"Age of Empires Mobile Introduces Mercenary Troops"

Ever dreamed of witnessing Joan of Arc commanding Roman Centurions or Hannibal Barca deploying Japanese Samurai to conquer Rome? With the latest update to Age of Empires Mobile, your wildest historical fantasies can now come to life thanks to the exciting new Mercenary Troops system.

Once you reach level 26, you'll unlock the Mercenary Camp, a new structure that lets you recruit and contract unique units usually unavailable to your faction. Not only can you hire these mercenaries, but you can also unlock and upgrade technology to enhance their capabilities. To sweeten the deal, you can secure your first mercenaries for free through a special event that's currently live.

The new system introduces a diverse array of Mercenary units, including Byzantine Cataphracts, Swiss Pikemen, Persian Immortals, Indian Battle Elephants, Roman Centurions, Egyptian Chariot Archers, Japanese Samurai, and Korean Archers. Each of these units comes with the potential for technological upgrades to amplify their already impressive battlefield prowess.

The Mercenary Troops system evokes memories of Total War games, such as Rome: Total War and Medieval II, where players could dominate their foes with armies of hired swords. However, this addition might be a divisive one, with some players potentially viewing it as a disruption to the game's balance. Only time will tell how this system will be received by the community. Could we see custom units like the historical Landsknechts in the future? We'll have to wait and see.

For those eager to dive in, our guides for Age of Empires Mobile offer a comprehensive tier list of all heroes, ranked by power, to help you decide who's worth unlocking and who might not live up to the hype.