The Mercenary Contractor
The Mercenary Contractor is an Age-up politician in Age of Empires III. Selected for the Fortress Age; available to Europeans. Its recorded reward is Fortress Age Unlocks certain mercenaries Imperial Age Mercenary hit points and damage +50%; Industrial Age mercenary hit points and damage +35% instead + 2 Royal Horsemen (with the "Advanced Politicians" Home City Card; Italians only); Imperial Age reward: See article.
Age-up reward & access
Selected for the Fortress Age; available to Europeans. The recorded advance cost is Fortress Age: 1,200 Imperial Age: 4,000 Food and Fortress Age: 1,000 Imperial Age: 4,000 Coin and takes Fortress Age: 105 seconds Imperial Age: 90 seconds. Reward details: Fortress Age Unlocks certain mercenaries Imperial Age Mercenary hit points and damage +50%; Industrial Age mercenary hit points and damage +35% instead + 2 Royal Horsemen (with the "Advanced Politicians" Home City Card; Italians only); Imperial Age reward: See article. The available choices and exact reward depend on civilization and game release.
When to choose it
Choose The Mercenary Contractor when its listed reward supports the next economic or military objective. Compare its cost and advance time with other available politicians, and check that the reward belongs to the current civilization and release.
Fortress Age access and cost
The Mercenary Contractor is a Fortress Age Politician in Definitive Edition that changes which mercenaries some European civilizations can train. Advancing to the Fortress Age with this choice takes 105 seconds and costs 1,200 Food and 1,000 Coin under the listed profile. Its reward is faction-specific Tavern access, not a universal mercenary shipment. British gain Jaegers and Harquebusiers; Dutch gain Fusiliers and Elmetti; French and Italians gain Mounted Riflemen and Royal Horsemen; Maltese gain Armored Pistoleers and Cannoneers; Ottomans gain Barbary Corsairs and Mamelukes; Poles gain Gallowglasses and Fusiliers; Portuguese gain Ronin and Li'l Bombards. Check the active civilization’s pair before choosing the age-up.
Swedish production routes
Sweden has special access under the Fortress Age choice. Jaegers can be trained at Barracks, Blockhouses, Galleons and Forts, while Black Riders can be trained at Stables, Galleons and Forts; both already appear at Swedish Taverns by default. Unlocking production at ordinary military buildings matters because it avoids relying only on a limited mercenary queue. Swedish Home City shipments such as Contract Hessian Jaegers or Contract Black Riders can provide related access and may make another Politician more attractive, depending on whether the player needs the units immediately or wants a different age-up reward.
Imperial Age mercenary improvement
At the Imperial Age the Contractor increases mercenary hit points and attack by 50%. Industrial Age mercenaries receive a 35% increase instead. The listed advance takes 90 seconds and costs 4,000 Food and 4,000 Coin. These bonuses apply to mercenaries, not Outlaws, despite the description’s broad wording. Italians with Advanced Politicians sent receive two additional Royal Horsemen on the Imperial choice; the same card can add one Mounted Rifleman on their Fortress choice. Distinguish those conditional Italian shipments from the general mercenary improvement.
Plan cards, Coin and population together
This Politician works best when the Home City deck and economy can support mercenaries. Many cost substantial Coin and occupy more population than ordinary units, so Tavern access does not mean they are free or unlimited. A deck with mercenary shipments and upgrades can make the later Imperial bonus more valuable, while an army that is already short on Food or Coin may struggle to train the unlocked choices. Sweden can sometimes reproduce the Contractor’s access through shipments, and Dutch Banks can support Coin-heavy recruitment. Compare the age-up reward with the alternatives and the units you expect the opponent to field.
Faction-specific benefits and timing
The Fortress choice is not offered to every civilization in the same way, and its unlocks should be checked against the current version’s in-game selection. It is especially valuable where it opens a unit from a familiar building or adds a counter that the roster otherwise lacks. The Imperial choice can strengthen a mercenary force built earlier, but choosing it solely for a late bonus is risky if the army has not already secured access and population. Send the Home City cards that make the plan work before the relevant age-up window, then transition into units that cover the opponent’s counters.
Stacking with Home City support
Home City cards can change the value of the Contractor. The Swedish German Mercenary Contracts shipment improves mercenary hit points and attack by 20%, and that bonus can stack with the Imperial Contractor’s increase. Swedish Contract Hessian Jaegers and Contract Black Riders can also reproduce parts of the Fortress access, although those shipments have their own timing and cost. Treaty of Roskilde adds a separate Church path for upgrading Swedish Jaegers to Savolax Jaegers. Compare the shipment’s direct value with an age-up Politician before using both; the strongest combination may be to secure the units early, then take the Imperial improvement later.
Coin economy and mercenary selection
Dutch Banks can support a Coin-heavy mercenary army, making the Contractor’s Tavern options easier to sustain than for a civilization with a weaker Coin economy. Even so, each mercenary consumes population and the army must cover the unit’s counters. Select the unlocked pair that addresses the opponent: ranged or melee specialists may be more useful than a second general-purpose cavalry group. Keep enough Coin for replacements and do not assume the Imperial bonus will rescue an army that has already been countered. The Contractor strengthens a plan built around suitable mercenaries; it does not decide the composition by itself.
Choosing the age-up at the right moment
At the Fortress Age, weigh the access against other Politicians that can deliver economy or military units immediately. The Contractor’s value is highest when the unlocked mercenaries fill a known gap and a Tavern can be built safely. At the Imperial Age, the 50% improvement is a large late-game effect, but the 4,000 Food and 4,000 Coin cost and 90-second transition demand a stable economy. If the opponent is attacking before that transition can complete, another reward may be needed to survive. Read the current in-game choices for the civilization and release before committing.
Verify the unlocked roster in game
The Contractor’s Fortress Age pair depends on civilization and release. Check the current Politician tooltip before building an army around one of its mercenaries, especially when a card or update changes access. Imperial bonuses improve mercenaries but do not apply to Outlaws in the current profile.
Check the civilization’s age-up options
Availability differs by civilization, and not all Europeans receive the same Fortress choice. Confirm the available Politicians before shaping a deck or reserving Coin for a unit.
Fortress and Imperial Age reward
The Mercenary Contractor is a Definitive Edition Politician available to European civilizations for advancing to the Fortress or Imperial Age. Fortress advancement costs 1,200 Food and 1,000 Coin and takes 105 seconds; the Imperial profile costs 4,000 Food and 4,000 Coin and takes 90 seconds. The Fortress reward unlocks selected Mercenaries at the Tavern, with the exact unit list depending on the civilization. In the Imperial Age, Mercenary hit points and damage increase by 50%; Industrial Age Mercenaries instead receive a 35% increase. Italians with the Advanced Politicians Home City Card also receive two Royal Horsemen. These benefits are conditional, not a universal free army: check the current civilization’s unlock list and hire units only if the economy can afford their Coin and population costs.
Choose access before committing to the Age
The Fortress choice changes production access, while the Imperial choice improves Mercenaries already available at that Age. Compare the Politician with alternatives by asking whether the next force needs a specific hired unit or whether another age-up reward would add more reliable value. A new Tavern option still requires the building, resources and queue time; the Politician does not deliver the whole mercenary roster instantly. Imperial improvements are strongest when the army can use the affected Mercenaries, and Industrial units receive a smaller increase than the general Imperial profile. The 105-second Fortress advancement also creates a long window in which the base needs defense. Prepare production and a shipment plan before aging, and keep these rewards separate from the map-specific Tavern pool and campaign-only reinforcements.