Clicker Heroes mercenary missions are one of the most powerful features in the game for earning long-term, passive rewards if you know how to use them right. Whether you’re aiming to farm rubies, build up a stockpile of hero souls, or collect more mercenaries, picking the right missions can define how fast and efficiently you grow in this wildly popular idle RPG.
Have you ever wondered why some players seem to have an endless supply of rubies while others struggle to progress? It often comes down to how they manage their clicker heroes mercenary missions.
Perfect for both veterans and casual gamers who enjoy clicker games online, incremental games, or idle clicker games, this guide will maximize your mercenary missions and overall efficiency.
Understanding Mercenary Mechanics
What Are Mercenary Missions / Quests?
In Clicker Heroes, mercenaries become available after reaching Zone 139, opening up a brand-new layer of strategic depth for progression. Once unlocked, you can manage up to five mercenaries, each capable of embarking on missions (also called quests) that last from just a few minutes to multiple days.
Every mercenary receives four random quest options each time they are available. Your job is to choose the one that best aligns with your goals, availability, and playstyle.
Types of Quest Rewards:
- Gold: Used for leveling up heroes and pushing higher zones
- Rubies: Premium currency essential for Timelapse, revives, and speed boosts
- Hero Souls: Boosts DPS and upgrades ancients; useful post-ascension
- Relics: Provide passive buffs (skill cooldowns, gold bonuses, etc.)
- Skill Activations: Auto-activates skills like Lucky Strikes or Clickstorm
- Recruit Mercenary: Acquires new mercenaries to fill or grow your team
- Holiday / Seasonal Quests: Clickmas or special events with unique rewards
Each mission varies in length and reward size, and the game calculates mission difficulty using quest length, mercenary level, and rarity type.
Quest Duration vs Reward Scaling
The reward scales based on how long the mission runs and how powerful your mercenary is.
| Duration | Example Rewards | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| 5–15 mins | Small gold / hero souls | Very Low |
| 1–4 hrs | Medium gold / small rubies | Low |
| 8–24 hrs | High gold / hero souls / 5–10 rubies | Moderate |
| 48 hrs+ | Rare – 15+ rubies or Epic relics | High |
Important Note: While longer missions offer more significant rewards, they also come with increased risk of death. This risk grows the longer your mercenary is out.
Can You Reroll or Speed Up Missions?
- Timelapse (costs 5 rubies): Instantly completes quests up to 8 hours long and resets timers.
- Quest Reroll (available in some versions): Costs rubies to reshuffle available quests.
If you’re playing on mobile or a modded version, rerolling can help eliminate low-value quests. Otherwise, managing randomness is part of the strategic element.
Leveling and Rewards Multipliers
How Mercenary Leveling Works
Mercenaries gain one level for every 24 hours they spend successfully completing missions. Higher levels significantly boost mission reward yields.
For example:
- A level 5 mercenary completing a 10-ruby quest will actually earn 10 × 5 = 50 rubies.
- A level 1 mercenary doing the same gets only 10 rubies.
How Rarity Impacts Performance
Mercenaries come in five rarity tiers:
- Common
- Uncommon
- Rare
- Epic
- Legendary
Higher rarity offers:
- Better reward bonuses
- Extra lives
- Better survivability
🎯 Gaming tip: Prioritize recruiting and leveling rare or epic mercs with bonuses to rubies or extra lives.
Death & Revival Mechanics
Every mission carries a death risk. If a mercenary dies, you’ll have the option to:
- Revive (costs rubies, scales with level)
- Bury (permanently remove them)
Should You Revive?
Revive only if:
- The mercenary has high rarity (Epic or Legendary)
- Their level is 10+
- They have a ruby or recruitment bonus
- They have extra lives
Otherwise, it’s more cost-efficient to let them go and try a new recruit.
This reward scaling makes it critical to strategically choose which Clicker Heroes mercenary missions to assign your strongest mercenaries to especially as their levels increase and the multiplier effect becomes more valuable over time.
Efficiency Tradeoffs — Short vs Long Quests
This is where you match quests to your playstyle.
Short Quests (5 min – 1 hr)
- Best for: Active players who log in frequently
- Pros: High per-minute efficiency, low risk, fast cycling
- Cons: High micromanagement
Long Quests (8 hr – 48 hr)
- Best for: Casual or idle players who log in 1–2x/day
- Pros: Low effort, great for rubies or recruit quests
- Cons: Higher risk of death, especially past 24 hours
💡 Tip: If you have high-level mercs with extra lives, longer missions become safer.
Best Mercenary Missions for Long-Term Rewards
Now let’s focus on the best missions to prioritize if you’re playing for long-term growth, passive income, and strategic efficiency. These choices are perfect for both casual and committed incremental game fans.
🔝 Top Priority Quests
Recruit / Mercenary Acquisition Quests
Your mercenary team is your money-making engine.
- Always aim to fill all 5 mercenary slots
- Use recruit quests to get better rarity mercs
- Prefer recruitment over weak relic or skill missions
The sooner you build a full team, the sooner you can scale your rewards.
Ruby Quests (S-Tier)
Rubies are the backbone of the game’s premium functions.
Used for:
- Timelapse
- Revives
- Quick Ascension
- Skipping cooldowns
Why they’re essential:
- Allow faster farming
- Enable longer session efficiency
- Help avoid death by fast completion
Even low-yield ruby quests are worth doing—especially when you’re idle.
Hero Soul Quests
Though hero souls can be farmed by playing, merc missions are a passive way to collect them.
Good for:
- Players doing frequent ascensions
- Boosting ancient upgrades
- Quick power spikes before transcending
⚠️ Some clicker heroes guide strategies note that hero souls become less valuable post-transcension. Use sparingly after early-mid game.
Gold Quests
Gold has its place:
- Useful in early stages of each ascension
- Helps for zone pushing when paired with idle builds
- Supports quick DPS scaling with level-ups
Still, gold loses value as you progress, especially after maxing out key ancients.
Relic Quests
Relics add passive bonuses, but:
- Are quickly outclassed by ancients
- Useful in early-mid game if you’re still building your collection
You should only take relic quests if:
- You’re early in a transcension
- No better options are available
Skill Activation Quests
These are the lowest priority unless you’re chasing an achievement.
Why?
- No long-term benefit
- Activates a skill with cooldown, which you can do manually anyway
- Skippable unless everything else is worse
Holiday or Special Event Quests
These only appear during special events like Clickmas, but they are always worth it.
- Unique rewards
- Event-exclusive relics or rubies
- May include special decorations or items
Always prioritize them when active.
Mission Duration Recommendations: Balancing Risk and Reward
Now that we’ve covered which quests to prioritize, let’s take a deeper dive into mission duration strategies. Choosing how long your mercenary quests should last isn’t just a matter of convenience it can make or break your long-term progression.
Selecting the right duration for your Clicker Heroes mercenary missions isn’t just about time investment — it’s a core part of maximizing rewards while managing survival risk.
Short-Term Quests (5 mins – 1 hour)
These are ideal if you’re playing actively or checking in frequently.
- Best for: Players who can log in every 30–60 minutes
- Rewards: High per-minute efficiency (especially gold and souls)
- Risk: Low — the chance of death is minimal
Use these to rapid-cycle lower-tier mercs, especially when you’re early game or just filling time until a better mission appears.
Medium-Term Quests (4 – 8 hours)
Striking the perfect balance between value and time commitment, these are suited for most players.
- Best for: Players who log in a few times per day (e.g., morning, lunch, evening)
- Rewards: Reasonably high with manageable death risk
- Risk: Moderate — use mercs with extra lives or above-average rarity
This is the sweet spot for long-term players who want consistent growth without babysitting.
Long-Term Quests (12 – 48+ hours)
When you’re heading to work, sleeping, or going AFK for an extended period, these missions can work in your favor—if you know what you’re doing.
- Best for: Casual or idle players
- Rewards: Highest potential rewards, especially rubies and rare items
- Risk: High death chance increases dramatically the longer the mission lasts
🎯 Strategy Tip: Only send high-rarity mercenaries with extra lives on 24+ hour missions—and only if the rewards justify the risk (e.g., 15+ rubies or Recruit quests).
Sample Ranked Mission Choices by Game Stage
To further guide you, here’s a stage-by-stage breakdown of which missions you should favor at each point in the game:
| Game Stage | Top Mission Choices | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Early Game (0–3 mercs) | Recruit → Ruby → Gold | You need more mercs ASAP and early rubies support faster resets |
| Mid Game (4–5 mercs, levels 5–15) | Ruby → Hero Soul → Gold → Relics | Merc team is growing, time to scale your rewards |
| Late Game (5 mercs, level 20+) | Ruby → Recruit (for replacement) → Short gold | Minimize death risk, maintain ruby flow, replace lost mercs quickly |
Strategies to Maximize Long-Term Return
Now that you know the what and when, it’s time to talk about the how the advanced strategies that separate smart players from the rest in Clicker Heroes gameplay.
Death and Revival Management
Reviving mercenaries can be strategic or a ruby sinkhole.
Let’s break it down:
When to Revive:
- The mercenary is Epic or Legendary
- They’re Level 10+, multiplying rewards significantly
- They have extra lives or a ruby bonus trait
✅ Reviving a high-value mercenary may cost 10–25 rubies, but if they consistently earn 10+ rubies per mission, they’ll pay for themselves within 1–2 runs.
When to Bury:
- Common rarity, low level
- No valuable reward bonuses (gold/souls only)
- Revival cost outweighs potential return
⚠️ Don’t get emotionally attached. Let them go when it’s time.
Quest Rerolling & Timelapse Usage
While rerolling quests isn’t available on every version, Timelapse is universally accessible and wildly powerful.
How to Use Timelapse Effectively:
- Combo strategy: Send all mercs on 8-hour ruby/recruit quests → use Timelapse → instantly collect
- Use it to avoid long downtime when you’re about to log off or sleep
- Best used when multiple high-reward quests are active
But don’t spam it.
