Wartales: Complete Mercenary Guide

A guide to running a mercenary company in Wartales: the economy (wages, food, and Krowns), turn-based combat, camp and professions, prisoners and crime, the DLC lineup, and the systems added by Community Update #7 (September 2026), including The Lair and the Prisoner rework.

Researched September 2026 — current as of Community Update #7 (September 7, 2026) and Hotfix v1.0.48149 (September 8, 2026). Check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

• You're a mercenary band, not a hero. There's no chosen one and no mandatory main quest. You survive on contracts, bounties, loot, and trade, and the world is open from the start.
• Money and food are your health bar. Mercenaries expect regular wages in Krowns, and the troop eats every time you camp. Run out of either and morale collapses.
• Start small and focused. A handful of well-equipped mercenaries beats a large, underpaid, underfed band. Only hire when your income supports it.
• Combat is turn-based and brutal. Units lock each other in melee, so moving away from an adjacent enemy invites a free attack. Plan positioning before you swing.
• Give everyone a profession. Professions (Blacksmith, Cook, Alchemist, Tinkerer, Thief, Miner, Fisherman, and more) turn camp time into gear, food, and money.
• Crime has consequences. Stealing raises Suspicion. Since Community Update #7, a high enough Suspicion gets you invited to The Lair, a criminal hub.
• Prisoners are an asset. Capture enemies to hand in for bounties, put them to work, or, since Update #7, turn them into mercenaries through the new Prisoner skill tree.
• Play with friends if you like. The whole campaign supports co-op for up to 4 players, who share money, loot, and resources.

The Economy

Wages and food

• Wages: each mercenary has a wage that's paid out on a regular schedule. Higher-level and better-quality recruits cost more.
• Food: eaten at camp. Better meals (a Cook makes them) give bonuses. Community Update #7 split the food counters so you can see separately what mercenaries, prisoners, and excess stock consume while resting and traveling.
• Rule of thumb: before you hire, check that your contract income covers the new wage and the extra food for several days.

Making Krowns

Source | Notes

Contracts and quest boards | The core income in each region

Bounties | Capture or kill wanted targets and hand them in to the authorities

Loot | Sell spare weapons, armor, and trade goods

Professions | Crafted gear, cooked food, mined ore, caught fish, alchemy products

Trade | Buy low in one region, sell high in another

Crime | Stealing and black-market sales (see The Lair)

Early on, favor contracts that also give items or influence, and don't overpay for gear you'll replace in the next region.

Combat

Wartales battles are turn-based on a grid-free battlefield.

• Engagement: melee units that are adjacent are locked together. Moving away provokes a free attack, so choose carefully who engages whom.
• Valour points: a shared resource you build in battle and spend on powerful skills. Spend it on decisive turns, not at the first chance.
• Ranged units: archers need a clear line and should stay out of melee. Protect them with your frontline.
• Focus fire: downing one enemy per turn beats spreading damage. Wounded enemies that flee can be captured.
• Captures: knocked-out enemies can become prisoners if you have a unit ready to capture them.
• Auto-skip (Update #7): you can now have units automatically skip their turns to finish won fights faster, and switch back to manual any time. Update #7 also brought better AI calculations and smoother camera movement.

Classes

Recruits come in weapon-based classes such as Warrior, Spearman, Brute, Archer, Rogue, and Swordsman. Each class later branches into specializations as it levels. Build a balanced band:

Slot | Role

2 frontliners | Take hits, lock enemies down

1–2 damage dealers | Heavy hitters to finish targets

1–2 archers | Ranged pressure and finishing

1 flexible unit | Flanker or support

Upgrade path: level mercenaries through combat, pick class skills that fit their role, and spec each unit into one clear job.

Injuries and death

Downed mercenaries can pick up injuries, and they can die permanently. Rest, healing, and care at camp matter. Don't send a wounded unit into the next fight.

Camp and Professions

Camp is where you rest, eat, and put professions to work.

Profession | What it does

Blacksmith | Crafts and upgrades weapons and armor

Cook | Makes meals with better bonuses than raw food

Alchemist | Brews potions and consumables

Tinkerer | Makes tools and utility items

Thief | Steals from towns and travelers (raises Suspicion)

Miner | Extracts ore at mining spots

Fisherman | Catches fish for food and trade

Tip: assign professions early. A Blacksmith and a Cook pay for themselves within a few days of camp.

Personal Quests (Update #7): mercenaries may now make personal requests in certain situations. Completing them gives a reward, and failing has minor consequences.

Prisoners (Reworked in Update #7)

Community Update #7 overhauled prisoners:

• Needs: prisoners now have needs of their own, and the game shows them clearly so you can see how to earn their trust.
• Detention rework: the consequences of your choices are easier to understand.
• Escapes can go several ways:
• They may ambush your troop with reinforcements.
• They may attack your camp after you rest.
• They may end up in prison anyway.
• Prisoner class and skill tree: a prisoner who joins your troop keeps skills tied to their status, background, and former life, and gets a dedicated skill tree.
• Options: hand prisoners in for bounties, keep them working, or earn their trust and recruit them.

