Before I begin, I want to state that at this point, I only have one Mercenary tank: The Tusk. I did not purchase any of the stages.
I am currently after the Stinger, stage VI, but I am not certain I will have the time to complete it. Anyway, I wanted to check my ability to play for specific parts of the contract.
Rule #1: go through each and every stage of the contract you want to enroll into;
-make sure you have all the tanks required to carry out the contract, before you start!
-make sure the XP requirement suits the time you have available to play, within the life span of the contract!
Rule #2: in stages with multiple requirements, always play for medals first, and leave the XP harvest for the end.
-rationale: some of the medals require a different game play than the usual, and maybe tough to get. Once you have bagged them, the XP comes by itself.
Rule #3: Use the best tanks for the job at hand!
-remember that boosts and operation's multipliers do not account in what XP you earn at each battle. But Premium tanks still earn you more XP than the non Premium ones.
Rule #4: Premium time helps in achieving the goal quicker!
-I have done parts of the Tusk operation without Premium time, and it is very tedious in terms of how much more time you need to spend in the game.
Rule #5: Discipline! create a spreadsheet that tracks progress versus time.
-it is very important, since you do not want to run out of time when in the last stage of the game. I created a spreadsheet that predicts how many XP I need to play for each day, based on the amount already accrued, the contract's end date, and the total amount required. Like this, I can play for the minimum required, and not worry about running out of time.
Rule #6: Emergency only! consider purchasing a stage if you have completed the XP harvest, but have been struggling for a particular medal.
-Set a date beyond which you will buy out the stage, to continue the progress.
-Corollary: bail out of the contract, and start another with different tanks. Personally, I failed to get a confederate medal with a Chinese medium tank, the single tank I had for that particular stage. I renounced to the contract.
Rule #7: keep it fun! it is still a game, and do not make it a "Pride" thing without which life can't continue! there will always be other opportunities!
What did I miss? let me know, I will add it and give you credit for it!