Good Soldiers Follow Orders

They have now shown (and released... I know, I'm a bit late to the party here) CT-9904, ES-04, and the Elite Squad Troopers. I will talk about how I think they'll all work both together and individually. You can still consider this article speculation since everything can be way different on paper than on the table. Eventually, I will be writing Unit Guides on most/all of the units in the game, but that will have to wait until I can get some playtime in with them.

Primary - CT-9904, Elite Squad Leader

8 SP - I think this is what I was expecting. I wouldn't have been surprised to see him as a nine either, assuming Firebrand was a five.
2 FP - This also does not surprise me. He seems pretty force-light and has a possible refresh. Do empire lists with 4FP seem actually doable?
9 Stamina/ 3 Durability - This is the standard for non-force users.

Move to Position - I'm a little bit surprised this isn't a Tactic Ability instead of an Active, but I guess it's not the end of the world. Empire has plenty of movement tactics already, I think. I do like that this doesn't only move him but also gives an ally a move. Also quite neat that he gets the choice between Dash and Climb.

Reflector Discs - This Ability is wicked cool. I think this might be one of the coolest abilities in the game so far. It's both thematic and very good. Indirect Fire is not something that Legion or Shatterpoint has done yet, and this is sorta like a half-step in that direction. I love it. Being able to keep Crosshair safe while taking big shots is awesome. If you use his Active before this, then you can potentially set up an ally for the perfect shot.

Expendable Distraction - This is neat and thematic. I think it's pretty good, but you likely have to be careful about how many times you use it. A few times in a game is probably fine, but I'm not sure it's worth doing every time Cross attacks. At the very least, you probably want a way to heal the damage.

Genetically Bred Deadeye - This is a very nice Identity. It's a little self-involved, but I think that's okay. Crosshair was a pretty selfish guy during this arc, and Empire already has some pretty good support identities. Force refreshes are always huge. It can be tough when it procs from wounding Primaries or Secondaries, though. I imagine it would go off at least once per game. The second part of this ability is also neat. I like the idea of trading conditions for damage when you can. I'm not 100% sure of the timing, but I think if you use a Coordinate Fire type ability, you might be able to remove that same condition to add these dice. I could be wrong, though.

Bad Play

This is a solid stance. It seems to be his more effect-based option. He's shooting with seven dice at range five and has five dice in melee. His ranged expertise is not bad, but it is not what I was expecting for a genetically created sniper. Empire does have quite a few dice manipulation tricks, though, so maybe that's fine. His melee expertise is okay, but it's not where he wants to be. His defenses are good. Five defense dice for both is solid and his expertise chart is really good. Blocks at every level and some crit->hits are always good. His combat tree is good, with three damage and a shove on two. It tops out at seven damage both ways. He gets a respectable amount of shoves, heals, conditions, and one reposition on the bottom. He already seems fairly mobile, so having that extra repo is very nice.

Target Eliminated

This is definitely his more damage-oriented stance. He gets eight ranged dice and five in melee. His ranged expertise is a lot better, in my opinion. Crit(s) at every level and strains at 2+ are awesome. His melee chart is the same. His defenses are a little bit worse on this side, but still not bad. What he lacks in staying power, he makes up for with offensive capability. His combat tree is very good. Four damage at two is cool, and topping out at ten damage is very cool. He doesn't get many other effects or conditions, but I think that's fine. You're on this side to kill.

Overall, Crosshair seems fairly good! I think by himself he might be a little on the boring or maybe weak side but once you pair him with his squad and/or other Imperial units I think he'll shine a lot more.

Secondary - ES-04, Firebrand

4 PC - This was expected. I wouldn't have been super surprised if she was a five-point cost unit.
0 FP -
8 Stamina/ 2 Durability - This feels like the standard for secondaries at this point. I think it's fine.

Marching Orders - Nice, I like this. Extra moves are always good, especially when they hit multiple units and when they're free.

Prescribed Fire - This feels like the most firey ability of the four. Big flame ball explosion on a contested point. I like it a lot, and I think it's potentially very good, but you have to be careful not to hit too many allies with it. If you can wound multiple units with this ability, you're going to feel amazing.

Obscuring Flames - This is neat. I don't think we've seen an Active Ability with no native cost yet? I like that you can use it for free until she's wounded. While it's free, there is no downside to this so I'd use it every time she goes. Once it costs more than zero force, I don't think it'll be as helpful but still good in certain situations.

Can't Stand the Heat - I think this is also a very good ability. Just tossing out extra conditions for something your opponent will likely be having to do anyway is nice. I like that this is free until she's been wounded. Again, since it's free, if you have no other reactive to use at the same time, then there is no downside here. Use it till you lose it.

Flamewall

This is a pretty good-looking stance for a secondary. Seven attack dice at range four is not bad, and five in melee is okay. Her ranged expertise is good. At least one crit at every level is very nice for a Secondary. Her melee expertise is fine, but not amazing. Defensively She is not bad either. Five defense dice for both is good, but she does get the Clone Armor treatment, which kinda sucks. Her combat tree is awesome. She gets a free Active on three, which is great! She tops out at seven damage and a handful of conditions. You can also just go for six damage but then perform up to three shoves!

Overall, Firebrand seems like quite the unit. I think she is pretty powerful looking at first glance. I feel like she also might fit into just about any Imperial list you want. There's no Elite Trooper synergy that you'd be missing out on really. She doesn't do much to help support your team though.

Support - Elite Squad Troopers

4 PC - This is unsurprising to me. I figured they'd be a four, no matter how it played out. Whether Cross was nine and Fire was five or how it actually is.
0 FP -
8 Stamina/ 2 Durability - This is not bad. I wouldn't have been surprised to see them at 7/2 either, so 8/2 is good.

Tactical Advance - I love this style of ability. Whether it's on Clones, Ewoks, or Elitie Troopers. One force for Move + whatever effect will always be good, in my opinion. Especially when you add in Focus + Impact/Sharp.

Coordinated Fire: [Expose] - Oh... Oh no. Empire has access to Coordinate Expose now. Hm. This seems like a potentially questionable choice, and I'm very curious to see how it plays out. This basically means that they are going to be priority target number one. Good luck keeping them unwounded. All that to say: this is a very very very good ability and one you should always be trying to use as often as possible.

The Future of Imperial Might - Nice and flexible. Giving them both Impact and Sharp is very nice. If you're able to use their Active fairly often then this abilities value will be extra apparent. They're going to be throwing a very respectable amount of dice.

Imperial Marksmanship

This looks familiar. It's very nearly identical to the 212th Clone Trooper's stance card Bullseye Training. The 212th are not known for their particularly good stance, but this one has some minor improvements. First of all, they have impact and Sharpshooter, so they are going to be throwing more dice more often. Secondly, their melee expertise is a lot better than the 212th. Instead of just one hit period, they get two hits for 1-2 and a crit+hit at 3+. Insane how much better that is, especially since they're both four-cost supports.

Overall, the Elite Troopers seem very, very good. I think they will easily become an Imperial staple. They have a lot going for them, but CF: Expose is already reason enough to bring them in my opinion.

I think this Squad is one of the coolest we've seen in a while. I love the theming of them, but I am also glad they don't necessarily have any forced synergy with each other. It allows them to be more flexible and to be used in more lists, which I am a big fan of.

Thanks for reading!