This guide provides an overview of every mercenary you can use in the game, along with some combat builds for each of them. I love this game and hoping that this guide will help new players get a general idea about each mercenary, their strengths, and some good combat builds for them.

Please keep in mind that this guide is based on my own experience with them. This is not an ideal build, and you may find other ways to use them effectively.

This guide is based on game version 1.5 Codename: Larry.

Each mercenary comes with their own set of stats. There are 10 stats in total.


- Any squad should have at least 1 merc with decent skill (at least 50) in Mechanical, Explosives, and Medical just to survive and perform basic maintenance within a reasonable time. If these skills are too low, they may spend most of their contract doing nothing.
- To pass most speech checks, Leadership, Mechanical, Explosives, and Medical skills should be higher than 80. Wisdom should be higher than 90.
- Wisdom is more important for mercs because it determines how fast they learn and improve. Mercs with good wisdom will improve at an impressive rate.

There are 45 perks in total, 9 for each primary stat (Health, Agility, Dexterity, Strength, and Wisdom). These are divided into 3 tiers. The first tier requires at least 70 stats to be able to learn, the second tier requires 80 stats and at least 1 perk in that tree, and the third tier requires 90 stats and 3 perks in that tree. This means any merc with stats below 70 cannot learn any perk in a specific tree until you raise them enough.

At level 10, mercs will have a maximum of 9 perk points. There is no need to use perk points right away; you can keep them as long as you want until you raise their stats if you aim for a specific build.

• Full Body Contact : Gain 15 Grit on successful melee attacks.
  
• Hit the Deck : Switching to the prone position is free, reduces explosives damage by 20% when prone.
  
• Beefed Up : Extra 20% health.

• Rage : Deals extra 10% damage per wound. Caps at 50%
  
• Revenge : Chance to shoot back at enemy when receiving damage. Higher chance with high health. Does not trigger when taking cover or overwatch.
  
• Vanguard : Gain 15 grit if you end your turn outside cover or next to an enemy.

• Calm Under Fire : Transfer up to 3 AP to the next turn. Also gain 5 Grit per AP transferred.
  
• Hold Position : Reduce damage while using overwatch or pin down. Scales with health.
  
• Battle Focus : Gain extra 2 AP when receiving first damage in combat. Lasts until the end of combat.

• Hit and Run : Gain free move after melee attack.
  
• Flanker : Deals extra 15% damage to flanked enemies.
  
• Fast Runner : Extra free move range when wearing light armor or no armor.

• Vantage Point : Gain extra accuracy from higher ground. Use less AP for climbing.
  
• Frogleaping : Gain extra free move range when start your turn in cover. Stack with Fast Runner.
  
• Lightning Reactions : First attack against you will miss. Merc will get into prone position. Works only once in each combat.

• Lucky Streak : Become Inspired (+4 AP for 1 turn) when doing 2 criticals in the same turn.
  
• Anatomical Precision : Gain extra 50% Critical damage.
  
• Total Concentration : Deals extra 30% damage when merc successfully kill any target. Last until they miss or end of combat.

• Untraceable : Slower enemy detection when sneaking. Stealth kill do extra 20% damage when failed.
  
• Opportunistic Killer : Mercs can do critical with Interrupt attacks. This includes overwatch and any counter they can do (shots from Revenge and Reactive Fire perk). Auto-reload guns if they shooting at someone in overwatch last turn.
  
• Deadeye : Extra 5% critical chance per aim level.

• Fire Routine : Become Inspired (+4 AP for 1 turn) if merc shoots at enemies 2 times in overwatch.
  
• Reactive Fire : Chance to shoot back at enemy if they missed. Higher chance with high Dexterity. Does not trigger when taking cover or overwatch.
  
• Ambusher : Gain extra stealth kill chance when sneaking. If the stealth kill fail, suppress the enemy (-4 AP for 1 turn)

• Sharpshooter : Gain extra 2 aim level with any gun on first attack each turn. Also grant extra damage based on Marksmanship.
  
• Killzone : Make an extra attack with interrupt attacks. This means your merc will shoot 2 times with 1 overwatch count.
  
• Assassination : Extra stealth kill chance when doing stealth attacks with 3+ aim level.

• Recoil Management : Gain extra accuracy when shooting at the same enemy multiple times.
  
• Breach and Clear : Gain free move after throwing grenade or shotgun attack.
  
• Killing Spree : Deals extra damage when hitting multiple enemies with melee attacks in the same turn. Scales with Strength.

• Shock Assault : Gain extra 30% critical chance to melee and firearms in point blank range (1-4 tiles distance)
  
• Ironclad : Retain half free move range when using cumbersome (heavy) armor. Yes, only armor. You will still get no free move when using cumbersome weapons.
  
