[2022] Developer Insights: Iden Versio

[ Developer Insights - Kit Reveal ]


Hi Holotable Heroes,

After the attack on the Death Star, the Empire responded by assembling Inferno Squad - an Imperial Special Forces commando unit - and appointed Iden Versio as its leader. Now, Iden’s intelligence and relentlessness will be put to use as the newest Imperial Trooper leader to hit the holotables.

Below, we take a dive into the developers’ motivations and inspirations while creating the kit for this fan-favorite Battlefront II character.

The Basics:

• Imperial Trooper Leader with a focus on galvanizing underused Imperial Troopers into a powerful squad, particularly in Grand Arenas.
• The goal is to leave the General Veers squad intact while assembling a separate Trooper squad under Iden Versio’s capable command.
• Iden’s Omicron ability focuses on increasing her squad’s utility in Grand Arenas.
• She also provides her ideal squad with anti-Rebel synergy. For example, elements of her kit state Rebel enemies can’t resist effects.
• Iden gives buffs to her allies to increase the squad’s overall damage output.
• With the ability to revive herself and her allies in certain scenarios, Iden is resilient and difficult to permanently defeat. Coupled with some Protection recovery, she adds sustainability to her squad.

Unique Attributes:

• Iden Versio doesn’t want other Leaders around. Her kit has direct callouts which increase her effectiveness if no other Leaders are present in her squad. Put her in charge and let her get the job done.
• Her kit also includes several mechanics discouraging Droid Imperial Troopers (looking at you, Dark Trooper).

Inspiration:

• This version of Iden Versio captures her time in Battlefront II as an Imperial, before her (spoiler warning) defection to the Rebellion in the aftermath of Operation: Cinder.
• She’s a motivating, tactical, and relentless leader of Imperial Troopers who provides inspiration to her squad in battle. We wanted her kit to reflect those qualities.
• Many of the titles of Iden’s abilities were taken directly from lines Iden spoke during Battlefront II.
• As a leader, Iden Versio typically used all the assets at her disposal. As such, we wanted to make sure she had a team made up of the endless ranks of Imperial Troopers and built mechanics around that premise.
• Her droid, ID10, is featured heavily in Battlefront II. We definitely wanted to include it in her kit, so the Droid shows up in Iden’s Special abilities Push Forward and We Can Grieve Later.

Strategy Tips:

• If it hasn’t been made clear already, Iden’s Omicron ability does very well against Rebel teams in Grand Arenas.
• The new effect We Adapt or Die adds utility to allies in a few different ways. It can be used proactively to add Speed and damage output to allies. If the enemy dispels it, Troopers gain Health and Turn Meter.
• Iden can be very effective at locking down an opponent. Her Special ability Push Forward has a low cooldown while offering an unavoidable Stun on Rebel enemies, along with area of effect damage to boot.

FAQ:

• Who is Iden Versio?
  • Iden Versio was the central character in Star Wars Battlefront II. She was a pilot in the Imperial Starfighter Corps, who then became Commander of Inferno Squad. Her story evolves much further from there, but we’ll leave at that for now.
• What are the 2 suggested Imperial Trooper squads now that Iden Versio is in the game?

Squad 1

• Veers
• Gideon
• Piett
• Dark Trooper
• Starck

Squad 2

• Iden Versio
• Death Trooper
• Range Trooper / Shoretrooper
• Snowtrooper
• Magmatrooper

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