Undead Defense Tycoon 2 How to get and command the mercenary
The $480k paratrooper: spawn costs, upgrade ladder, and why the stairs eat your walls.
The mercenary is the only teammate Box Games will sell you on a pad. He parachutes onto your plot, shoots the nearest undead or stands on your toes, and he is the reason a third-floor staircase suddenly exists on the left of the base. This walkthrough is how to get, how to upgrade, and how to command him without turning the stairs into a Fast Zombie elevator. Pair it with Weapons Lab (the unlock gate) and base defense (the hole he creates).
You do not need him in hour one. Mines, the $38k sentry, and an M60 still out-earn a level-1 pistol NPC. Buy the pad when Lab is up and you are tired of kiting Mini blobs while you drive. The mid-article video is the original mercenary-update session, not a 2026 “free Robux” overlay.
Unlock — Lab first, then the left pad
- Finish the Weapons Lab branch on the garage roof. Helipad and merc both sit behind that building — vehicles if you only wanted a heli and wondered why the pad was missing.
- Walk to the left side of the plot, third floor. The spawner is $480,000.
- Buying it builds stairs to the ground so the NPC can walk out. Zombies can walk in. Treat that as a new lane, not decoration.
If the pad is grey, you skipped Lab or you are on the test server looking at a wiped plot. Live place only. Codes will not spawn a merc — codes are empty.
Spawn rules
- He parachutes onto the spawner, then pathfinds down the new stairs.
- 60 second cooldown between summons.
- One mercenary alive. Summoning again refreshes a different merc rather than stacking a squad.
- Slow HP regen. He used to carry a medkit; the helicopter update removed it. You still hold First Aid for King Zombie leech.
- Command toggle: attack nearest zombie or defend owner.
Nearest-zombie mode will chase a Mini into a Boomer. Defend mode will body-block the Missile Truck door. Re-issue the command after every spawn. There is no kick key on controls.
Upgrade ladder
Public-wiki figures. Recheck pads after a patch on updates.
| Level | Upgrade cost | Spawn cost | Primary / melee | HP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $0 (pad $480k) | $2,000 | Pistol / Knife | 200 |
| 2 | $630k | $5,000 | SMG / Machete | 200 |
| 3 | $1.15M | $10,000 | Assault Rifle / Tomahawk | 200 |
| 4 | $1.74M | $18,000 | AK-47 / Katana | 275 |
| 5 | $2.38M | $30,000 | M60 / Plasma Sword | 350 |
Level 3 is the first merc that feels like a teammate. Level 1 is a $2k decoy. Do not park a Jeep in front of him and call it a build — upgrade path waits for mines and M60 before this pad.
How to use him in real fights
Defend + Missile Truck + level 3+ is the lazy King/horde setup: you blast, he holds the stairs. He can enter the truck and make driving miserable. Get out, shove the path, get in. That is the whole tech.
Nearest is for when you are airborne in the attack heli and need someone to clean Minis at home. Recall that Void and Tough still hurt vehicles — zombie tiers. A merc does not tank Alpha Tough boulders.
Horde nights: keep him on Defend so he does not peel into a Boomer clump. Combustion grenades and Freonthrower still belong in your hands for Enraged packs — Weapons Lab.
Stairs are a fail state if you ignore them
The merc pad is the only late unlock that opens a hole in a finished fortress. Fast Zombies will use it. Put mines at the bottom, keep the $38k sentry covering the mouth, or sit on Defend yourself for the first minute after purchase. Base defense is not optional the moment those stairs appear.
If you AFK, Auto-Fill Turrets plus mines still do more than a level-2 merc wandering the forest — gamepasses. Scripts that “auto command merc” are still injectors — script safety.
What the mercenary is not
- Not a second player. He will not pick up care packages.
- Not a Devastator. Endgame metal is the Devastator guide.
- Not a Hardcore skip. Alphas still exist on the other place — Hardcore.
- Not a badge. Kill badges are on badges.
Spend with the cash planner before you click $2.38M because the pad glowed. Photon Repeater and merc 5 compete for the same late cash; the heli and King kit usually win.
The honest loop: Lab building for heli access, merc pad when you can afford level 3, Defend during King, watch the stairs. Everything else is fashion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the most common questions.
How do I unlock the mercenary?
Buy Weapons Lab, then the $480k pad on the left of the third floor. It builds ground stairs.
Can I have two mercenaries?
No. One active NPC. A new spawn replaces or refreshes the current one.
Why did zombies start walking into my base?
The pad adds stairs. Cover the mouth with mines and a sentry, and use Defend mode.
Does he still have a medkit?
No. That was removed in the helicopter update. Carry First Aid yourself for King leech.
What level is worth buying?
Level 3 (AR / Tomahawk) is the first one that holds a lane. Level 1 is a decoy.