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Learn how to recruit allies in Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. This guide covers capturing soldiers, special conditions for unique characters, and the benefits of different soldier careers.

To progress in Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, you must recruit allies. Enemy soldiers can only be captured if they are first knocked out and then dragged to a truck or cardboard box before they regain consciousness. Once a mission is completed or aborted, these soldiers will be held in prison on the Squad Management screen. After a few in-game days, they will join your unit, a process that speeds up if you have a soldier with the Politician career in your squad.

Special conditions apply for recruiting certain characters. Rescuing a captured soldier will result in immediate recruitment. Unique characters also join immediately if specific conditions are met. The following characters join instantly upon capture or rescue: Jonathan, Para-Medic, Python, Raikov, Sigint, Sokolov, Eva, Venus, Teliko, Gene (EU version only), any soldier rescued during a mission, any soldier acquired via AP Scan, any soldier recruited via password (though only the GAKO soldier and Zero are recommended for password recruitment), and any soldier who joins willingly through Cyber-Survival.

Each soldier has a specific career that affects their abilities and the best unit to assign them to:

• Athlete: Faster movement speed (Infiltration Unit).
• Quarterback: Longer throwing distance (Infiltration Unit).
• Artist: Magazines have no effect (Online Unit).
• Scout: Faster stalking speed (Infiltration Unit).
• Rescuer: Faster dragging speed (Infiltration Unit).
• Gambler: Increases chance of hitting/being hit in weak spots (Cyber-Survival).
• Deliveryman: Can send items back to Campbell's truck (Infiltration Unit).
• Bait: Makes stronger enemies appear more often (Infiltration Unit).
• Stuntman: Quick recovery from knockouts (Online Unit).
• Surveyor: Increases detail on the stage map (Intelligence Unit).
• Spy/Agent: Decreases enemy life by 10% (use with caution as it affects your recruits too) (Intelligence Unit).
• Arms Dealer: Increases chance of finding ammunition (Intelligence Unit).
• Arms Specialist: Increases carried ammunition capacity (Technical Unit).
• Elite Engineer: Very high technical development skills (Technical Unit).
• Engineer: High technical development skills (Technical Unit).
• Chemist: Works on medicine development (Medical Unit).
• Doctor: Increases life recovery speed for your squad (Medical Unit).
• Nutritionist: Increases stamina recovery speed for your squad (Medical Unit).
• Politician: Prisoners become allies more easily (ANY UNIT).

Cyber-Survival mode allows you to use your allies online via a WLAN point. Different rules apply here. After assigning equipment and sending your unit online, check their condition after 12 hours. Analyze battle reports if you lose to identify weaknesses. You may capture enemy soldiers, and some may even join you willingly, sometimes offering a gift like the Stealth Camouflage. However, be cautious, as losing can result in your soldiers being captured.