Mercenaries Troop Guide

We here at the Hub love Mercenary Troops! Their special abilities give the game an added ounce of fun, balance, and competitive edge.

In this guide, we will cover:

• Each Mercenary Troop Pre-Dark and Post-Dark World
• Their unique skills along with their strengths and weaknesses
• Interview with Gr48smile (Tempei)
• What to read next?
• Join our Conversation!

Disclaimer: the order of Pre-Dark World Mercenaries may be off as some servers did not get some of the Mercenaries mentioned below released. 

Getting the Most Out of Your Mercenaries

“It should go without saying that you want as many of your Mercenary Troops as possible to live through every battle. The Mercenary Commander’s Gear Set is a good choice for equipment that gives all of your mercenary troops a decent Attack, HP, and Armor bonus.

If you are training Imperial Frigates, you can’t do any better than the Magitek Alpha Gear Set, which gives generous HP and Attack boosts to Airships and Magitek. Since the Imperial Frigate falls under both categories of troops, using Magitek Alpha gear set will make your Imperial Frigates fast, tough and deadly.

When using any Samurai troops, be sure to craft yourself a Genbu Kabuto helmet. Its +500% Samurai HP and +650% Mercenary Armor will surely help with the longevity of your Samurai.

Whether defending your Empire, a Realm Tile, or the Crystal, if you are using Guardians, then pieces from the Guardian gear set are for you. Specifically the Guardian Fortress armor (+602% Troop Armor, +185% Guardian HP) and Guardian Bulwark accessory (+649% Guardian Armor, +40% Attack Resistance). The only problem with the Guardian gear set is that some of the boosts it gives will only affect your Guardians and provides very little in the way of attack, which is why trap players often suggest using Undertaker’s Gear Set instead.

For the crafty gamer on a budget, you can effectively reduce the cost of items used to train mercenaries using Aranea’s Mercenary Cost skill, allowing you to get more bang for your buck. Keep in mind that Aranea needs to be your active hero in order for this skill to take effect.”

-Vulgarian

Pre-Dark World Mercenaries

In the Pre-Dark World, there are various Mercenaries that you can use in battle. The Mercenaries are more precise in their uses. 

We will go over each of the Mercenary types along with each of the releases made. While listing each of them, we will also mention the benefits they have to your Empire and what you need to train them. 

Guardians

Guardians are considered T0. They go to hospital beds first as long as the oncoming attack does NOT fill your Hospital. If your Hospital overfills, then Guardians will be pushed out, and higher tier Troops will prioritize. 

For example:

Your Hospital Capacity is 4.15M

The oncoming attack injures 6M Troops.

1M Guardians and 5M Core Troops that were injured in battle

4.5 of the 5M Core Troops will take place and be hospitalized

1M Guardians and 500K Core Troops will die

The Guardians have low Attack numbers but much higher Defense and HP stats. 

Additionally, your Guardians are weak against Airships.

City Guardians

• Requires Guardian Shields to train

• T5 Core Troop Equivalent in defense and health
• Dies before Frost and Crowns Guardians 

Frost Guardians

• Requires Guardian Shields to train
• Dies after City Guardians but before Crownsguard
• 5xs HP of T5 Core Troops
• Immune to Armor Piercing

Crownsguard Guardians

• Requires Guardian Shields to train
• Dies after City Guardians and Frost Guardians
• 3xs HP of T6 Core Troops
• Instant Healing Time when sent to Hospital

Shield Maiden

• Requires to Corn, Mercenary Rations, and Maiden’s Shield train
• 2x HP of T7 Core Troops
• Grows stronger with each attacking enemy Troop
• Gains 1% Armor PER 150 attacking Troop

If your enemy sends 300,000 attacking troops at you, your Shield Maidens will accumulate an additional 2,000% Armor.

Golden Guardians

• Requires Mercenary Rations and Golden Shields to train
• 3xs HP of T7 Core Troops
• Immune to Cripple HP
• Gains 1% Armor for every 1% Troop Attack your enemy has up to 10,000%

If your enemy has an 8,975% Troop Attack, your Golden Guardians will gain 8,975% more Armor to defend. 

