Overview
A quick guide to defending yourself against those pesky German mercenaries.
Identifying Jäger
Jäger Troops are German Mercenaries hired by both sides during the American Revolution. They are among the toughest enemies in the game, but once you know how, defeating them is easy.
There are only two reasons you should be encountering Jäger:
1) You are liberating a fort: If this is the case, there will only be one Jäger, and he should be marked as the fort captain.
2) You have raised your notoriety to level three: At this point, Jager will begin to spawn randomly, and this is where things get tricky.
There are two types of Jäger, but aside from appearance, they are exactly the same: They’re both skilled swordsmen, they both have guns, and they both have the potential to ruin your day.
The first type of Jäger is the British one.
These guys will appear in all British-Held areas and forts. Until you finish the game, this will be the main type of Jäger you encounter.
The second type is the Continental Jäger. (Also Pictured)
These Jäger appear once you start to liberate areas and forts for the Continental Army.
Jäger are fairly easy to spot, as their uniforms differ significantly from those worn by either the British or the Americans
Next up: Fighting Jäger Troops
Fighting Jäger Troops
This guide assumes that you have a basic knowledge of blocking, countering, disarming, etc.
If this is not the case, (It should be, I don’t know how you progress far enough into the game to encounter Jäger without these skills) then you’d best play the tutorial a few more times.
So, without further ado, let’s move on to combat.
Jäger are able to block nearly all conventional attacks. Wildy flailing at them with your sword or tomahawk is going to get you killed quicker than you can say “Elite German Mercenaries”. They can take a lot of punishment from ranged weapons, so using your bow or pistol is not advisable. Lastly, they are completely immune to killstreaks, so don’t both trying to chain them with weaker enemies.
The trick is to let the Jäger come to you.
Now, the basic counter (Left Mouse Button on PC) will NOT work against Jäger. If you try it, expect to take some damage and lose face (Or lose your actual face, depending on how much health you have). Throws are also ineffective against Jäger, and as such you are left with three options:
1) Run like hell: If there are too many Jäger, or you don’t feel confident about fighting them, get out of there. Be advised, though: Jäger are very agile, and will pursue you across rooftops. They are also much faster than normal troops, and are able to catch you, even if you are running at full speed.
2) Disarming: This is your best option. To disarm, press E when the Jäger attacks, and then press the ‘Break Defense’ button. (Spacebar on PC) Disarming a Jäger opens him up to standard attacks, so once that sword is out of his hand, feel free to hack away at his neck with that shiny axe of yours. Again, be warned that Jäger will grab the closest weapon once they recover from being disarmed, so be sure to capitalise on your advantage quickly. If you really want to add insult to injury, select your fists as a weapon and disarm a Jäger to steal his sword. There’s nothing like being stabbed in the throat with your own weapon.
3) Secondary Weapon Counters: This method is often an instant kill, but will gobble up your resources very quickly, so use it sparingly. By pressing Q, you can counter the Jäger’s attack with whatever secondary weapon you have equipped, whether it be the pistol, bow, or one of the many other possible choices. If you are fighting a large group of enemies, use the smoke bomb to put them all off guard, and quickly take care of the Jäger while everyone is choking. The trip mine also works well in this situation, but be sure to step back, lest you be caught in the blast.
Of course, nothing beats the rope dart. While it may be cheap, pulling an enemy onto the ground and then stomping on their head is extremely satisfying. As long as you don’t use it as a counter move, you won’t lose any resources.
Also bear in mind: Jäger can and will use pistols against you. Not only are they accurate shots, but they can pull out and fire their weapons much faster than any other unit. Be sure to get out of the way, or grab a human shield. Jäger will also jump on horses if there are any nearby, so be aware of your surroundings when fighting.
Sometimes a situation that I like to call a “Jäger Loop” arises. This means that there is not enough time after disarming one Jäger to kill him before another one attacks. This can be solved by using options 1 or 3. I have found that moving near a wall or a fence often results in an instant kill if an enemy is disarmed.
Last of all, don’t be afraid to call for help. We get by with a little help from our friends, so don’t be afraid to call assassin recruits to back you up. They might not be able to take the Jäger on if they’re at a lower level, but they can provide a useful distraction for you to deliver the killing blow.
Conclusion
Jäger are some of the toughest enemies in the game, and will test your combat abilities greatly.
However, if you can take down a Jäger, you can take down anyone.
I hope this guide has been helpful, if you have any questions or comments feel free to post them.
Good luck, my friends.