Tip: feed and manage prisoners properly if you plan to recruit them. Neglect leads to escapes, and escaped prisoners come back with friends.

Crime and The Lair (Update #7)

• Suspicion rises as your troop steals and commits crimes.
• Once Suspicion is high enough, you're invited to The Lair, an underground criminal hub. It's available from the start of an adventure, and someone shady will point you to the nearest entrance.
• In The Lair you can:
• Sell stolen items to the Black-Market Merchant.
• Buy weapons and armor meant for less honorable fighters.
• Lower your troop's Suspicion.
• Take criminal contracts from the Contract Broker, such as Catch and Deliver, Attack, and Assassinate.
• Rest.
• Update #7 also lets you roam the world hunting wealthy merchants to capture. It added 6 new battle maps and 3 new armor sets you can steal from wandering merchants.

Warning: high Suspicion makes lawful towns hostile to your business. Use The Lair's Suspicion reduction before you go back to honest work.

World and Regions

The world spans several regions with rising difficulty, starting in the fields of Tiltren and reaching as far as Alazar. The Pirates of Belerion expansion adds the Belerion Archipelago and ship navigation.

Progression rule: each region has a rough level range. Finish the profitable contracts in one region and gear up before you move on. Enemies in the next region can outclass an underleveled band.

DLC Lineup

DLC | Type | Steam release | What it adds

Pirates of Belerion | Expansion | Dec 14, 2023 | The Belerion Archipelago, seafaring and navigation

The Tavern Opens! | Contract | Apr 18, 2024 | Run your own tavern

The Pits | Contract | Aug 26, 2024 | Arena fights

The Skelmar Invasion | Expansion | Dec 10, 2024 | A new invasion-themed expansion campaign

The Beast Hunt | Contract | Apr 29, 2025 | Monster-hunting content

The Fief | Contract | Sep 25, 2025 | Rule a domain: construct buildings, produce goods, trade, keep your subjects fed, protected, and loyal

The Curse of Rigel | Expansion | Dec 11, 2025 | Additional expansion content

Fires in the Capital | Contract | Apr 23, 2026 | Additional contract content

The Starter Edition bundle is a cheaper entry point. On Xbox, Shiro Games is bringing DLC and updates to parity with PC through 2026 (The Curse of Rigel planned for Q3 and Fires in the Capital for Q4).

First 10 Hours Plan

• Take early contracts in Tiltren. They pay steadily and aren't very dangerous.
• Assign professions immediately. At minimum you want a Cook and a Blacksmith.
• Keep a Krown buffer of at least one full wage payment plus food.
• Capture bounty targets alive where possible. It's extra income.
• Upgrade armor before weapons for your frontline. Survival first.
• Hire one recruit at a time, only when income allows.
• Move to the next region once contracts dry up and your band has solid gear.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Hiring too many mercenaries early. Wages and food will bankrupt you.
• Walking away from engaged enemies. You eat free attacks.
• Spending Valour on turn one. Save it for the turn that decides the fight.
• Ignoring professions. Camp time is your best money-maker.
• Letting Suspicion climb unchecked. Towns turn on you. Use The Lair to reduce it.
• Neglecting prisoners. Escapes can now lead to ambushes and camp attacks.
• Rushing into a new region underleveled.
• Fighting with injured units. Losses are permanent.

Advanced Tips

• Capture over kill when bounties or recruitment are possible. Prisoners are money and manpower.
• Engagement control: use frontliners to lock the enemy's best melee fighters, then flank with damage dealers.
• Specialize professions: one dedicated Blacksmith with upgrades is worth more than three dabblers.
• Criminal route: a Thief-heavy build, combined with The Lair's black market and contracts, is a viable, profitable playstyle after Update #7. Just manage Suspicion.
• Co-op: split roles between players (one handles trade and camp, another plans battles) to speed things up.
• Open betas: Shiro runs open betas for Community Updates. Back up your save (Steam\steamapps\common\Wartales\save) before opting in.

FAQ

Is there a main story? No mandatory one. Wartales is a sandbox. You pursue contracts, regional storylines, and your own goals.

What's The Lair? A criminal hub added in Community Update #7 (September 7, 2026). You reach it once your Suspicion is high enough, and it offers black-market trading, criminal contracts, and Suspicion reduction.

Can prisoners join my troop? Yes. Since Update #7 they have needs, a trust system, and their own class and skill tree.

Can I play co-op? Yes, up to 4 players, sharing money, loot, and resources.

Which DLC should I buy first? Pirates of Belerion is the one Shiro Games itself calls one of its best. The Fief suits players who want base and domain building.

How do I back up my save? Copy the save folder under Steam\steamapps\common\Wartales\save, as Shiro Games recommends before joining betas.

Sources

• Wartales on Steam
• Wartales Steam news (Community Update #7, The Lair, Prisoner rework, Xbox roadmap)
• Wikipedia — Wartales
• Steam Community guides for Wartales