Undying Guardians

• Requires Mercenary Rations and Charged Embalming Fluid to train
• T10 Core Troop Equivalent (14xs HP of Golden Guardians)
• Immune to Armor Piercing 

Shadow Guardians

• Requires Mercenary Rations and Shadow Shield to train
• Equivalent HP and Defense as Undying Guardian but 4xs Attack
• The number of Shadow Guardians are secret to Combat, Scouting, and Watchtower alerts.
  • Will show up as “???” on reports
• Immune to Armor Piercing
• Gains 1% Armor for every 1% Troop Attack your enemy has

If your enemy has a 15,000% Troop Attack, your Shadow Guardians will gain 15,000% more Armor to defend.

Dragoons

Dragoons are strong against Guardians and Imperial City Troops but are typically used for PvE Cities such as Imperial and Magitek Empires.  

Dragoon Raider

• Requires Dragoon Kit and Mercenary Rations to train
• T4 Troop equivalent
• Strong vs. Guardians and Imperial City Troops
• 5x damage vs. Imperial Magitek troops
• 5xs March Speed and Troops Load of T5 Core Troops

Aranea’s Elite Dragoon 

• Requires Aranea’s Dragoon Kit to train
• Aranea required to unlock
• Additional 1,000% Attack & HP from Aranea
• 15xs Troops Load and War Spoils of T5 Troops.
• 5xs damage vs. Imperial Magitek troops

Raiders

Raiders are more for looting your enemies. They also have more speed and assist with Neutral Cities.

Chocobo Raider

• Requires Raider Harness to train
• Equivalent to T1 Core Troop
• 7x speed of Core Troops
• Strong vs. Guardian and Imperial City Troops

Killer Bee Raider

• Requires Dragoon Kits to train
• T6 Troop equivalent but 5xs faster than T6 Calvary
• Strong vs. Guardian and Imperial City Troops
• 300% Attack Bonus against Guardians, when Killer Bees outnumber Guardians
• 2xs Combat Effectiveness vs. Guardians
• 5xs Combat Effectiveness vs. Imperial City Troops

Duscae Ravager

• Strong against Calvaries and Imperial City Troops
• Gains an additional 4,000% Attack against Calvaries
• 5xs Attack, Health, and Armor against Neutral City Troops

Airships

Airships in the Pre-Dark World are strong against Guardians and Traps. Airships are vital to your march when your opponent is well defended with them. 

Steelwing Airship

• Requires Airship Fuel, Corn, and Mercenary Rations
• 5xs damage vs. Guardians
• 2xs damage vs. Traps
• An additional 500% Attack vs. opponent marked with Battle Marker

Corsair Airship

• Requires Airship Fuel, Corn, as well as Mercenary Rations
• T5 Core Troop equivalent 

Imperial Frigates 

• Requires Airship Fuel, Magitek Core, Magitek Reactant, and Mercenary Rations to train
• 5xs damage vs. Guardians
• 3xs the HP of T4 Warriors
• Gains bonuses from Magitek and Airship troops

Mirage Airships

• Requires Airship Fuel, Magitek Core, Magitek Reactant, and Mercenary Rations to train
• 2,000% Attack when attacking Crystal
• 500% Attack against other Airships
• 5xs damage against Guardians 
• 2xs damage against Traps and Neutral City Troops

Bunker Bomber Airship

• Requires Ancient Airship Fuel and Mercenary Rations to train
• Attack equivalent to T7 Core Troops
• Gain 100% Attack per 500 enemy Guardians, up to 20,000%
• 5xs effective versus Guardians
• 2xs effective against Traps and Neutral City Troops

Fleet Carrier Airships

• Requires Carrier Airship Fuel and Mercenary Rations to Train
• Gain 100% Attack per 500 opponents Guardians, up to 20,000%
• 10xs damage of Tundra Kujata
• 2,500xs damage of T10 Core Troops
• 300x damage reduction versus enemy Siege
• 200x damage reduction versus enemy Traps
• 5xs effective against Guardians
• 2xs effective versus Traps and Neutral City Troops

Vanguards

Vanguards are similar to your Guardians when it comes to being the frontline. They absorb damage so that your other Troops will survive. Your Commanders will be safe as long as the Vanguards hold their ground. They are strong against Guardians and Traps, although weak against Mechs.

Vanguard Champion

• 4xs tougher than T5 Troops when attacking
• Takes in 10xs more damage than Guardians

Vanguard Vanquisher

• 4xs Health of T6 Core Troops when attacking
• Base Health is equivalent to T6 Core Troops
• 12xs Attack of City Guardians
• Gains additional HP when enemy outnumbers troops
  • 1000% HP – 20,000% HP

Mechs

Mechs in Pre-Dark and Dark World have different purposes. Mechs in Pre-Dark are robust against diverse troops such as Warriors, Mages, Calvaries, other Mechs, and Vanguards. However, they are all weak against Sieges. 

