- For the classic troops, see Mercenaries.
- For the Viking Conquest troops, see Mercenaries (Viking Conquest).
- For the Bannerlord troops, see Mercenaries (Bannerlord).
Mercenaries are much more numerous and important in Mount&Blade: With Fire & Sword than in Warband - which is historically accurate, since most battles in the 17th century were fought by mercenary armies as opposed to the feudal levies of medieval times depicted in Warband.
These early modern soldiers can be divided in four groups:
- Tavern Mercenaries: Same as in Warband.
- Camp Mercenaries: Customizable by the player.
- Regional Mercenaries: Specific for certain towns and fortresses.
- National Mercenaries: Specific for every nation.
Tavern Mercenaries[]
Equivalent to previous mercenaries hired in taverns, they are generally lower-leveled and less armored - and thus less expensive - than their classic counterparts yet also more abundant since, while Calradia only has 22 taverns, Eastern Europe has 18 in towns and 40 in fortresses for a total of 58.
Tavern Mercenaries' crucial advantage is that they are stronger than basic Camp Mercenaries and immediately available (while both National and Regional Mercenaries require a few days to train).
 Tavern Mercenary Troops
|
|---|
 Mercenary Pikeman • Mercenary Halberdier
|
 Mercenary Marksman • Mercenary Musketeer
|
 Mercenary Horseman •  Mercenary Light Cavalryman
|
Camp Mercenaries[]
Initially weak but cheap, immediately available, and in unlimited numbers so long as coin is available for the Mercenary Captain.
Regional Mercenaries[]
After a training period, these troops can be recruited only in certain region-specific towns and fortresses after an Infantry Commander (even for cavalry) has been appointed.
| Regional Mercenary Troops
|
|---|
| Town Cossack • Rank Cossack |
| Nogai • Circassian |
| Village Cossack |
| Lithuanian Musketeer • Lithuanian Tatar |
| Finnish Harquebusier • German Pikeman • Reiter |
National Mercenaries[]
After a training period, these troops can be recruited only in each and every nation-specific town and fortress after a Mercenary Commander has been appointed.
Being foreigners serving a certain nation on a regular basis, they usually come from allied (Tatars vs. Cossacks), vassal (Kalmyks vs. Moscow), or overlord countries (Ottomans vs. Tatars).
- Tatar mercenaries serve the Cossack Hetmanate but only if the player is at peace with the Crimean Khanate.
- Ottoman mercenaries serve the Crimean Khanate.
- Kalmyk mercenaries serve the Muscovite Tsardom.
- Scottish mercenaries serve both the Polish Commonwealth and the Kingdom of Sweden.
- German pikemen and musketeers, while being native troops of the Polish Commonwealth, strangely enough serve the Muscovite Tsardom as regular mercenaries.
| Hiring Nations | Troops |
|---|---|
| Cossack Hetmanate | (only if player is at peace with Crimean Khanate) Tatar Infantryman Tatar Cavalryman |
| Crimean Khanate | Ottoman Azap Ottoman Cebelu Ottoman Janissary |
| Muscovite Tsardom | Kalmyk German Infantry Musketeer German Infantry Pikeman |
| Polish Commonwealth | Scottish Swordsman Scottish Pikeman Scottish Musketeer |
| Kingdom of Sweden | Scottish Musketeer Scottish Pikeman Scottish Swordsman |
Trivia[]
- For much of its history, the Crimean Khanate was a tributary state of the Ottoman Empire and often received its soldiers as military aid.
- The Cossack Hetmanate victory over the Polish Commonwealth in 1648 - and subsequent independence - happened in large part because of an alliance with the Crimean Khanate - a short-lived and intermittent relationship, however.
- Scottish infantry (as well as Swiss) were internationally popular mercenaries in Europe through the 15th to 18th centuries - some Scots even settled in Lithuania and the Baltic states.
- Kalmyks (or Oirats) are a West Mongolian tribe that settled in the lower Volga region in 1630 and were obliged to protect the Muscovite border in the south from other nomads.