Mercenaries: Powerful units for hire

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Thank you. :)

It has dawned on me that there may not be enough uses for gold. Every time I look at my resources, I find that it is almost always full compared to the fraction of elixir I have. Spells used to require gold, so why don't they now? Why can't gold improve our troops somehow?

Then it hit me: what if there was a building of sorts, a building where you could meet shady characters from far off places, a building where some of them might just be willing to fight for you for a little coin?

I am suggesting mercenaries, skilled units that you can employ temporarily to strengthen your military might. You can encounter these mercenaries at the Tavern, a 4x3 building you can build at Town Hall Lv.4. In this Tavern, you may find a fellow willing to work with you on your next conquest or to help defend the village. The better you make your Tavern, the more people will be willing to work with you. Prices can be quite unpredictable, so choose wisely.

These mercenaries have specific skill sets, fit for anything from raw power to helpful support. Mercenaries can be quite different from each other, and stronger ones are more likely to appear at a better Tavern. It is wise to be circumspect, as you can accept a limited number of mercenary contracts depending on your Tavern level. Not only that, but they don't just stick around; they can leave and re-appear at the Tavern anytime in the day. Some can even only appear at specific times!

Mercenaries may be hard and costly to snag, but their performance is invaluable. Their skills are useful for breaking through a front line of defense or just snagging resources. These guys can turn the tide in a major struggle. If you can snag a mercenary, its performance may prove invaluable.

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The Tavern:
Come and befriend others at the Tavern! This building is the perfect place to meet others, who may just be willing to fight for you...

Level:	Health:	Mercenary Quality:	Maximum Contracts:	Mercenary Capacity:	Building Cost:	Building Time:	Required Town Hall Level:
1	550	F, D	1	3	120,000	10 hours	4
2	650	D-, D+	2	5	350,000	1 day	5
3	800	D, C-	3	7	700,000	2 days	6
4	975	C-, C+	4	9	1,460,000	3 days	7
5	1200	C, B-	5	12	2,000,000	4 days	8
6	1550	C+, B	6	15	5,000,000	5 days	9
7	1900	B, A-	7	18	12,500,000	6 days	10
8	2500	A-,A+	8	20	25,000,000	7 days	11

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Mercenaries:
These skilled persons are willing to work for you, provided they are paid well.

The Armsman:
This skilled fighter is willing to charge straight into battle or protect others. With his spiked club and stout shield, he is an unmistakably powerful foe.
Ability: Whirlwind Strike
Readying his club, he spins it around in a destructive flurry to damage nearby troops and buildings!

Level:	Damage:	Health:	Movement Speed:	Attack Speed:	Hiring Cost Range:	Whirlwind Strike Damage:	Required Minimum Tavern Level:	Quality Rating:
1	68	550	17	1.2 sec.	35,000-43,000	N/A	1
2	92	785	18	1.1 sec.	38,500-47,250	N/A	1
3	116	1020	19	1 sec.	42,000-51,500	3x	2
4	140	1255	20	0.9 sec.	45,500-55,750	4x	3
5	164	1490	21	0.8 sec.	49,000-60,000	5x	4
6	188	1725	22	0.7 sec.	52,500-64,250	6x	5
7	212	1960	23	0.6 sec.	56,000-68,500	7x	6
8	236	2195	24	0.5 sec.	59,500-72,750	8x	7

The Thief:
This sneaky character is willing to risk death to steal for you, so long as she gets paid.
Ability: Vanish*
The Thief temporarily disappears from sight, in order to pilfer resources whilst remaining undetected.

Level:	Damage:	Health:	Movement Speed:	Attack Speed:	Hiring Cost Range:	Vanish Duration:	Required Minimum Tavern Level:	Quality Rating:
1	27	385	38	0.5 sec.	37,700-45,000	N/A	1
2	34	620	39	0.5 sec.	42,000-48,850	N/A	2
3	41	855	40	0.5 sec.	46,300-52,700	3 sec.	3
4	48	1090	41	0.4 sec.	50,600-56,550	5 sec.	4
5	55	1325	42	0.4 sec.	54,900-60,400	7 sec.	5
6	62	1560	43	0.4 sec.	59,200-64,250	9 sec.	6
7	69	1795	44	0.3 sec.	63,500-68,100	11 sec.	7
8	78	2030	45	0.3 sec.	67,800-71,950	13 sec.	8

*Credit to Awesomeguy88

The Sniper:
With a very keen eye, the Sniper and his modified crossbow are set to take out targets from afar.
Ability: Trick Shot:
The modifications of the crossbow come in handy: By employing a magic targeting lens he is able to deliver a shot that bounces around on or in his target for more damage out of one bolt.

