The Mercenary is a combat physical class that debuted in Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light.
History in the Series
The Mercenary is an infantry class that recurrently appears across the Fire Emblem Series. This class wields Swords as its sole weapon of choice, though they can also wield Lances, Axes, Bows and Gauntlets in Three Houses, however, they are not proficient in those weapons.
While many characters in the series are commonly referred to as mercenaries (the Greil Mercenaries being one such example), they are not necessarily of the Mercenary class; they are merely referred to as such due to the sellsword nature of the services that they render to the various games' protagonists.
In their original inception in Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, the Mercenary class is the primary Sword-wielding foot unit class and promotes into the Hero class when the necessary requirements are made.
In Fire Emblem: Archanea Saga, Malice acts as the first female character to assume the Mercenary class in the series. During the period preceding her entrance to the series, all Mercenaries have been predominantly male.
The Mercenary class is replaced by the Sword Fighter class as the primary Sword using foot soldier in Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War and Fire Emblem: Thracia 776, though certain Sword Fighters promote to a Hero-inspired equivalent instead of the usual Swordmaster.
In TearRing Saga: Utna Heroes Saga, the class takes on two distinct forms: The playable Fighter (せんし) and the enemy-exclusive Mercenary (ようへい) classes. Statistically, the Fighter class is identical to the original Mercenary class, but has slightly higher stat bases. Unlike in the preceding Fire Emblem titles, Sword Fighter is presented as an entirely separate class.
The class makes its official return to the series in The Binding Blade, where, like in TearRing Saga and Berwick Saga, it is split from the Sword Fighter/Myrmidon class and coexists with it. From this point onward in the series, Mercenaries strictly promote directly into Heroes, while Myrmidons promote into Swordmasters.
In Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones, Mercenaries are further given the option to promote into the mounted Ranger class alongside the Hero class.
In TearRing Saga: Berwick Saga, the Mercenary class is again presented as a class entirely separate from the Sword Fighter. The sole playable Mercenary is Kramer, who promotes into Bastard when he meets the requirements. A variant is known as the Rogue Guard (ローグガード) appears among bandit groups; it differentiates itself by having the Blade skill as a class skill.
In Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem, remakes of the classic Archanea Series, a number of characters who were first introduced to the series as Mercenaries are remodeled to assume the Myrmidon class instead, including the likes of Navarre, Radd and Malice.
In Fire Emblem Awakening and Fates, Mercenaries are given the option to promote into the Bow Knight class alongside the Hero class, mirroring the Ranger option from The Sacred Stones.
In Fire Emblem Fates, the Mercenary (マーシナリ―) class is treated as a Nohrian class and is considered to be the counterpart of the Hoshidan Samurai.
In Fire Emblem: Three Houses, The Mercenary Class is an optional promoted class of the Commoner or Noble class if the unit passes the Certification Exam at Lv. 10 with a Sword Skill Level of C or higher and an Intermediate Seal. The other option with these requirements is the Thief class. The Mercenary is also a type of Battalion.
In the Koei-Tecmo Dynasty Warriors spinoff, Fire Emblem Warriors, the Mercenary class is the personal base class of Navarre. It acts as a clone of Lyndis' version of the Lord class. There is also an enemy-only version which acts as the Nohrian counterpart of the Myrmidon.
In Vestaria Saga I, the Mercenary is an enemy-only class. There are two variants of the Mercenary that wield Swords and Axes respectively. While no mercenaries are playable, the Gladiator, their promotion is playable.
Uniform
Across all games, the Mercenary class's uniforms have consistently comprised of simple clothing and light-to-medium armor that varies between games. Not much of the class's outfit can be seen in earlier titles, but according to the TCG depictions, generic Mercenaries wear light breastplates, a helmet, shin-guards, and wrist braces. In TearRing Saga: Utna Heroes Saga, Fighters and Mercenaries are featured wearing basic clothing with a leather vest and a belt containing the sheath of their sword. In Awakening and Fates, the uniforms of Mercenaries are very similar to the ones from TearRing Saga, but are different in terms of the heater shields that are strapped to their left biceps like rerebraces, in addition to the light leather vest and gloves that they don, with the difference being that Mercenaries from Fates are shown with a heavier leather jacket and a more military-style uniform than in Awakening. Enemy portraits of Mercenaries in both games show them wearing a head-guard covering the forehead and sides of the face, with Fates' Mercenaries wearing head-guards that appear almost completely metallic in design. Echoes sees another redesign for the Mercenary class, showcasing the same head-brace from Awakening and Fates but with a far more simplistic appearance; these Mercenaries wear "wanderer"-Esque uniforms with considerably less armor on them than prior (only wearing a single breastplate and pauldrons made of cloth/leather with some creature's jawbones attached to each one) and a tattered cloak draped over them.
