Learn how to capture and recruit soldiers in Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, including special conditions, unique characters, and effective recruiting strategies.
To recruit allies in Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, you must first incapacitate enemy soldiers and drag them to a designated truck or cardboard box before they recover. Once a mission is completed or aborted, these captured soldiers will be held in prison on the Squad Management screen. After a few days, they will join your unit. Having a soldier with the Politician career in your squad can speed up this process.
Special Conditions:
- Rescued captured soldiers will join your unit immediately.
- Unique Characters can be recruited, but require specific conditions to be met.
The following characters join immediately after capture or rescue:
- Jonathan
- Para-Medic
- Python
- Raikov
- Sigint
- Sokolov
- Eva
- Venus
- Teliko
- Gene (EU version only)
- Any soldier rescued during a mission
- Any soldier acquired via AP Scan
- Any soldier acquired via password (GAKO soldier and Zero are recommended if specific conditions apply)
- Any soldier who joins voluntarily via Cyber-Survival
Soldier Careers and Effects:
| Career | Effect | Best Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Athlete | Faster movement speed | Infiltration Unit |
| Quarterback | Longer throwing distance | Infiltration Unit |
| Artist | Magazines have no effect | Online Unit |
| Scout | Faster stalking speed | Infiltration Unit |
| Rescuer | Faster dragging speed | Infiltration Unit |
| Gambler | Increases chance of hitting/getting hit in weak spot | Cyber-Survival |
| Deliveryman | Can send items back to Campbell's truck | Infiltration Unit |
| Bait | Makes strong enemies appear more often | Infiltration Unit |
| Stuntman | Quick recovery from knockouts | Online Unit |
| Surveyor | Increases detail in stage map | Intelligence Unit |
| Spy/Agent | Decreases enemy life by 10% (also affects recruits) | Intelligence Unit |
| Arms Dealer | Increases chance of finding ammunition | Intelligence Unit |
| Arms Specialist | Increases carried ammunition | Technical Unit |
| Elite Engineer | Very high technical development skills | Technical Unit |
| Engineer | High technical development skills | Technical Unit |
| Chemist | Works on medicine development | Medical Unit |
| Doctor | Increases life recovery speed | Medical Unit |
| Nutritionist | Increases stamina recovery speed | Medical Unit |
| Politician | Prisoners become allies more easily | ANY UNIT |
Cyber-Survival:
After gaining allies, you can use them in Cyber-Survival mode via WLAN. Different rules apply. Assign equipment and send your unit online; check their condition after 12 hours. If you lose, analyze the battle report to improve. You may capture enemy soldiers, and some may join you voluntarily, even offering gifts. However, losing can result in your soldiers being captured, so be cautious.
Effective Recruiting Strategies:
- Using SVD: Shoot soldiers four times with the in-game SVD (25 HP damage per chest hit). If they survive, they have over 100 HP.
- Alert Exploit: In the Airport, trigger an alert, use CQC throw, and hold up soldiers. Knock them out, capture all but one FOX soldier with an M1911. Wake this soldier, trigger another alert, and repeat.
- Boss Rush: Replaying Boss Rush allows recruitment of new soldiers with at least 2 S skills, providing an easy way to find strong allies.
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