Level:	Damage:	Health:	Movement Speed:	Attack Speed:	Hiring Cost Range:	Trick Shot Damage Bonus:	Required Minimum Tavern Level:	Quality Rating:
1	150	423	18	4 sec.	40,000-50,000	N/A	2
2	235	555	19	3.8 sec.	46,600-58,650	N/A	2
3	320	687	20	3.6 sec	53,200-67,300	3-5x	3
4	405	819	21	3.4 sec	59,800-75,950	4-7x	4
5	490	951	22	3.2 sec.	66,400-84,600	5-9x	5
6	575	1083	23	3 sec.	73,000-93,200	6-12x	6
7	660	1285	24	2.8 sec.	79,600-101,900	7-15x	7
8	745	1347	25	2.6 sec.	86,200-110,550	8-17x	8

The Protector:
This kind mage has turned his back on fighting and has instead chosen to assist those who risk their lives in battle. Deploy him to cast wards on fellow troops to improve their resistance to damage.
Ability: Guardian Circle:
The Protector casts a powerful ward on all troops around him, a ward that reflects damage back at their assailants!

Level:	Ward:	Health:	Movement Speed:	Ward Duration:	Ward Splash:	Ward Speed:	Hiring Cost Range:	Guardian Circle Reflect Damage:	Guardian Circle Ward Duration:	Guardian Circle Effect Radius:	Required Minimum Tavern Level:	Quality Rating:
1	20%	455	17	1 sec.	0.5 Tiles	1.7 sec.	38,500-43,330	N/A	N/A	N/A	2
2	32%	567	18	1 sec.	0.8 Tiles	1.6 sec.	46,770-55,460	N/A	N/A	N/A	3
3	45%	679	19	1 sec.	1 Tile	1.5 sec.		10%	3 sec.	4 Tiles	3
4	58%	791	20	1 sec.	1.3 Tiles	1.4 sec.		20%	5 sec.	4.5 Tiles	4
5	70%	903	21	1 sec.	1.5 Tiles	1.3		30%	8 sec.	5 Tiles	5
6	80%	1015	22	1 sec.	1.8 Tiles	1.2 sec.		40%	10 sec.	5.5 Tiles	6
7	90%	1127	23	1 sec.	2 Tiles	1.1 sec.		50%	12 sec.	6 Tiles	7
8	100%	1239	24	1 sec.	2 Tiles	1 sec.		60%	15 sec.	6.5 Tiles	8

The Ace:
This man and his magic glider are ready to fly circles around you opponents. Constantly in motion, he is never on the same target for long.
Ability: Fireburst:
Alchemists have finalized the invention of an incredibly potent explosive. Drop it onto defenses to unleash a wild explosion!

Level:	Damage:	Health:	Movement Speed:	Attack Speed:	Hiring Cost Range:	Fireburst Damage:	Fireburst Effect Radius:	Required Minimum Tavern Level:	Quality Rating:
1						N/A	N/A	3
2						N/A	N/A	3
3								4
4								4
5								5
6								6
7
8

The Renegade:
This insane character is a big fan of arson. Deploy him to weaken buildings with flasks of corrosive acid.
Ability: Mass Dissolution:
The Renegade releases a potent acid fog into the air around him, quickly inflicting heavy damage and permanently weakening effected buildings.

Level:	Damage:	Corrosion:	Health:	Movement Speed:	Corrosion Duration:	Attack Speed:	Hiring Cost Range:	Mass Dissolution Damage:	Mass Dissolution Effect Radius:	Required Minimum Tavern Level:	Quality Rating:
1								N/A	N/A	3
2								N/A	N/A	4
3										4
4										5
5										5
6										6
7
8

The Demon:
Crawling out from the underworld, he is ready to offer you his devilish services. Immune to the inferno tower, nothing will stop his penchant for resources!
Ability: Hell-Spawn:
The demon gives a mighty roar to summon some of his greedy friends!

