# Mercenary Companies for Aoe 4 **URL:** \ **Category:** IV - Discussion\ **Created:** [September 9, 2026, 2:22am UTC](https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/mercenary-companies-for-aoe-4/289387 "2026-09-09T02:22:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 11
**Author:** ![OperaticShip743](https://forums.ageofempires.com/user_avatar/forums.ageofempires.com/operaticship743/32/104612_2.png) [@OperaticShip743](https://forums.ageofempires.com/u/OperaticShip743)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 4:31pm UTC](https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/mercenary-companies-for-aoe-4/289387/11 "2026-09-21T16:31:55Z")
I recall discussing that a few times in the past, but similarities to AOE-3 were likely viewed negatively, which might be why it wasn’t even considered. It’s a shame, because the concept of minor factions and mercenaries adds great flexibility and depth to the game; it allows for the inclusion of cultures that wouldn’t make sense as full-fledged civilizations, and it offers a lot of replayability. > [@\ Mechanics that should not be discarded. The best of AOE-3 for me!](https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/mercenaries-and-minor-factions-mechanics-that-should-not-be-discarded-the-best-of-aoe-3-for-me/182237): > > These two mechanics are brilliant, and they shouldn’t get buried, as in addition to bringing new units to the game, it provides greater strategic depth. For those who do not know well what it is about, it is basically to acquire soldiers or technologies that are not typical of your civilization, in exchange for establishing an alliance in the case of minor factions, or paying coins in the case of mercenaries and outlaws. > [@Will there be mercenaries and minor factions?](https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/will-there-be-mercenaries-and-minor-factions/135417): > > So far we have not seen such a thing appear, but I think many would like to see something similar as it adds a lot of strategic depth. But my enthusiasm for this game has already died, so I’m looking forward to this kind of thing in future titles. --- _[View the full topic](https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/mercenary-companies-for-aoe-4/289387)._