Favorite Mercenaries?

[LuckyPistol]

With Stainless Steel, I feel mercs can really make or break a campaign depending on your reliance on them. There are so many different types throughout the campaign map that they have a wide ranged and unique roster. Even after a while into lategame where they become less useful I still find myself recruiting some not only for fodder/last minute support, but because they just have a nice look to them. What are your favorite mercs and why?

My favorite, for example, are the Dismounted Gothic Knights. Do I really need to explain? They look amazing and they can dish out massive casualties in battle. They recently replaced Macemen as my favorite (Macemen are just always so available, and they're great at holding flanks/flanking)

[Saibot42]

Swabian swordsmen and Saxon huscarls, since they fill a role that can't easily be filled early on out of cities or castles.

[Henry X]

Real talk? The best answer is Turkopoles and Turcoman Cavalry.

[dindon]

Rocket Launcher.. I was able to hire it in late campaign somewhere in Russian territories in turn 40.

[anonymous_(\)008]

I've only played the early campaign, so, as western european, i like the breton light cav and swabian swordsmen and as eastern european i like viking mercenaries (very hardy)

[Competizione]

I usually field entire mercenary armies. They're pretty good if you know how to use them. Favourite unit must be the mercenary german knights. Since I play alot as the HRE, they make excellent additions to my armies. Serbian knights and chivalric knights are pretty good too.

[Riva]

It highly depends on the faction you play, some mercenaries are a good addition for one roster but a useless one for another. When i play the ERE all mounted mercenaries are an essential part of my armies (if i can afford them), especially Armenian Cavalry / Aldari and thus my favourite.

You can really recruit Dismounted Gothic Knights a mercenaries ? I never made it that late in the campaign, but i am a bit surprised that such a unit is available for all.

[LuckyPistol]

I usually field entire mercenary armies. They're pretty good if you know how to use them. Favourite unit must be the mercenary german knights. Since I play alot as the HRE, they make excellent additions to my armies. Serbian knights and chivalric knights are pretty good too.

Merc armies are the best Retraining is a pain though (if you bother to do it)

It highly depends on the faction you play, some mercenaries are a good addition for one roster but a useless one for another. When i play the ERE all mounted mercenaries are an essential part of my armies (if i can afford them), especially Armenian Cavalry / Aldari and thus my favourite.

You can really recruit Dismounted Gothic Knights a mercenaries ? I never made it that late in the campaign, but i am a bit surprised that such a unit is available for all.

Well they're Dismounted Gothic Mercenary Knights, or something like that. They aren't the two-handed unit, but like an improved version of Imperial Foot Knights

[Riva]

There are "Mercenary German Foot Knights" that are, as mentioned, a copy of Imperial Knights. But none of the merceneray units wear gothic armour as far as i know.

[+Marius+]

But none of the merceneray units wear gothic armour as far as i know.

They all do(the late ones) if you upgrade their armor in smithies.

[Lucem Mundum]

i have noticed that a huge chunk of the Moorish roster has turned into mercenaries, such as the Granadine crossbow cavalry, Granadine jinetes, desert archers, Lamtuna spearmen, Tuareg camel spearmen, the Sudanese, and Nubians (the Berber spearmen are completely gone) are those units still trainable by the moors, or they only hired as mercenaries?

[Duck of Death]

My favorite way to get mercs early game is (as catholic nation) get a crusade called and have 2 different generals sign up to go (usually to middle east or southern Spain).
Get the minimum 8 units per general to sign up then load them up with local crusader sgts, foot & mounted knights.

If your England, for example, you can grab 3 crusader sgts and 2 each of the knights... then sail down to France and repeat, northern Spain and repeat.
End up with 9 crusader sgts, 6 knights, 6 foot knights (and for the moment all free upkeep ... add those to your starting 16, throw in 3 units of welch archers before you sail and you've got 2 full formidable stacks very quickly.

As long as you don't lose to many of them on the actual crusade target, you have enough left over to grab 2-3 other territories next to it and the remainder to defend your new colonies.
Fun to hit the Moorish target in southern Spain, then the land where Gibraltor is, Marrakesh and suddenly you own all the lands leading in/out of the Mediteranian (and you've crippled the Moors expansion at the same time).

[Woxolo]

I like ghazis the most. Plentiful and beautiful.

[Cielo the Pachirisu]

Black Band Arquebusiers, anyone? Rare, but really powerful. Mercenary Arquebusiers by extension, too.

Bulgarian Brigands are plentiful and versatile...

Can't beat the Macemen...

...then there's the elephants :3.

[LuckyPistol]

...then there's the elephants :3.

Where are the elephants?

[Lucem Mundum]

Where are the elephants?

Here is a list of all mercenaries, and their location

[Lucem Mundum]

http://www.stainless-steel-mod.com/Mercs/Mercs.html

I forgot to paste it in the previous reply LOL

[KaiserPhilipV]

Ribaults are a key component of my armies. I never send an army out of Europe without one! A few well-timed Ribalt barrages have broken many a charge on my lines.

[Kataphractos]

Mercenary Frankish Knights.

Yeah, they're available on turn 1 and eventually get outclassed by other mercenary cavalry, but for their availability and the length of time they remain useful, I have to go with these guys.

[+Marius+]

Nobody mentioned the Swiss?
Seriously?