EA and BioWare have begun to reveal some of the more specific details on the stars of their upcoming shared world shooter Anthem, the exosuits called Javelin. After releasing trailer that gave us glimpses at some of their abilities and ultimates, they’ve now shared further details on the same.
First up is the Ranger, which is the first Javelin you’ll use in Anthem. The Ranger is a jack of all trades kind of exosuit, and as per EA, “there is no combat situation it can’t take on effectively”. It can wield every weapon type in the game, other than heavy weapons, and its melee ability, Shock Mace, attacks enemies with an electrically charged mace, as the name suggests. For its ultimate, called Multi-Target Missile Battery, it targets and attacks multiple enemies with guided missiles.
Then there’s the Colossus, “a hulking war machine designed to clear out entire hives of vicious predatory fauna”. For those who want an exosuit that prefers brute force, the Colossus is the way to go. It can be equipped with everything, including a flamethrower, other than pistols and SMGs, the two smallest weapon types. In fact, it’s the only Javelin that can equip heavy weapons. Its melee ability, Heavy Smash, sees it diving from the air with a hammering charged attack, which instantly kills smaller enemies, and also staggers larger ones to leave them vulnerable to follow-up attacks. Its ultimate, Siege Cannon, is “ideal for clearing out smaller enemies, controlling enemies in a choke point, or putting some extra damage on a boss”.
Storm is more suited to long range fights. It can “channel unbelievable amounts of elemental force”, but “has little in the way of defensive capabilities”. Like the Ranger, it can equip all weapon types, other than heavy weapons. It’s melee ability is called Fiery Strike, with which it causes an explosive flash that can both deal damage and knock back enemies, the latter of which also gives it time to “reposition at a safe distance”. Using its ultimate ability, called Elemental Storm, the exosuit delivers “successive blasts of frost, electricity, and fire — ending with a meteoric finale.”
Last but not least is the Interceptor, a sleek and fast moving Javelin specializing in evasion and agility, that is “both incredibly self-reliant and an excellent supporting teammate”. Interceptors, too, can equip all weapon types, other than the Colossus-exclusive heavy weapons. For its melee ability, called Double-Bladed Daggers, the Interceptor delivers “a multi-hit flurry of slashes, dealing damage in a chain of powerful attacks that can be continued indefinitely”. Its ultimate ability, Assassin’s Blade, sees it becoming supercharged and “carving through enemies at high speed”.
EA has also released brief gameplay videos for all four Javelin types, which you can view below. There are also additional details on other gear, attacks, and equipment coming with each Javelin, so be sure to check the links for each exosuit above. Anthem launches on February 22, 2019 for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC.