The ARC Trooper and BX Commando Droid Enter Star Wars™ Battlefront™ II

On March 26*, the Infiltrator reinforcement class is introduced to Star Wars™ Battlefront™ II. Infiltrators are highly skilled, tactical elite soldiers thriving on the hunt, equipped with weapons and devices suited for close-quarters encounters.

Let’s take a closer look at what’s in store.

The ARC Trooper – An Elite Soldier of the Galactic Republic

Advanced Recon Commandos, also known as ARC Troopers, were the elite soldiers of the Galactic Republic. They were often placed on missions too challenging for standard clones.

In Star Wars™ Battlefront™ II, the ARC Trooper wields two DC-17 hand blasters, a pistol carried by high-ranking members of the clone army. Making the ARC Trooper a lethal opponent in close quarters, the dual blasters are fired individually by pressing the triggers or mouse buttons.

The primary DC-17 can be charged up to deal out a precise Power Blast, as well. This Ability builds up a significant amount of heat to the weapon, but pays off with a long-range shot, inflicting high damage on infantry and vehicles alike.

The ARC Trooper is protected by a unique set of armor with experimental components, vastly modified from the standard kit. One such feature that you can make use of is the Helmet Scanner, sending out periodical pulses to reveal the positions of enemies through obstacles, walls, and smoke.

They also carry another tactical device – the Shock Trap. The Shock Trap sticks to any surface, triggers manually, and is thrown by the ARC Trooper to topple incoming enemies in the opposite direction with a sudden outburst of electricity.

Mainly a tool used to disrupt the enemy and get an upper hand on more powerful rivals, it deals a small amount of damage at the same time. We fully expect players to come up with some other, cunning appliances for this device as well

For regular clones, it was an immense honor to be promoted to serve as an ARC Trooper. It required valor, courage, and skill. Now, you can take that step as well.

Make the most of it, soldier!

The BX Commando Droid – A Lethal Infiltration Unit

The BX Commando Droid was a more robust version of the standard B1 Battle Droid, kitted with a tougher armor and programmed with advanced combat tactics. As such, they were suited for high-profile infiltration missions on the orders of the Separatist leaders.

The BX Commando Droid onboard the Separatist Dreadnought.

Carrying the precise E-5 blaster rifle, the BX Commando is well equipped to pick off targets at a distance. But it’s a lethal foe at close range, too. With an intimidating blade sheathed on its back, the droid commando can chain up to three quick slashes with the Vibrosword Ability.

Furthermore, the Smoke Screen Ability has the BX Commando tossing a device on the ground, filling the immediate area with thick smoke. This diversion can be used to escape the scene if in a tight spot. And – of course – to strike the prey from cover.

Characteristically equipped with white-glowing photoreceptors, the BX’s “eyes” turn red as the Scanner Ability is switched on. Similar to the ARC Trooper’s equivalent, this Ability can be activated to see through its own Smoke Screen.

Imagine this scenario: the BX Commando Droid is part of an invasion squad boarding the Republic Attack Cruiser in a game of Capital Supremacy. Making their way through the corridors leading to one of the ship’s reactor cores, the squad stumbles into heavy resistance from a legion of clone troopers.

Blaster fire rips through the air immediately. The BX Commando Droid returns the favor and advances towards the enemy. Its advanced combat programming (or rather, the skill of the player) is now put to the test.

Quickly assessing the situation, the droid pops the Smoke Screen and switches on the Scanner, effectively seeing the clones through the smoke filling up the hallway. It keeps firing the E-5 rifle until it’s overheated, dropping each of the clones’ health quickly – now disoriented by being so accurately targeted from the hidden enemy.

The BX Commando Droid emerges from the haze, draws the vibrosword, and deals out three strikes in quick succession. Same number of clones fall to the ground.

An adequate result, unit.

The Infiltrator Class – Progression and Star Cards

Like its Enforcer and Aerial counterparts, the Infiltrator class has its own progression and set of Star Cards. Upgrading the Star Cards will improve the characters’ movement and Abilities, such as adding an extra combat roll, shortened cooldown time of Abilities when taking damage, health regeneration when defeating enemies that have been scanned, and more.

The Infiltrator class is exclusive to the Clone Wars-era locations, meaning they can be called in when playing the new Clone Wars-era authentic experience Capital Supremacy and on Kashyyyk, Kamino, Theed, and Geonosis in other game modes supporting reinforcements.

The Infiltrator class reinforcements arrive on March 26. Keep an eye out on this space for more news on Star Wars Battlefront II.

–Daniel Steinholtz (Follow Daniel on Twitter @dsteinholtz)

Also, make sure to join the discussions on our official forums or on social – follow EA Star Wars on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and sign up today to receive the latest Star Wars Battlefront II news, updates, behind-the-scenes content, exclusive offers, and more (including other EA news, products, events, and promotions) by email.

*All updates require Star Wars™ Battlefront™ II on applicable platform (sold separately), all game updates, internet connection, EA account, and, for console players, Xbox Live Gold or PlayStation Plus membership (each sold separately).