• Sudden Strike : Mercs will not get attacked in overwatch, and there will be no counterattack from enemies when using melee attacks. Also cancels any overwatch and pin down with a successful melee attack.

• Collateral Damage : Deals extra 15% damage to enemies behind cover and extra 30% damage to objects with heavy weapons (Mortars) and machine guns.
  
• True Strike : Successful melee attack will always be critical and apply marked (next attack on them will be critical) to the enemy.
  
• Line Breaker : Get inspired (+4 AP for 1 turn) when successfully kill any target in point blank range (1-4 tiles distance)

• Savior : Restore extra 30% health when using bandages in combat
  
• Distracting Shot : Gain new attack that remove overwatch and pin down, also prevent any counterattack. You still have to successfully hit them though.
  
• Arterial Shot : No damage penalty when doing Arm and Legs shot.

• Stress Management : Get inspired (+4 AP for 1 turn) when merc suffer any negative effect for the first time in combat.
  
• Dire Warning : When morale is high or very high, any attack that do damage will have 15% chance to make enemy panic and running away for 1 turn.
  
• Inspiring Strike : Any attack that do more than 50 damage in a single strike have a chance to increase morale.

• Painkiller : Grant extra grit to the target when finish bandaging someone. Scales with Medical skill.
  
• Shock and Awe : Start combat with high morale. Deals extra 10% damage when morale is high or very high
  
• Trick shot : Limb shots gain new effects. These effects do not replace the default effect, which means any limb shot will apply two effects instead of one. Leg shots will apply knockdown (Going prone, vulnerable to melee). Arm shots will apply numbness (enemy can only use basic attacks, like a single shot). Groin shots will apply exposed (lose cover benefit).

Traits are similar to perks in that they can help determine the preferred role for each merc. The difference is that traits cannot be trained or gotten rid of. Each merc will come with their own set of traits, and there is nothing you can do about it (except modding).

This section will list all traits in the game.

These traits are mostly there for speech checks and extra dialogue. You should aim to have at least one of each in your main squad for the best experience. If you can't, consider at least Scoundrel and Psycho.

• Negotiator : Reduce price for Sector operations (Mainly militia training or R&R) and reduce price for boat travel (When travel in any water sector).
  
• Psycho : Merc may choose different attack on their own. Gain 1 extra AP when hurt in combat.
  
• Scoundrel : First weapon swap in their turn is free.

These traits will help in some build but not game changing.

• Mr.Fixit : Major bonus to disarming traps, lockpicking, and hacking. Unjamming weapons use 1 AP.
  
• Ambidextrous : Reduce accuracy penalty when using dual wield firearms.
  
• Teaching : Militia training and merc training use less time. Extra 10% EXP for the squad. (does not stack)
  
• Spiritual : Guarantee minimal accuracy in hopeless attack. (Still don't understand what hopeless attack means, but you should not shoot anything without good chance to hit.)
  
• Stealthy : Harder to get spotted when sneaking, slightly better chance for stealth kill.
  
• Auto weapons : Reduce accuracy penalty when use burst fire or auto fire.
  
• Optimist : Small chance to prevent morale loss.
  
• Night Ops : Reduce accuracy penalty at night and in underground sectors. Merc with this trait don't need night vision goggles.
  
• Heavy weapons : Reduce AP when setting up heavy weapons and machine guns. Also reduce AP when shooting.
  
• Martial Arts : Improve accuracy and defense in melee.
  
• Throwing : Better range for throwing knives and grenades. Reduce AP for the first throw in each turn.
  
• Hand to Hand : Free melee attack against melee attacker or anyone that try to move away from them.
  
• CQC Training : Major accuracy boost in close range. Degrades with distance.
  
• Loner : Become inspired (+4 AP for 1 turn) as long as they are far away from other teammates.

These traits have negative effect, but don't worry too much about them. Most of the time they are not relevant and have very little effect.

• Claustrophobic : Reduce morale when in underground sections
  
• Zoophobic : Lose morale when getting attack by animals.
  
• Pessimist : Small chance to prevent morale gain.
  
• Old dog : Cannot be trained and can improve their stats only by magazines. Extra 10% EXP for the squad. (does not stack)

This section includes some combat builds that should be useful for most mercs. Keep in mind that some builds require a higher level (6+) to be effective, which means long-term investment and bringing them to do side quests.

Simple and the easiest build to play. Give them a good rifle and shoot from a safe distance. This is usually where mercs with bad stats like MD or Livewire will be because they need a hefty accuracy boost to actually hit things. An all-Sniper squad is viable and quite effective, but snipers will kill 1-2 enemies at most in one turn, very low compared to other builds late game.
Their main job is to scout the area, silently kill lone sentries, and open fights with stealth attacks.

