TRADESMAN Deal to Dealer Mercenary Tier List (1.0)

This list ranks mercenaries for a Version 1.0 single-player save. You get four fighters and one transport. Leadership decides whether rares and legendaries even talk to you. Scrolls decide whether they keep up. The December 2024 combat pass let each hire read two different scrolls and started handing personal XP pips after fights. A later rule stopped you stacking identical broken epics. Rankings below assume those rules.

For hire locations and role talk, use the mercenary hub and squad builds. Animals that occupy the hauler slot are summarised here and fully covered on animals.

S tier — save changers

Hauler Bigfoot / fighter Bigfoot. Southern mountains and the Bigfoot village line. The fighter can appear with fewer gates; the hauler wants max village reputation. Huge HP, huge presence, the cart finally feels late-game.

Epic / legendary bears. Fishpool cubs are the honest mid-game tank with group damage. River hauler bears (Claw-type) beat the horse until Bigfoot. Cap roar-bears if you like the Fishpool oscillator. Animal Handling required for the beast pipeline — talents.

Holy frontliners (paladin / peacemaker family). Cemetery and shrine towns. They hold a lane while you learn lantern-mole timing. Worth the detour if you are pushing quests northeast.

Trade, war, money — mercenary life on the road

A tier — region kings

Named legendaries behind 10,000 standing — miner diggers, wild barbarians, rebel wanderers, Grampstead’s late Duncan. Each is a destination, not a starter. Farm via reputation, then park them in a role, do not collect four names and zero synergy.

Soldiers and bandits from early watchposts. The moment you can drop peasants, these humans are the backbone. Cheap scrolls. No animal talent tax.

White Horror-style legendaries after mole roads. Expensive, gated by beast knowledge and Leadership. Take one, not a museum.

B tier — honest work

Woodcutters, guards, throwers. The intended ladder out of Grampstead. Bleed forks into watchpost spears is the Getting Started curve. Keep one thrower if a hand-in quest demands a leveled Redzerker-type later.

Boars. Ugly S-tier for new Animal Handling saves, B-tier once bears exist. Still a fine cheap hauler.

Horse. Tutorial transport. Not a fighter. Replace when a boar or bear is legal.

Inquisitors and acolytes. Niche holy towns. Good as a second magic slot, not as your only HP.

C tier — comedy and traps

Pitchfork and chicken peasants. Buy them. Sack them. They exist so your first wolf does not eat the grain. Leaving them in the party at the capital is a meme build.

Random tavern drunks you hired because the line was funny. Funny is not a role. Combat will bill you.

Duplicate epic copies past the cap. The game now refuses the fantasy. Spend the third copy’s gold on scrolls instead.

How to use the list in a real cart

1. Unlock the hire with Leadership before you grind the town.
2. Check the duplicate-epic rule before you buy two of the same sprite.
3. Give two legal scrolls, not two Hunter leftovers.
4. Put the sponge in tactics position two if you took that node.
5. If the unit is also a hauler, read carts so you are not fighting on a starter axle.

Patch notes can swing a letter. Hunter nerfs already did. Watch updates after ninja drops. This is not a Roblox codes page and not a PvP ladder. It is a shopping order for a $5 comedy sim that still lets a full cart summon a parade.