Official:Mercenaries
Mercenaries are NPCs that act like improved swabbies. They were introduced in the Release_2023-03-28.
There are many advantages to hiring mercenaries over regular swabbies:
- They perform better at duty puzzles than regular swabbies.
- They can perform some actions that regular swabbies cannot, such as DNav and defending in SMH.
- In addition to performing better in SF/Rumble they will team with the rest of the crew.
- They can be hired in higher numbers and don't always leave when jobbing pirates board the vessel
- They provide influence in blockades.
- Mercenaries should replace players that leave as long as there is more capacity on the ship for an extra mercenary -- then will replace them at a 3:1 ratio.
Mercenaries have additional costs associated with them:
- They still consume rum/grog/swill like any other pirate, but in addition, they also consume a new commodity called rum spice.
- The amount of rum spice in the hold determines the total number of mercenaries you can hire (5 rum spice /per -- so if you have 54 in the hold you can hire up to 10).
- They also take a percentage of chests earned which is currently equal to the percentage of mercenaries. Players will get to keep the first of each chest but won't get their next chest until the mercenaries take their cut (which could be a while on large/empty boats and when getting chests one at a time like in TH).
- They take a regular pirate booty split in blockades and count towards influence. They refuse to job for crews that are not paying enough.
- They take a percentage of booty pillaged or awarded in a flotilla; this will not be based on the crew shares and will instead be a flat cut. They also contribute a flat rate to the restocking cut.
Mercenaries in Blockades
Mercenaries get paid like regular jobbers and provide influence as well. There is a minimum payment mercenaries need to job in blockades -- this is displayed on the notice board blockade page. The minimum is set per island and is based off the island's size. The voyage configuration of the vessel must be in blockade mode for them to enter.
Mercenaries in Sea Monster Hunts
Mercenaries can be very useful in SMH since they volunteer to defend. However, they do not treasure haul or forage. They also take a percentage of the poe and chests brought aboard.
