Good Timezone, dear reader. Daemon X Machina is a game about battling robots with more robots. It is great.

As fighting robots with robots is a pretty tiresome work, you can acquire people to help you during the game, a technique called recruitment. (Also necessary for certain achievements and designs if you are into that) You are basically paying for mercenary helpers and, for recruiting others, you might need certain allies.

As I have not found any official listings around, but a lot of fragments here and there so I decided to make one. So here goes my effort in trying to make a condensate on how to get recruits into one easy-ish to read text.

Honestly, by the end of the main campaign at least half of them will be on your side. I will still give their requirements just for completion’s sake.

Because this game tends to keep you mostly in the dark and explains only the minimum necessary, I’ll start with this one hidden stat: Friendship. It is not indispensable for everyone, but it is frequent enough to require more explanation.

Like in all good friendships it increases in a random number between 1 and 20 (25 according to some sources) per mission you meet with a character, with a maximum of 100 total points per individual character. How to increase it? By finishing a mission with them as free allies (Usually gaining less points) or winning against them as invaders (Usually a higher number of points. For some reason) during free missions. Offer missions give less points if any. There is no way as far as I know to know how high is your friendship, so try to find missions where they invade frequently to increase it.

So, if you are lucky, once you have finished the main story mode, you will probably not need to fight the main guys that much. Some others will be a pain in the butt.

Some characters, particularly from Panzer Crown and Immortal Innocence, require you to have a certain level of friendship in total with the faction. This means that the friendship you have with all members of the faction adds up, including the character you are trying to recruit. So if, for example, you need 120, your friendship with a character is 100 and you decided to not interact with the rest of the faction, your friendship total will at most be 100 and won’t be able to recruit said character until the rest add up to at least 20.

Free allies: Before some missions some recruits will join you for free and/or you can pay for some others to join. This is necessary for you to gain friendship and, in some cases, it is indispensable for some recruitments. Who is chosen per mission is not completely random, as some missions get certain free allies easier and more frequently than others.

Invasion: On the same note, certain missions might get an invader at the end of it as long as is not the first time you play it and win that mission.
An invader is just a mercenary that goes there alone to kick your ass. Some of them won’t invade before you finish the main campaign. The chance of getting an invasion and who invades which map is not completely random, as a pool of mercenaries may invade some maps and not others, plus they have an invasion rate that changes depending on other conditions, like if you finished the game or not or if you have attained certain Class. Of course, an arsenal you currently have recruited can’t invade at the same time.

For most characters, and unless otherwise specified on the list, once you complete the rest of their recruitment conditions, the last step you need to recruit a character is to defeat them as invaders. If a character recruitment condition writes “None”, you only need to defeat them when they invade.

Other point: The missions with the highest rate to find a certain character as invader or free ally are in bold. Although there are percents of invasion chance and other calculations per map, I am not adding them for simplicity’s sake. If there are no marked missions, all of them have about the same rate.

Now, let's get ready to rumble!

They have the largest number of members, but most of them will probably be by your side before you fight the final boss.

+ B.G. or Brigadier General
Recruitment conditions:
Finished main campaign.
Friendship 50
Have fought with him as a free ally at least twice

Can be found as free ally in:
Free missions A: Rusty Nail, Dreamer, Drifter, Inferno

Can be found as invader in:
Free missions E: Lightning Strike, Night Crawler
Free missions D: Fire Power
Free missions C: Red Wall, Cracked Sky


+ Crimson Lord
Recruitment conditions:
Have all the secondary missions done in Blue Moon (Offer A)
Have at least 60 total missions completed (Includes repeated missions)
Finished main campaign
Friendship 50

Can be found as free ally in:
Free A: Rusty Nail, Dreamer, Drifter, Inferno
Free B: Blue Moon, Tornado Slash

Can be found as invader in:
Free A: White Drop
Free B: Holy Arrow


+ Bone Box
Recruitment conditions:
- Complete Planet Caravan (Offer C)

Can be found as free ally in:
Free A: Dreamer, Drifter
Free B: Blue Moon, Holy Arrow
Free C: Red Wall

Can be found as invader in:
Free B: Bloody Fang
Free C: Cracked Sky


+ Painkiller
Recruitment conditions: Joins automatically after completing True Belief (Offer D)

Can be found as free ally in:
Free B: Tornado Slash
Free C: Desert Snow
Free D: Nine Ball

Can be found as invader in:
Free D: Hat Trick


+Falcon
Recruitment conditions:
Complete Grand Wall (Free D) with him as a partner.

