Breaking down all 8 available operatives in Delta Force in our guide
12.5.2024
By Thomas Wilde, Contributor
Team Jade ran a technical beta in late November for Delta Force that let players check out the first 8 available operatives for the Global Threat Initiative. These fit broadly into 4 roles—Assault, Support, Engineer, and Recon—and each one has their own mix of passive buffs, unusual equipment, and firepower that puts them into specialist categories. This article lists their abilities in a helpful at-a-glance format so you have an idea of who you want to pick when the servers go live.
This article is focused on the ins and outs of each operative in Warfare, which is Delta Force’s big 32 v. 32 PvP mode. It’s worth mentioning that you also play as these characters in Operations mode, Delta Force’s take on extraction shooters, where most of their abilities function in much the same way.
Assault
These troops are here to do the damage. Other classes in Delta Force have their own utility, but at the end of the day, you win your matches by successfully defeating the enemy. That’s what these operators are for—they’re straightforward, simple, and effective.
Kai “D-Wolf” Silva
D-Wolf is built to be the tip of the spear. His Motorized Exoskeleton increases his sprint speed; if you dash directly into an opponent, it restores D-Wolf’s health and extends the Exoskeleton’s effective duration. (If you like playing a Vanguard in Mass Effect, D-Wolf might be your guy.) D-Wolf also comes equipped with the Triple Blaster, an anti-vehicle grenade launcher that can devastate enemy armor.
For the start of the match, D-Wolf carries Tactical Smoke Grenades to advance in concealment, and his exoskeleton lets you execute a fast-moving Tactical Slide. He’s made to stay on the move, charge into the fray, and keep the pressure going. That makes D-Wolf an obvious pick for players who enjoy the aggressive approach, or simply for anyone who’s new to this style of shooter.
Wang “Vyron” Yuhao
If D-Wolf is supposed to lead the charge, Vyron’s specialty is getting into places that he shouldn’t. His QLL32 Crouching Tiger special fires a blast of compressed air that scores an instant knockdown on any enemy it strikes, and his Dynamic Propulsion gives Vyron a quick dash.
The Magnetic Bomb is a sticky mine that sticks to any surface it strikes and detonates after a short countdown, which makes it excellent as a trap for oncoming enemies or pursuers.
As a passive trait, Vyron’s Dynamic Auxiliary System increases his movement speed if he takes a long fall or uses one of his other gadgets. If you’re looking for an operator who makes it relatively easy to reach strange places on the map or who excels in close quarters, Vyron’s your best bet.
Support
Death is cheap in Delta Force. Even under the best of circumstances, it only takes a few shots to drop an operative. That’s why it’s valuable to have a few Support operatives in your crew. They’ve got the tools to be dangerous, but also serve as force multipliers for the rest of the team.
Roy “Stinger” Smee
Stinger is built around his Hive-Tech Pistol, which lets him heal himself and his allies slowly over time. It locks onto a single target when you aim down iron sights, which lets you stay behind cover and try to keep your Assault buddies up and fighting.
You can also toss a Hive-Tech Smoke Grenade to provide concealment, then shoot its smoke with the Hive-Tech Pistol to heal any allies that stand inside the cloud. Stinger’s passive ability Expertly Rescue lets him restore more HP to any downed ally he gets back up and removes any penalties they may be suffering from getting dropped multiple times.
For other concealment options, Stinger comes equipped with a Smokescreen generated by a personal UAV that you can freely steer. It’s flexible enough that you can plan around it, especially if you have a couple of Stingers coordinate.
Zoya “Toxik” Pomchenkova
As you might guess from her general vibe—you wouldn’t guess she was a support character from her introduction—Toxik is less passive than Stinger. She’s primarily built around buffs and debuffs rather than regeneration.
This starts with her “Dragonfly” Swarm System, which Toxik can unleash to buff allies’ damage resistance while debuffing enemies’ maximum HP, hearing, and vision. If you see an enemy squad coming, a Dragonfly swarm can stop their offensive before it begins.
Her Adreno-Boost UAV gives friendly operators a similar boost, which enhances their gun handling and makes them flinch less if struck by enemy gunfire. You can also toss Blinding Gas grenades that don’t simply conceal you and your allies, but debilitate any opponents caught in the cloud.
