'Anthem' Best Javelin Class: How to Pick the Mech Suit That's Right for You

Anthem’s full release is nearly upon us. BioWare’s new sci-fi adventure set in a far-flung future will be released this Friday, and once players get past the beginning section of gameplay, they’ll have to select what class of high-tech armor they’re going to wear when they venture out into the wild.

Players have to choose between one of four Javelins that essentially function as character classes. Ranger is the well-balanced class that’s master of none, Colossus is the heavy and slow tank, Storm is the hovering mage with shields and long-distance magic, and the Interceptor is a fast-paced, close-range fighter.

It’s easy to make comparisons to Destiny when it comes to these classes because Anthem’s Colossus is like Destiny’s Titan, and the same could be said of Storm resembling Warlock and Interceptor the Hunter. But the differences are much more nuanced than that.

Unlike Destiny, Anthem allows players to switch between their Javelins whenever they return to their home base. You do have to make a choice early in the game and won’t be able to unlock a different Javelin type for quite some time, but that’s a fair trade-off. It also allows endgame players the flexibility to shift their team composition as needed.

For the beginning, however, here’s the gist of what each Javelin has to offer and which is the best class in Anthem for you.

Ranger

Ranger is the well-balanced jack of all trades but master of none. Everyone has to start as the Ranger to get a feel for the basic mechanics of the game, but you can opt to shift their focus to another Javelin type before long.

Compared to Mass Effect classes, the Ranger is nearly identical to Soldier, focusing on balanced stats with various kinds of grenades and an assault launcher. Ranger can also drop a bubble shield or Muster Point, which boosts damage output from nearby allies.

All Javelins feel remarkably similar to Iron Man, particularly in how they fly around, but only Ranger’s weight and movement feel truly similar to Tony Stark’s OG armor.

Colossus

By far the heaviest of all the Javelins with lots of health and a physical shield, Colossus is for players who want to rush into the fray and draw all of the attention upon themselves. They cannot dodge, and they overheat faster than the other Javelins, but they make up for it in sheer might and shields.

As such, they’re the archetypal tanks in any party, anchoring the team with a taunting move. Any group without a Colossus might struggle a bit, and every group with a Colossus will be that much better off. Colossus also comes with a Heavy Assault and Ordnance Launcher, allowing it to use weapons like a flamethrower or a ranged explosive mortar blast.

The Colossus ultimate ability allows the player to target multiple enemies or one larger enemy with a barrage of missiles.

To continue the superhero trend, Colossus feels like walking around in Iron Man’s Hulkbuster armor, or even like playing as the Hulk himself.

Storm

Storm is easily the coolest-looking Javelin, and considering it can hover for an almost limitless amount of time as it summons lightning and hurls fireballs, everyone is going to want to play as this class. It transforms the player into what’s essentially a long-ranged mage that packs a lot of firepower, but like any glass cannon, Storm also make for an easy target. Once your shields go down, your minimal health won’t be much help. So you’ll sort of need a Colossus and/or a Ranger to complement their squad.

Because they spend their time floating, Storms are also rather good snipers. Virtually all of their abilities deal out various kinds of elemental damage, including their ultimate that basically just combines one of each element into a devastating series of blasts. Their two support abilities either block incoming projectiles or reduces ally ability cooldown.

Playing as Storm is an awesome experience, but for players who want to optimize their typical squad balance, they might want to explore other Javelins first — assuming that Storm remains uber-popular for the time being.

The Storm class feels the least like you’re in a walking suit of armor and more like you’re Scarlet Witch if she had direct command over the major elements of fire, lightning, etc. Or, you know, maybe Storm just feels like Storm from X-Men.

Interceptor

By far the lightest and fastest Javelin, the Interceptor can fly and dodge with incredible speed. They’re best at sweeping in close to enemies and destroying them with close-range melee attacks. Even though they have the least health and armor of any Javelin, they can quickly dodge out of any dicey situation.

Because the Interceptor is so fragile and requires close-ranged combat, this Javelin probably has the highest skill threshold. But for anyone who likes a challenge, Interceptor is a great option.

They’re best played with shotguns and other close-range weapons. Abilities pretty much allow them to douse enemies with acid or ice and follow that up with various close-range attacks. Support abilities allow Interceptor to mark enemies, causing them to take more damage, or they can instantly remove status effects from all allies. The Interceptor ultimate ability makes them temporarily invulnerable to damage as they quickly cut down a large number of enemies.

The Interceptor feels like the archetypal Dungeons & Dragons Rogue, but their hyperspeed also makes them closer to something like the Flash.

Another really useful way to learn more about the respective classes comes from redditor u/FireDragon04 who shared anextensive breakdown of the many class abilities.

Use this information and more when making your choice of Javelin type, but know that you can always go back to Ranger, and you also get to pick another Javelin eventually.

Anthem will be released on PC via Origin, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on February 22.