Mercenary Ending Guide — M.E.R.C. Scarf in Casualties: Unknown

What is the Mercenary ending?

Mercenary is the third completion route, triggered when you reach the surface after the standard layer 10 cargo and layer 11 climb while carrying the crafted M.E.R.C. scarf, instead of following the pod into the Bio-pod or Escape lab sequence. Community ending guides checked on 2026-11-10 associate it with the To Be Continued… achievement and an ending card described as CATASTROPHIC FAILURE / UNKNOWN - POTENTIAL ISSUE on Wiki.gg’s ending table. For how it compares to the other branches, read the endings guide first.

What must be true before the run begins?

These gates appear consistently across Miraheze Endings and Wiki.gg Mercenary summaries on 2026-11-10. Exact menu labels should be confirmed in your run setup UI:

Runs that fail any gate may still spawn chip loot at community-reported odds, but the scarf recipe reportedly stays unreadable without an on-time scanner use (see below).

What happens on layer 1?

Community ending steps checked 2026-11-10 describe layer 1 as the setup layer, not the finale:

1. Find the Tech-Ball — Partway down layer 1, a malfunctioning Tech-Ball sits in a small side cave a short distance below your path (distance not verified in official materials).
2. Break it open — Destroying the ball drops the Nano-tech scanner item.
3. Use the scanner before you leave layer 1 — On a valid Mercenary run it teaches the M.E.R.C. scarf recipe and grants 200 INT experience (community-reported number). Using it later, or on an invalid run, reportedly shows “The writing is incomprehensible…” instead.
4. Keep the scanner in main inventory — Community text says it points toward chip sites while stored there (behavior not verified for 1.0 physics changes).

Pair layer-1 prep with the beginner guide if you are rusty on controls or Gravel Lands hazards.

Which chips are required?

On a proper Mercenary seed, community wikis list one guaranteed chip site per layer with these reported identifiers (treat names as community-reported item strings):

Layers 6, 8, 10, and 11 have no chip slot in this table—do not waste time searching there on a guided Mercenary route. Community notes add:

• Normal non-Mercenary runs may still spawn chips at 25% per layer ( not verified ), but without the scanner recipe you cannot craft the scarf.
• The Solar-struck layer modifier that disables chips never appears on Mercenary runs (community-reported).

Carry crafting staples via the crafting recipes hub; the scarf needs a scarf, circuit board, and all six chips with 18 INT requirement (community-reported threshold).

How do you craft and finish?

Community endings documentation checked 2026-11-10 gives this craft-and-surface outline:

1. Craft the M.E.R.C. scarf at a bench once ingredients and INT gate are satisfied.
2. Repeat the shared finale used by other endings: cargo in layer 10, drill pod, layer 11 ascent (layer list).
3. Keep the scarf anywhere in inventory on the surface.
4. Trigger the Mercenary scene instead of boarding the standard extraction pod—community lore summaries quote the subject refusing captors and staying behind (exact dialogue not copied here).

If you die before the surface scene, the run ends as a normal death—not Mercenary. Medical stability on the ascent still matters; see medical guide if you are bleeding during the climb.

What is still unconfirmed for 1.0?

The following details come from community wikis only and were not found on the Steam store page on 2026-11-10. An editor with game access should confirm before treating them as facts:

• Exact cave coordinates of the layer 1 Tech-Ball relative to the drop pod.
• Whether 200 INT from the scanner and 18 INT craft gate match release 1.0 balance.
• Precise surface trigger timing if the scarf sits in a nested bag versus main inventory.
• Any post-1.0 patch that renames chips or moves chip layers.

If your scanner shows gibberish on layer 1, walk back through run toggles (Chipped on, Endless off, prior ending complete) before assuming a bug.

Sources checked

• https://casualtiesunknown.miraheze.org/wiki/Endings (Mercenary section: scanner, chips, craft, surface)
• https://wikily.gg/casualties-unknown/endings/merc (Mercenary run definition)
• https://scavprototype.wiki.gg/wiki/Lore (surface outcome summary)
• https://store.steampowered.com/app/4576490/Casualties_Unknown/ (confirms three characters and layered exploration, not Mercenary steps)

Last checked 2026-11-10 against the sources above, game version 1.0.

Screenshots and trailer frames: official Steam store page and trailers, © Orsoniks / Oro Interactive.