You’ve probably been there. You are deep in a dungeon in CRON, your party is half-dead, and you realize your six-person team just isn’t cutting it. That’s usually when people remember Might and Magic 2 Gates hirelings exist. But honestly? Most players treat hirelings like an afterthought or a "nice to have" when they should be a core part of your tactical planning.
In the 1988 classic Might and Magic II: Gates to Another World, hirelings aren't just NPCs with a few lines of dialogue. They are fully fleshed-out characters—well, as fleshed out as a 1988 sprite can be—that you can add to your party to fill slots 7 and 8. You can have two at a time. They bring their own gear, their own spells, and a recurring bill that will drain your gold faster than a thief in a tavern if you aren't careful.
Why Hirelings Are Your Best (and Most Expensive) Friends
Basically, hirelings are the "mercenaries" of the Might and Magic world. They don't just sit in the inn waiting for a handout; you have to go out and find them first. Once you "rescue" or locate them, they show up at the local inn, ready for hire.
Here is the thing about Might and Magic 2 Gates hirelings: they cost you every single day you rest. If you're the type of player who hits the "R" key after every minor skirmish, you're going to go broke. Quick. Their fee scales with their level. A level 5 hireling might be a bargain, but once they hit level 20, they’re basically taking a corporate executive’s salary every time you take a nap.
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But you've gotta weigh that against the benefits. They bring unique secondary skills. Some of them come pre-equipped with high-tier gear you can't even buy yet. If your main party is lacking a dedicated Cleric or a Robber with decent Thievery stats, a hireling fills that gap perfectly.
The Location Game: Where to Find the Best Muscle
You don't just walk into a shop and buy these guys. You have to earn the right to pay them. Sorta ironic, right?
Early on, you’ll likely find your first hirelings through Nordonna in Middlegate. She’s the sister of the guy who gives you the "Goblet of Enlightenment" quest. After you rescue Sir Hyron and Drog from the caverns beneath Middlegate (specifically at 0,15 in the cavern), they become available at the inn.
- Sir Hyron: A solid fighter type. Good for when you just need a meat shield in the front row.
- Drog: Another early-game option that helps beef up your frontline.
As you progress to towns like Sandsobar, Tundara, and the insanely expensive Atlantium, the hirelings get better. And weirder. Some are hidden in specific map squares out in the wilderness or tucked away in the back of monster-infested caves.
The "Hidden" Cost of Might and Magic 2 Gates Hirelings
It’s not just gold. It’s experience.
When you have a party of six, the XP from a dead dragon gets split six ways. Add two hirelings, and now you’re splitting that pot eight ways. This slows down your main characters' progression. In the late game, this can be a real pain because you need your Sorcerer to hit those high levels for the world-ending spells.
Pro Tip: If you're grinding for levels, fire your hirelings. Go out with just your core six, soak up all that juicy XP, then go back to the inn and pick them back up when you’re ready to tackle a hard dungeon. They’ll stay at the level you left them (or sometimes even "auto-level" depending on the version of the game you're playing), so you aren't losing much.
Gear and Inventory Hacks
One thing most people overlook is using hirelings as pack mules. In Might and Magic II, inventory space is a constant battle. Since hirelings have their own inventory slots, you can load them up with extra potions, quest items, or that heavy Plate Mail +7 you found but can't wear yet.
Just remember: if they die and you can't resurrect them, or if you "dismiss" them in a fit of rage, that gear stays with them. Don't let your hireling walk away with your best Artifacts.
The Atlantium Power Trip
If you want the absolute best Might and Magic 2 Gates hirelings, you eventually have to head to Atlantium. This town is the high-rent district of CRON. Everything here costs more—training, equipment, and especially the hirelings.
The hirelings you find here are often level 15 or higher right out of the gate. They come with spells like "Star Flare" or "Moon Ray" that can wipe out entire groups of enemies before your Knight even draws his sword. The downside? Their daily upkeep can easily top 1,000 gold. If you aren't constantly looting high-level chests, your bank account will hit zero before you finish a single quest.
How to Manage the Upkeep Without Going Broke
Managing the financial burden of hirelings is a skill in itself.
- Don't Rest Constantly: Use spells like "Light" or "Awaken" instead of resting to recover from minor status effects.
- The Arena Trick: Fight in the Middlegate Arena. If you win, the gold payout is usually enough to cover your hireling's "rent" for a few days.
- The "Tax" Strategy: Only hire the help when you are going into a specific "Boss" area. If you're just wandering around the forest mapping out squares, you don't need a level 25 Paladin charging you a premium.
Honestly, the hireling system is what makes Might and Magic II feel so much more alive than other RPGs of that era. It feels like you’re managing a small company of adventurers, not just a static group of heroes.
Actionable Next Steps for Your Journey
If you’re currently playing or planning a rerun, here is exactly what you should do with your hirelings:
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- Check the Inn at Middlegate immediately after finishing the Nordon/Nordonna quests. Get those first two guys just to survive the early-game "death squads" of goblins.
- Train them in Atlantium. Even though it’s expensive, the stat bonuses they get from training in Atlantium are superior to other towns.
- Watch their secondary skills. If your main party lacks "Pathfinding" or "Mountaineering," look for a hireling that has them. It saves you from having to waste a skill slot on your main hero.
Go find Sir Hyron, pay him his gold, and stop letting those skeletons in the Middlegate basement push you around.