Salvaged Mech

• T5 Core Troop Equivalent 
• Strong against Warriors, Mage, Calvary, Mechs, and Vanguards

MA-X Cuirass

• T5 Core Troop Equivalent
• Weak against Siege and Traps

MA-5 Enforcer

• Excels against Bandits
• 2xs Attack and HP of T7 Troops against Bandits

Juggernauts

Juggernauts in Pre-Dark World were game-changing. They all are strong against Core Troops but extremely vulnerable against Sieges and Traps. 

Catoblepas Destroyers 

• Requires Juggernaut Plating to train
• 100x Attack in addition to HP of T5 Core Troops
• Double Attack along with HP when fighting Crystal and Titan
• 3xs damage against Warriors
• 2x damage against Mage and Calvary

Catoblepas Annihilators 

• Requires Annihilator Plating and Dynamo to train
• 150xs Attack and HP of T5 Core Troops
• Additional 2,000% Attack along with HP when fighting Crystal and Titan
• 3xs damage against Warriors
• 2xs damage against Mage and Calvary
• Inflicts more damage when there are more Catoblepas Annihilators in march

Kujata Dominator

• 400x Health and Attack of T5 Core Troops
• 2xs Health and Attack of Catoblepas Destroyers
• Gains 50% Attack for each enemy Catoblepas up to 3,000% (60 Catoblepas)

Tundra Kujata

• Requires Tundra Trappings to train 
• 500x Health and Attack of T7 Core Troops
• 2.5x Health and Attack of Kujata Dominator
• Gain 100% Attack for every 2,000 ALLY Guardian Troop that are present while attacking OR defending, up to 20,000%

Marauder

Marauders specialize in Tiles Combat, whether it is defending or kicking a player of a tile. 

Seadevil Marauder

• T4 Core Troop counterpart in combat

Reapertail Marauder 

• Requires Raiders Harness to train
• T5 Core Troop equivalent in combat
• 3xs Attack of T5 Troops on Realm Tiles
• 9xs Attack of T5 Troops versus Siege on Realm Tiles
• 3xs Gathering Speed of T5 Troops and March Speed of T5 Sieges

Toad Rider

• Tough as City Guardians, tanks while taking in the damage
• 1000% Attack and Health when attacking Cities (Empires)
• 5xs Speed of Siege
• 3xs Attack on Realm Tiles

Magitek

Magitek comes in many shapes, forms, and troop types. Look for equipment and items that give your Magitek mercenaries combat bonuses, and the battle will be yours.

Magitek Warrior, Mage, and Calvary

• Requires Magitek Shards to train
• T4 Troop equivalent
• 2x Attack, HP, and Armor when fighting in RvR

Imperial Frigates

• Requires Airship Fuel, Magitek Reactant to train
• 5x damage against Guardians
• 3x HP of T4 Warriors
• Gains bonuses from Magitek and Airship troops

Magitek Samurai Warrior

• Requires Sashimono and Magitek Component to train
• T6 Troop equivalent in regular combat.
• Gets bonuses for Magitek, Samurai, and Warrior type troops.
• Max combat bonus against an opponent with higher Citadel level
  • +1,260% Attack, +960% HP, +1,920% Armor, +2,600% Genbu Armor Bonus
• 500% Attack when fighting in Crystal and Titan.

Samurai Mercenaries

Samurai mercenaries receive amazing combat bonuses when fighting an opponent with a higher level citadel than your own.

Samurai Warrior, Mage, and Calvary

• Requires Sashimono to train
• T5 Troop equivalent in regular combat.
• Max combat bonus v.s. Opponent with higher Citadel level: +900% Attack, +800% HP, +1,600% Armor, +2,600% Genbu Armor Bonus

Seiryu Warrior, Mage, as well as Calvary

• Requires Sashimono to train
• T6 Troop equivalent in regular combat.
• Max combat bonus versus an opponent with higher Citadel level
  • +1,260% Attack, +960% HP, +1,920% Armor

Genbu Warrior, Mage, in addition to Calvary

• Requires Sashimono to train
• T6 Troop Equivalent in regular combat
• Immune to Armor Piercing
• Max combat bonus against an opponent with higher Citadel level
  • +900% Attack, +800% HP, +2,560% Armor, +2,600% Genbu Armor Bonus

Magitek Samurai Warrior

• Requires Sashimono and Magitek Component to train
• T6 Troop equivalent in regular combat
• Gets bonuses for Magitek, Samurai, and Warrior type troops
• Max combat bonus versus an opponent with higher Citadel level
  • +1,260% Attack, +960% HP, +1,920% Armor, +2,600% Genbu Armor Bonus
• 500% Attack Bonus when fighting in Crystal and Titan

Gatherer

As their name implies, Gatherer troops specialize in gathering resources and loot caches but are pretty much useless in combat.

