Money Troubles

[Way]

There's so much to spend money on, but so little to go around.

Just spent 2K on brainwashing after capturing an enemy agent. Then used it on an enemy agent because I knew the MK ULTRA facility was the one that could be used to turn enemy agents. There was a frustrating lack of feedback or results after it was done. I had to google search to find out brainwashing was only for agents suspected of turning on you.

Is there some sort of guide somewhere that explains what the tutorial doesn't? I feel like I've wasted my money on other things like new identities (the majority of my agents had maximum heat after their first flight) and upgrades that may not be very useful early on.

[felmari]

no need to brainwash them just interrogate them. i have turned agent ussually by trigger phrase on next mission the stay as your agent after that. its mostly agents from the recruit pool that may be enemy infiltrators(it will show as a trait) i have found one in my current play through you could execute them or brainwash them if you get attached when you find out. grab all items from missions to sell what you don't use and keep your forger's active when you move base don't go for the 8000 one its really not worth it. upgrade your forger first and go for upgrades that lessen the cost of things you use currently the sooner you get them the more you will save hold off on things like facility capacity. don't go loud if you can help it.

there is not really any guides i am aware of there is the fandom wiki it is a little sparse though.

[Sasparillafizz]

I honestly don't really use brainwash unless it's a character who has traits I want to keep. Most of the captured enemies are either interrogate and bullet to the head, or sabotage/tracking chip and set em loose again.

Rough guide for MK Ultra

Brainwashing - Look at 'Secret' skills of a character, secret skills can either be a useful buff OR it means they are a sleeper agent who will turn on you when the first time Combat begins and he is on the field. Brainwashing will reveal which this is and can remove enemy sleeper brainwashing - at the risk of ALSO losing some of the useful skills alongside with it.

Don't waste money on it unless you intend to recruit them. There's no point removing the sleeper agent skill if they're just gonna kill them or send them back to the enemy as a trojan horse. Use it only on your own people if you suspect a sleeper, or someone you are thinking of recruiting and want to screen them first.

Alternatively agents with the Night Operations training will gain a passive perk "Eye for talent" which will reveal the skills of any operatives deployed alongside them. This includes hidden skills and brainwashed sleeper agents. Plus, they gain proficiency with M12s, which are awesome room sweepers for disguised agents.

Interrogation - Employ 'enhanced interrogation' to get some useful intel. Rewards are the same pool as random informants on the map. So basically think of it as a random informant reward on demand.

Locator beacon - When the agent is released they may eventually make their way back to a Cabal cell, which will be instantly revealed if they do. This can be days, this can be a month later. It's random how long it'll be but once they set foot inside it'll instantly mark it for you.

Control Phrase - When agents are released they may be recruited by the enemy again. If they are and you encounter them on the field, you will have an ability called 'Control Phrase.' You must be nearby and have line of sight of the agent. If you use control phrase on them the agent will instantly switch to your side and will be treated like any other character. Penalties apply the same as recruited characters, such as if you have them MIA or killed, and when you extract them they will be in your recruited agent pool. Essentially it's doing a recruitment in the middle of a mission.

Mason Gambit - Essentially the same as Control Phrase, but rather than manually activating it the agent will switch sides the moment combat is initiated. Mason gambit will act on it's own and will not need line of sight or distance to turn on.

Saboteur - Release a brainwashed enemy agent like with Locator beacon. Unlike with beacon however, instead of revealing the bases location it will simply be destroyed, sparing you from having to go in and demolish it yourself. Won't get the XP, looting and kidnapping opportunities, but nice way to clear cells off the map without the hassle.

Conversion - Recruit enemy agent to your side. Pretty much speaks for itself. Maybe they've got a combo of skills you really want. I rarely do it, and I tend to just use control phrase and recruit them in the field if it comes to that.

Execution - Bullet to the head and a shallow grave behind the chemical storage shed.

Release - Throw them out the door (relatively) unharmed. Any of the above brainwashing effects you have on them will be put in play. They may (or may not) go back to working for the other side. Or they may just be removed from the game.

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Regarding Heat - Heat will go down on it's own as long as it's below 100%. Once it hits maximum and turns RED there is no going back, only a full identity change will restore it. So if you raise heat consider keeping your guy back on base for a few days. Stick them in the forgery room or analytics, or use the time to train him for that new skill set. After a few days their heat will go back down to normal.

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As far as money goes:
A: Loot loot loot. Even if you can't use the guns or armor you can sell it. Most of the guns and stuff sell for like 80% of the value you buy it at. This isn't skyrim where you get pennies on the dollar for a ultra rare master weapon. Those things are actually worth something, don't be afraid to sell off what your aren't using. Especially if you've teched up to the point they aren't packing as much of a punch anymore.

B: keep the forgers busy at all times. You should have them fully manned 24/7, they are your main source of income.

C: Don't spend frivolously. Yes, you CAN equip your entire team with those weapon mods and health kits, but do you really NEED them? You can only use so many at a time. Same with base upgrades. You don't need any money to just play the game passively, rooting out cells and destroying them. If your running low on cash just step back and let your funds accumulate for a while. Those extra 2 beds in the infirmary aren't gonna make or break you most likely, there's no need to rush for the upgrades beyond sparing yourself some busywork.

D: Keep a reserve. Keep your funds above 4k or so. That'll give you the cash on hand to do a identity change or move your base if things go bad. If your funds go below that then just wait a few days while they replenish. Even at $100 an hour, then one day game time will give you $2400. You can rack up funds pretty fast if you don't instantly buy every upgrade you see.

[Way]

How do I even sell or buy guns? Never seen an option for this.

[Toenails10]

it's when you are prepping for a mission, you can change out the guns, add explosives etc, beside that tab is a buy/sell button, buy what u need, sell what u don't!

[Way]

And I just realized training and crafting items costs money.

Lock picks for $650... worst trade deal in history.

[Toenails10]

i usually craft the bleed out bullets and other similar ones and sell them for a profit, i usually only buy grenades and med kits as needed