Essential perks : Untraceable, Deadeye, Ambusher, Assassination, Sharpshooter.

Good perks to consider : Distracting Shot, Inspiring Strike, Vantage point (Require 1 agility perk).

Up close and personal, this build will require a lot of agility and strength. They will be quite weak early on, but with the must-have perks, they will be the best killing machines you could ever hope for. With 3-5 kills per turn and amazing mobility to run to safety, some of them will be good enough to take down entire sectors alone.

Must have perks : Hit and Run, Fast Runner, Frogleaping. Seriously, get these three ASAP and the fun begins.

Essential perks : Killing Spree, Sudden Strike, True Strike.

Good perks to consider : Full Body Contact, Rage, Line Breaker, Total Concentration.

In every squad, you should have at least one explosives expert to remove all those landmines. This will be their main build.

There are 2 ways to go: light armor and heavy armor. For the light armor build, shotguns will be their weapon of choice. Their job (other than tossing grenades) is to rush in with free move, shoot at covered enemies to expose them and gain another free move then dash to another enemy or run to safety, letting others make a good shot.

For the heavy grenadier, just bring a Grenade launcher and Rocket launcher, find a sweet spot, and bombs away. Sometimes they don't even need to move a single tile thanks to the borderline absurd range of the grenade launcher.

Light Grenadier
Essential perks : Breach and Clear, Fast Runner, Frogleaping.

Good perks to consider : Shock Assault, Line Breaker

Heavy Grenadier : Since they won't be using free moves, They don't really have essential perks. Either give them sniper perks to save some grenades or heavy gunner perks to help in open combat.

Their main job is to set up a killzone. Find a good spot and set up machine guns, then let enemies come to them when snipers make the first shot. Similar to Melee Specialists, they will be weak early on but with must-have perks, they become one of the best killing machines. Most of the time you will want to give them machine guns for optimal damage. Assault rifles should only be used when ammo is scarce.

Must have perks : Opportunistic Killer, Fire Routine, Deadeye, Killzone. Deadeye is needed only to gain access to Killzone. Still quite useful when overwatch is not the best course of action. You may choose Ambusher instead if you want to use them for stealth attacks.

Good perks to consider : Beefed Up, Vanguard, Hold Position. They will be most of the time prone in open area and getting shot, especially when their teammates is in stealth. Health perk will make them survive more bullets.

The shock trooper is the most versatile build. They have good speed and can fight in open combat at mid-close range, setting up overwatch when the opportunity arises. Similar to heavy gunners, they will need a lot of perks to be effective but can deal heavy damage while retaining mobility.
This build can use dual-wield pistols, assault rifles, and SMGs. Early game, just give them a rifle as pistols and SMGs are so bad that they can't effectively kill anything. Wait until you get some good guns.
They can shoot from medium range with an assault rifle, or rush in with a mobile shot (pistol) or Run and Gun (SMG) to get close then deliver the killing blow at point blank range. They can also use overwatch for multiple enemies.
Also, be careful when using this build as they don't get a free move after attacking like melee or shotguns.

Must have perks : Opportunistic Killer, Fire Routine, Deadeye, Killzone.

Good perks to consider : Fast Runner, Frogleaping, Recoil Management, Shock Assault.

The very first merc in the game. For a small one-time fee of $6999 and 1 minute of questionnaire (optional), you will get one merc that can be shaped into anything. If you don't let them die, they will never ask for any more salary and will never leave.

You will probably get this merc first because of financial problems. Once you have enough money, you can find someone else to replace them for the story and extra dialogue in quests. Still, if you want to roleplay as yourself and keep them around, they will do their job well enough.

Alpha will not speak or comment on anything, just a generic soldier in your team. Lacking talent also means they can only do basic combat and will never be the best in any build. Alpha will start at level 1 with no perks, and the player can choose their stats freely.

Stats : Anything from 30 - 85. Mechanical, explosive, medical can be 0-85.

- Overall, it's generally better to max out stats than to be a jack of all trades.
- Two stats that should always be at 85 in any build are leadership and wisdom. Mercs with high leadership skill are only available in elite and legendary tier, making them quite expensive. This will also make them excellent trainer for other mercs with low stats. Wisdom is to make training a bit less annoying.
- For Fighter Alpha, just max out every stat and leave mechanical, explosives, and medical at 0. They can be trained to the minimum skill requirement with ease as long as their wisdom is not at monkey level. Fighter Alpha will help tremendously early game because most specialists from the recruit tier will have very low marksmanship.
- For Specialist Alpha, don't choose more than one skill. Consider lowering health and strength first if you want to use guns, or lower marksmanship first if you want to play melee.

