T-21

The T-21 is a Heavy Blaster in DICE's Star Wars Battlefront and Star Wars Battlefront II that has a slow rate of fire but deals high damage per shot.

Star Wars Battlefront
"The T-21 is a robust heavy blaster that delivers massive damage at long ranges. Its only drawback is its slow rate of fire and lack of optics."

- In-game description

The T-21 Heavy Blaster is one of four Heavy Blasters in DICE's Star Wars Battlefront. It can be purchased for 2,500 Credits at Rank 10.

Overview
Unlocked at Rank 10, the T-21 Heavy Blaster deals high damage but has a slow rate of fire. It is able to eliminate most enemies in 2-3 shots depending on the distance. The weapon has neither scope nor iron sight, so there is minimal zooming. The T-21 is the primary weapon of Emperor Palpatine's Royal Guards. In Survival, the AI Imperial Shadow Trooper uses the T-21 as its primary weapon in conjunction with its Flash Grenade and special cloaking abilities.

Strategy
The T-21 is a very high-damage weapon, killing most infantry in 2-3 shots while having good accuracy and a reasonably good range at the cost of having a very slow rate of fire, being one of the slowest-firing blasters in the game. As such, consistent and good accuracy is paramount for effective use of this weapon as the slow rate of fire leaves the user very vulnerable to close range attackers and every missed shot will have a noticeable impact on the time it takes to kill an opponent.

The T-21 is best used at mid-range. At close-range, it will be outmatched by most other weapons with a high rate of fire, such as the DH-17. At longer ranges, the lack of optics combined with the moderate travel time of the projectiles and damage fall-off will greatly hinder the weapon's effectiveness.

For longer-range engagements, the T-21B Targeting Rifle is better suited as it is effectively identical to the T-21 but has a scope, extending the effective range of the weapon and permitting some degree of sniping. This, however, comes at the cost of cutting down even more on the T-21's already limited cooling power and rate of fire.

Trivia

 * The T-21 Heavy Blaster is based on the real-life Lewis gun.
 * The T-21 is one of the few blasters to have no scope attached.
 * The T-21 is the most powerful heavy blaster out of the other four.
 * Several sandtroopers can be seen wielding T-21 Heavy Blasters on Tatooine in A New Hope.

Updates

 * No changes

Star Wars Battlefront II
The T-21 is a primary weapon for the Heavy class in DICE's Star Wars Battlefront II unlocked after getting 50 kills with the Heavy in Co-Op.

Overview
The T-21 handles similarly to its previous iteration. Unlike other Heavy Blasters (except the TL-50), it takes a shorter time to cool down.

While the first game's T-21 had no scope, Battlefront II introduces a new Scope modification that allows it to be used in longer-ranged situations.

Like its previous iteration, the T-21 is still a great alternative to targeting rifles as it has no damage dropoff, even better when the Scope is equipped. Though it fires slower than other weapons, it still has its high damage.

In addition, equipping the Burst modification turns it into an even more powerful weapon, hitting its full damage three times per burst (195 in total - enough to kill three of the four Infantry classes and deal high damage to a majority of Reinforcements and Heroes in the game) without any compromise to its range.

While the Improved Handling modification may decrease recoil and spread, it must be said that the weapon loses its infinite range with it equipped, turning it to a medium-ranged weapon with it. It is best equipped in close- and medium-quarters combat.

Strategy
The T-21 is a very powerful weapon that retains its high damage even in very high ranges, especially with the Burst modification. Comparing it with the Specialist weapons, its damage is almost equal with the IQA-11.

Its only known tradeoff is its slow rate of fire, and in the case of having the Improved Handling modification active, its range drawback. Unless you have the Burst modification, the T-21 won't do you any good in short distances, for it has a very slow rate of fire; in closer-ranged fights, it is better to equip the other Heavy weapons, like the TL-50 or DC-15LE.

Scoring headshots will be a surefire way to dispatch enemies from a far distance very quickly. It takes 3 shots to eliminate an enemy, 1 with the Burst modification.

Modifications
Improved Zoom=

Improved Handling=

Burst Mode=

Trivia

 * When equipped with the Improved Zoom and Improved Handling modifications, the T-21 appears identical to the T-21B Targeting Rifle.