Of everything that will try to kill you in Kenshi , and trust me, it is a long list, loneliness might be one of them. Traveling this wasteland is brutal, and surviving alone is worse. Ordinary bar recruits are fine for carrying your junk and taking hits to the face, but they have no soul. They are basically a collection of stats in a backpack.
The real magic starts when you find Kenshi's unique recruits, the oddballs scattered across the world who turn your grim survival story into something worth telling.
A List of Unique Recruits in Kenshi
Agnu
- Location: Tower of Abuse, Venge
- Race: Skeleton (Soldierbot)
- Cost: Free, if you can get him out
Agnu is a walking nightmare for your enemies and Beep's best friend. Beep! He is the only recruitable Soldierbot, a genuine tank with 50 Strength at the start. He does not talk; he just… screams. But when he turns a Dust Bandit into red mist, you will understand him without words. Absolutely recruit him if your team needs some serious muscle.
Burn
- Location: Burn's Tower, Floodlands
- Race: Skeleton (Skeleton)
- Cost: Free
A lonely, wise old Skeleton who has watched empires rise and fall. Burn is a great source of lore and a decent fighter from the start. If you want a companion who tells stories about the world's history while you try not to die, choose Burn. Just visit his tower and talk to him.
Sadneil
- Location: Black Desert City
- Race: Skeleton (Skeleton)
- Cost: Free
A deeply depressed Skeleton found in the Stowaway bar. He is free and has wonderfully pessimistic dialogue. If your squad needs more complaining, he is your candidate.
Beep
- Location: Mongrel
- Race: Hive (Worker Drone)
- Cost: Free
No explanation needed. You simply have to recruit Beep. His stats are rubbish, he is obsessed with becoming a great swordsman, and he never stops beeping. For many players, he is the soul of their faction, and for good reason. Go to Mongrel, find him, and protect him with your life. He is the most important unique recruit in all of Kenshi.
Ray
- Location: Eyesocket, Slave Markets
- Race: Hive (Soldier Drone)
- Cost: 1,000 Cats
A mute Soldier Drone found with the slavers. Ray is a strong swordsman who communicates through actions rather than words. Buy his freedom and he becomes your most loyal frontline fighter.
Silvershade
- Location: Waystations or Shark/Mud Town
- Race: Hive (Prince)
- Cost: 3,000 Cats
An exiled Hive Prince with a gambling problem. Silvershade is a decent all-rounder with interesting dialogue about being Hive nobility and throwing it all away. A good choice if you want a balanced fighter with a backstory.
Espher
- Location: Tengu's Vault
- Race: Hive (Southern Hive Worker Drone)
- Cost: Free
The only guaranteed recruitable Southern Hive Worker Drone. You need to break into the infamous Tengu's Vault to get him out, but the unique racial bonuses make it worthwhile. He says little, but simply having him in your squad is impressive.
Stubs Momuso
- Location: Shark or Mud Town
- Race: Human (Scorchlander)
- Cost: 5,000 Cats
An incredibly twitchy, strange fellow who constantly mutters to himself. He lives in his own little world, which is part of his appeal. Stubs adds character to your gang, even if he sometimes makes things uncomfortable.
Miu
- Location: Mud Town or Shark
- Race: Human (Greenlander)
- Cost: Free
A former slave with a terrible fear of spiders. Miu is a good farmer, but her defining feature is screaming whenever spiders are nearby. Given how often that happens in Kenshi, she is practically a living radar.
Pia
- Location: Flotsam Village
- Race: Human (Greenlander)
- Cost: 3,000 Cats
A skilled medic and a very fast runner. Pia is an ideal support character: she patches up your warriors after a fight and quickly escapes trouble. She also enjoys swearing at Holy Nation paladins.
Crumblejon
- Location: Mongrel
- Race: Human (Greenlander)
- Cost: Free
He looks as though he might fall apart at any moment, but do not let his age fool you. Crumblejon is a surprisingly tough old samurai with decent starting combat skills. Another free Mongrel recruit who can hold his own.
Griffin
- Location: Stack or Blister Hill
- Race: Human (Greenlander)
- Cost: 9,000 Cats
A former Holy Nation Sentinel who has seen the light. Griffin is a beast, with excellent stats across the board, especially combat and medicine. Expensive, but worth every Cat.