Starting Trait : Alpha can choose 1 primary trait (Negotiator, Psycho, or Scoundrel).
Since they are just there mostly for speech checks and extra dialogue, choose a trait that your team doesn't have.
Otherwise, consider taking the Psycho trait because mercs with this trait are mentally unstable and can be unreliable at times. Alpha will never leave your team nor ask for more money.

Also choose 2 secondary perks. Just select based on combat build you want.
- Melee Specialist needs Martial arts and CQC Training.
- Sniper needs Stealthy and Night ops.
- Heavy gunner needs Heavy weapons.
- Shock Trooper needs Auto weapons and CQC Training.
- Grenadier needs Throwing.

Jagged Alliance 3 offers 4 levels of mercenaries: Recruit, Veteran, Elite, and Legendary. While recruits are the lowest tier, some of them have powerful talents and with enough investment, can surpass even legendary mercs.
They are cheap and usually stay cheap throughout the game. Starting at a low level also makes them easy to mold into any build.

Steroid Smash! : Punching enemies and sending them flying, damaging nearby objects. Steroid must be unarmed. Steroid also does not suffer penalties when using combat stims.

Steroid comes with max HP right at the beginning of the game, has great mechanical skill, and impressive marksmanship. However, his low agility and wisdom severely limit his fighting potential. Steroid will need a lot of agility training to be a melee fighter, or a lot of dexterity training to use gun perks.
Forget his talent ever exists. It does pitiful damage, and he should use a knife or gun more than his fists.

Recommend build : Heavy gunner (Need dexterity training for perks), Melee specialist (Need agility training for perks).

Striking Looks (Passive) : Enemies will be surprised instead of alert when detecting Fox. She will also retain any AP used in the first stealth attack.

One of the most powerful mercs in the game, her max dexterity is tremendously useful in many situations. Her high wisdom makes it easy to train and mold her into any build, even melee. Also a capable medic, but she will need some training or magazines to be able to pass every medical check in the game.

One of the best ways to abuse her talent is to make her your first sniper. Two fully aimed stealth shots before the fight starts is amazing. Fox can also be an excellent shock trooper with late-game pistols.

Recommend build : Sniper, Shock trooper.

Light-footed (Passive) : Ignore enemies's overwatch.

Boasting high agility and dexterity, she has a lot of potential for any gun build. However, her talent is not really useful. Her subpar marksmanship means she won't be effective in combat early on.
Mouse also starts at level 1 so you can choose all 9 perks for her.

Recommend build : Any gun build. She will need some training.

Eyes on the back : Omryn will do special overwatch in a circular area around him instead of a cone-shaped area. This ability can't be used with machine guns.

He has relatively good marksmanship, but everything else is a bit lacking, so he will need a lot of training just to gain access to perks. Most of the time you don't even need his talent because with a little training on your part, it's not hard to predict how enemies will run.

Recommend build : Shock Trooper, Heavy Gunner.

Inside Dope (Passive): Reveals all enemies in a sector if you have intel of that sector.

Livewire comes with borderline cheat mode in the game. As long as you take your time gathering intel before going in, you will gain maphack in any sector. It won't work underground, but the game does not have that many underground sectors.
As a price for her stupidly powerful talent, her combat skills are exceptionally poor. Thankfully, her high wisdom makes it easy to train.
Livewire is the only mechanic that can pass all mechanical checks from recruit tier mercs, so she is a solid choice for the first mission.

Recommend build : Sniper.

Inevitable Strike: Special attack that ignore armor. Can't be used with shotguns.

A good marksman from the recruit tier, she is a passable repairman but can't reliably disable traps, so just use her as a backup mechanic. Her talent means she can safely use hollow point ammo on anyone.
Sadly, Kalyna comes with monkey-level wisdom. She will be very, very hard to train. It will be hard to keep her long term since there are so many better choices out there.

Recommend build : Sniper.

Vashe Zdorovye! : Gain 25 grit and extra damage with melee weapon, accuracy penalty with guns.

Igor has very good stats, and with little training, can reach the minimum requirements in all skills, making him a great asset in any squad. Once his talent is activated, he will one-shot pretty much anyone with a good machete, just remember that he won't be shooting straight after using it.
With the right build, Igor will be able to kill 3-5 enemies per turn with ease, making him a top-tier damage dealer.

Recommend build : Melee Specialist. With his impressive stats he can be anything, but his talent is too valuable to just leave it alone.

