Despite first launching in 2016, Respawn's Titanfall 2 has a seen a sudden resurgence aided by a recent sale, a free Steam weekend, and related content for Apex Legends - not to mention a persistent fanbase that never went away. At the heart of its gameplay, of course, is its namesake Titans. Each of these has inherent strengths and weaknesses - some of which may not be immediately obvious to the game's newcomers.
It should be said that this article won't be looking at BT-7274, the Vanguard-class Titan used in the story campaign. While he/it's part of Titanfall 2's charm, it's hard to say much without giving away the story, and in gameplay terms it's not just exclusive to single-player, but too much of a chameleon. It can equip itself to become any other class, so discussing it at length would be redundant.
With that in mind, below is a breakdown of all the other Titans in Titanfall 2, and their strengths and weaknesses new players may want to consider.
Titanfall 2 Titan: Ion
Whereas most Titans in Titanfall 2 are based around projectile weapons or close combat, the Ion is all about energy weapons, its main gun being the Splitter Rifle. Functionally the rifle behaves like most weapons in Titanfall 2's multiplayer, except that it gradually depletes a recharging battery. Most of Ion's abilities use power, so it's best to engage in small bursts.
The mech's real strengths are its Laser Shot - perfect for shooting down pilots - and the Vortex Shield, which lets players catch projectiles and toss them back. A well-timed Vortex can outright destroy enemy Titans. Even more powerful is its Laser Core, which like other Titan Cores is earned over the course of a match, but unleashes a steady stream of destruction that can sometimes take out multiple Titans if they're grouped together. Be warned, however - the Ion isn't the most resilient choice, and short of the Laser Core, it doesn't unleash heavy damage.
Titanfall 2 Titan: Tone
A newbie-friendly Titan, the Tone's 40 mm cannon is useful against both mechs and pilots, since it's an instant-hit weapon. It can also trigger sonar bursts, which are useful for highlighting enemies and establishing partial lock for its Tracker Rockets. It's necessary to fire a few 4omm shots to get full lock, but when that's ready, the rockets will fly directly to their target, while aiming off-center can sometimes help them fly around obstacles.
These features, combined with its temporary Particle Wall shield, can make it invaluable in Titanfall 2 matches, and its Salvo Core rocket barrage is second only to the Laser Core in terms of ferocity. Tone's only real weaknesses are average armor and a vulnerability to close combat - if a Ronin or Scorch is in striking distance, the Tone often can't fire fast enough to win. It's best to dash out of range in a fighting retreat.
Titanfall 2 Titan: Northstar
The Northstar is reserved for Titanfall 2's expert snipers only. Its Plasma Railgun can whittle down any Titan at long range, and its Flight Core rains down rockets from above - but it has the weakest armor of any class, so even its Cluster Missile and Tether Trap are rarely enough to keep it alive at close range. Smart Northstar players are usually camped as far out of reach as possible, charging up the Railgun to do maximum damage, and exploiting VTOL Hover to pop out of cover. In any other situation, Northstar pilots are advised to make use of their speed and escape.
Titanfall 2 Titan: Ronin
The Ronin is alternately the most loved or most hated of Titanfall 2's classes. In theory, Ronin's main weapon is the Leadwall shotgun, but in practice it's the Broadsword, which can be used to utterly devastate Titans in close quarters. Activating Sword Core makes this even deadlier, and a properly-triggered Phase Dash lets players close distance without taking damage. Equipping the Highlander Kit recharges the Sword Core with each Titan kill, making Ronin experts in Titanfall 2 virtually unstoppable. It can be harder to succeed as a newcomer, since it lacks any long- or even medium-range combat options, and still isn't the toughest mech on the battlefield.
Titanfall 2 Titan: Legion
The toughest mech in Titanfall 2 is the Legion. It's decked in heavy armor, and its Predator Cannon spits out a constant volley of lead interrupted only by the need to reload. Even that's negated as part of the auto-targeting (if short-lived) Smart Core. A Power Shot ability delivers a shotgun blast, and a Gun Shield temporarily absorbs head-on fire.
The weapon can be flipped between short- and long-range modes, the latter being a useful countermeasure against Northstars. The Titan's downside, naturally is its lumbering pace versus anything else in Titanfall 2 - it simply can't avoid a Ronin, and it's often easy pickings for a skilled Tone or Northstar so long as there's room to maneuver. Being trapped with a Legion in a closed corridor is a recipe for annihilation.
Titanfall 2 Titan: Scorch
On its receiving end, the Scorch seems like it should be relatively easy to deal with, since it's slow and doesn't even have the range of a Legion. Its Thermite Launcher can deal both immediate and lingering damage, however, especially when used with the ignitable gas canisters the Titan can toss out. Its strongest tool may be the Thermal Shield, which both destroys incoming ordinance and burns anything at close range - this makes it a nightmare for Ronins, or simply anything in Titanfall 2 that finds itself face-to-face with Scorch. The Flame Core can tear clusters of enemies apart.
Titanfall 2 Titan: Monarch
A later addition to Titanfall 2, the Monarch is another model intended for veterans. It's not necessarily the best at anything combat-wise, but its Upgrade Core allows it to gain new abilities, such as Arc Rounds or Rearm & Reload. Arc Rounds and the Energy Siphon can both prove a royal pain to enemies by depleting their resources, while Rearm makes the Monarch's abilities more readily available. Perhaps its most useful feature is the ability to steal a battery from an executed Titan - used properly, a Monarch can outlast any of its competition.
Which Titans Are Best For First-Time Titanfall 2 Players?
The Ion and the Tone are probably the best for the flood of Titanfall 2 recruits, since they're both versatile and easy to grasp, while remaining useful at the highest skill levels. In fact, it's wise to stick with one of the two for at least a few days, since the other Titans require some insight to make the most of them. Of course, no one becomes an expert with a Ronin or Northstar without actually hopping in the cockpit - so if a particular Titan seems like the most appealing, it may be worth the initial pain to eventually become a master.