Level:	Damage:	Health:	Movement Speed:	Attack Speed:	Hiring Cost Range:	Hell-Spawn Summon:	Required Minimum Tavern Level:	Quality Rating:
1						N/A	4
2						N/A	4
3						1	5
4						2	5
5						3	6
6						4	7
7						5	7
8						6	8

The Mechanic:
Hire the Mechanic to bring her technological prowess to the battlefield! She and her sentries can turn the tide on the battlefield!
Ability: Magic Pulse Blade:
The Mechanic triggers a pulse of advanced magic, temporarily stunning enemy troops and defenses as well as triggering traps.

Level:	Maximum Summoned Sentries:	Health:	Movement Speed:	Summon Speed:	Hiring Cost Range:	M.P.B Stun Duration:	M.P.B Effect Radius	Required Minimum Tavern Level:	Quality Rating:
1	4		15	1 sec.		N/A	N/A	4
2	7		16	0.9 sec.		N/A	N/A	5
3			17	0.8 sec.				5
4			18	0.7 sec.				6
5			19	0.6 sec.				6
6			20	0.5 sec.				7
7			21	0.4 sec.				8
8			22	0.3 sec.				8

Sentries:
​The Mechanic deploys these hovering menaces as an auxiliary force. They primarily target support buildings for a behind-the-scenes victory.

Level:	Damage:	Health:	Movement Speed:	Attack Speed:
1		50	18	1 sec.
2		65	20	1 sec.
3		80	22	1 sec.
4		95	24	1 sec.
5		110	26	1 sec.
6		125	28	1 sec.
7		140	30	1 sec.
8		155	32	1 sec.

The Electromancer:
This wizard has strayed from the mundane fireball and instead mastered the powerful lightning bolt. His magic lightning bounces from defense to defense once cast.
Ability: Discharge:
The Electromancer sends a vast amount of power into the sky, and throws it down on his target in a mighty thunderbolt! The thunderbolt will switch to another target if its done with its previous one.

Level:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

The Specialist:
One day he just appeared out of the blue: no-one knew where he came from and no-one knew who he was except the Mechanic, who he may have worked with in the past. All that's known for certain is that he's deadly; he has a sword that can slice metal like butter, a handheld cannon that launches bolts of blue fire, and armor impenetrable to all archers except the X-Bow and the Archer Queen.
Ability: Dragon Cannon:
The Specialist pulls a lever on his handheld cannon; soon afterwards the cannon unleashes a mighty blast! This unique attack is capable of damaging multiple targets along its path.

Level:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

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Statistics:
Everything minor you need to know about the mercenaries.

	Attack Type:	Damage Type:	Range:	Preferred Target:	Immunities:	Ground/Air:	Ability Type:
Armsman:	Melee	Splash	0.7 Tiles	Any	N/A	Ground	Melee Splash
Thief:	Melee	Regular (Resources x2)	0.3 Tiles	Resources	N/A	Ground	Cloak
Sniper:	Ranged	Regular	9.5 Tiles	Defenses	N/A	Ground	Multi Hit
Protector:	Support	N/A	4 Tiles	Troops (Ground or Air)	N/A	Ground	Ward Splash
Ace:	Ranged	Regular	3 Tiles	Defenses (Occasionally switching between targets)	N/A	Air	Ranged Splash
Renegade:	Ranged	Regular, Weaken	2.5 Tiles	Any	N/A	Ground	Weaken Splash
Demon:	Melee	Regular	0.5 Tiles	Resources	Fire	Air	Summon
Mechanic:	Summon, Melee	Regular	0.8 Tiles	Any	N/A	Ground	Stun, Trigger Traps
Sentry:	Ranged	Regular	2 Tiles	Support Buildings	N/A	Air	N/A
Electromancer:	Chain Ranged	Regular (Hidden Teslas 0.5x)	1.5 Tiles	Any	Electricity	Ground	Ranged Damage
Specialist:	Hybrid	Regular	4-1 Tiles	Heroes	Archers	Ground	Chain Ranged Damage

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Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think elements of this thread (i.e the Tavern) have been put under consideration! Woohoo!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TheChunkMaster

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think elements of this thread (i.e the Tavern) have been put under consideration! Woohoo!

