Which javelin should you play as in Anthem?

In the Anthem demo, you’ll start out in the Ranger javelin for the first few levels. However, at level 12 you’ll get the opportunity to choose another mech suit to stomp around in: the Colossus, Storm, or Interceptor. All of these classes perform differently and have a major impact on your playstyle.

All four of these javelins are unique — more so than we anticipated before we played Anthem ourselves. You’ll eventually want to try them all out and pick which one is for you on your own terms. But the pros and cons here should give an accurate depiction of what each javelins focus is on, and how they benefit a team.

In this guide, we’ll give you some insight on what to expect with each before you choose.

Bioware/EA

Ranger — The All-Arounder

The Ranger is the soldier class that can wield it all in one, solid package. Though it’s almost class agnostic, the Ranger isn’t a boring javelin to play — just less focused. The other javelins are locked into pretty specific playstyles, but the Ranger is flexible. The Ranger is the captain javelin, the glue that holds a team together. It’s a true jack of all trades, master of none.

It has a hodgepodge of abilities, from area grenades to single target lasers. It’s not as melee-focused as the Interceptor, but it can do decent melee damage. It’s not as tanky as the Colossus, but it’s not squishy either. It can’t fly as long as the Storm, but has a healthy mix of air and ground. The Ranger can fit the role you need them for.

Pros:

• No defined playstyle: flexible, capable of performing multiple roles on a team
• Quick movement on the ground or in the air
• Powerful, electrified melee attacks
• Offensive or defensive support abilities

Cons:

• No defined playstyle: the Ranger will never have as clear of a role as the rest of the team
• Second-best at everything, and never the best choice for a specific job
• Slow melee attacks make follow-up hits hard to land

Bioware/EA

Interceptor — The Assassin

The Interceptor is fast, agile, and can outmaneuver any other javelin. It mainly focuses on melee combat, making a shotgun the perfect weapon to pair with the Interceptor’s duel blades. Nothing can match the Interceptor in terms of pure mobility, but this javelin requires a steady hand and focused mind to accomplish its mission.

Pros:

• Fastest javelin, can outmaneuver enemies to easily reach their critical spot
• Quick melee attacks can stun-lock powerful enemies
• Triple dash and jump makes the Interceptor hard to focus on — takes little damage if constantly moving
• Powerful elemental aura when comboing enemies

Cons:

• If stunned or caught, the Interceptor will go down quickly
• Melee focus means little gunplay
• Melee focus can leave you feeling pretty useless in long-range fights
• Difficult to weave in and out of combat and not get killed — especially when under-leveled or on harder difficulties

Bioware

Storm — The Wizard

The Storm is a powerful aerial javelin — the wizard or witch of Anthem’s universe. Unlike all the other javelins that go from ground to air and then back pretty regularly, the Storm exists in the air almost exclusively. This javelin is built for long-range combat, and can rain hellfire down on anyone anywhere. With enough team support, it can do it all without ever getting knocked out of the sky.

Pros:

• Storms can hover almost indefinitely, giving them a great vantage point for the entire fight
• Powerful abilities can nuke turrets and big foes without ever getting too close
• Perfect for applying elements to enemies, helping allies consistently combo
• Storms can deal very focused area damage with nearly every ability, making them perfect for taking out or damaging groups

Cons:

• Relies heavily on other teammates to take enemy focus away from them
• Very squishy if their shield goes down
• Fairly ineffective from the ground

Bioware/EA

Colossus — The Tank

The Colossus is all about defense, but don’t let that fool you. Capable of dropping giant missiles from the sky and wielding miniguns, the Colossus is a walking tank. This may be the only javelin that can’t dodge, but what it lacks in mobility, it makes up for in practically indestructible armor. Of all the javelins in the game, the Colossus is the most valuable anchor of a team.

Pros:

• The hardest to kill javelin
• Can use miniguns and grenade launchers
• A regenerating arm-mounted shield that can block damage for you and allies and deal heavy melee damage
• The center of attention — drawing lots of enemy fire your way instead of to your squishier allies

Cons:

• Low mobility: can’t dodge, jumps low, and moves slow
• You’ll end up dealing less damage since you’ll spend much of your time defending yourself and your allies
• Can’t use pistols of any kind
• Spends most of it’s time on the ground, as its hover game is pretty weak