JA2 - The BSE Test¶

What is the BSE Test?¶

The BSE Test is the process by which you create your own AE (Alter Ego) in Jagged Alliance 2. In other words, you design a mercenary that you personally embody in the game. You can freely choose their name, nickname, gender, attributes, appearance, and more.

This Alter Ego costs nothing during the campaign except for a one-time fee of $3,000.

To create your AE, you must first read the BSE email at the start of the game. This adds the BSE homepage to your bookmarks. From there, you can visit the BSE site, but before beginning the creation process you must enter the password "xep624". Once entered, you can start building your mercenary.

Name, Nickname, Gender¶

The choice of name or nickname for your Alter Ego (AE) is entirely up to you and does not affect the character's stats.

Selecting a gender influences the appearance of your AE ;-) and slightly changes the questions in the Personality Test, though the results of your answers remain the same.

The Personality Test¶

The following table shows how your answers in the Personality Test affect your Alter Ego (AE). Some answers have no impact, while others determine the mercenary's behavior and skills (see Behavior and Skills).

To obtain your desired skills, simply select the corresponding answers from the table and avoid, if possible, answers that would add unwanted skills. This is because JA2 randomly chooses from the pool of skills generated by your answers.
Example : If your answers result in Night Ops (3x), Stealthy (1x), and Auto Weapons (2x), the chances are higher of receiving Night Ops and Auto Weapons than Night Ops and Stealthy, or Auto Weapons and Stealthy.

Choose skills carefully, as they can make the game easier or harder.

If you select Lock picking and Electronics, you might feel more suited to opening a repair shop than heading into battle.
If you select Night Ops (Expert), the game becomes significantly easier if you fight only at night (which is recommended). With this skill, you can see farther in the dark than enemies, and with two silenced SMGs, UV goggles, and a listening device, you become a deadly force at night.
Combinations such as Auto Weapons + Night Ops or Agility + Night Ops are also strong choices.
Players who prefer heavy use of automatic weapons should consider choosing Auto Weapons (Expert).

Personality Test – Answer Effects¶

Question	Answer 1	Answer 2	Answer 3	Answer 4	Answer 5	Answer 6	Answer 7	Answer 8
1	Ambidextrous	Loner	Hand-to-Hand	Lock picking	Throwing	Optimist	-	-
2	Teaching	Stealthy	Psycho	Friendly	-	-	-	-
3	Lock picking	Arrogant	Stealthy	Normal	-	-	-	-
4	Auto Weapons	Friendly	Normal	Asshole	Loner	-	-	-
5	Coward	-	Aggressive	-	-	-	-	-
6	Coward	Night Ops	Claustrophobic	-	-	-	-	-
7	Electronics	Knives	Night Ops	-	-	-	-	-
8	Ambidextrous	-	Optimist	Psycho	-	-	-	-
9	Forgetful	-	Pessimist	Nervous	-	-	-	-
10	-	Pessimist	Asshole	Nervous	-	-	-	-
11	-	Teaching	Aggressive	Normal	-	-	-	-
12	Ambidextrous	Knives	-	Auto Weapons	Hand-to-Hand	Electronics	Asshole	-
13	-	Normal	Normal	-	-	-	-	-
14	Forgetful	Normal	Normal	Heat Sensitive	-	-	-	-
15	Throwing	Ambidextrous	-	Arrogant	-	-	-	-
16	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Behavior¶

Because the answers in the Personality Test also influence the AE's behavior, there are several possible behavior types, each with different effects. The following list explains these behaviors and their impact. Note: random chance also plays a role in determining behavior.

Loner : This behavior makes the AE fight more effectively, but they are less suited to leading a squad of mercenaries.

Friendly : A friendly mercenary is more successful when interacting with NPCs.

Normal : An AE with normal behavior is simply "Normal."

Psycho : Psychos are unpredictable and often lose control in combat. For example, if they have an automatic weapon, they may burst-fire even when they should be using single shots. When they burst-fire during these episodes, they gain a +15% bonus to hit chance.

Attributes¶

After completing the Personality Test, you must assign values to your Alter Ego's (AE) attributes.
All attributes start at 55. You then have 40 points available to distribute (in versions 1.00–1.02, you may randomly receive 50 points instead).

Below is a list of all attributes. The numbers in parentheses are suggested ranges for beginners to create a solid mercenary. There is no single "correct" distribution—everyone plays differently—so these recommendations are meant only as guidance. Notes on how quickly each attribute increases refer to normal gameplay without training or boosting.

Health (75–85) : The higher the Health value, the more damage your mercenary can withstand. A high Health score also positively influences other attributes. Assign as many points here as possible if you have extras. This attribute increases very slowly.

Agility (75–85) : Determines how fast and quietly your mercenary moves. Essential for sneaking up on enemies at night. This attribute increases at a moderate rate.

Dexterity (70–80) : Affects all hand-related actions: marksmanship, mechanics, explosives, and medical skills. If you plan to invest in technical, explosives, or medical abilities, raise Dexterity as well. This attribute increases at a moderate rate.

