Are you trying to get Gus to join your squad but he’s always retired or offline? Here’s how to hire Gus in Jagged Alliance 3.
Getting legendary mercs requires going through some extra steps and Gus is no exception.
Specifically, Gus will be always unavailable to recruit during your playthrough until you hire Len or Scully. These are both legendary mercs and you’ll need to have at least one of them before being able to recruit Gus Tarballs.
In this guide, I will explain how to hire Gus in Jagged Alliance 3 and list his stats to help you decide on the best squad for him.
For a more budget-friendly option, check out our guide on how to recruit Smiley in JA3, one of the free mercs available.
How to Hire Gus in Jagged Alliance 3
To hire Gus in Jagged Alliance 3, players must first recruit Len or Scully. After having either of them in your squad, Gus will list his price and be available to hire.
You don’t have to hire both Len and Scully at first. However, once you hire one of them and then hire Gus, Gus will strongly recommend hiring the other one too.
Keep in mind that this is the only way to get Gus to join your squad. Without Len or Scully, Gus will always be offline and unavailable.
Since this means you’ll need to hire two or three legendary mercs, you’ll need to have some spare cash as they don’t come cheap. Make sure to come prepared by checking out our guide on how to make money in Jagged Alliance 3.
Gus Stats in JA3
In terms of stats, here’s Gus’ kit in Jagged Alliance 3:
| Health | 74 |
| Agility | 71 |
| Dexterity | 84 |
| Strength | 81 |
| Wisdom | 94 |
| Leadership | 85 |
| Marksmanship | 95 |
| Mechanical | 80 |
| Explosives | 76 |
| Medical | 71 |
With his weakest stat being Medical at 71, Gus is considered the best all-around merc in JA3. He can fill every role effectively and is a must-have for any squad. After all, he is considered one of the best mercs in Jagged Alliance 3.
His combat capabilities are especially strong as he has 95 Marksmanship and 84 Dexterity, which makes him a huge threat to the enemies. Gus also increases the XP earned by all other squad members by 10%, which makes him a great leader.
Additionally, if you have Gus and Scully in your team, every member of your squad will have increased Grit whenever they get a kill or get close enough to Scully.
Keep in mind that Gus and Len have the Old Dog trait, which means they can’t increase their stats further. However, their stats are already high enough, so this doesn’t matter much.
Wrapping up
To sum up, players can hire Gus in Jagged Alliance 3 after hiring either Scully or Len.
Then Gus will agree to join your squad after you pay his fee. With Gus in your squad, you’ll have the best all-around merc in the game.
What’s your go-to squad with Gus? Do you have both Scully and Len? Feel free to share your best team setup in the comments below.
If you’re looking for more legendary mercs, check out our guides on how to hire Shadow and how to recruit Reaper in Jagged Alliance 3.
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