Anthem Javelins – your first look at the classes in BioWare’s mech MMO

In most MMOs and RPGs, you must choose a class when designing your character. Anthem is no normal RPG, though, and so there are no classes. Instead you’ll be using an Anthem Javelin: a mech suit that equips you with a variety of weapons and abilities. You can own several different Javelins, which means you can swap between roles depending on the needs of your squad. Tired of playing the team’s tank? Simply grab a different Javelin from your collection for the next mission.

But what does each mech do? Our guide to Anthem’s Javelins details what weapons they can use, their unique melee and ranged abilities, and what roles they fulfill on Anthem’s battlefields.

No matter what your playstyle is in other games, there’s a Javelin mech that will suit you. And for those curious to expand their horizons, there’s nothing holding you back from trying a different Javelin for a few missions. If it’s love at first stomp, then you can stick with it and further customise it. Not the mech for you? Then simply try another one.

The Anthem Javelins are:

RANGER

The Ranger is the first Javelin you have access to in Anthem, and is a balanced all-rounder designed to competently tackle most encounters. In effect, it’s the standard fighter/warrior RPG archetype. Able to equip all but the heaviest of weapons, the Ranger can bring a solid variety of tools to the table. While being the ‘well-rounded’ mech may sound a little boring, the Ranger Javelin still has a unique toolset and is designed to be as important to an Anthem fireteam as any other class.

• Ultimate: multi-target missile battery – a cluster of guided missiles that lock onto numerous enemies.
• Melee: Shock Mace – a close-range blunt weapon that deals shock damage.
• Grenades: throwable explosives, available in Frost or Seeker variants. Frost grenades freeze enemies in a wide area of effect, leaving them vulnerable to being shattered. Seeker grenades chase down targets before exploding.
• Muster Point: a supportive area-of-effect buff that reduces cooldowns for allies.

COLOSSUS

For those looking to soak up and deal damage in equal measure, please consider the Colossus Javelin. This walking tank encases your character in a mech fortress that shakes the ground with each step it takes. It is the only Javelin capable of wielding Heavy Weapons, meaning you can bolt a mortar to its back and fire explosive packages over great distances. You’re effectively a walking artillery cannon, so be sure to make the most of that.

• Ultimate: Siege Cannon – a huge, shoulder-mounted gun. Simply point and shoot to deal massive damage.
• Melee: Heavy Smash – an explosive melee strike with a wide area-of-effect. Knocks down enemies and leaves them vulnerable for follow-up attack. Can be used to smash into the ground from the air.
• Shield – unfolds a large metal shield that can be used to block incoming fire. It can be deployed while flying. The shield can also be used as a bludgeoning tool against enemies, or to charge into hazards like landmines in order to destroy them without taking damage.

STORM

The Storm is an elemental Javelin designed to boost the latent kinesis skills of the pilot within it. Through the use of technology known as “seals”, the user is able to wield the power of the Anthem itself: a force ancient gods once used to forge the world itself.

Tl;dr: the Storm is Anthem’s answer to wizards, warlocks, and mages. You want magic? You get it with the Storm. This is a low defense, very high damage Javelin that attacks with spectacular elemental effects.

Rather than flying with the aid of rocket-thruster jetpacks, the Storm hovers, and can be seen to constantly levitate rather than walk on solid ground.

• Ultimate: unknown
• Melee: Fiery Strike – the Seals on the Storm’s arm unleash an explosive flash that deals damage and knocks enemies back.
• Teleport – the Storm can instantly teleport to different locations
• Other abilities: unknown

INTERCEPTOR

If you typically opt for a rogue-style character in your RPGs, then you’ll want to suit up in an Interceptor Javelin. This is the smallest and fastest mech in the game, designed for long-range scouts, infiltrators, and assassins. Its agility and evasion talents are unmatched, and it excels in close combat. It can even be outfitted as a melee-focused build, according to Anthem’s lead producer, Ben Irving.

The Interceptor can be equipped with all weapon types except Heavy Weapons. However, what we’ve seen so far suggests that the Interceptor may only be able to carry one weapon at a time (as opposed to the two carried by all other Javelins). This may be the trade off for the high speed of the Interceptor, or later proven to not be the case.

• Ultimate: unknown
• Melee: Double-Bladed Daggers – a pair of daggers used for multi-hit melee attacks, which can be chained together indefinitely.
• Other abilities: unknown

That’s everything we know so far about Anthem’s Javelins and the different class abilities they bring to the game. As previously mentioned, you begin the game with the Ranger, and will unlock new Javelins over the course of the game. New Javelins are locked behind level thresholds, and hitting these will offer you the choice of which mech to unlock next. As we approach Anthem’s release date we’ll gradually learn more about each Javelin, and what makes each of them special.