💡 Casual gaming pro tip: Overuse of Timelapse drains rubies fast. Use it when your quest quality is high across all mercs.
Balancing Micromanagement vs Passive Growth
Your real-life schedule should dictate your mercenary mission setup.
For Active Players:
- Use 5 min, 15 min, and 1-hour quests
- Gold farming becomes more efficient
- Reassign mercs multiple times a day
For Idle / Passive Players:
- Set up 8–24 hour ruby and recruit missions before work/sleep
- Use high-rarity mercs with extra lives to reduce death risk
- Don’t worry about maximizing per-minute value optimize per-day instead
Middle-Ground Players:
- Mix it up: One or two short quests, the rest long
- Focus on quality over quantity
By matching quests to your play frequency, you get the best of both efficiency and survivability.
Using Mercenary Missions Post-Transcension & Endgame
When you reach Transcendence, the game changes but your mercenaries remain.
Here’s how to adapt your mercenary usage in late game:
Mercenaries Post-Ascension:
- After ascending, the merc tab locks until Zone 139
- Use this time to prepare pick up rubies and souls quickly via Quick Ascension if available
Endgame Strategies:
- Prioritize ruby missions almost exclusively
- Only revive your highest yielders
- Avoid long relic or skill activation quests they add no real value
- Use mercs to supplement fast transcendence cycles by farming rubies/souls between runs
🧠 Pro Insight: Many high-level clicker hero mercenary players use mercs almost like “idle automation,” cycling rubies to fuel constant upgrades.
Common Pitfalls & Mistakes to Avoid
Many players lose rubies and progress by mismanaging their Clicker Heroes mercenary missions, especially when they fail to consider quest duration, revival cost, and mission priority.
❌ Mistake #1: Sending All Mercs on Long Quests Simultaneously
If all your mercs are out on 24–48 hour missions, and they die you’ve wiped your entire team.
Solution: Always keep 1–2 mercs on shorter, safer quests or leave one idle in case a recruit mission appears.
❌ Mistake #2: Overcommitting to Relic or Skill Activation Quests
These quests seem exciting but offer low returns especially late game.
Solution: Only take these if:
- You’re early in progression
- No better quests are available
- A relic quest offers an item you specifically need
❌ Mistake #3: Reviving Weak Mercs
Spending 10–25 rubies to revive a Level 3 Common merc? That’s a loss.
Solution: Reserve revives for:
- Epic/Legendary rarity
- High-level mercs with ruby bonuses
❌ Mistake #4: Ignoring Recruit Quests with < 5 Mercs
Running with fewer than five mercs drastically limits your earning potential.
Solution: Prioritize recruit missions until your team is full and continue taking them occasionally to replace losses.
Example Gameplay Scenarios
Let’s bring it all together with some realistic gameplay examples based on player styles. These will help illustrate how to apply all of the strategies above.
🎮 Active Player: “Log in every 1–2 hours”
- Quest Strategy: Focus on short gold, ruby, and hero soul quests (5–60 minutes)
- Tools: Use alarms/timers to rotate mercs efficiently
- Risk Level: Very low (shorter durations = fewer deaths)
Result: High rewards per hour, but requires dedication.
🌙 Casual / Idle Player: “Log in once or twice a day”
- Quest Strategy: Assign 8–24 hour quests before bed or work
- Priorities: Ruby → Recruit → Gold (in that order)
- Survivability: Use only mercs with extra lives or Epic rarity for 24h+ missions
Result: Low-effort, long-term return with moderate ruby accumulation.
🔄 Midgame Transitioner: “Balancing active and idle play”
- Quest Strategy: Mix of 1-hour and 8-hour quests
- Focus: Use ruby quests to build up resources, replace dead mercs strategically
- Resource Use: Timelapse occasionally for ruby boosts or revive epic mercs when needed
Result: Smooth transition from casual to efficient progression.
Whether you’re playing actively or casually, aligning your Clicker Heroes mercenary missions with your login schedule is one of the best ways to build a sustainable long-term reward strategy.
Conclusion & Key Takeaways
Let’s wrap it up with a recap of everything you need to succeed with clicker heroes mercenary missions.
Top Quest Priorities:
- Ruby Quests: Always worth it
- Recruit Quests: Essential until 5 mercs, and for replacing fallen ones
- Hero Soul/Gold Quests: Conditional, but effective when used right
- Relic/Skill Quests: Niche use only
Smart Strategy Tips:
- Match quest duration to your playstyle (active vs idle)
- Use Timelapse and revival strategically, not impulsively
- Only revive high-value mercs (Epic+, high level, with extra lives)
- Track your returns and adjust your quest selection accordingly
Avoid These Mistakes:
- Don’t send everyone on risky long quests
- Skip low-value quests unless nothing better is available
- Never waste rubies reviving weak mercs
With these strategies in hand, you’ll dominate your idle hero clicker game experience, whether you’re a casual gamer or deep into the mechanics of incremental games like Clicker Heroes.
🚀 Looking to boost overall DPS and zone push faster? Check out our full Clicker Heroes Ascension Guide for advanced post-transcension tips!