Strength (55–75) : Indicates physical power. Strength affects carrying capacity, melee damage, and the ability to open crates. This attribute increases at a moderate rate.

Wisdom (85) : Represents intelligence and learning ability. The higher the Wisdom, the faster your mercenary improves other attributes. Always set this to the maximum, as it cannot be increased without external boosting.

Leadership (35–50) : Determines how well your mercenary interacts with NPCs and trains militias. This can safely be kept low, since it rises quickly and combat is usually the priority.

Marksmanship (55–85) : Measures weapon proficiency and accuracy. Do not max this out if you need points elsewhere, since it improves quickly. Beginners should invest heavily here, while experienced players can manage with as little as 35.

Mechanical (0–35) : Higher values allow faster repairs and lockpicking. A good Mechanical skill also increases the chance of clearing weapon jams. Keep this low, as it rises quickly.

Explosives (0–35) : Determines proficiency with explosives and mines. Set this to around 35, since it is easy to increase and useful for boosting Wisdom. This attribute increases at a moderate rate.

Medical (0–35) : Affects healing speed and efficiency. A value of 35 is enough for basic first aid. You can even set this to 0 if you prefer to invest points elsewhere, since other mercenaries can always treat your AE. This attribute increases at a moderate rate.

Skills¶

There are two skill levels: Normal and Expert.

Expert-level skills provide double the bonus compared to normal.
Some skills have no Expert level (marked with *).
Each mercenary can have a maximum of two skills.
An Expert skill counts as two normal skills. For example, you can either have Night Ops + Auto Weapons or Auto Weapons (Expert).

Lock picking : Provides a 25% bonus to Mechanical when attempting to pick locks.

Electronics * : Does not directly affect the Mechanical stat. Without this skill, chances of success in electronic-related tasks (high-tech locks, attaching electronic detonators, building the X-Ray device) are halved.

Hand-to-Hand : Grants bonuses in unarmed combat: +15% to hit, +15% to dodge, and +45% to damage dealt.

Martial Arts : Provides +30% to hit, dodge, and damage in unarmed combat. Also grants a small bonus when dodging knife attacks. The +30% damage bonus does not apply when using brass knuckles. Mercenaries with this skill also gain access to a special kick that deals double damage (with a unique animation).

Knives : Grants a 30% bonus to stabbing and parrying (avoiding melee hits) when using knives or machetes.

Throwing : Provides a 12% bonus to accuracy and maximum range when throwing weapons (throwing knives) or objects.

Heavy Weapons : Grants a 15% higher chance to hit when using heavy weapons (mortars, grenade launchers, or LAW rockets).

Auto Weapons : Reduces burst-fire penalty by half. At Expert level, the penalty is reduced to one-quarter.

Ambidextrous * : Removes the 20% accuracy penalty when firing two weapons simultaneously.

Roof Bonus : Mercenaries with this skill gain a 15% accuracy bonus when firing from rooftops.

Night Ops : Improves mercenary performance during night missions. Grants +1 to vision range, hearing range, and interrupt ability at night (on a scale of 1–10).

Stealthy : Provides a 25% bonus to moving silently while in stealth mode.

Teaching : Grants a 30% bonus when training militias or other mercenaries.

Camouflage * : Unique to Shadow. Guarantees an unlimited supply of camouflage kits.

Appearance and Voice¶

Choose your portrait and voice according to personal preference. These choices do not affect gameplay directly, but they do influence the email you receive from BSE on the third day (which contains the full results of the BSE Test).

If you select male portraits 1, 7, or 8 and your mercenary's Strength is 75 or higher, the character will appear larger and more muscular than usual.
However, with one of these portraits and Strength 75+, your mercenary cannot receive the Martial Arts skill.
If your AE has the Psycho trait, the voice samples will be slightly different (such as manic laughter).

Equipment¶

The starting equipment of your Alter Ego (AE) depends on their attribute values and skills. The following list shows which items are granted under specific conditions.

Weapons :

If your AE's Marksmanship is below 80, they receive a Beretta 93R with three 15-round 9mm magazines.
If Marksmanship is 80 or higher, they receive an H&K MP5K with two 30-round 9mm magazines.

Med Kit / First Aid Kit :

If your AE's Medical is below 60, they receive a First Aid Kit.
If Medical is 60 or higher, they receive a Med Kit.

Toolbox Kit :

If your AE's Mechanical is 50 or higher, they receive a Toolbox Kit.
If lower, they receive nothing.

TNT :

If your AE's Explosives is 50 or higher, they receive TNT with detonator.
If lower, they receive nothing.

Special Equipment

Knives skill : Grants a Combat Knife.
Throwing skill : Grants a Throwing Knife.
Electronics skill : Grants a Metal Detector.
Night Ops skill : Grants Chemical Break Light x2.
Lock picking skill : Grants a Locksmith Kit.
Hand-to-Hand skill : Grants Knuckle Dusters.
Stealthy skill : Grants a Silencer for the weapon.