Do heavy armor and large rifles interest you? Then sign up for the Republic Army today! Become a Trooper! See the Universe! Meet new and exciting Sith, then kill them! Seriously though, the Trooper is a heavy duty soldier capable of carrying weaponry that looks like it should be mounted on a tripod or a vehicle. I wanted to draw comparisons between the Trooper Class and Stormtroopers from the original movies, but really these guys are much closer visually to the Clone Soldiers  from episodes II & III, and they carry firearms that outclass the majority of what you see in all of the movies.

The Trooper is, as I just stated, a heavily armored rifle carrying soldier. The Advanced Classes are Vanguard (TankSpec) and Commando (Ranged DPS). The Vanguard has access to the heaviest armor in the game and also has a reactive shield that actually increases his  aggro on enemies.  The Commando on the other hand, while still a reasonably well armored Trooper, is designed to destroy enemies with raw firepower, not outlive them through defensive techniques.  So your rifle is your main form of attack as a Trooper. You will have several different ways of attacking the enemy with just your rifle…. different shots if you will. This is not the be all and end all though.  there is a grenade launcher attachment on your rifle and you will be carrying a few different kinds of grenades and bombs. Not to mention that if some person/creature gets inside your personal space you can try to make them swallow some of their own teeth with a swift Stock Strike. Thats the butt of your rifle in the face of your foe, which appears to have a nice knockdown effect. I feel as though this paragraph just says “Guns Guns Guns!” but in all reality, if that is what appeals to you, be ready to make your Trooper when the game launches.

Your Associate is a Weequay called Tanno Vik. He served the Republic Military purely out of convenience, something to do with criminal connections that had turned sour. I’m thinking that this may end up being a side quest for the Trooper at some point. Something along the lines of assassins or bounty hunters after Tanno Vik, and your character having to take out/parlay with whatever criminal syndicate Tanno has upset. Enough of my storyline musings. Tanno Vik is described as being “one of the most talented demolitions experts to ever serve the Republic Military”. I am hoping that there is some sort of customization available through a talent, skill or feat system for associates. It would be nice to be able to enhance individual types of explosives or give him certain abilities he could use in certain situations. All in all, there are a lot of story possibilities for a former Military, former criminal associate with charm and skill and a penchant for explosives. Tanno Vik is the associate I am currently most interested in.

The Troopers ship is the BT-7 Thunderclap. It is a Republic Military ship that has been upgraded for Special Forces use; heavier armor plating, heavy laser cannons, etc. It has a very strong “Republic” look to it, both in design and color scheme. I am hoping that there will be some customization with the ships, paint work and emblems at the very least would be nice, but modifying armor, weapons and engines would be even better. My fingers are crossed.

This is the Republic Trooper Class Introduction Video.

Combat System.

***This game is beta and thus subject to change***

The Trooper Resource System is Ammo. This system is based on you having an Ammo Pool, limited number of blocks (12 currently) that you use to fire special attacks. The Ammo Pool is for your special attacks, your basic attack doesn’t use your Ammo.

- Restores 6 Ammo. Usable in combat.

- Channeled burst of fire. Moderate damage with stun effect.

- Fires a series of shots. Apparently a basic attack that costs no Ammo.

- Fires a grenade from your rifle that does area of effect damage with a knockback/knockdown mechanic.

- Throw a Grenade that latches onto your target. High damage to target and low area of effect damage.

- Freezes the target. Does not break on damage.

- Strong area of effect ranged attack.

- Hit the target with the butt of your rifle. Has a knockdown effect.

- This is the “Out of Combat” replenishment ability. Restores Health and Ammo.

This is the Trooper Progression Video. It shows us a wide variety of  the Troopers attacks and abilities. Enjoy.

-Gav.