiots get +0.2 hand attack multiplier against infantry and -10% hand attack multiplier against heavy infantry, Stradiots are tagged as Lancers.
Germans[]
- Treaty of Westphalia: Provides the Church with Tilly's Discipline and Wallenstein's Contracts, two useful technologies for mercenaries.
- Witch Hammer: Ships 3 Inquisitors; Inquisitors can be trained at Tavern/Mercenary Camps, Town Centers, Church and Outposts; outlaws use -2 population.
- Improved Mercenaries: Mercenaries get +15% hit points and attack.
- Mercenary Camps: Upgrades Taverns into Mercenary Camps that get cost -50%, build time -25%, build bounty and hit points -50%, auto gather coin -60%, build limit +3, and offer a fixed assortment of German mercenaries: Landsknechts, Jaegers, Giant Grenadiers, Black Riders, Pandours.
Portuguese[]
- Treaty of Tordesillas: Provides the Church with the Order of the Tower and the Sword technology, which ships 11 Order Knights (Black Riders), Black Riders get +15% hit points and +30% hand attack, and can be hired at the Tavern.
Spanish[]
- Spanish Gold: Ships 1 Spanish Treasure Chest containing 330 coin with every shipment.
- Royal Decree to Claim the New World: Provides the Church with the Corselet, Wild Geese, and Walloon Guards technologies. Useful technologies for mercenaries
Swedes[]
- Prospector Wagon shipments.
- Torp shipments: Torps provide a very efficient way to gather coin from mines.
- Treaty of Roskilde: Provides the Church with Push of Pike and Savolax Jaegers, two useful technologies for mercenaries.
- Contract Irish Brigadiers, Contract Swiss Pikemen, Contract Landsknecht Mercenaries, Contract Giant Grenadiers: All of these not only ships these Mercenaries, these shipments also made the units available at Taverns, Barracks and Galleons.
- German Mercenary Contracts: Mercenaries get +20% hit points and attack; Landsknechts and Jaegers can be trained at Barracks, Blockhouses, Taverns, and Galleons; Black Riders can be trained at Stables and Galleons.
Changelog[]
Knights of the Mediterranean[]
- With update 13.27885, the French received access to the Mercenary Contractor in the Fortress Age.
Trivia[]
- The Mercenary Contractor's portrait is very similar to that of Albrecht von Wallenstein, a prominent commander of the Habsburg Monarchy known for his role in commanding its mercenary armies.
