- The lightweight "Highlanders" are tasked with finding the enemy and making the team aware of their movements. Then tactically take them out using the "Marksman" or the "scout". They can count on aerial recon planes to help show enemy locations.[1]
- – Official Verdun Squad Guide
The Highlander, or Scottish Highlanders, squad are a scout squad introduced to the game on 11 January 2017 as a free DLC. They are Britain's first scout squad, armed with SMLE rifles and British weapons.
The squad, with the large-capacity and rapid-firing SMLE rifle, along with the other benefits of scout squads, including double sprint time, forward spawning, and reconnaissance, is extremely popular amongst veteran players.
Squad roles[]
NCO[]
The role of the NCO is to find weaknesses in the enemy line using aerial reconnaissance and lead the squad through. As with all squads, the NCO is responsible for all call-ins, which here requests various planes overfly targeted positions.
Level | Title | Loadout |
---|---|---|
1 | Recon officer |
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2 | Highlander | |
3 | Liaison officer |
|
Marksman[]
The Marksman is the squad's sniper. As this role does not have a bayonet, it is intended primarily to engage from afar, taking down enemy forces while the squad advances into the enemy line.
Level | Title | Loadout |
---|---|---|
1 | Lightfoot | |
2 | Crack-shot | |
3 | Sniper |
|
Observer[]
The Observer benefits from a passive ability which reveals the location and disposition of enemy forces within a small radius. This makes the Observer, somewhat contrary to the game's descriptions, very helpful in close-quarters combat.
Level | Title | Loadout |
---|---|---|
1 | Scout | |
2 | Guard |
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3 | Ranged observer |
Scout[]
The Scout is armed with light and close-in weapons. With an loadout of bayonets, trench clubs, and semiautomatic pistols, the scout is a great help in any trench raid. Tactically, it is recommended to take the enemy by surprise, flank them, and clear the trench out before any enemy alarm, or more likely, team respawn, can be raised.
Level | Title | Loadout |
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1 | Assault scout |
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2 | Ranged Scout |
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3 | Raider |
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Abilities and progression[]
Level | Shared | NCO | Marksman | Observer | Scout |
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0 | Mountain Stamina I: When in Aura Sprint time + 100%Lightweight I: Players spawn on most forward player, When in Aura: Steady weapon speed +25%Uniform I | Command Aura: Add abilities to all other squad members in same sector or 10mHide I: When not moving and prone, cannot be made aware ofRecon Plane: A recon plane will fly over target sector, revealing all enemies | Hawkeye I: When in Aura, 2 additional points for longshotsDraftee: Movement speed lowered 10% when not in auraMarksman I: Holding breath time increased by 10 seconds | Observant I: When in aura, all enemies within 5m are made aware to the squadDraftee: Movement speed lowered by 10% when not in auraHide I: When not moving and prone, cannot be made aware of | Vulnerable: Time to regenerate health + 25%Hide III: When prone, cannot be made aware ofFerocious I: Melee distance + .05m |
15 | Hide II: When not moving, cannot be made aware of | Observant II: When in aura, all enemies within 10m are made aware to the squad | |||
20 | Hawkeye II: 2 additional points for longshots | Hide II: When not moving, cannot be made aware of | |||
33 | Mountain Stamina II: When in Aura: Sprint time +100%, stamina recharge time -25% | ||||
38 | Hide IV: When prone, or crouched and in aura, cannot be made aware of | ||||
45 | Marksman II: Holding breath time increased by 15 seconds | ||||
50 | Lightweight II: Players spawn on most forward player, When in Aura: steady weapon speed +50% | ||||
55 | Observant III: All enemies within 10m are made aware to the squad | ||||
60 | Uniform II | Patrol Plane: A Plane will attack target position and reveals all enemies in the target sector. | |||
66 | Mountain Stamina III: When in Aura, Sprint Unlimited | ||||
78 | Hide III: When prone, cannot be made aware of | ||||
80 | Marksman III: Holding breath time increases by 30 seconds | ||||
85 | Ferocious II: Melee distance +1m | ||||
95 | Hide III: When prone, cannot be made aware of |
History[]
Scottish Highlander units fought from 1914 onwards as part of the British Army, as Scotland is one of the four "Home Nations" that makes up the United Kingdom. They saw the most action fighting on the Western Front against the German Army, and gained fame from their actions at Mons, Loos and the Somme, as many Highlander units were sent into battle in the first waves in vanguard roles, and as such, Highlander units gained a reputation from the Germans as some of, if not the fiercest Entente troops to defend against, to the point of getting the nickname, "The Ladies from Hell" from the Germans.
While still debated heavily and contested to this day, Scottish units, and by extension, Scotland herself, took the highest proportion of casualties of any nation in the war, with numbers as high as 26% of Scottish soldiers who fought being killed in action, with many more wounded over the course of 1914 to 1918.
References[]