Find my feet (Passive) : Have a chance in get inspired (+4 AP for 1 turn) and improve team's morale.

MD is good at healing but bad at everything else. His combat skill is exceptionally poor like Livewire, but he does not offer a useful talent like she does. His talent has quite a low chance to activate, so don't count on it.
Still, MD is the only (cheap) doctor that can pass all medical checks right from the beginning of the game and has high wisdom, so he can be a decent substitute for Fox.

Recommend build : Sniper.

Off the hip (Passive) : Grizzly can shoot machine guns without setup and will not suffer accuracy penalty.

Grizzly has relatively good marksmanship, but his low dexterity will limit his combat prowess as a heavy gunner. His talent means he can use machine guns with extra mobility but not much else.
He comes with one melee perk, which is quite a waste.

Recommend build : Heavy gunner (Need dexterity training for perks)

Boutique Explosives (Passive) : Barry will make 2 of his own unique grenades (Shaped charge) every 168 hours in-game. He can also craft them in satellite view.

Barry is an explosives expert, and clearly the best one. While other experts drain your grenades, Barry has his own and it is the best grenade in the game. This man is like a legendary merc but asks for a recruit wage. His skill is so valuable that his stats are negligible, not to mention that his high wisdom allows him to be trained easily.

Just hire him.

Recommend build : Light Grenadier. To abuse his shaped charge as much as possible, extra mobility is useful.

Veteran tier mercs are a bit more expensive than recruit mercs, but they also have a higher starting level. Some of them are cheap enough to hire before embarking on the first mission. Bringing one or two combat specialists from this tier along can make combat considerably easier.

Double Toss : A special attack that throws 2 grenades at once. The grenades will land next to each other, not in the same spot.

Fidel is an explosives expert and favors close-range attacks. That said, Fidel also comes with good marksmanship, so he can be a good marksman as well. His talent will drain grenade supply at an alarming rate, so be sure to craft often.
Fidel is one of the earliest mercs with the psycho trait and good marksmanship, so he is a decent substitute for Barry. However, he will be much more expensive and will need a lot of grenades to do his job.

Recommend build : Light Grenadier.

Top Spotter : Setting up overwatch will apply marked (next attack will be critical) to every enemy in the overwatch area. Usable only in combat.

Raven is one unique 'Combat support' type merc, and her talent is a game-changing skill. Starting only at level 2 without any overwatch perk, she will be weak and most of the time just setting up overwatch for teammates, but later on she can do good damage herself.
Simply set up overwatch and her teammates will do critical attacks to everything in that area. Just remember that for armored enemies, your attack must pierce their armor to be critical.

Recommend build : Heavy gunner, Shock trooper. Assault rifles and SMGs are generally better than machine guns in her case because of extra mobility.

Nature's Bounty (Passive) : Produces a special pill every 48 hours in-game. This pill will cure tired status immediately. If used in combat, it will give 20 grit but may have unpredictable effects.

For a medic, Thor's medical skill is quite low and he will need some training to pass all medical checks, but his pill is one of the best consumables in the game. Instead of waiting 12 hours doing nothing, just use one of these and your merc will be ready to go again. This will also prevent annoying situations like a merc getting tired right after arriving at a conflict sector.
20 Grit in combat is powerful, but unpredictable effects include berserk, which means that they will run straight at the enemy and may get killed without good support.
His pills are so useful that if you somehow don't want to use him, hiring Thor just to sit tight and pump out those pills is totally worth the money.
Thor also has high stats in all areas so he can use any build.

Recommend build : Any.

Jack of all Trades (Passive) : Complete operations 33% faster

Wolf is a utility guy. He can do anything from healing to fixing gears. 33% may not look impressive, but try using him once and he will probably stay long term. His stats are also high enough to use any build, true to his jack-of-all-trades nature.
Outside combat, Wolf is one of the best trainers since he can train both mercs and militia at a faster speed.

Recommend build : Any. Also useful as dedicated trainer.

Ice Storm : Special attack that shoots at every part of an enemy. For human enemies, he will shoot 5 times at their feet, groin, body, arms, and head.

Ice is one of the most powerful marksmen in the game thanks to his talent. Overall he can be any class that uses guns, but his talent works best with hard-hitting weapons. Ice storm with a sniper rifle will usually kill anyone if used within range and no fog/sandstorm. If they somehow survive, they will be useless for 1 turn.
Also quite cheap so he is a good candidate for the first mission.

Recommend build : Heavy gunner, Sniper.

Flying Daggers : Special attack that moves for 5 tiles and throws 2 knives at nearby enemies.

