Grow Empire: Rome: When and How to Deploy Mercenaries

In Grow Empire: Rome, deploy mercenaries as immediate shock reinforcements when standard Roman barracks spawns cannot hold incoming waves or when attacking fortified colony barricades. Standard Roman cohorts spawn on fixed cooldown timers, leaving your wall vulnerable if an elite enemy surge wipes out your frontline. Mercenaries provide instant combat bodies to plug gaps, absorb damage, and protect heroes, but they must be managed carefully so their recurring recruitment costs do not stall permanent base upgrades.

Mercenary Unit Types and Counters

Selecting the right mercenary type ensures you do not waste gold on units that fold quickly to opposing formations. Auxiliary mercenaries fill three distinct combat roles:

• Melee Shock Mercenaries: Use high-health units like Barbarian warriors to absorb incoming charges. Their durability holds narrow engagement zones outside your gate, buying time for wall-mounted defenses to whittle down enemy ranks.
• Auxiliary Spearmen: Deploy spearmen specifically when cavalry units threaten to overrun your frontline. Regular swordsmen often fail against cavalry momentum, making dedicated spearmen necessary to negate charge damage.
• Mercenary Archers: Add archers during mixed-wave defense or siege engagements where ground troops need supplemental ranged coverage to suppress defenders behind barricades.

Deployment Timing for Defense and Sieges

Deploying auxiliary forces at the wrong moment either exposes them to concentrated missile fire or lets enemy units reach your city wall. Time your deployments based on whether you are defending your home city or assaulting a colony.

Wave Defense Deployment Sequence

1. Let the vanguard advance: Allow your Wall Archers and first cohort of Roman troops to engage the initial enemy scouts.
2. Identify the secondary push: Watch for the main enemy cluster, which typically includes elite infantry, heavy clubmen, or cavalry.
3. Deploy at midfield: Summon your melee mercenaries or auxiliary spearmen once the secondary surge reaches the middle of the field. This pins the enemy directly within the firing arcs of your wall catapults and ballistas.

Colony Siege Deployment Sequence

1. Absorb initial barricade fire: Send your primary Roman garrison troops forward first to draw missile fire from colony towers and archers.
2. Follow with shock mercenaries: Deploy melee shock mercenaries immediately behind the lead unit to form a dense double frontline.
3. Breach the barricade: Focus mercenary melee power on breaking the settlement gate barricade before defender volleys deplete your core assault force.

Managing Your Gold Budget

Relying entirely on mercenaries creates an economic trap. Gold spent on temporary hires is gold diverted away from permanent upgrades, such as Wall Archers, Wall health, Tower Catapults, and Roman Barracks levels.

• Treat mercenaries as milestone insurance: Clear standard waves using your standing garrison and wall defenses. Reserve mercenary gold for boss milestones, elite waves, or difficult regional colonies.
• Reinvest conquest income: Conquering colonies generates passive tribute over time. Funnel conquest rewards and wave completion bonuses directly into permanent defensive upgrades.
• Maintain barracks progression: As waves progress, mercenary hiring costs increase. Keeping your core Roman Swordsmen, Spearmen, and Archers upgraded ensures you do not become dependent on costly emergency hires.