Chocobo Caravan

• Requires Caravaners Saddles to train
• 300% Gathering Speed
• 300% Troop Load

Aspidochelon Caravan

• Requires Caravaners Saddles to train
• 10x HP of T3 Siege when fighting on a Realm Tile
• Triple Gathering Speed of T3 Siege
• Double Troop Load of T3 Siege
• 4x March Speed of T5 Siege

Warrior, Calvary, and Mage Mercenaries

Core Troop like Mercenaries have similar strengths and weaknesses as their corresponding Core Troop types but with unique abilities.

Warrior, Calvary, and Mage Disciple of Ifrit 

• Equal to T7 Core Troops
• Also strong against Ice Troops
• Grants bonuses from Ifrit against Non-Elemental Troops
• Stronger when paired with Ifrit and Fire Troops

Warrior, Calvary, and Mage Disciple of Leviathan

• Equal to T7 Core Troops
• Immune to Cripple HP and Armor Piercing 
• Becomes 2x stronger than T8 Core Troops in Realm of Champions

Emperor’s Executioner

• Mage focused 
• Double Attack of T7 Core Troops when fighting against Neutral Cities, Crystal, and Titan
• 2xs HP of T7 Core Troops against Neutral Cities
• 3x Speed of T6 Core Troops

Warrior, Calvary, and Mage Champion of Ifrit

• Equivalent to T9 Troops
• Strong against Ice Elementals
• 40% more Attack than T9 Core Troops
• 3xs damage against Ice Elementals
• Deals 50% more damage when fighting with Ifrit

Warrior, Calvary, and Mage Champion of Shiva

• Equivalent to T9 Troops
• Strong against Earth Elementals
• 40% more Attack than T9 Core Troops
• 3xs damage against Earth Elementals
• Deals 50% more damage when fighting with Shiva 

Warrior, Calvary, and Mage Champion of Leviathan

• Equivalent to T9 Troops
• Strong against Fire Elementals
• 40% more Attack than T9 Core Troops
• 2xs damage against Fire Elementals
• Deals 50% more damage when fighting with Leviathan

Sovereign Praetorian

• Warrior focused
• 3xs damage while defending the Realm during Realm Invasion
• Gain 3x HP while defending the Realm during Realm Invasion

Sovereign Dominator

• Warrior focused
• 5xs damage while invading another Realm during Realm Invasion

Shadowstalker

Shadowstalkers were Assassins that were strong against Guardians, Calvaries, and Seige. However, weak against Mage and Traps.

• Requires Assassin’s Throwing Star to train.
• The number of Shadow Guardians are secret to Combat, Scouting, and Watchtower alerts.
  • Will show up as “???” on reports
• 2xs Attack against Guardians
• 10xs Attack of T9 Core Troops
• 2xs Health of T9 Core Troops

Dark World Mercenaries

When Dark World makes its arrival, all the Pre-Dark Mercenaries are no longer relevant. Mercenaries will now have its own Mercenary March Size and become the staple of your marches, no matter where and who you are hitting. 

There are only four Mercenaries in the Dark World, Guardians, Juggernauts, Airships, and Mechs. They all have their distinct strengths and weaknesses and continue to level to this day as Core Troops do (T1-T18).

Guardians

Strong: Dark Juggernauts/Dark Troops

Weak: Dark Airships

Juggernauts

Strong: Dark Airships/Dark Troops

Weak: Dark Guardians

Airships

Strong: Dark Guardians

Weak: Dark Juggernauts

Mechs

Strong: Crystal

Weak: Anything not Crystal related

Interview with Gr84smile (Tempei)

In our FFXV: ANE Hub Line rooms, Gr84smile (Tempei) loves assisting players from newer servers with everything there is to know about Pre-Dark World Mercenaries as it is her favorite FFXV topic.

So I have reached out to her for an interview to gather her tips and tricks she has for you!

