Battlefield 1 - Elite Classes

Elite Classes are the strongest and certainly the most deadly classes in Battlefield 1 - they can change an entire match in the blink of an eye! First shown via the Gamescom trailer, these Elite Classes are playable in both the Beta and full game.

Players can't choose an Elite Class as a default "loadout", but instead are rewarded one of these classes during the game by picking up lootable "hero" crates like in older Battlefield games. So far it appears that hero crates spawn at similar locations on every map e.g. Flag B for the Flame Trooper and Flag F for the Sentry on Sinai Desert (Conquest).

Hero crate spawn rates are very low, ensuring that Elite classes are an exciting but sensibly infrequent OP experience.

In total we have three Elite classes in the base game and several additions through DLC...

Elite Classes

Trench Raider (DLC 1)

Included in the "They shall not pass" DLC, the Trench Raider comes with a brutal Raider Club and an impressive grenade arsenal. Touted for his impressive melee skills, the raider is the perfect close combat elite class.

Flame Trooper

The Flame Trooper was first shown in the early gameplay trailers but was only confirmed as an Elite Class in recent days.

He's wrapped in fire-resistant gear and carries an overpowered flamethrower weapon which brings about complete chaos. Even though he's immune to incendiary grenades and explosions, don't be fooled into thinking the Flame Trooper is indestructible because that gas mask he's wearing causes visibility problems, slowing down his reaction time and thus giving a nimble player enough of an advantage to take him down.

Make the wrong move though and that flamethrower weapon will cause some serious and lasting damage!!

Sentry

Most people would associate this guy with a Juggernaut class - he's strapped with thick armour plating, turning him into the human tank.

Equipped with a special water-cooled machine gun at his hip, he peppers enemy positions with flying lead while still being able to withstand a hell of lot of damage. Unlike the Flame Trooper, he doesn't wear a gas mask and that's his major weakness in BF1.

Tank Hunter

Keeping a safe distance and using a weapon taller than most men is the Tank Hunter Elite Class. The weapon in question is the 1918 Tankgewehr - an absolute killer that lays waste to enemy infantry and vehicles alike. The downside to this class is that the Tank Hunter must be prone in order to use the Tankgewehr, thus making him easy pickings for flanking attacks from behind.

That said, the Tankgewehr is such a powerful weapon that it can knock out a vehicle's tracks, machine guns, or the cannons on armored vehicles.