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where exactly do you get this information that the tavern is being considered?

Furthermore, most of the posts on this thread would be considered bumping. I suggest you brush up on the rules.

Perhaps if your troop 'mercenaries' were worth the gold for their non-unique and statistical role within the game I might consider writing a more positive outlook on your idea, but that's impossible at the moment.:smirk::rolleyes:

The mercenaries seem very very very very very very unreliable. That's all I have to say.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Smolson

where exactly do you get this information that the tavern is being considered?

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I looked in the sticky where they list the ideas under consideration and ruled out. I was surprised when I found it under consideration, so I searched up the tavern on the forum to see if there was anything like how it was described (hiring shady chars.), and the only thing I had found close to that was my post. I browse this forum often and I hadn't seen that idea under consideration before.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jaronhudson15

Perhaps if your troop 'mercenaries' were worth the gold for their non-unique and statistical role within the game I might consider writing a more positive outlook on your idea, but that's impossible at the moment.:smirk::rolleyes:

The mercenaries seem very very very very very very unreliable. That's all I have to say.

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Well, please explain to me how they're "unreliable" and how I can fix that. Otherwise you're just another unhelpful person.

I've looked at some of your threads and you seemed to be an understanding and informative character, so what has changed?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TheChunkMaster

Well, please explain to me how they're "unreliable" and how I can fix that. Otherwise you're just another unhelpful person.

I've looked at some of your threads and you seemed to be an understanding and informative character, so what has changed?

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Forgive me, I was rude. The main problem I had with this concept was I'd be wasting a lot of gold. These troops, statistically, seemed inept and wouldn't provide my armies with any major advantages. It looks like you changed them.

The Thief will most likely be inferior to goblin knife, as I've just seen a lot of successful knifing lately. I don't think players will bother with this troop. Goblins can pretty much get the job done by themselves.

As for the Armsman, I'm not keen on using an ability of a troop or any troop. Like heroes, these mercenaries have abilities. I don't have a problem with that, but the scrolling issue with many players might prevent them from hitting the abilities. Probably wouldn't be too much of a problem but that's something to consider.

The ability itself is unoriginal, but it's something. I could get the Armsman into a core with Valks and probably not even need a rage. I could pop the ability and I'll have the equivalent damage to a pekka, with the marvelous exception of also having splash damage that covers 360 degrees. I think that's pretty epic, but the downside to using it is the small 5% decrease in damage for the rest of its life in the raid at max level. This troop is actually pretty awesome and epic... Before it seemed the stats were really really weak, unless I just suddenly had dyslexia upon looking previously.

It would be used in a KS to eradicate ground CC's, which could be a problem. I wouldn't know when my opponents in war would have this mercenary available to them, and if I have ground ccs it would just be dumb for me to have them. Granted, I should have a better base but people can be clever. I called it unoriginal because it's a crazy Valkyrie once the ability is popped. And there's a 0.7 attack speed at maxed level. This thing will be awesome to have at TH11.

The Sniper. Geez, bro, have some range! A little bit more than twice that of the archer queen, that targets defenses. You buffed the ♥♥♥♥ out of this concept. Not to mention some massive damage and quick movement speed, it would never be touched by defenses, besides the Eagle Artillery. I don't understand the point of the ability. Doesn't seem necessary since it'll be so far from defenses. It also doesn't seem relevent; burst fire on the double cannon helps counter healers and their healing. Healers can't keep up with it and it helps other defenses take down a queen or giant or something. No defense is being healed, so I don't see a need for burst fire mode since it will reduce her attack speed anyway.

That is my complete analysis, perhaps more will come depending on my mood. Again, forgive me for being rude. I see too many worthless concepts in here and get frustrated.

I think the most useful and ideal concept you have to offer in this entire thread is the Armsman. The Thief can be substituted by an already-existing strat, which is the goblin knife. The Sniper seems like a joke in respect to its incredible range and damage. I can't tell if you're serious about that troop.