Can be found as free ally in:
Free C: Stained Field, Leopard Behind
Free D: Wasteland Wolf, Grand Wall, Hat Trick

Can be found as invader in:
None


+ Johnny G
Recruitment conditions: Joins automatically after Public Enemy (Offer E)

Can be found as free ally in:
Free D: Fire Power, Nine Ball, Elegant Hawk

Can be found as invader in:
None


+ Drake
Recruitment conditions:
Friendship 50

Can be found as free ally in:
Free C: Stained Field, Leopard Behind, Red Wall
Free D: Wasteland Wolf, Grand Wall, Nine Ball

Can be found as invader in:
Free C: Desert Snow
Free D: Hat Trick


+ Bishop
Recruitment conditions:
Friendship 50

Can be found as free ally in:
Free B: Blue Moon
Free C: Stained Field
Free D: Nine Ball, Elegant Hawk

Can be found as invader in:
Free C: Desert Snow
Free D: Hat Trick


+ Artist
Recruitment conditions:
Have at least 10 scanned graffities
Complete Siege of Power (Offer C)
Complete a Free mission where he is a partner.

Can be found as free ally in:
Free B: Ignorant Queen, Tornado Slash
Free C: Desert Snow, Cracked Sky

Can be found as invader in:
Free C: Stained Field, Red Wall


+ Diablo
Recruitment conditions:
Complete Hallowed Land (Offer C) including the secondary objectives
Complete Shadow Kings (Offer C)
Friendship with Bulletworks: at least 650
Complete a free mission where he is a free partner or defeat him when he is an invader.

Can be found as free ally in:
Free A: Drifter, Inferno
Free B: Holy Arrow
Free C: Red Wall

Can be found as invader in:
Free A: White Drop
Free C: Cracked Sky

As much as I am not a fan of them, I can admit they are powerful allies. The weird relationship between them gives weird vibes though.


+ Grief
Recruitment conditions:
Have at least 80 total objectives completed (includes main missions and secondary) (Includes repeated missions)
Friendship 50

Can be found as free ally in:
None

Invader in the following missions:
Free B: Blue Moon, Ignorant Queen
Free D: Fire Power
Free E: Lightning Strike

Special notes: As long as he is kicking and has not been knocked down at least once, you gain extra health for the current mission. Useful for a lot of extra missions. Also, he eats his resistance like a madman, so if the map has no floors you will lose him very quickly.


+ Regret
Recruitment conditions:
Friendship 100

Can be found as free ally in:
Free A: Rusty Nail, Dreamer, Drifter, Inferno
Free B: Tornado Slash

Invader in the following missions:
Free C: Desert Snow, Stained Field
Free D: Fire Power
Free E: Night Crawler

 
+ Gloom
Recruitment conditions:
Friendship 100

Can be found as free ally in:
Free A: Rusty Nail, Dreamer, Drifter, Inferno
Free B: Tornado Slash

Invader in the following missions:
Free D: Wasteland Wolf, Hat Trick
Free E: Lightning Strike, Night Crawler

Probably the best characters and with most varied personalities and tactics, the Western VII will have always a space in your extra missions team.


+ Reaper
Recruitment conditions:
Friendship 50
Fight with him as a free ally
Fight him as an invader

Can be found as free ally in:
Free A: Rusty Nail, Drifter, Inferno
Free B: Tornado Slash, Bloody Fang

Invader in the following missions:
Free A: White Drop
Free B: Holy Arrow

 
+ Nameless
Recruitment conditions:
Finish Planet Caravan (Offer C)

Can be found as free ally in:
Free A: Rusty Nail, Dreamer
Free B: Ignorant Queen
Free C: Red Wall
Free D: Elegant Hawk

Invader in the following missions:
Free B: Blue Moon
Free C: Cracked Sky 


+ Gargantua
Recruitment conditions:
Friendship 50

Can be found as free ally in:
Free B: Ignorant Queen
Free C: Desert Snow, Leopard Behind
Free D: Hat Trick, Elegant Hawk

Invader in the following missions:
Free C: Stained Field, Red Wall, Desert Snow
 
Special note: His Splendor piece is infinite, offering infinite healing during a mission, making him, in my opinion, the best support for extra missions.


