Mercenary

"I fight at your side, any time!"

- A mercenary's greeting to Ezio

Mercenaries (Italian: Mercenari) were one of the three factions that assisted the Assassin Ezio Auditore (the others being the Courtesans and the Thieves) during the Renaissance period.

The Mercenaries in Tuscany/San Gimignano were led by Mario Auditore, Ezio's uncle, and the ones in Florence were led by Niccolò Machiavelli. Whilst in Venice and Rome, the Mercenaries were led by Bartolomeo d'Alviano.

Application
Mercenaries (and all other hired help) cost 150 florins, followed Ezio around, and made comments after a fight. They wielded Heavy Weapons and were like a more powerful variation of the Brute. However, Mercenaries encountered in missions (that are not hired) were free and had Longswords and Maces. Due to their lack of armor, their effectiveness was drastically reduced and they could be outmatched by 2-3 Pazzi Guards. Ezio could order them to fight the Guards, thus providing a distraction.

In Rome, the mercenaries acted much as they did in the previous cities. Bartolomeo d'Alviano and his wife Pantasilea lead the mercenaries in Rome from their barracks. They actively participated in the fight against the Borgia and their French allies, led by Baron de Valois. When Ezio completed all of the Mercenary's Guild challenges, he was awarded with Bartolomeo's Axe and a Mercenary's Guild crest, which could be located in the armor section in the Tiber Island Hideout.

Combat
Mercenaries were the most heavily armored of the three factions available. They usually wielded heavy, two-handed, weapons, and fought very similarly to Brutes in fights. However, despite this fact, they had quite a bit of difficulty when engaging Brutes in combat.

Tuscany

 * Mario Auditore
 * Orazio
 * Ruggiero

Florence

 * Niccolò Machiavelli

Venice/Rome

 * Bartolomeo d'Alviano
 * Gian

Trivia

 * Mercenaries cannot perform any form of free-running. However, Mario Auditore, who behaves like a Mercenary, is able to free run.
 * Mercenaries possess similar weapons to Brutes, but are easily defeated by them.
 * In the Cannaregio district of Venice, you can hire groups of six Mercenaries instead of a usual four.
 * During the mission to assassinate Vieri de' Pazzi, Mario refers to his Mercenaries as his brothers, a term usually reserved for fellow Assassins.
 * While distributing Bartolomeo's men to specific spots throughout the Castello district as a distraction for Silvio Barbarigo, his men act like normal guards instead of Brutes, even being able to sprint.
 * Ironically, Niccolò Machiavelli is portrayed as the leader of the Florentine mercenaries when, historically, he strongly opposed the use of mercenaries.
 * Regular mercenaries can break out of your grabs; the ones in the Monteriggioni training can't, unless you're training with them.
 * In Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, two mercenaries help Ezio operate Leonardo da Vinci's Tank.
 * In Brotherhood, they are far more powerful and can take out several guards effectively.
 * Fabrizio and Prospero Colonna are two notable mercenaries saved during one of the Brotherhood Courtesan missions.
 * Mercenaries can be killed by the Apple of Eden if they are within range of its blast radius.
 * If a Minstrel attempts to play in front of Ezio while he's accompanied by Mercenaries, they will push him away and one will attempt to chase him, before returning shortly afterward.
 * When standing by a Mercenary as Ezio it can be seen that the Mercenary is far taller than Ezio like many other character models in Assassins Creed.