Blood is a speed demon. On top of his free move, he can charge toward enemies while doing heavy damage, WITH JUST 1 AP. He also comes with his own special dagger that can be thrown endlessly. He is lethal right from the beginning and doesn't even need a single bullet to do ranged damage.
Blood is one of the best melee fighters and dirt cheap for what he offers. Another top candidate for the first mission.

Recommend build : Melee specialist.

Hard Feelings (Passive) : Last enemy that attack Meltdown will get vengeance effect. Killing them and Meltdown will get inspired (+4 AP for 1 turn)

Like Fidel, Meltdown is another merc with the psycho trait that is cheap enough to be hired before the first mission. Her talent means she must be getting shot at, so she is not suitable for a stealthy approach.

Recommend build : Heavy gunner, Shock Trooper.

Anything you can do... (Passive) : Bonus accuracy to enemies that is hit by teammates this turn.

Buns is a good marksman and a decent medic, and the cheapest merc with the negotiator trait. To utilize her talent, she should not be the one who opens fights.
Overall she is not terribly useful but quite cheap for the negotiator trait.

Recommend build : Heavy gunner, sniper.

Uberraschung (Passive) : Grunty will shoot at the nearest enemy when combat starts.

His talent with a good gun will usually kill one enemy at the combat start. However, be careful about his position. Grunty will shoot no matter who or what stands in front of him; if his teammate is in the way, he will mow them down before the enemy.
Grunty does his job best with a good machine gun and heavy armor. Always get his teammates out of the way before combat.

Recommend build : Heavy gunner.

Elite tier mercenaries are more expensive but offer many powerful talents. They should be considered when you have 1-2 diamond mines for stable income. They can be a good replacement for lower tier mercs when money is not an issue.

You see, Igor... (Passive) : Gain 3AP After each kill.

Ivan has one of the most powerful talents that could be called a cheat mode. +3 AP per kill is so powerful that with the right build, Ivan will take down an entire squad alone in just 1 turn.
His trait in auto weapons may suggest that he is good with assault rifles, but his real power lies in melee. With a good machete, he will spend only 1 AP per enemy, a real one-man Texas machete massacre.
In some quests where a lot of enemies are standing near each other, Ivan could take down 8-10 enemies before ending his turn, making him one of the best killing machines in the game. If you don't feel like playing melee, Ivan will be powerful in any build. Just don't make him a sniper.

Recommend build : Melee Specialist, Shock Trooper.

Elbow Grease (Passive) : Automatically repair gears over time. Deal +7 damage and 15% extra critical chance for fully modded guns.

With her 95 mechanical skill, Vicki is one of the best mechanics and comes with a powerful talent. Repairing gear over time is pretty much negligible, but +7 damage and 15% critical chance on a fully modded weapon is great. She also has repairable lock picking tools in her inventory.
Vicki is an excellent shock trooper with late-game pistols and can do good damage from mid-close range, but she can use any gun as long as it is fully modded.

Recommend build : Shock Trooper, Sniper

Tag Team (Passive) : Gain bonus accuracy against enemies within teammates' overwatch area.

Raider has the highest leadership skill in the game, along with the negotiator trait, making him a good candidate for the main squad to pass all checks that require leadership skill.
His talent is nothing much, but it goes well with his partner Raven.

Outside combat, Raider is another great militia trainer.

Recommend build : Heavy Gunner, Sniper (Need Dexterity Training)

Dance For Me : Shoot at the feet of every enemy in his overwatch area, then set up overwatch in that area afterward.

Tex is a good shock trooper and nothing else. However, he comes with 2 six (pea) shooters in his primary weapon slot that can't be removed, so technically he only has one weapon slot to play with. His stats are bad in so many areas, it's quite a miracle he can be in the elite rank. His talent is also highly situational, and unless used at extremely close range, his feet shot will most likely miss.
He could do well enough with late-game pistols, but since Vicki exists...

Only bring him on later playthroughs for his banter. Otherwise, just leave him in Hollywood.

Recommend build : Shock Trooper.

Nailed It (Passive) : Do more damage after his first kill. Last until the end of combat.

Nails is a close-quarters combat specialist. He can do good damage with either bombs, a melee weapon, or a shotgun. However, his 60 agility will severely limit his potential in those builds. He will need a lot of agility training to reach at least 80 to gain essential perks in agility. With all melee build perks, Nails will one-shot anyone thanks to his simple yet destructive talent.
Consider giving him some magazines to bump his explosives skill to 80, and he can reliably disarm landmines.

Recommend build : Light Grenadier, Melee specialist (Need agility training).

Exploding Palm : Special attack that apply unconcious effect to the enemy. Dr. Q must be unarmed.

