Mercenary Recruitment & Loyalty
Before hiring your first mercenary
- Any player class can hire a guild mercenary.
- Base level 15 and 7,000 Zeny are enough for a first Grade 1 scroll. Higher grades have the requirements listed below.
- Access to higher mercenary grades as your guild loyalty increases.
One step at a time
Click a location to copy its command, then paste it into the game chat.
Choose a guild and find its manager
Choose Archer for a bow user, Lancer for a spear user, or Swordsman for a sword user. Each guild sells its own ten scroll grades. The manager gives you a scroll; the mercenary appears when you use it.
Archer, Lancer and Swordsman loyalty are separate values stored on your character. Choose the guild whose higher grades you want to unlock and keep using that guild while earning loyalty.
Locations in this step
3 locations · 3 maps- Archer Mercenary Manager1 pay_arche · Mercenary Manager
- Lancer Mercenary Manager2 prontera · Mercenary Manager
- Swordsman Mercenary Manager3 izlude · Mercenary Manager
Map preview pay_arche
+ groups nearby points. Select it to zoom in.
1. Archer Mercenary Managerpay_arche · 99, 167
Open full mapBuy a scroll for your level and loyalty
Speak to the manager, choose Hire Mercenary, select Grade 1–9 and confirm the purchase. Starting at zero loyalty, you can hire any Grade 1–6 that your Base level and Zeny allow. No earlier-grade purchase is required.
Grades 7–9 check your loyalty without spending it. Grade 10 uses the separate 10th Grade Mercenaries dialogue and spends 400 loyalty. The table gives your character's required Base level, not the mercenary's own level.
| Grade | Your Base level | Zeny price | Loyalty required | Loyalty spent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15+ | 7,000 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | 25+ | 14,000 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | 35+ | 21,000 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | 45+ | 28,000 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | 55+ | 35,000 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | 65+ | 42,000 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | 75+ | 49,000 | 50 | 0 |
| 8 | 85+ | 56,000 | 100 | 0 |
| 9 | 95+ | 63,000 | 300 | 0 |
| 10 | 90+ | 0 | 500 | 400 |
Use the scroll to start the contract
Use the purchased scroll from your inventory. It summons that grade of mercenary for 30 minutes. Buying the scroll does not start the timer. You can have one mercenary active at a time; finish or dismiss the current contract before using another scroll.
Open the Mercenary information window to check HP, SP, remaining contract time, kill count and guild loyalty. The mercenary keeps its listed level throughout the contract. Its grade is selected by the scroll and does not level up through combat.
Buy mercenary supplies and keep it alive
Use the nearby Mercenary Merchant for supplies. Mercenary Red Potions restore 1,000 HP and Mercenary Blue Potions restore 100 SP to your active mercenary. The speed potions last 30 minutes; their level requirement is the mercenary's level.
Keep an eye on both characters' HP. You can do the killing yourself while your mercenary follows or supports you. The Companion AI builder in Tools can configure this behavior.
| Item | Price each | Use / requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Mercenary Red Potion | 2,500 Zeny | Restore 1,000 mercenary HP |
| Mercenary Blue Potion | 5,000 Zeny | Restore 100 mercenary SP |
| Mercenary Concentration Potion | 800 Zeny | Attack-speed potion; any mercenary level |
| Mercenary Awakening Potion | 1,500 Zeny | Attack-speed potion; mercenary level 40+ |
| Mercenary Berserk Potion | 3,000 Zeny | Attack-speed potion; mercenary level 80+ |
Locations in this step
3 locations · 3 maps- Archer Mercenary Merchant1 pay_arche · Mercenary Merchant
- Lancer Mercenary Merchant2 prontera · Mercenary Merchant
- Swordsman Mercenary Merchant3 izlude · Mercenary Merchant
Map preview pay_arche
+ groups nearby points. Select it to zoom in.
1. Archer Mercenary Merchantpay_arche · 102, 167
Open full mapEarn loyalty from eligible kills
While your mercenary is active, kills finished by you or by that mercenary increase its kill counter. The monster must be at least half your Base level, rounded down: at Base level 90, fight level 45+ monsters; at Base level 99, level 49+ monsters count.
Every 50 eligible kills grants 1 loyalty to the active mercenary's guild. Homunculus, pet and other party members' finishing blows do not increase your personal mercenary counter. Choose qualifying monsters that you can defeat consistently while keeping the mercenary alive.
Each 50-kill milestone also grants a random ATK, HIT, FLEE, max HP or max SP bonus for five minutes. A newly summoned mercenary starts its own kill counter at zero; already-earned guild loyalty remains on your character.
Finish the contract and retain your progress
Let the mercenary survive until the 30-minute timer expires to earn 1 additional loyalty. For example, 100 eligible kills followed by a completed contract gives 3 loyalty: two from the kills and one from finishing.
Guild loyalty persists between contracts and logins. Logging out saves the remaining contract time and the current kill counter. Dismissing the mercenary early, or dying yourself, ends the contract without the completion bonus.
| Event | Loyalty change |
|---|---|
| Every 50 eligible kills | +1 |
| Contract expires naturally | +1 |
| Mercenary dies | −1 |
| You dismiss the mercenary | 0; no completion bonus |
| Your character dies | 0; no completion bonus |
Hire a Grade 10 mercenary
Reach Base level 90 and build at least 500 loyalty with your chosen guild. Return to that guild's manager and select 10th Grade Mercenaries, then confirm the contract.
The manager gives you its Grade 10 scroll for 400 loyalty and no Zeny. Starting at exactly 500 loyalty leaves 100. Use the scroll when ready, and continue gaining loyalty through eligible kills and surviving contracts.
Locations in this step
3 locations · 3 maps- Archer Mercenary Manager1 pay_arche · Mercenary Manager
- Lancer Mercenary Manager2 prontera · Mercenary Manager
- Swordsman Mercenary Manager3 izlude · Mercenary Manager
Map preview pay_arche
+ groups nearby points. Select it to zoom in.
1. Archer Mercenary Managerpay_arche · 99, 167
Open full map