Overview
Combat
Mercenaries tend to possess balanced stats, replete with high HP, Strength and Skill, alongside decent Speed and Defense. When compared to the Myrmidon class, a class that similarly wields swords exclusively, Mercenaries are generally better in terms of HP, Strength ,and Defense, although their counterparts are usually superior in the Speed and Skill department.
Mercenaries are versatile in both offense and defense. In most cases, mercenaries are capable of dealing good damage while being durable enough to sustain quite a number of attacks. The only problem that Mercenaries potentially face is their average Movement, which may prove detrimental to their survival in situations where they are completely overwhelmed by enemies. However, high-level Mercenaries can dispatch hordes of axe-users with ease, and can even stand a chance of avoiding lance and sword attacks. They will more often than not strike their target with precision, and score a few Critical Hits due to their high Skill.
In Awakening, Mercenaries learn Armsthrift, one of the most useful skills available in the game. Because this skill can reduce or completely negate weapon durability loss, it is thus highly sought-after by players seeking to maximize the potential of their characters.
In Fates, weapon durability is no longer present, and mercenaries instead gain Good Fortune and Strong Riposte, which further increase their durability and ability to defend themselves, respectively.
In-Game
Base Stats
HP | Str | Mag | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res | Mov | Con | Wt | Wlv | Cha | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
FE1 | 16 | 4 | - | 8 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 7 | - | - | Sword 8 | |
FE2 | 24 | 8 | - | 8 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 4 | - | - | Sword | |
FE3 | 16 | 4 | - | 8 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 7 | - | - | Sword 2 | |
TS | 22 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 3 | - | 5 | - | - | 3 | |
FE6 | 18/16 | 4/3 | - | 8/5 | 8/6 | 0 | 4/2 | 0 | 5 | 9/8 | - | D | |
FE7 | 18/16 | 4/3 | - | 8/5 | 8/6 | 0 | 4/2 | 0 | 5 | 9/8 | - | D | |
FE8 | 18/16 | 4/3 | - | 8/5 | 8/6 | 0 | 4/2 | 0 | 5 | 9/8 | - | D | |
FE11 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 7 | - | - | E | |
FE12 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 7 | - | - | E | |
FE13 | 18 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | - | - | E | |
FE14 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 5 | - | - | E | |
FE15 | 24 | 8 | - | 8 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 4 | - | - | - | |
FEW | 62 | 8 | 2 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 5 | - | - | E |
Maximum Stats
HP | Str | Mag | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res | Mov | Con | Wt | Wlv | Cha | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
FE1 | 52 | 20 | - | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 7 | - | - | Sword 20 | |
FE2 | 52 | 40 | - | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 4 | - | - | Sword | |
FE3 | 42 | 20 | - | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 7 | - | - | Sword 20 | |
TS | 60 | 19 | 15 | 20 | 20 | 30 | 18 | - | 12 | - | - | 18 | |
FE6 | 60 | 20 | - | 20 | 20 | 30 | 20 | 20 | 15 | 20 | - | A | |
FE7 | 60 | 20 | - | 20 | 20 | 30 | 20 | 20 | 15 | 20 | - | A | |
FE8 | 60 | 20 | - | 20 | 20 | 30 | 20 | 20 | 15 | 20 | - | A | |
FE11 | 60 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 7 | - | - | A | |
FE12 | 60 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 7 | - | - | A | |
FE13 | 60 | 27 | 20 | 30 | 26 | 30 | 25 | 23 | 5 | - | - | A | |
FE14 | 40 | 22 | 15 | 24 | 22 | 20 | 21 | 19 | 5 | - | - | B |
Growth Rates
HP | Str | Mag | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res | Mov | Con | Wt | Wlv | Cha | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
FE3 | 80% | 30% | - | 20% | 20% | 0% | 30% | 0% | - | - | - | - | |
FE6 | 80% | 40% | - | 40% | 32% | 30% | 18% | 15% | - | - | - | - | |
FE7 | 80% | 40% | - | 40% | 32% | 30% | 18% | 20/30% | - | - | - | - | |
FE8 | 80% | 40% | - | 40% | 32% | 30% | 18% | 20/30% | - | - | - | - | |
FE11 | 60% | 20% | -20% | 25% | 20% | 0% | 5% | -10% | - | - | - | - | |
FE12 | 50% | 20% | -20% | 25% | 20% | 0% | 10% | -10% | - | - | - | - | |