Not only is Dr. Q the best doctor, but he is also deadly in melee combat. His Exploding Palm means a death sentence to anyone, boss included, as long as it hits.
Give him a good machete and leave his secondary weapon slot empty for using his talent, and he should be one of the top killers in any squad. A great replacement for MD or Fox.

Recommend build : Melee specialist.

Have at Ye : When activated, Red will counter with a grenade when getting hit.

Red comes with 100 Explosives skill, but his other areas are quite lacking. His low strength and lack of the throwing trait mean he will throw grenades at closer range than most grenadiers, and for his talent to activate, he must be getting hit, which is usually bad.

Consider bringing him along on later playthroughs. Barry or Fidel will generally do better than him.

Recommend build : Heavy grenadier.

Smarter, Not Harder (Passive) : Gain focused effect (improve damage and critical chance) each turn. Lose the effect when move, changing weapon, or reloading.

Hitman is, true to his name, a good sniper. As long as he has a good vantage point, he will reliably kill 1-2 enemies every turn. However, his talent will pretty much limit him to being a sniper and nothing else.
He should have some support grenades like tear gas or smoke grenades in his secondary weapon slot to protect him from bullets when enemies get close.

Recommend build : Sniper.

The highest rank of mercenaries in the game and extremely expensive. They will be available after some time in the game, or pay $20,000 to unlock them early (Just don't).
Some of them are so good that they can go alone and still reliably take down a whole squad, a true one-man army.

Tango Down (Passive) : Grant 10 grit to the whole squad when Gus kill any target. Once per turn.

Gus has a special condition to recruit him. The player must either hire Scully or Len first before they can hire Gus.
Gus is a natural leader and valuable in any squad. However, starting at level 8 leaves very little room to make a build. He will most likely be a heavy gunner or grenadier. Remember to keep him far from other teammates to abuse his loner trait.

Recommend build : Heavy gunner, Grenadier.

Second Story Man (Passive) : Gain extra 50% critical chance when Magic is on higher ground.

Magic is one of the most powerful mercs, and a very capable mechanic. Give him a good vantage point and he will be extremely deadly. This magician is quite skilled at making enemies disappear. A great replacement for Livewire if you don't need her maphack.

He can use a sniper rifle, but consider giving him a high damage assault rifle to abuse his Lucky Streak perk.

Recommend build : Sniper, Shock Trooper.

Shoulder To Shoulder (Passive) : Grant 15 grit to him and adjacent teammate at the end of turn.

Scully is an all-rounder and can use any build, but his health perk will be best utilized by being a heavy gunner or overwatch shock trooper. Just staying near someone else will make them a lot more tanky.
Scully also has great leadership, so he is a good replacement for Raider.

Recommend build : Heavy gunner, Shock trooper.

Smug Operator (Passive) : Gain Smug effect at combat start (+2 AP). Lose the effect when getting hit or Sidney miss his target.

Sidney is a sniper, and damn good at what he does. +2 AP means he can use the Sharpshooter perk with normal AP. His smug buff will most likely last until the end of combat if he has a gun with a thermal scope.
Still, a bit expensive for a simple sniper.

Recommend build : Sniper.

Grim Fate : Special attack that will be critical. If this attack kills someone, enemies in that vicinity will panic and run away for 1 turn.

Another sniper, but with a highly useful talent. When facing an overwhelming amount of enemies, his talent will give you some breathing room to either thin their numbers or retreat. However, he can only use his talent once per conflict.

Recommend build : Sniper.

Fleeting Shadow : Can run while sneaking. Gain 10 grit with successful stealth kill.

The ultimate scout and assassin. Running while stealth means he can move around with great speed while retaining prone level stealth. Give him a good sniper rifle and a machete, and he will be able to take out entire sector alone. If used carefully, he should not need his close range weapons as they will put him in dangerous areas.
Give him some training in explosives to detect landmines and mechanical skills to fix his own gear, and he can be a fully self-sufficient one-man death squad. If used in a team, remember to keep him away from other teammates to abuse his loner trait.

Recommend build : Sniper, Melee Specialist.

Eagle Eye : Can use pin down with a minimum of 1 AP. Pin down apply exposed effect to enemy (lose cover benefits). Also makes biscuits like any good English mom.

Another sniper in the legendary tier. Scope is a more aggressive sniper as she can make a good shot and pin down another enemy to expose them in 1 turn. Still, she needs to have a sniper rifle to utilize her talent, so no other build for her.
Her biscuits heal 5 HP, usable from the inventory with 2 AP mid-combat. Not as useful as bandages.

Recommend build : Sniper.

Heavy Duty : Retain full free move range with cumbersome gear. Gain 8 grit per enemy when her attack hits more than 1 enemy.

