Infinity Unit Review: Druze Dramatis Personae

To wrap up my Druze unit reviews, today we will be talking about their named characters! I've already covered Le Muet, Scarface and Cordeila, so that leaves Valerya Gromoz, Saito Togan, and Security Chief Arslan, to cover all the Druze named characters.

Valerya Gromoz, Mercenary Hacker

Gromoz is a spunky Atek, who has got her hands on some lovely hacking equipment. Her weaponry isn't anything remarkable, especially with her BS11, though her pitcher can come in handy with the amount of hackers in Druze. The big reason to take Valerya however is that she had a standard Hacking Device... I know what you're thinking, having a basic piece of equipment is what makes her special? Well, in Druze Bayram it does! Aside from the Kameel EVO, Gromoz is the only other source of Supportware in the sectorial.

Being fairly inexpensive and WIP14, makes her useful in itself, but something unusual makes her stand out in Druze, her ability to join ANY fireteam. She can fill any gap should your primary Druze link lose a critical piece (like a Clipper or Brawler in a Druze link), and can even tag along with Scarface, leaving Cordelia free to cruise around on her own. Gromoz can join another Brawler as a Duo as well. The combination of additional link flexibility, and supportware, makes sure that Gromoz has a place in nearly all of my Druze lists.

Saito Togan, Mercenary Ninja

Somewhere between a Ninja and Shinobu, Saito is a brutal fighter, with some exceptional utility. Saito is devastating in close combat, but now can also be taken as a Specialist Operative. In Druze, he is the sole provider of Smoke, which means to do MSV2+Smoke you must take hime. In missions like The Grid and Looting and Sabotaging, his EXP CCW come into play, hitting twice (thanks to MA4). Obviously in close combat, all but the most powerful fighters will get cut to ribbons. Despite only having BS11, the protection granted by TO camo makes him an effective gunfighter in a pinch.

It may sound like he has it all, and frankly, it's because he does, though he pays a pretty penny for it! Saito seems to be very common in many DBS lists, though I generally set him aside, unless I'm playing an ITS mission where he will be more helpful than a pair of Hunzakut, or missions with lots of objectives to supplement my infiltrating specialist game.

Security Chief Arslan

The big boss in Druze Bayram Security, Arslan has a wide selection of skills and equipment. Arslan is a fantastic gunfighter, especially when in a link where he goes up to BS16 and has that MSV1 to help against mimetism and ODD troops. Up close, he's blasting away with a variety of options, picking between his MULTI rifle, light shotgun, and a viral pistol, with Fatality L1 making them that much more deadly. NWI and Hyper-dynamics help keep him alive when things go south.

I haven't taken him that often, though he hasn't let me down when I do. His cost is steep, but he is a very capable unit when added to a Druze core or Haris. I'd be less inclined to take him in a Duo, but the option is nice. Arslan is one of the more expensive choices in the army, and an obvious Lieutenant choice, but that could also work in your favor to throw your opponent off.

That's All Folks!

That's right, I've now covered every single unit choice in the Druze Bayram Sectorial. I've found them to be a very limited, but rewarding army, that is utterly devastating in the active turn. They fit my style quite well, and I'm very much looking forward to more games with them. I'll be sure to still post articles on them in the future, but in the meantime I'm going to continue reviewing units for the armies I play, this time continuing the series with Ikari! Since there is so much overlap with Druze, it just makes sense to keep the Merc train going.

I'm sure someone will point out that I haven't covered the Warcor. I actually did briefly in my USAriadna unit review, but by now I should hope everyone has played with them and knows how amazing they are, there isn't a whole lot to talk about. A 3-point ARO piece with 360° visor can really be obnoxious, if you have 3 points, take it!