One of the few features Star Wars Battlefront features, still under wraps, was its roster of playable heroes. Though the series' main focus are the exploits of regular troops and pilots out in the field, it's still fun to play as your favorite Star Wars hero and wreak havoc out on the battlefield.
We already knew that Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader were confirmed thanks to the recently concluded open beta test. The free Battle of Jakku DLC gave us a glimpse of Boba Fett in action; and the game's aerial combat mode features the Millennium Falcon.
Now, thanks to a lengthy blog post from Lead Hero Designer Jamie Keen, we know that Han Solo, Princess Leia, and Emperor Palpatine will be playable as well.
Han Solo's three abilities are: a fast shooting mode called Rapid Fire, a powerful charged projectile called Lucky Shot, and a quick dash skill called Shoulder Charge. Keen describes the game's interpretation of Solo as:
Gameplay-wise, Han Solo is a gunslinger mainly designed for lone wolves and, echoing the beginning of the original Star Wars trilogy, he's not very dependent on others. Similar to a Rebel trooper, but with a greatly boosted arsenal, Han Solo might be the easiest Hero character to get into. Offensive output, damage, and mobility - that's what this guy's about.
Princess Leia will act as a support character. Keen says Leia was the trickiest of the three to translate into the game.
Leia is a character that succeeds through her fearless, strategic mind. We can all remember moments when her quick-thinking blaster fire helped the Rebels out of trouble. Our goal for all the Hero characters has been to capture their essence and spirit from the original Star Wars film trilogy, and then convey that through gameplay.
While the evil Emperor Palpatine has a host of powers fitting for his status as a Sith lord. His blasts of lightning will take center stage says Keen.
Palpatine's main attack is the iconic Force Lightning, which does a lot of damage to troops within reach. The lightning also comes in the more powerful Chain Lightning form, which is an area of effect ability dealing damage to enemies around you in all directions.