+ Rogue Cinderella
Recruitment conditions:
None

Can be found as free ally in:
Free A: White Drop
Free B: Blue Moon
Free C: Stained Field, Cracked Sky
Free D: Nine Ball

Invader in the following missions:
Free C: Red Wall
Free D: Hat Trick
 

+ Klondike
Recruitment conditions:
Recruited Red Dog
Friendship 50
Beat him as an invader while Red Dog is a partner

Can be found as free ally in:
Free A: Rusty Nail, White Drop
Free B: Tornado Slash
Free C: Leopard Behind, Red Wall
Free D: Elegant Hawk

Invader in the following missions:
Free B: Blue Moon
Free C: Cracked Sky


+ Red Dog
Recruitment conditions:
Complete Take the Time (Offer B)
Friendship 50
Complete a mission with him as a partner or defeat him as an invader

Can be found as free ally in:
Free B: Tornado Slash
Free C: Desert Snow, Leopard Behind, Red Wall, Cracked Sky

Invader in the following missions:
Free B: Ignorant Queen
Free C: Stained Field
 

+ Sif
Recruitment conditions:
None

Can be found as free ally in:
Free C: Stained Field, Red Wall, Cracked Sky
Free D: Nine Ball

Invader in the following missions:
Free C: Desert Snow
Free D: Hat Trick

Specialized in giving a headache via status effects, this damsels will never take a no for an answer. They are pretty hard to recruit, mostly because it all comes down to chance and the whole group liking you. Oh no! it is like Highschool again!


+ Guns Empress
Recruitment conditions:
Complete a mission with her as a partner

Can be found as free ally in:
Free A: Dreamer, Drifter, Inferno
Free B: Ignorant Queen, Holy Arrow

Invader in the following missions:
Free B: Blue Moon, Bloody Fang 


+ Rose Queen
Recruitment conditions:
- Total friendship with Panzer Crown: At least 150
- Complete a mission when she’s a partner or defeat her as an invader

Can be found as free ally in:
Free A: White Drop
Free B: Bloody Fang
Free C: Stained Field, Cracked Sky

Invader in the following missions:
Free B: Ignorant Queen
Free C: Desert Snow
 

+ Crown Princess
Recruitment conditions:
- Friendship 50
- Complete mission and side mission of Beyond a Pole (Offer D)

Can be found as free ally in:
Free A: White Drop
Free B: Bloody Fang
Free C: Desert Snow, Stained Field, Leopard Behind
Free D: Grand Wall, Nine Ball

Invader in the following missions:
Free C: Red Wall
Free D: Hat Trick

It is amazing how difficult to like are this people. You know you have a problem when the best person and the only one you want to chill with is the Butler.


+ Savior
Recruitment conditions:
Complete Take the Time and secondary objectives (Offer B)
Partner with him in a free mission

Can be found as free ally in:
Free A: Rusty Nail, White Drop, Dreamer, Inferno
Free B: Blue Moon, Tornado Slash

Invader in the following missions:
Free B: Ignorant Queen, Holy Arrow
 

+ Nemesis
Recruitment conditions:
Finish main campaign
Partner with her in a free mission

Can be found as free ally in:
Free A: Rusty Nail, Dreamer, Drifter
Free B: Ignorant Queen, Holy Arrow

Invader in the following missions:
Free A: White Drop
Free B: Bloody Fang


+ Abyss
Recruitment conditions:
Friendship with Savior: 60*
Complete Take the Time and secondary objectives (Offer B)
Partner with Savior in a free mission where she invades*

Can be found as free ally in:
Free A: White Drop
Free B: Ignorant Queen, Holy Arrow
Free D: Nine Ball, Elegant Hawk

Invader in the following missions:
Free C: Desert Snow, Stained Field 

Special notes: Some texts assure that you could either have the 60 friendship and fight her to recruit her or just partner with Savior and fight her to get the same results. I could not recruit her until I partnered with Savior to kick her ass even if having what I calculate was around 80-100 friendship with Savior and her so I am writing both.


