DICE has not only released a new short film, but also revealed the fifth Specialist at the same time. An old acquaintance named Irish.
This is a nice, albeit small, surprise from EA. On 12 August, DICE released the short film Exodus as announced. It is supposed to illustrate how the world of Battlefield 2042 works. In reality, however, the seven-minute-long film had another purpose: the fifth specialist was revealed. And this is by no means an unknown!
If you want to watch the short film first – you can find it right here:
This is the 5th Specialist in Battlefield 2042
For the record, Specialists are the new classes of Battlefield 2042. More specifically, they are subclasses, each belonging to one of the four old familiar classes.
In total, players will be able to choose from ten specialists at release. The first four have already been revealed. The fifth is Kimble “Irish” Graves.
Who is Irish and what makes him tick?
Unlike the previous specialists, Irish is not a completely unknown face. The veteran already played an important role in Battlefield 4’s campaign. This also confirms that 2042 follows on from Battlefield 4 in some way. Even though there will be no single-player campaign in the classic sense.
In Battlefield 4, Graves was a US Marine and fought on our side as a member of the Tombstone Squad. So if you enjoyed BF 4’s campaign, you’ll be happy to know that Irish is back. In Battlefield 2042, however, Irish has visibly aged and is also no longer part of the US Army. Like all specialists, Irish is a No-Pat, a mercenary without national affiliation.
But even among the No-Pats there are those and those. Irish is interested in protecting his family and stands up for homeless refugees. However, he often clashes with another No-Pat leader named Oz, who welcomes the war. This tension is one of the driving forces behind the story of 2042, which is told via live service events.
What can Irish do as a Specialist in BF2042?
The special thing about all Specialists are their unique gadgets. While weapons or grenades can be chosen completely freely, each Specialist has two special items in his pocket. Irish is one of them: The American-born veteran belongs to the upper class of Engineers. In other words, those who rely on technological gadgets. Irish has two of these gadgets with him:
– DCS Deployable cover
This is a shield that Irish can place anywhere on the floor. The device then automatically unfolds and protects Irish and all his fellow soldiers from approaching bullets. The cover remains in place until their health is completely depleted. In addition, the cover has bullet-proof armoured glass so that allies can easily see through it even when they are under cover. Irish can put up multiple shields at once.
– APS-36 Shootdown Sentinel
A shield helps well against shelling, but grenades or missiles fly overhead without a problem. That’s why Irish has come up with another special feature: the APS-36 is the perfect gadget to neutralise explosive projectiles. Behind cover, grenades are deflected. Near a vehicle, rockets. However, the tool can be disabled using EMP attacks.
In addition to his gadgets, Irish also has the passive veteran ability. This allows the soldier to spawn each round with a low armour value. This value can be further replenished when Irish picks up ammo packs from fallen enemies.
What Irish tells us about BF2042
On paper, Kimble Graves’ abilities sound relatively unspectacular. At least when we think of McKay possessing a grappling hook, for example, and Maria Falck a healing syringe gun. But on closer inspection, Irish is a very exciting specialist.
The specialist specialises in protecting his team mates. This could indicate that team play will be even more important in Battlefield 2042 than in previous parts. For example, Irish’s abilities are very much geared towards working together with other specialists and protecting them from harm.
In addition, Irish is the first character that is very closely connected to the narrative of Battlefield 2042. The developers already talked about the fact that ultimately all specialists should tell special stories and that there can also be tensions between them. However, it remains to be seen whether this connection to the overarching story is really well conveyed in the multiplayer games.