FE13 | 45%/80% | 20%/35% | 0%/0% | 25%/40% | 20%/35% | 0%/30% | 10%/25% | 5%/15% | - | - | - | - | |
FE14 | 10% | 15% | 0% | 20% | 15% | 5% | 10% | 5% | - | - | - | - | |
FE15 | 120% | 50% | - | 50% | 50% | 0% | 50% | 0% | - | - | - | - |
Class Skills
Skill | Requirements | |
---|---|---|
FE13 | Armsthrift Patience | Learned at Level 1. Learned at Level 10. |
FE14 | Good Fortune Strong Riposte | Learned at Level 1 and higher. Learned at Level 10 and higher. |
FE16 | Vantage | Mastery Ability of Mercenary. |
Promotions
Base Class | Promotion Method | Promoted Class | |
---|---|---|---|
FE1 | Mercenary | Use a Hero Proof on a Level 10+ Mercenary. | Hero |
FE2 | Villager | Visit a shrine after reaching Level 3. | Mercenary |
FE2 | Mercenary | Visit a shrine after reaching Level 7. | Sword Fighter |
FE3 | Mercenary | Use a Hero Proof on a Level 10+ Mercenary. | Hero |
TS | Fighter | Use a Hero Proof on a Level 10+ Fighter | Hero |
FE6 | Mercenary | Use a Hero Crest on a Level 10+ Mercenary. | Hero |
FE7 | Mercenary | Use a Hero Crest on a Level 10+ Mercenary. | Hero |
FE8 | Mercenary | Use a Hero Crest on a Level 10+ Mercenary. | Hero Ranger |
FE11 | Mercenary | Use a Master Seal on a Level 10+ Mercenary. | Hero |
FE12 | Mercenary | Use a Master Seal on a Level 10+ Mercenary. | Hero |
FE13 | Mercenary | Use a Master Seal on a Level 10+ Mercenary. | Hero Bow Knight |
FE14 | Mercenary | Use a Master Seal on a Level 10+ Mercenary. | Hero Bow Knight |
FE15 | Villager | Visit a shrine after reaching Level 3. | Mercenary |
FE15 | Mercenary | Visit a shrine after reaching Level 7. | Myrmidon |
FE16 | Any class | Use an Intermediate Seal on a Level 10+ unit and pass the Mercenary Certification Exam. | Mercenary |
FEW | Mercenary | Use a Master Seal on Navarre. | Hero |
Notable Mercenaries
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light
- Ogma - A once slave gladiator turned mercenary who serves Princess Caeda.
- Navarre - A skilled fighter known as the Scarlet Sword who prefers his blade to do the talking.
- Radd - A citizen of Port Warren who joins the Archanean League with Caesar.
- Caesar - A mercenary hired to protect Port Warren.
Note: Navarre and Radd are Myrmidons in the remake.
Fire Emblem Gaiden
- Saber - A mercenary who will take on any job if he's paid enough.
- Kamui - A mercenary hired by Valbar
- Jesse - A mercenary who tries, but fails, to save Est from Grieth.
- Promotion for: Gray, Tobin, Kliff, Atlas
Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem
- Samuel - An impersonator of Navarre.
Note: Samuel is a Myrmidon in the remake.
Fire Emblem: Archanea Saga
Note: Malice is a Myrmidon in the remake.
TearRing Saga: Utna Heroes Saga
TearRing Saga: Berwick Saga
- Kramer - A farmborn sellsword that dreams of being a legendary hero.
Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade
- Dieck - Leader of a small mercenary company hired by Eliwood
- Ogier - A mercenary from Ilia hired by Ostia
Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade
- Raven - A noble heir who works as a mercenary to enact revenge.
- Glass - A Sacaen swordsman who tries to steal the Mani Katti.
- Puzon - A mercenary hired by a group of bandits plaguing Caelin.
Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
- Gerik - The leader of Gerik's Mercenaries; known as the Desert Tiger.
- Zonta - A mercenary hired by Tirado as bait to lure Ephraim into a trap laid out by Orson.
Fire Emblem Awakening
- Gregor - The wandering "Swell Sword" whose refreshing personality is a result of his age and his unique speaking style.
- Severa - Cordelia's daughter from the future. A snarky girl with an inferiority complex who aspires to be like her mother.
- Inigo - Olivia's son from the future. A shy dancer like his mother, but has the habit of hitting on nearly every woman he meets.
Fire Emblem Fates
- Selena - A familiar snarky girl from a distant land and one of Camilla's retainers who's devoted to service.
- Laslow - A familiar philanderer from a distant land and one of Xander's retainers who has a flair for dancing.
- Soleil - Laslow's cheerful and not even slightly shy daughter who looks up to cool women.
- Zhara - A swordsman formerly renowned for his skill, now reduced to a common sellsword. (encountered as a boss; must be captured)
Etymology
Traditionally, mercenaries are soldiers who are hired to fight for a certain cause, as opposed to fighting out of loyalty or duty.