I love troop ideas and critiquing them, if you would. I know how troops work, I've played the game a long time. I got frustrated at first because you seemed like another one of those forum noobs who haven't the slightest idea of troop balancing, and it's a waste of time in my opinion.

Thanks for sharing, and good luck.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jaronhudson15

Forgive me, I was rude. The main problem I had with this concept was I'd be wasting a lot of gold. These troops, statistically, seemed inept and wouldn't provide my armies with any major advantages. It looks like you changed them.

The Thief will most likely be inferior to goblin knife, as I've just seen a lot of successful knifing lately. I don't think players will bother with this troop. Goblins can pretty much get the job done by themselves.

As for the Armsman, I'm not keen on using an ability of a troop or any troop. Like heroes, these mercenaries have abilities. I don't have a problem with that, but the scrolling issue with many players might prevent them from hitting the abilities. Probably wouldn't be too much of a problem but that's something to consider.

The ability itself is unoriginal, but it's something. I could get the Armsman into a core with Valks and probably not even need a rage. I could pop the ability and I'll have the equivalent damage to a pekka, with the marvelous exception of also having splash damage that covers 360 degrees. I think that's pretty epic, but the downside to using it is the small 5% decrease in damage for the rest of its life in the raid at max level. This troop is actually pretty awesome and epic... Before it seemed the stats were really really weak, unless I just suddenly had dyslexia upon looking previously.

It would be used in a KS to eradicate ground CC's, which could be a problem. I wouldn't know when my opponents in war would have this mercenary available to them, and if I have ground ccs it would just be dumb for me to have them. Granted, I should have a better base but people can be clever. I called it unoriginal because it's a crazy Valkyrie once the ability is popped. And there's a 0.7 attack speed at maxed level. This thing will be awesome to have at TH11.

The Sniper. Geez, bro, have some range! A little bit more than twice that of the archer queen, that targets defenses. You buffed the ♥♥♥♥ out of this concept. Not to mention some massive damage and quick movement speed, it would never be touched by defenses, besides the Eagle Artillery. I don't understand the point of the ability. Doesn't seem necessary since it'll be so far from defenses. It also doesn't seem relevent; burst fire on the double cannon helps counter healers and their healing. Healers can't keep up with it and it helps other defenses take down a queen or giant or something. No defense is being healed, so I don't see a need for burst fire mode since it will reduce her attack speed anyway.

That is my complete analysis, perhaps more will come depending on my mood. Again, forgive me for being rude. I see too many worthless concepts in here and get frustrated.

I think the most useful and ideal concept you have to offer in this entire thread is the Armsman. The Thief can be substituted by an already-existing strat, which is the goblin knife. The Sniper seems like a joke in respect to its incredible range and damage. I can't tell if you're serious about that troop.

I love troop ideas and critiquing them, if you would. I know how troops work, I've played the game a long time. I got frustrated at first because you seemed like another one of those forum noobs who haven't the slightest idea of troop balancing, and it's a waste of time in my opinion.

Thanks for sharing, and good luck.

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Any ideas on how I can improve them? I've nerfed the sniper's range a bit and changed his ability to temporarily boost his range for a short time (enough for ~3 shots max). I'm also revamping the thief.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TheChunkMaster

Any ideas on how I can improve them? I've nerfed the sniper's range a bit and changed his ability to temporarily boost his range for a short time (enough for ~3 shots max). I also removed the Thief until I can come up with a better idea.

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I have an idea for the thief to make it different than goblins, my idea being the thief becomes invisible when not attacking, similar to how the miner goes underground. The thief would also be more powerful than goblins. With this power it could be used alongside goblins, to get to well protected storages. While this idea is not complete, I hope this can help you come up with a well thought out troop.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Awesomeguy88

I have an idea for the thief to make it different than goblins, my idea being the thief becomes invisible when not attacking, similar to how the miner goes underground. The thief would also be more powerful than goblins. With this power it could be used alongside goblins, to get to well protected storages. While this idea is not complete, I hope this can help you come up with a well thought out troop.

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Thanks for the idea. Also, how about another mercenary: the Saboteur, who does relatively low damage but weakens the attacks of his target? He could have an ability that allows him to unveil a major flaw in a targeted building, rendering it more vulnerable to damage.