(SPOILERS) Guide to recruiting THE MAJOR early

[Hex]

https://youtu.be/FBp_23dYycc

[Bas da Graca]

This overview helps a lot too.

You need high reputation (75) to recruit the Major. Reputation gains:
Time penalty: -5 or -10 (Defeat the major within 1 or 2 months)
Take down outpost: 5/outpost (max 35)
Kill Graaf: 10
Kill Bastien: 5
Recruit Pierre: 25 (or Kill Pierre: 10)
Kill/Jail Elliot: 5
Complete right hand man: 5
Kill DrKronenberg: 5
Kill Chimurenga: 5
Kill Jackhammer: 10
Kill/Recruit Beast: 5
Kill/Recruit Flay: 5
Kill Colonel: 10
Defeat Corazon: 20
You were a merc like us, Spike: 5 (Hire Len/Gus/Ivan)
Your Legion could have performed better: 10 (Leadership >= 70)

[HozzMidnight]

So Pierre really seems to be the key or doing Corazon first which seems backwards when you know what is actually happening. If you don't do A2 before the refugee camp extinction event Pierre is gone from the game. Or, obviously if you killed him on Ernie he's gone from the game.

[Bas da Graca]

Yeah taking Pierre helps a lot with getting the major. And I would advice as he has a lot of text with the major. My biggest issue with getting the major, is you want to get him as early as possible so you can still play the game with him. The biggest story rewards and text are when you recruited him and Conversations with Pierre and Corazon.

You need to get as much points as possible and Pierre and the last 2 reputation gains.

Pierre can actually give 30-40 points as himself is +25 and you need multiple outposts and a mine to get him. 😏

[Hermano]

how do i recruit Beast ?

[LArc7thHeaven]

Originally posted by Hermano:

how do i recruit Beast ?

You can't. She will said that her place is with the people and she promise to help you when you're around her island. Might be the correct sentence is gaining favor of the beast instead recruiting beast

[Magicsimmer]

Originally posted by Bas da Graca:

This overview helps a lot too.

You need high reputation (75) to recruit the Major. Reputation gains:
Time penalty: -5 or -10 (Defeat the major within 1 or 2 months)
Take down outpost: 5/outpost (max 35)
Kill Graaf: 10
Kill Bastien: 5
Recruit Pierre: 25 (or Kill Pierre: 10)
Kill/Jail Elliot: 5
Complete right hand man: 5
Kill DrKronenberg: 5
Kill Chimurenga: 5
Kill Jackhammer: 10
Kill/Recruit Beast: 5
Kill/Recruit Flay: 5
Kill Colonel: 10
Defeat Corazon: 20
You were a merc like us, Spike: 5 (Hire Len/Gus/Ivan)
Your Legion could have performed better: 10 (Leadership >= 70)

I was SO frustrated because I couldn't hire Spike so many times. This overview helped alot! I recruited Spike with my American team of Fox, Wolf, Grizzly, Raven & Raider!

I didn't even have to kill Facheux or Corazon before recruiting Spike. I enjoyed all the extra dialogue Spike has to offer in the map!

I agree that having Pierre in your team helps A LOT. In my game I killed Bastien early, killed Graaf to save Pierre, went to the Refugee camp, ambushed N-Night, saved Biff and influenced to give the gem to Chimurenga, killed Kronenberg, had help with inmates in tunnel to kill Jackhammer and then jailed Elliot.

I also hired Flay early in the game and then got Metaviron for Larry, then sobered him in Sanatorium

I didn't have Len, Gus or Ivan in my team. But I had Raider to fulfill the leadership requirement, while having Pierre as his "soft spot" that racked lots of influence. These points were enough for me to recruit Spike!

[hanspeternis]

Is it enough to take the outposts once from the legion or do you have to take them back from the army if you lost them?

[jerome_lee]

Good question. If I hover over the A20 sector after the world flip, the red shield indicating take outposts to erode major's influence came back. OTOH, I want to leave some outposts to farm equipment and xp for my lower level merc roster. So I guess take as many as you feel comfortable with since it is 5 points/fort with a max of 35. I'm about to assault Eagle's nest from the UG bunker route (lame that combat pretty much starts out in the open except the cliff since you can't stealth). It does sound like Pierre doesn't need to be with the assault team as long as you recruited him?

[hanspeternis]

Not sure but the major talks to Pierre when you meet him. So i guess you have to have him with you to get the +25

[raeven]

Originally posted by Bas da Graca:

This overview helps a lot too.

You need high reputation (75) to recruit the Major. Reputation gains:
Time penalty: -5 or -10 (Defeat the major within 1 or 2 months)
Take down outpost: 5/outpost (max 35)
Kill Graaf: 10
Kill Bastien: 5
Recruit Pierre: 25 (or Kill Pierre: 10)
Kill/Jail Elliot: 5
Complete right hand man: 5
Kill DrKronenberg: 5
Kill Chimurenga: 5
Kill Jackhammer: 10
Kill/Recruit Beast: 5
Kill/Recruit Flay: 5
Kill Colonel: 10
Defeat Corazon: 20
You were a merc like us, Spike: 5 (Hire Len/Gus/Ivan)
Your Legion could have performed better: 10 (Leadership >= 70)

This is great info! is there a source for this somewhere?

What about if you help Kronenberg but she dies, does that count? Does jailing the jackhammer count, or only killing? What about Chimurenga retiring? Would be great to have clarity on this.

If this list is accurate, then my score was *exactly* 75 when I talked to him and was able to recruit him! Pretty cool. I had already killed Corazon which helped a lot, but also is less satisfying as I would have loved to have Spike there with me.

[cpt Midnight]

Early rush on B20 ruins the perfect endgame. For the perfect engame the green diamond must be in the museum. After B20 rush Emma leaves Port Cacao, so you have to get and give her the green diamod before going for the Major. To get the diamond, you also have to hire Smiley, so you have to fight Blaubert, than save Biff, and those are really hard fights.

So if you need a perfect ending, and got the influence points the hire the major - the game is almost over :(

[Pain Is A Warning]

Originally posted by cpt Midnight:

Early rush on B20 ruins the perfect endgame. For the perfect engame the green diamond must be in the museum. After B20 rush Emma leaves Port Cacao, so you have to get and give her the green diamod before going for the Major. To get the diamond, you also have to hire Smiley, so you have to fight Blaubert, than save Biff, and those are really hard fights.

So if you need a perfect ending, and got the influence points the hire the major - the game is almost over :(

You don't have to recruit Smiley for the diamond.
Sober Larry will do just fine.

[thenomad111]

Dude, even the title itself is a huge freaking spoiler. I didn't know he was recruitable.

[cpt Midnight]

Originally posted by Pain Is A Warning:

Originally posted by cpt Midnight:

Early rush on B20 ruins the perfect endgame. For the perfect engame the green diamond must be in the museum. After B20 rush Emma leaves Port Cacao, so you have to get and give her the green diamod before going for the Major. To get the diamond, you also have to hire Smiley, so you have to fight Blaubert, than save Biff, and those are really hard fights.

So if you need a perfect ending, and got the influence points the hire the major - the game is almost over :(

You don't have to recruit Smiley for the diamond.
Sober Larry will do just fine.

Heh, I know. To get Larry and cure him is a long way too...

[r47926]

Why? Larry is so easy to get.
His location can be reached almost immediately after leaving Ernie island. I've even read you can hire him before clearing the camp, even though I haven't tried that myself.
And to cure him, you neither need to do the red rabies quest nor do you need to start it or make a decision. Just kill the Infected, sneak into the cellar, talk to the doc and back out of the dialog before making any decision. That's it, the hospital's unlocked.