Reva
- Location: Flotsam Village
- Race: Human (Greenlander)
- Cost: 6,000 Cats
A Flotsam Ninja with a deep hatred of the Holy Nation. Reva is a strong fighter, but there is a catch: she only joins if your main character is a woman. An unusual little roleplaying condition.
Headshot
- Location: Eyesocket or Slave Markets
- Race: Shek
- Cost: 7,500 Cats
If you need someone on turrets, Headshot is one of the best. With his Crossbows and Turrets skills, he can protect your base against almost anything. He is a professional, and charges accordingly.
Ruka
- Location: A bar in Squin
- Race: Shek
- Cost: Free
Ruka is often a beginner's first unique recruit. She is a reliable Shek fighter who wants to prove her strength. An excellent start for any squad that needs a swordswoman.
Kang
- Location: Bars in Squin or Admag
- Race: Shek
- Cost: 6,000 Cats
A classic proud Shek warrior. Kang is a decent swordsman with an inflated ego, always ready to mock an enemy. A good option for an all-Shek gang.
Rane the Giant
- Location: Squin or Admag
- Race: Shek
- Cost: 7,500 Cats
An enormous Shek warrior whose stats justify her nickname. Another excellent recruit if you know how to handle the dialogue. A physically powerful fighter who can become your squad's backbone.
Bo
- Location: Black Scratch
- Race: Human (Scorchlander)
- Cost: Free
An elite Anti-Slaver operative. Bo has sky-high Stealth, Athletics, and Assassination. If you need a ghost who can kidnap an important figure or silently knock out a patrol, she is the one. And she is free if you are on good terms with the Anti-Slavers.
Hamut
- Location: Mud Town, Shark, or any United Cities town
- Race: Human (Greenlander)
- Cost: Free
A former slave who quietly hates his old masters. Hamut is a capable fighter whose past trauma is part of his character. A free recruit shaped by Kenshi's harsh world.
Doctor Chung
- Location: Mud Town or Shark
- Race: Human (Greenlander)
- Cost: Free
As his name suggests, Doctor Chung is a medic. His medical skills make him indispensable for keeping your people alive. All his dialogue concerns treatment and surgery, fitting his role perfectly.
Ells
- Location: Sho-Battai
- Race: Shek
- Cost: 300 Cats
A cheap and effective thief. Ells has good Stealth and Thievery, an excellent find if you want an early criminal career. At 300 Cats, she is a gift. 😉
Hobbs
- Location: The Hub or coastal villages
- Race: Human (Greenlander)
- Cost: Free
A talkative wanderer and master of tall tales. Hobbs is not much of a fighter, but he is free and brings the camp to life with his stories. Easy to find early on.
Bard
- Location: Mongrel or Waystations
- Race: Human (Greenlander)
- Cost: 3,000 Cats
The name says it all. Bard is a musician who can sing about the world's history. Useless in combat, but he adds atmosphere to your travels.
Izumi
- Location: United Cities towns, such as Stoat
- Race: Human (Greenlander)
- Cost: 2,500 Cats
Surprisingly young, but a talented scientist and surgeon. Izumi is an excellent choice if your base needs a medic and researcher. Her skills are worth the money she asks.
Jewel
- Location: United Cities towns or The Hub
- Race: Human (Scorchlander)
- Cost: 6,000 Cats
A brewer with a talent for cooking. With 50 Cooking, Jewel supplies your faction with high-quality food, important for morale and survival.
Chad
- Location: Flats Lagoon
- Race: Human (Scorchlander)
- Cost: 9,000 Cats
A genuine martial arts master. Chad is an elite recruit with excellent unarmed combat, Dodge, and Toughness. If you want to punch your way through the world, he is worth saving for.
Green
- Location: Mud Town or Shark
- Race: Hive (Worker Drone)
- Cost: 2,300 Cats
Do not confuse him with Green Finger. Green is a Hive Drone who is an absolute monster with a crossbow. If you need someone defending a wall, his skills are almost unmatched.
Green Finger
- Location: Fishing Village
- Race: Human (Scorchlander)
- Cost: 2,000 Cats
The ideal man for building and maintaining your outpost. A master of Engineering, Labouring, and Farming. With him, your base goes up quickly and food is plentiful.
Cat
- Location: Dust King Tower
- Race: Human (Scorchlander)
- Cost: Free
Another free recruit available if you attack a serious bandit leader. Cat is a good medic and scientist rescued from the Dust King's clutches. An excellent reward for eliminating the threat.
