Fighting on a Budget: How to Be a Soldier without Going Broke
Day 2,117, 07:32
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Published in USA 
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by
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by Mercurius100
Fighting can be expensive!
Weapons can be expensive. Moving costs can be expensive. Growing your strength can be expensive. Even food to recover energy can be expensive.
So every bit of help can go a long way towards being able to fight without going bankrupt.
There's many ways in eRep to reduce the costs associated with fighting. A lot of stuff that you'd normally have to buy is available for free. But where to go is often hidden in plain sight, and if you don't know what you're looking for you can pass right by them.
So today let's take a tour of some ways to get others to pay your fighting expenses. You may want to equip some Q7 weapons before we go, we may meet some pretty shady characters when exploring some of the darker corners of eRep.
But it's Q7! Why can't I bring it to a gun fight?
Your Military Unit can be a huge help in providing you equipment so you don't have to buy it yourself.
What, you thought the only things MUs were for were to complete a couple missions and add a little box on your main page?
Not so fast my friend. MUs are more than just a link to a battle. They are a center for the social and community gameplay in eRep. They are like eRep's guilds, with the additional purpose of accumulating as much damage from their members and winning as many battles as possible.
MUs even have rankings based in part on the damage their members do for them. And they tend to take their rankings very seriously.
Oh my, what a big ranking you have there!
A good MU will take very good care of its members. Which means free stuff!
Some MUs provide free weapons for their fighters. Some provide money. Some even provide food. That's in addition to the free bazookas and energy bars you get for completing the MU's Daily Orders.
As is typical with free stuff, some conditions may apply. Every MU is different, they have different processes for getting free stuff, restrictions on how they'd like you to use what they give you, and different requirements to make sure members aren't using their free stuff in improper ways.
But it's tons of free stuff! What your MU asks in return is pretty minor in comparison. Here's some good weapons, go blow some stuff up with them.
So how do you find out what free stuff is offered by different MUs, and how you go about receiving it? When in doubt, ask an officer. Ask any MU Commander to talk about their MU and you will make their day, any Commander will talk your ear off about their MU and all the things they are proud of about it, including the supplies and support they offer to members.
There's other advantages to talking with officers in your MU too. With their experience and their information networks they can help you find even more free and discounted stuff. They can also offer advice on how you can better use the equipment you have to do more damage, earn more medals and gold, gain more strength, and overall have a bigger impact on the battlefield.
But be careful. When you become a big shot on the battlefield you'll start to attract attention. Be prepared to have attractive women fawning over how much damage you can do with each Q7 hit.
What, you don't believe me that there are bands of swooning women roaming the eRep wastelands looking for strong fighters to confess their undying love to? Fine then, but don't say I didn't warn you.
So we blow things up, and somebody will actually give us money for doing it?
So you've got your comped tanks, but wouldn't it be nice to earn money for using them also?
Welcome to the wonderful new world of Combat Orders, one of the newest features in eRep. It's like PayPal for blowing stuff up.
So how does this Combat Orders thing work? Well unfortunately you can't just blow any old thing up and get paid for it. First thing you need is to find where people need stuff blown up.
I blew up a space station the size of a moon, but because I didn't accept a Combat Order all I got was this lousy medal.
From the main page, let's click the Military Campaigns link to look at all the wars going on right now in eRep.
Lots of wars. Wars for allies. Resistance Wars. Wars with Guerrilla Fights.
And some wars with little red circles next to them.
That's your battles with Combat Orders that you qualify for. The circles are next to the side you're paid to fight for. Somebody's painted the target for us, so let's go to a battle we're supposed to fight in anyway and get paid for blowing some stuff up. For America!
There's that red circle again, this time next to some arrow thingys. So let's click the arrow thingys, and …
And there's our Combat Order menu. So I see lots of numbers and other confusing things. I just want to get to the part where I get paid for blowing stuff up. What do these mean?
*No you don't have to do 1 million damage to get paid. That's just how the payment rates are quoted. Every point of damage you do gets paid (if you meet the requirements), and you get paid after you defeat each enemy.
*Any type of damage gets paid. Normal weapons, bazookas, rockets, bombs, even fighting bare-handed. Don't fight bare-handed, this is a gun fight, fighting bare-handed is just really dumb. But if you did, you could still earn Combat Order pay.
*RESTRICTIONS! They had to make it complicated somehow. The simple pleasure of mindlessly blowing stuff up is a thing of the past. You're a Combat Order hunter now, that means to get paid you need to fight smart.
That percentage listed is how high the buyer wants “the wall” to go. What's the wall?
This is the wall. Why is it called a wall when it looks like a bar? That's another story. Just call it the wall, people will think you're smart then.
