There is no single universal best sicario in Narcos: Cartel Wars & Strategy. Because offensive raids and base defense demand conflicting skill sets, you must split your roster by role. For aggressive base raids, Poison and Pedro are the premier choices. For compound and bunker defense, Marillo and Lobo lead the roster.
Your most effective progression step is to pour early cartel cash and experience items into one offensive commander first. A leveled attacker secures raid victories to fund base construction, after which you can develop a dedicated defensive anchor.
Top Offensive Sicarios for Base Assaults
Offensive combat rewards fast burst damage, defensive structure disruption, and rapid troop clearing to beat the raid timer. Two commanders handle these tasks under different tactical setups:
- Poison: Operates as an artillery specialist against tightly clustered defenses. His active strike deals heavy burst damage directly to clustered Mortars, Bunkers, and Missile Launchers. Use Poison when you need to crack fortified defensive cores before sending in fragile foot units, creating clear deployment funnels for RPG mercenaries and demolition squads.
- Pedro: Functions as an aggressive frontline rush leader. Pedro provides squad-wide movement speed and weapon damage buffs. He excels when paired with high-tempo assault units like Guerrillas and Flamer squads, allowing your frontline to overwhelm perimeter walls and wipe turrets before enemy defenses can focus fire.
Elite Defensive Sicarios for Base Protection
Compound defense requires massive health pools, incoming damage mitigation, and crowd control to stall attackers within your turret killzones.
- Marillo: Functions as a pure damage sponge. When stationed deep inside your compound near the Control Center or garrisoned directly in an upgraded bunker, Marillo absorbs heavy fire and forces attacking troops to burn combat time. Keep Marillo behind reinforced walls so overlapping fields from Machine Gun Turrets and rocket emplacements can eliminate stalled attackers.
- Lobo: Acts as a perimeter control anchor. Lobo provides crowd-control stalling and frontline durability, making him effective at holding chokepoints and outer walls to delay raiders within range of heavy turrets.
Tactical Utility Sicarios
Utility sicarios accelerate tactical energy generation during combat rather than providing raw frontline damage or health. Tactical energy dictates how often you can call in airstrikes, supply crates, and propaganda disruption.
Because utility leaders lack the durability of defensive anchors and the damage of offensive specialists, deploy them strictly behind durable infantry shields. Their passive energy gains allow you to repeatedly disable high-threat enemy structures during extended alliance war raids.
Sicario Comparison and Investment Order
| Sicario | Primary Role | Core Tactical Strength | Recommended Synergy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poison | Offensive Raid | High active burst against clustered defenses | Demolition squads, RPG mercenaries |
| Pedro | Offensive Blitz | Squad movement speed and weapon damage buffs | Guerrillas, Flamer units |
| Marillo | Compound Defense | Massive health and damage mitigation | Defensive bunkers, Control Center core |
| Lobo | Perimeter Defense | Crowd-control stalling and durability | Chokepoints, outer wall turrets |
| Utility | Combat Support | Accelerated tactical energy regeneration | Mixed infantry formations, war raids |
Follow this upgrade sequence to manage your roster efficiently:
- Commit to one offensive leader: Maximize either Poison (for defensive core sniping) or Pedro (for squad rush tactics) to guarantee consistent compound clears.
- Farm resources through raids: Use your primary attacker to accumulate cartel cash and gold for base upgrades.
- Invest in a defensive anchor: Once your primary attacker comfortably clears targets, upgrade Marillo to secure your base against revenge raids.
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Player Comments
137 players commented on this guide.
The tips are practical and easy to follow.
This saved me time in the early game.
Nice guide. I am checking the other Narcos: Cartel Wars & Strategy articles next.
Can you add more details about strategy in a future update?