Horse
- Location: Various places
- Race: Shek
- Cost: 4,500 Cats
A tough, reliable recruit. Horse has balanced stats, fits into any squad, and can plug any gap in your defenses. And no, none of the treasure he talks about actually exists!
Infinite Wingwang
- Location: Mongrel
- Race: Human (Greenlander)
- Cost: 5,000 to 100,000 Cats
A high-level fighter with a ridiculous name and an even more ridiculous price… sometimes. You can bargain with him, but his combat skills really do justify a high fee. A true Mongrel legend.
Ridly
- Location: Bars in United Cities towns and villages
- Race: Human (Greenlander)
- Cost: Free
An adventurer hiding out in a bar after a clash with bandits. An all-round fighter with average stats: she can fight, operate turrets, shoot accurately, and provide field medicine.
To recruit her, speak to her without a squad. With a squad of 3 or more, the dialogue branch about loners in these lands does not appear. If it still fails to appear, find her in another United Cities town or wait until she moves.
Cornelius
- Location: Settled Nomads village, Dreg
- Race: Goat (animal)
- Cost: 14,000 Cats, or 7,000 if you can bargain
Yes, you can recruit a goat. Cornelius is the only unique animal recruit. His stats are better than an ordinary goat's, and he is surprisingly good for… well, a goat. A great pack animal and an example of how strange this game can be.
Unique Recruit Tier List
Not every unique recruit is equally useful. Some can carry an entire playthrough; others only excel at specific jobs. This list shows who stands out.
S Tier: Wasteland Legends
These characters can change your game. They provide enormous power, utility, or simply an unforgettable experience.
- Beep: First place, no question. His stats are rubbish when you find him. In practice, he is your squad's heart. His journey from weakling to master swordsman, with plenty of funny dialogue, is one of the game's best features. His value lies in the story, not the numbers. Easily the most important unique recruit.
- Agnu: A free Soldierbot is an incredible reward for a rescue mission. Agnu is a killing machine with 50 starting Strength. He is the best bodyguard for Beep and can scatter crowds of midgame enemies single-handedly. Getting him out of the Tower of Abuse is difficult, but worth it.
- Griffin: The most expensive recruit on the list, and for good reason. As a former Holy Nation soldier, he has excellent combat stats and is also a great medic. He can smash faces and patch up allies. About the best money can buy.
- Burn: An ideal choice for a beginner. A free Skeleton who needs no food and lives in a safe tower. He has good combat skills and tells the best stories about the world's past.
- Bo: If you like stealth, theft, and assassination, Bo has no equal. She is an elite fighter with sky-high skills from the moment she joins. She can steal anything and kidnap anyone. And she is free if you are on the right side.
A Tier: Elite Specialists
These characters are masters of their trade. They may not be as versatile as S-tier recruits, but they are the best in their fields.
- Headshot: The name says it all. If you are building a base, you need wall guards. Headshot excels with turrets and crossbows. Put him on the wall and forget about raids.
- Chad: The king of fistfights. An elite martial artist. If you want an unarmed squad, he is the perfect foundation.
- Doctor Chung: Survival often depends on how quickly you get patched up. A free, highly skilled medic. Find him in the Swamp and your healing problems disappear.
- Green Finger: For players building an empire. A master of Farming and Engineering. With him, your base goes up faster and food is plentiful.
- Ruka: Usually found early in Squin. A free Shek warrior who helps you survive your first fights and becomes the backbone of your army.
B Tier: Reliable Workers
These characters keep Kenshi running. Good additions to any squad, worth their cost or the effort of finding them.
- Rane the Giant: A powerful Shek warrior who fully lives up to her name. An excellent frontline fighter.
- Pia: A great support character. Her speed makes her a good scout, and her medical skills help everyone survive. Very useful.
- Hamut: A free, angry fighter with a good backstory about hating slavery. Useful for adding muscle to the squad.
- Cat: A free medic and scientist. Fills two important base roles immediately after his rescue.
- Green, the Drone: A cheap alternative to Headshot. Excellent shooting for very little money.
- Jewel: Good food might seem like a luxury, but it is a lifesaver for a large faction. Your people stay fed and benefit from food-related stat boosts.
- Infinite Wingwang: Could be S tier, but his price is unpredictable. Recruit him cheaply and he is excellent. If he wants 100,000, forget it.
- Kang: A classic Shek. A reliable swordsman for a fair price.