That percentage refers to how much damage one side has done out of total damage during the current round of battle.
For your Combat Order, if the wall is below the percentage on the order you can get paid for your damage.
Hit that!
If the wall is above that percentage, that means you would be “overhitting” the wall right now. Overhitting the wall is to be avoided, it means your damage isn't being used efficiently towards winning the battle and can be wasted. Don't overhit the wall, even when there isn't a Combat Order. Wait for the wall to come down below that percentage, then hit. Or wait for the next round to start. No swooning bands of women for fighters who overhit the wall, they have discerning tastes. And more importantly, you get no Combat Order pay if you are overhitting.
So we have a battle with a Combat Order, with a wall below the percentage, so how do we start making money for blowing stuff up?
Click the check box for the Combat Order you want to pay you money.
Now you can go blow something up.
Your earnings will instantly be paid into your account after each enemy you defeat.
Just like a personal ATM on the battlefield, on tracks so it can follow you around, spitting out money every time you blow something up. It's like something out of a sci-fi movie. Forget flying cars, RL inventors need to get to making these to really make the world better. Nothing could possibly go wrong.
So you've gotten supplied by your MU, and you've gotten the hang of Combat Order pay. But you just don't have enough shady-looking guys with guns hanging around to really make your life feel complete?
Then I have the one hang-out that's sure to satisfy the wants of every self-respecting person. The #Mercenaries channel on IRC.
That's #Mercenaries on the Rizon IRC network. irc.rizon.net/Mercenaries for those with an IRC client, or mibbit.com/#Mercenaries@irc.rizon.net for those new to the fabulously glamorous world of IRC.
What is the #Mercenaries channel? It's for mercenaries. Hang out for a while and watch the people offering to drop damage for the right price.
Wait, you say nobody seems to be buying damage from mercenaries, only selling it? Of course, we have Combat Orders now to pay for damage. Why go through the hassle of IRC to buy damage anymore?
So why did we come to this wonderfully charming place? Check out the channel topic.
That's right, Supplies! IRC channels run by countries who are actively supplying weapons (and sometimes moving money) to fighters who will come help them win an important battle.
Yay for more free weapons!
The unfortunate trend since the introduction of Combat Orders is that less countries run supply channels on IRC. But such an old and well-respected industry isn't quite ready to throw in the towel just yet. And this is free weapons we're talking about here, definitely worth a quick look on IRC to look for them.
What, you say you don't really want to hang out with these charming people? Well you could look for free weapons being supplied through your shout feed, but you might now have enough friends from Switzerland to know when they are supplying weapons. Or you could individually check every country's IRC channel.
But why go through all those separate IRC channels? Hang out in #Mercenaries and let countries supplying weapons come to you. Everybody here really is very friendly and charming when you get to know them. Just make sure you don't accidentally spill someone's drink.
Okay, enough of exploring the exciting world of eRep's darker corners. Time to go get some free stuff from the government. What, you think you could use a shower first? Nah, you're fine.
Most governments offer lots of free stuff to citizens, particularly if you are a low-level player. Some offer food and weapons, some offer grants or loans to upgrade your character, and all offer answers to any questions you may have about the game.
Check out the newspaper articles in your country to look for info about the free assistance programs your government runs.
Or send a message to your country's Minister of Education. Click on your avatar to go to your profile, click the link where your country of Citizenship is listed, and go to the Politics tab to see the list of your country's bigwig Ministers.
Also check with your political party to see if they offer free stuff. Many do, weapons or food or both.
Well then, that's a nice haul of free stuff you collected on our tour. So do you have a better idea now of how to get free stuff to help you fight on the cheap?
Make sure you are doing what you can every day to get free stuff. There's no need to pay for what you can get for free.
Now get out there and blow some stuff up. And when you've made a name for yourself with your blowing-stuff-up skills, make sure you remember all the people who helped you get your career started. The roaming bands of women, the charming people with guns, and me will all be cheering you on.
More educational reading:
This Article Will Self Destruct: Introduction to Missions
Secret Agent Training: Introduction to eRep's Secret Missions
Don't Do That! How Not to Get Banned in eRep
You are the Commander: The Guide to Combat Orders
Saying No to Temptation: Getting Ahead in eRep by Saving and Waiting
The Collected Knowledge of eRep's Greatest Minds: Introduction to the eRep Wiki
Guide to Understanding PTO's and ATO's
Weapons can be expensive. Moving costs can be expensive. Growing your strength can be expensive. Even food to recover energy can be expensive.
So every bit of help can go a long way towards being able to fight without going bankrupt.
There's many ways in eRep to reduce the costs associated with fighting. A lot of stuff that you'd normally have to buy is available for free. But where to go is often hidden in plain sight, and if you don't know what you're looking for you can pass right by them.