+Heaven
Recruitment conditions:
Friendship with Savior: 60
Complete Take the Time and secondary objectives (Offer B)
Partner with her in a free mission

Can be found as free ally in:
Free A: White Drop
Free B: Ignorant Queen, Holy Arrow
Free C: Desert Snow
Free D: Hat Trick, Elegant Hawk

Invader in the following missions:
Free C: Stained Field, Red Wall
 

+ Knight
Recruitment conditions:
Complete Take the Time and secondary objectives (Offer B)

Can be found as free ally in:
Free A: White Drop, Drifter
Free B: Blue Moon, Holy Arrow

Invader in the following missions:
Free B: Ignorant Queen, Bloody Fang.

Probably the first group you will complete. Mainly because there are 2 of them. They are a pain in the ass to recruit though.


+ Deva
Recruitment conditions:
Complete Divine Death (Offer B)
Fight Deva as an invader with Zoa as a partner.

Can be found as free ally in:
Free B: Ignorant Queen, Bloody Fang
Free C: Leopard Behind, Cracked Sky
Free D: Elegant Hawk

Invader in the following missions:
Free B: Blue Moon, Holy Arrow


+ Zoa
Recruitment conditions:
Complete Through the Never (Offer C)*
Complete Desert Snow (Free C) with him as a partner*

Can be found as free ally in:
Free A: Inferno
Free B: Ignorant Queen, Tornado Slash
Free C: Desert Snow, Leopard Behind

Invader in the following missions:
Free A: White Drop
Free C: Red Wall

Special notes: Although guides insist it could be one or the other recruitment condition, I completed Through the Never multiple times with no results, so I am writing both. It might require friendship but as far as I know it doesn’t.

Pretty much a deutaragonist group in the campaign and by far the most likeable, they fight fast, they fight dirty and they fight not a lot as their HP is lower than billionaires' taxes.


+ Crow
Recruitment conditions:
Friendship with Immortal Innocence: 250

Can be found as free ally in:
Free A: Rusty Nail, Dreamer
Free B: Blue Moon, Bloody Fang
Free D: Hat Trick

Invader in the following missions:
Free B: Ignorant Queen, Holy Arrow.


+ Notes
Recruitment conditions:
Friendship with Immortal Innocence: 200
Complete Planet Caravan (Offer C)
Partner with him in a free mission or complete Amazing Rain (Offer B)

Can be found as free ally in:
Free C: Desert Snow, Red Wall
Free D: Nine Ball, Elegant Hawk

Invader in the following missions:
Free C: Stained Field, Cracked Sky


+ Jack
Recruitment conditions:
Friendship with Immortal Innocence: 250
Complete Strike Nova (Offer B)
Partner with him in a free mission

Can be found as free ally in:
Free A: Drifter, Inferno
Free B: Blue Moon, Tornado Slash, Bloody Fang, Holy Arrow

Invader in the following missions:
Free B: Ignorant Queen
Free C: Cracked Sky
 

+ Rigid
Recruitment conditions:
None

Can be found as free ally in:
Free B: Ignorant Queen
Free C: Stained Field, Cracked Sky
Free D: Hat Trick

Invader in the following missions:
Free B: Blue Moon, Bloody Fang


+ Chill
Recruitment conditions:
Complete Wasteland Wolf (Free D) with her as a partner

Can be found as free ally in:
Free C: Desert Snow
Free D: Fire Power, Wasteland Wolf, Grand Wall, Hat Trick

Invader in the following missions:
None

Just Solomon.


+ Solomon
Recruitment conditions:
Finished the main campaign
Recruit everyone else

Can be found as free ally in:
None

Invader in the following missions:
Free A: White Drop
Free B: Bloody Fang, Holy Arrow
Free D: Fire Power
Free E: Lightning Strike, Night Crawler