1. What is your favorite thing about Final Fantasy: A New Empire?

Gr84smile (Tempei): “For me, there is nothing better in FFXV than those moments when everyone is active and working towards a common goal.  The players I’m surrounded by day in and out make FFXV what it is for me. I’d travel across the scar and back for them. They are the reason I fall in love with this game over and over. I am lucky to be a part of the hub community and to be able to say I truly love my server (3), my realm (Cauthess), and at the heart of it, all my closest friends and guild (UNVN). 

I remember hopping all over EOS attacking rebels, bandits, dark bases, and monsters. I don’t specifically remember what the rewards in most of the events were, but I do recall playing for hours and all of the laughter. “

2. What would you say is the most crucial thing you learned with Pre-Dark Mercenaries overall that you wish you knew?

Gr84smile (Tempei): “ Pre-dark mercenaries can be one of the most versatile troops in the game. They have incredible value for attacking, defense, and oh so many events. 

One of the reasons I loved them so much as they allowed many members who had previously been quiet during the war to finally participate in the fun. While some may need more support, if you take the time to encourage and teach these smaller members correctly, you may be surprised at how many times they are right by your side during the war.

Don’t overextend yourself or your members. There will inevitably be battles that have major losses and leave you puzzled. It happens – sometimes when you least expect it! So, NEVER send what you’re not comfortable with losing. Just because you have them doesn’t mean it is always wise to send them. Find the right balance for your empires and war strategies. 

For me, the keystone of my defense and my favorite events, neutral bases, were my juggernaut type mercenaries. Seeing these coveted and expensive troops go poof on more than one occasion was a little easier to swallow since I always kept a portion of them at home. 

Don’t forget losses are shared by all who join a rally. This is especially important when playing with guardian type mercenaries. They lead the way for all other troops – and die first!  While it’s easy to rely on your core war party to carry this burden, it can also be the deciding factor between retreating or pushing successfully onwards through a long war.”

3. Is there any advice you would give to the newer servers which may not have some of these mercenaries released yet?

Gr84smile (Tempei): “If you are a member with an abundance of mercenaries, don’t be afraid to speak up! Offer to join or add more of a certain kind if you are able. Allow others to keep theirs at home to live on for another battle. 

Pre-dark mercenaries require mercenary rations. Aptly named, it is important to use your inventory wisely. Each server seems to see pre-dark mercenaries in a slightly different way. Items that were difficult to obtain for one server may be given in excess (or not at all) on another. With that said, the play strategy I most benefited from to date was never using all of my rations at any given time. While some of my fellow guildmates struggled at times, diligently following this one rule paved my way for all pre-dark mercenary related releases and the many events that followed. 

Special Tip!: There were at least two different items that contained chosen mercenary training materials. Only one contained mercenary rations as an option! Learn from my mistake (oops!) and keep an eye out for small but important differences like this. 

Whether you are a player that is first in line at the gold store during new releases, free to play, or somewhere in between pre-dark mercenaries can be a lot of fun while trying new things, fine-tuning your skills, and bonding with fellow players.”

Thank you again, Gr84smile (Tempei), for hanging out and chatting with me!

Special Thanks

A very special thank you to

Vulgarian, the original author of the All Mercenary Troop Special Ability guide!

Gr84smile (Tempei), for some data and advice contributing to this guide!

Everyone in the community who has shared experiment results to support data over the years!

What to Read Next?

Knowing when to use your Mercenaries in battle is essential, but other factors contribute to the situation, such as different troop types and what your enemy Empire has.

Mercenary Pits Gets an Update

Find out how Troop Tier priority works and which level Mercenary Pits you need to train your Mercenaries. 

Click here to read the Mercenary Pits Gets an Update guide!

Dark Mercenary Troops

New to the Dark World? Check out the Mercenary guide that mentions information about Mercenaries when the Dark World comes. 

Click here to read Dark Guardians, Juggernauts, Airships, oh my guide!

Explore the Command Center and Troop Supplies

While Mercenaries are vital to Pre-Dark AND the Dark World, Troop Supplies (Commanders) become a force at the beginning of Dark World. 

Click here to read the Explore the Command Center and Troop Supplies guide!

Dark Monster Troops

In Pre-Dark World, Monster Troops are short-lived, and your clue that Dark World is approaching. In the Dark World, Monster Troops go Dark and become one of the essential troops to use. 

Click here to read the Dark Monster Troops guide!

Click here to read the Dark Monster Troops 2.0 guide!

Join our Conversation!

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