Stephen

CONTRACT

HIRING COST : $17,000
EQUIPMENT COSTS : $5,900
TOTAL COSTS : $22,900

STARTING GEAR

GEAR	IMAGE
P90 SMG
5.72x28mm x50
C4 with remote control
Jacket
Trousers - black
Coreplayer

ATTRIBUTES

SKILLS

TRAITS

Submachine gun : Skilled at using machine guns

Pathfinder : Increased traveling speed on World Map

Strengths/Weaknesses

Stephen is a stealth merc, no question. He's not dressed for it at all when he arrives in Arulco, but his high ratings in stealth, perception, dexterity, and marksmanship make him well-suited for taking out the opposition quickly and quietly.

The SMG trait helps, too, because most SMGs can be silenced and because Stephen actually starts with a P90, one of the better pieces of gear in the game. You'll definitely want to send him out with a medic close at a hand.

Someone with a high mechanical rating will be helpful, too; Stephen's abilities with explosives may allow him to blow holes in walls, but that's not a very stealthy thing to do.

Tactic s

Stephen starts out as a solid stealthy shooter, and he's only going to improve as you give him more targets to shoot. The most critical thing to keep in mind early on is ammo.

The P90's 5.72x28mm ammo isn't nearly as common as 9mm Parabellum or .357 Magnum. As soon as you decide to hire Stephen, put in an order for some more of his ammo. You should also grab him a silencer and some grenades/C4 while you're at it.

Long-Term Play

Develop Stephen's skills in the areas that will boost his existing strengths the most, rather than trying to turn him into a more multi-purpose merc than he already is. From the start, Stephen is pretty effective with guns and explosives, and he's also good at staying out of sight.

What you boost first depends largely on how you intend to use him. Stealth might be higher to start with than explosives, but if you're going to use Stephen more frequently for covert ops, then work on that.

Also be sure to keep plugging points into dexterity, which influences both aiming and explosives checks, and marksmanship.

The in-game description suggests that Stephen makes a good leader, and it's not wrong. With that 94 in intelligence, you'll find that he develops at a much faster rate than the other mercs.