So today let's take a tour of some ways to get others to pay your fighting expenses. You may want to equip some Q7 weapons before we go, we may meet some pretty shady characters when exploring some of the darker corners of eRep.
Put ya guns on, with some help from your MU.
But it's Q7! Why can't I bring it to a gun fight?
Your Military Unit can be a huge help in providing you equipment so you don't have to buy it yourself.
What, you thought the only things MUs were for were to complete a couple missions and add a little box on your main page?
Not so fast my friend. MUs are more than just a link to a battle. They are a center for the social and community gameplay in eRep. They are like eRep's guilds, with the additional purpose of accumulating as much damage from their members and winning as many battles as possible.
MUs even have rankings based in part on the damage their members do for them. And they tend to take their rankings very seriously.
Oh my, what a big ranking you have there!
A good MU will take very good care of its members. Which means free stuff!
Some MUs provide free weapons for their fighters. Some provide money. Some even provide food. That's in addition to the free bazookas and energy bars you get for completing the MU's Daily Orders.
As is typical with free stuff, some conditions may apply. Every MU is different, they have different processes for getting free stuff, restrictions on how they'd like you to use what they give you, and different requirements to make sure members aren't using their free stuff in improper ways.
But it's tons of free stuff! What your MU asks in return is pretty minor in comparison. Here's some good weapons, go blow some stuff up with them.
So how do you find out what free stuff is offered by different MUs, and how you go about receiving it? When in doubt, ask an officer. Ask any MU Commander to talk about their MU and you will make their day, any Commander will talk your ear off about their MU and all the things they are proud of about it, including the supplies and support they offer to members.
There's other advantages to talking with officers in your MU too. With their experience and their information networks they can help you find even more free and discounted stuff. They can also offer advice on how you can better use the equipment you have to do more damage, earn more medals and gold, gain more strength, and overall have a bigger impact on the battlefield.
But be careful. When you become a big shot on the battlefield you'll start to attract attention. Be prepared to have attractive women fawning over how much damage you can do with each Q7 hit.
What, you don't believe me that there are bands of swooning women roaming the eRep wastelands looking for strong fighters to confess their undying love to? Fine then, but don't say I didn't warn you.
Get paid cash for your damage with Combat Orders.
So we blow things up, and somebody will actually give us money for doing it?
So you've got your comped tanks, but wouldn't it be nice to earn money for using them also?
Welcome to the wonderful new world of Combat Orders, one of the newest features in eRep. It's like PayPal for blowing stuff up.
So how does this Combat Orders thing work? Well unfortunately you can't just blow any old thing up and get paid for it. First thing you need is to find where people need stuff blown up.
I blew up a space station the size of a moon, but because I didn't accept a Combat Order all I got was this lousy medal.
From the main page, let's click the Military Campaigns link to look at all the wars going on right now in eRep.
Lots of wars. Wars for allies. Resistance Wars. Wars with Guerrilla Fights.
And some wars with little red circles next to them.
That's your battles with Combat Orders that you qualify for. The circles are next to the side you're paid to fight for. Somebody's painted the target for us, so let's go to a battle we're supposed to fight in anyway and get paid for blowing some stuff up. For America!
There's that red circle again, this time next to some arrow thingys. So let's click the arrow thingys, and …
And there's our Combat Order menu. So I see lots of numbers and other confusing things. I just want to get to the part where I get paid for blowing stuff up. What do these mean?
*No you don't have to do 1 million damage to get paid. That's just how the payment rates are quoted. Every point of damage you do gets paid (if you meet the requirements), and you get paid after you defeat each enemy.
*Any type of damage gets paid. Normal weapons, bazookas, rockets, bombs, even fighting bare-handed. Don't fight bare-handed, this is a gun fight, fighting bare-handed is just really dumb. But if you did, you could still earn Combat Order pay.
*RESTRICTIONS! They had to make it complicated somehow. The simple pleasure of mindlessly blowing stuff up is a thing of the past. You're a Combat Order hunter now, that means to get paid you need to fight smart.
That percentage listed is how high the buyer wants “the wall” to go. What's the wall?
This is the wall. Why is it called a wall when it looks like a bar? That's another story. Just call it the wall, people will think you're smart then.
That percentage refers to how much damage one side has done out of total damage during the current round of battle.
For your Combat Order, if the wall is below the percentage on the order you can get paid for your damage.
Hit that!
If the wall is above that percentage, that means you would be “overhitting” the wall right now. Overhitting the wall is to be avoided, it means your damage isn't being used efficiently towards winning the battle and can be wasted. Don't overhit the wall, even when there isn't a Combat Order. Wait for the wall to come down below that percentage, then hit. Or wait for the next round to start. No swooning bands of women for fighters who overhit the wall, they have discerning tastes. And more importantly, you get no Combat Order pay if you are overhitting.
