There are five classes of GDF soldiers and because Quake Wars is heavy on the strategy, the choice of which class you opt for on each map will play a part in determining your success (or lack of). Some personal preference and ability will play a part too, but below are some of the basic characteristics and information for each of the five classes.

As with many strategic war games, the team that plans and communicates better is the one with the greatest advantage. While medics and engineers aren’t the most glamorous or action packed classes having a reasonable quota of each will help ensure a greater shot at victory. An entire team of soldiers will quickly come unstuck against a better prepared team.

Soldier

The soldier is the most basic and yet the most versatile of the human forces. They benefit from 20% more energy than any other human combatants and can more ably carry the heavier weapons. Weapon choice is varied with the N93 GPMG (General Purpose Machine Gun), a Rocket Launcher, and a Shotgun.

These can be chosen in preference to the standard assault rifle and secondary pistol. Soldiers also come complete with a reasonable array of explosives – frag grenades and explosive charges that are detonated from distance.

The combination of weaponry and explosives makes the soldier useful for taking on vehicles and fighting in one-on-one battles up close. Because of the explosive charges they are also critical to the successful completion of certain missions.

Covert Ops

If you like “strategically taking cover” (hiding or cowering) in trees then this is the best choice for you. The covert operative is the only class that has access to the sniper rifle but can also be used to sabotage electronics, hack vehicles and deployable weapons, and relay information about the opposing team to his own teammates.

Picking up enemy disguises enables the special op to infiltrate the enemy without being spotted while smoke grenades and EMP grenades further their tactical advantage. The Covert Ops may be suited best to those that favour the long range weapon, but they will also prove an invaluable asset to the rest of the team in their reconnaisance and technical skills.

Medics

The medics may be the class that most people ignore except when they want to gather specific achievements, but Quake Wars does attempt to add a little more to the medic’s role.

They still play a primarily supportive role obviously but they can also use their defib pads to destroy spawn spots.

For each medic your team boasts you gain a 5 point health bonus and the size of medic packs is increased. You may have to coerce a team member to don the medic’s uniform but you will be glad you did.

Field Ops

Field ops are, perhaps, the least useful of all the classes. They aren’t as useful as medics and a good engineer will easily take the place of a field operative. Field Ops can, however, call on NPC strikes on certain spots and drop ammunition for other players to pick up.

The field ops’ major role will usually be in attempting to wipe out large groups, or well defended structures and areas.

They are next to useless in close combat and will need to stay on the periphery throughout the map. It can get a little lonely playing field ops because no team needs more than one.

Engineers

The engineer’s greatest single weapon is a set of pliers and you better believe it. Generally, an engineer is more useful than a field op. They carry a shotgun and multi-purpose mines as well as those coveted pliers.

Pliers are essential because an engineer can build defensive turrets to destroy incoming personnel, infantry, and missiles. They also repair vehicles and turrets to hold a defensive line.

A couple of good engineers can be used to effectively manage the defense of an entire team using mines and deployables.