Fauda is a heavy armament specialist. She is a tank with unusual mobility, and can use both machine guns and grenade/rocket launchers. Extra grit means she will not injure as often if enemies survive her attacks.
Give her a good supply of boom toys and ammo, and she will be one of the best Grenadier and Heavy gunner in the game.

Recommend build : Heavy gunner, Grenadier.

On My Lead : When activated, all teammates that have line if sight will shoot at the target once.

Len is an all-rounder who can adapt to any build, but his perks favor overwatch, so he excels as a Shock Trooper and Heavy Gunner. His talent usually means instant death to any target as long as his teammates are skilled with guns.
Len should only be used in a squad with all 6 gun users to fully utilize his talent.

Recommend build : Heavy gunner, Shock Trooper.

This section will include all free mercenaries player can recruit in the game.

Free mercs are... well, free. If you recruit them, they will do their job without a salary and will never leave you, similar to Alpha. However, being free means some of them will need a bit of training before they are usable. If nothing else, they are useful as pack mules or militia trainers.

37.Jaques 'Flay' Bohen

Talent

Make Them Bleed (Passive) : Attacking at the groin or attacking animals will apply Bleed effect. Damage increases based on how many enemies have the bleed effect.

Condition : Receive quest at Poacher Camp. After you find him, pass leadership check and wisdom check to recruit him.

Overview

Flay is a good marksman and a decent medic, but his agility is too low to be useful. He will need a lot of training, but once he has decent agility, he can be a good shot.
His talent is not really useful. Most of the time you don't need a lot of bleeding enemies, but rather a lot of dead enemies.

Recommend build : Sniper, Melee Specialist.

38.Larry Roachburn

Talent

Danger Close (Passive) : Deals more damage with explosives when in close range.

Condition : Find him in Camp Savane and give him a Metaviron. Earliest place to get this med is by trading tiny diamonds with Lalee lootboxes in Fleatown. You can also find some at sanatorium underground.

You can send him to sanatorium after starting a quest there and cure his addiction. After he is clean and sober his stats will change to be like this.

Overview

Larry is an explosives expert, and after sobering him up, he will have decent stats for a free merc. He has enough agility to be light grenadier as well. Let him rushing in with shotgun free moves and toss a grenade at close range will do pretty nice damage.
A good explosives expert and medic candidate for the secondary team.

Note that after he is clean, his trait will change from optimist to pessimist.

Recommend build : Light Grenadier.

39.Alejandro 'Smiley' Diaz

Talent

Reckless Rush : Special Run and Gun that has more move range and shoots more bullets. Smiley will lose energy (get tired) after each use and must be equipped with an SMG.

Condition : Start a quest in Pantagruel and trace him to Fleatown. Help him against his enemies in Rimville and don't let him die.

Overview

Smiley is a Shock trooper. While his talent can deal very good damage, reducing energy after each use is too expensive. He will need a lot of resting or R&R to use it often. Thor pharmaceutical and a good SMG will help him tremendously.
Smiley also (somehow) has high leadership, so he is useful as a trainer, although his low wisdom makes it hard to train him.

Recommend build : Shock Trooper.

40.Pierre Laurent

Talent

Glory Hog : Special attack with machete that does not require straight path and gain 15 grit.

Condition : Let him go during the first encounter, Rat out Herman, kill slave master Graaf and Jackhammer and you can recruit him at Camp Bien Chien.

Overview

Unless you rush to save him first, by the time you get him he will be so underleveled that he is not useful in most conflicts. Machete charge is already bad and Pierre's charge is not any better, so there is no reason to use it.
Pierre also has one machete that can attack with 3AP instead of 4, but it can't be sharpened (Ew) and it is locked in the secondary weapon slot.
Overall just not useful.

Recommend build : Melee fighter. But most likely he will be militia trainer.

41.Maj. Spike Scallion

Talent

Bullet Hell : Special full-auto attack that deals heavy damage in a cone shaped area, forcing enemies to go prone and apply the suppressed status (-4 AP for 1 turn). Once per conflict.

Condition : Pass his influence check. There are many things that can raise it but recruit Pierre and pass leadership check during conversation with him should do the trick. DO NOT tell him that biff is his friend.

Overview

Le Major himself. Spike is the highest level merc in the game, on par with Gus, and he will even work for free. His stats are also among the best so equip him with a high damage assault rifle or SMG, and he will deal excellent damage with overwatch. His talent is also extremely powerful; it will kill most weak enemies and work like a cone-shaped flashbang.

However, by the time you get him you should have already completed most quests, so there is not much time to use him.

Recommend build : Shock Trooper, he can only gain two more perk points which is not enough to make any other builds.