Looking to keep your coffers full while building your mercenary legacy in Wartales? Becoming a smooth operator in the world of prisoner capturing and bounty hunting is one of the most efficient—and often overlooked—ways to make money and acquire potential recruits. Whether you’re just starting out or already a couple months into your campaign, this guide will show you exactly how to maximize profits from the prison system, reduce your suspicion level, and possibly even expand your team with unique companions.

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Why Capturing Enemies Is Worth Your Time

Capturing enemies and turning them in every few in-game days can generate a steady stream of crowns. It’s more than just a side hustle—it’s a viable primary income source if you lean into it. Beyond the gold, you also gain flexibility through additional carrying capacity and the option to temporarily use captured units for various professions before handing them over.

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Step 1: Set Up at the Jail

Start your operation by heading to one of the prisons, such as the Tiltren Jail, located conveniently near Stromkapp. Speak with the prison guard, Odelart, who will sell you Chains for capturing humans and Ropes for capturing animals. Purchase at least three chains (more if you can afford them) to ensure you’re ready for multiple captures.

Optional but helpful: buy the Stocks blueprint from the same vendor. This camp item prevents prisoner escapes during rest and gives you a bit more breathing room before heading back to jail.

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Step 2: Hunt Outlaws, Bandits, and Deserters

Once equipped, head into the woods or roam near the edges of the region—these areas are typically where enemy groups appear. Use the map icons to spot likely targets: chains for prisoner-capturable units, or hooded heads for bandit types like poachers and marauders.

Don’t kill the whole squad. Your goal is to whittle the enemy group down and isolate at least three units for capture. Make sure their health is low before attempting capture, as lower HP increases your success rate significantly.

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Step 3: Capture Mechanics and Strategy

Here’s how to lock in your prisoners:

• Use the Knockout action while an enemy is engaged in melee combat with one of your units. This becomes available when you’re positioned behind the enemy.
• Aim to reduce their HP to around 10% or less. An 83% or higher success rate is ideal. You can retry on a failed capture without wasting the chain.
• Manage positioning and engagement carefully—avoid using high-damage skills that might accidentally kill the target.

Capturing three enemies per encounter is a good goal. Once captured, they’ll be part of your squad until turned in.

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Step 4: Managing Captured Prisoners

Back at your camp, use the Stocks to prevent escapes. Prisoners can also be checked for their traits—if any are appealing, consider keeping them. Over time, they may become neutral and eligible for recruitment.

Prisoners come with benefits:

• Carrying Capacity: Each one adds to your inventory limit.
• Profession Utility: Temporarily assign them to roles like Miner, Fisher, or Cook to cover for missing professions in your main squad. For example, have a prisoner mine iron while you’re traveling back to the jail.

Just don’t get too attached—if you’re planning to turn them in, it’s best to view them as disposable assets.

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Step 5: Turn Them In and Profit

Return to the jail and talk to Odelart to turn in your prisoners. You’ll earn crowns for each one—rewards vary based on the prisoner’s level and type, but a haul of three can net you over 250 crowns.

Important tips:

• Prison Capacity: The jail holds a max of three prisoners at a time. If full, wait two to three in-game days for it to refresh.
• Suspicion Meter: Turning in prisoners also reduces your suspicion by 20, which is handy if you’re being hunted.

Keep cycling this system, resting a few days between runs, and you’ll build a financial backbone for your mercenary company.

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Should You Recruit Instead?

Captured enemies can sometimes be kept and recruited, but it’s a trade-off. You lose the bounty reward and the suspicion-clearing benefit. However, if a prisoner has excellent traits and fills a missing combat or profession niche, they might be worth keeping. Feed them, manage their morale, and eventually, they may join willingly.

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Final Thoughts: Bounty Hunting as a Lifestyle

Mastering the capture and prison system in Wartales gives you more than just extra gold—it opens up new strategies, boosts your team’s flexibility, and helps manage your suspicion level. Whether you’re operating as a righteous enforcer or a morally grey opportunist, capturing enemies is one of the smoothest criminal side hustles in the game.

So stock up on chains, scout your targets, and start building that crown count. Happy hunting!