So we have a battle with a Combat Order, with a wall below the percentage, so how do we start making money for blowing stuff up?
Click the check box for the Combat Order you want to pay you money.
Now you can go blow something up.
Your earnings will instantly be paid into your account after each enemy you defeat.
Just like a personal ATM on the battlefield, on tracks so it can follow you around, spitting out money every time you blow something up. It's like something out of a sci-fi movie. Forget flying cars, RL inventors need to get to making these to really make the world better. Nothing could possibly go wrong.
Feel like a real Soldier of Fortune. Introduction to #Mercenaries.
You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.
So you've gotten supplied by your MU, and you've gotten the hang of Combat Order pay. But you just don't have enough shady-looking guys with guns hanging around to really make your life feel complete?
Then I have the one hang-out that's sure to satisfy the wants of every self-respecting person. The #Mercenaries channel on IRC.
That's #Mercenaries on the Rizon IRC network. irc.rizon.net/Mercenaries for those with an IRC client, or mibbit.com/#Mercenaries@irc.rizon.net for those new to the fabulously glamorous world of IRC.
What is the #Mercenaries channel? It's for mercenaries. Hang out for a while and watch the people offering to drop damage for the right price.
Wait, you say nobody seems to be buying damage from mercenaries, only selling it? Of course, we have Combat Orders now to pay for damage. Why go through the hassle of IRC to buy damage anymore?
So why did we come to this wonderfully charming place? Check out the channel topic.
That's right, Supplies! IRC channels run by countries who are actively supplying weapons (and sometimes moving money) to fighters who will come help them win an important battle.
Yay for more free weapons!
The unfortunate trend since the introduction of Combat Orders is that less countries run supply channels on IRC. But such an old and well-respected industry isn't quite ready to throw in the towel just yet. And this is free weapons we're talking about here, definitely worth a quick look on IRC to look for them.
What, you say you don't really want to hang out with these charming people? Well you could look for free weapons being supplied through your shout feed, but you might now have enough friends from Switzerland to know when they are supplying weapons. Or you could individually check every country's IRC channel.
But why go through all those separate IRC channels? Hang out in #Mercenaries and let countries supplying weapons come to you. Everybody here really is very friendly and charming when you get to know them. Just make sure you don't accidentally spill someone's drink.
Government assistance for those aspiring for a career in blowing stuff up.
Okay, enough of exploring the exciting world of eRep's darker corners. Time to go get some free stuff from the government. What, you think you could use a shower first? Nah, you're fine.
Most governments offer lots of free stuff to citizens, particularly if you are a low-level player. Some offer food and weapons, some offer grants or loans to upgrade your character, and all offer answers to any questions you may have about the game.
Check out the newspaper articles in your country to look for info about the free assistance programs your government runs.
Or send a message to your country's Minister of Education. Click on your avatar to go to your profile, click the link where your country of Citizenship is listed, and go to the Politics tab to see the list of your country's bigwig Ministers.
Also check with your political party to see if they offer free stuff. Many do, weapons or food or both.
Well then, that's a nice haul of free stuff you collected on our tour. So do you have a better idea now of how to get free stuff to help you fight on the cheap?
Make sure you are doing what you can every day to get free stuff. There's no need to pay for what you can get for free.
Now get out there and blow some stuff up. And when you've made a name for yourself with your blowing-stuff-up skills, make sure you remember all the people who helped you get your career started. The roaming bands of women, the charming people with guns, and me will all be cheering you on.
More educational reading:
This Article Will Self Destruct: Introduction to Missions
Secret Agent Training: Introduction to eRep's Secret Missions
Don't Do That! How Not to Get Banned in eRep
You are the Commander: The Guide to Combat Orders
Saying No to Temptation: Getting Ahead in eRep by Saving and Waiting
The Collected Knowledge of eRep's Greatest Minds: Introduction to the eRep Wiki
Guide to Understanding PTO's and ATO's
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Comments
Vote it up, for the children!
Isn't that From SAO season 2...didn' it came out a couple months ago? and isn' this two years and half years ago merc!? how did you predict SAOll !!!!
Very well done!
.Great article. Voted, subbed and will give it a shout as well.
Nice article
Voted
v
Good Job!
...&Sub 🙂
Excellent.
well done
V & S
well done 🙂
voted for my buddy merc!
Good stuff thanks
maaaan i can't believe i just read all this now it's time to go put it to the test E_E
voted
Can I get those free weapons now
Haha cool, voted 😃
v
o7
VOTE HARD BROOO!
very good !!
vote
Voted
v137