C Tier: Characters for Atmosphere
You recruit these characters for a specific purpose, their personality, or simply roleplaying. They will not be your squad's stars, but they make the world feel more alive.
- Sadneil: A free Skeleton is always welcome, but his main appeal is his depressive humor. He makes the base more entertaining.
- Ells: At 300 Cats, an excellent early thief. Helps build your starting funds through stealing.
- Miu: A decent farmer and a living spider alarm.
- Bard: Worthless in combat, but having a musician in the squad is stylish. Adds atmosphere on the road.
- Hobbs: A free pair of hands. Weak in combat, but his stories entertain, and he can always haul stone.
- Stubs Momuso: You recruit him simply because he is funny and awkward.
- Silvershade: The gambling prince backstory is great, but his stats are average for his price.
- Reva: A strong fighter, but her female-leader condition makes her too situational.
- Izumi: A good medic, but Doctor Chung and Cat are free and better.
F Tier: Purely for the Memes
A special guest. You recruit him because you can, rather than for strength.
- Cornelius: You can recruit a goat. This is peak Kenshi trolling. His stats are slightly better than normal, he can carry things, but the main point is that you travel with a unique goat.
Why Unique Characters Are One of Kenshi's Best Features
In many RPGs, companions are simply tools. In Kenshi, they are fellow sufferers. The unique recruit system works so well because it makes you explore the world. You cannot just visit a Companion Shop and buy the best ones. You have to find them. Rescuing Agnu from the Tower of Abuse is a quest in itself, but walking out with a combat monster who cost only blood and sweat feels like a reward you earned.
That is the appeal of recruitment in Kenshi. Getting a character involves exploration and risk. Want the best fistfighter? Head to Flats Lagoon. Need an elite assassin for free? Learn to befriend the Anti-Slavers.
Unique recruits add variety to your squad, but before searching the world for them, it is worth understanding the basics of team management and skill training.
And it is about more than stats. Honestly, Beep is useless when you find him. But training him, listening to his nonsense, and watching him become a warrior is one of the most satisfying things in the game, despite the endless beeping.
Your Questions, My Answers
Do recruits respawn in Kenshi?
- Unique recruits: No, they do not return during a normal playthrough. Dead means dead. The only way to bring one back is to import your save with Import Dead NPCs unchecked. This resets the world and resurrects all unique characters.
- Ordinary recruits: No, they do not respawn either. Hire every generic recruit in a bar and it stays empty. You need to visit other towns or import the game.
How do I recruit more people?
There are several options:
- Free prisoners: Some characters, such as Agnu and Cat, are behind bars. Free them and they join you.
- Recruit in bars: The simplest method. Towns and Waystations have plenty of people willing to follow you for 1,000-9,000 Cats.
- Find unique recruits: Visit the locations in my list. Many join for free if you choose the right dialogue or venture somewhere dangerous.
- Free slaves: Rescue a slave from a cage or buy their freedom, and they may join your squad out of gratitude. A free recruit, although their stats are usually close to zero, much like your chances.
Can I recruit Lost Drones?
In the vanilla game, this is rare and confusing. Dialogue often bugs out. People say they may visit your base if you have Drones in your squad, but that is uncertain. If you want guaranteed recruitment, install Recruitable Lost Drone.
What is the maximum squad size?
Kenshi has two limits. The soft limit is 30 characters in one squad, the number of portraits that fit along the bottom of the interface. The hard limit for your entire faction, with mods, is 256 characters. You can create several squads and control an entire crowd.
I reached Burn's Tower, but he is not there?
This can happen if the world glitches or someone passing by, such as a bandit gang, kills him. The easiest fix is to import your save. Make sure Import Dead NPCs is unchecked. This resets unique characters to their locations, and Burn reappears in his tower.
Can I recruit Eyegore?
No, Eyegore cannot be recruited in unmodded Kenshi. He is one of the United Cities' main bosses, designed to be your enemy rather than your friend. Only mods let you add him to your team.
Can I recruit the Dancing Skeleton in the Floodlands?
Although unique, he is simply an atmospheric character. You cannot recruit him. He is a local curiosity highlighting the place's strangeness, with no dialogue or recruitment options.
Are there mods that add new unique recruits?
Yes, plenty. If you have already collected all 44 original characters and want more, the Steam Workshop has plenty of mods adding new companions and voice acting. Mods such as Recruitable Prisoners let you capture and recruit almost anyone, while Interesting Recruits adds more named characters to bars across the map.