Just by virtue of being nearby, Toxik’s Swift Healing reduces the time it takes for an operator’s automatic healing to kick in when you’re in Warfare mode. If you’re playing an Operation, Swift Healing instead reduces the time it takes you to use consumable items.
Engineer
The Engineers in Delta Force are here to use the heavy weapons. Their in-game description might lead you to believe that they’re specialized in armored combat like driving tanks, but both available operators can start the match with machine guns and rocket launchers. If you like high explosives, suppressive fire, and anti-vehicle rockets, an Engineer might be for you.
Terry “Shepherd” Musa
Like Toxik, Shepherd’s unique abilities set him up as a force multiplier for team play, but unlike Toxik, he’s arguably the best area-denial operator in the game. This revolves around his Sonic Paralysis ability, which deploys a special drone that debuffs enemies within a 30-meter radius.
The name’s a little misleading, but the drone’s effects can counteract recon operatives’ abilities, slow down all operatives’ fire rates, and destroy certain gadgets. If you throw the UAV out, it fires once; if you set it up to sit in place, it pulses 4 times. One Shepherd in the right place can counter an entire enemy push.
Shepherd can also use a Sonic Trap as an area-of-effect proximity mine, which damages and slows enemies in a 4 meter area. This makes them easy targets for your GE2 Frag Grenades. Shepherd’s passive trait Sonic Defense lowers the amount of splash damage he takes from explosions.
David “Uluru” Fletcher
Uluru’s Battle Hardened trait reduces the impact of incoming damage and the movement penalties from carrying heavy gear, which makes him faster than you’d expect. With that and Quickset Cover, a deployable concrete barricade that can stop enemy gunfire, he’s a solid backup player for an offensive push.
If you’re looking to drop a few carpet bombs, Loitering Munition launches a projectile that splits into 4 cluster bombs on impact with a target. If you fire it from the hip, it has limited target-seeking capability. It’s perfect for digging a few opponents out of a fortified position.
In a surprising twist, Uluru is the only operator who can serve as his own hard-counter. This is because his grenade, a Composite Incendiary, can burn straight through Quickset Cover. You can use this to block and exploit choke points, or give an enemy Uluru a nasty surprise.
Recon
The goal of Recon operatives is to gain an advantage through intelligence gathering. At least half of your deaths in Delta Force will come from enemies you never saw, so Recon members of your squad are there to spot threats ahead of time.
Recon operatives also gain access to all the best sniper rifles in Delta Force. If all you’ve ever wanted out of an FPS was a thoroughly unfair advantage, Recon might be your role.
Luna Kim
Luna may seem odd because she brings a longbow to a gunfight, but she can gather some useful intelligence for your squad.
You can fire a Detection Arrow as Luna to briefly illuminate enemies within its trajectory, which hard-counters other operators’ gimmicks like smoke grenades. In a similar vein, Luna’s Enemy Analysis trait marks enemies in red for other members of your squad if she’s able to damage them in any way. If you can’t get the kill shot, you can at least set an enemy up for your squadmates to take them down.
Those two abilities can be tricky to use effectively in wide-open areas in Warfare mode, but become lethal in indoor or underground spaces. They also make Luna a solid pick in Operations mode, as a well-placed Detection Arrow gives you a few seconds’ grace against hidden enemies.
Her Volt Arrow inflicts electric damage over time to any target struck, which is dangerous to operatives but lethal to vehicles and electronics; it’s also got a built-in Rebound Mode that lets you bank-shot it off walls. Finally, Luna packs GE2 Frag Grenades as an anti-personnel measure, which are designed to be lethal against soldiers in body armor.
Mai “Hackclaw” Xiaowen
Mai is Delta Force’s stealth specialist. Her Silent Step passive reduces the noise she makes when she moves and allows Hackclaw to move faster while in stealth or crouching than any other operative. Data Knife can be thrown to disable electronic devices within 10 meters, and inflicts heavy damage to any enemy who takes a clean hit.
You can gain an early advantage against enemies with Signal Decoder, which tracks nearby enemies’ electronic signature when deployed. While it’s active, it will display the closest 3 opponents in your HUD so you aren’t taken off-guard. That sets them up for your Flash Drone, which you can deploy to blind and stun enemies within its range.
Delta Force’s open beta is live now on Epic Games Store.