Emperor Palpatine

Emperor Palpatine as he appears in Battlefront II.

Emperor Palpatine is a Galactic Empire Hero in DICE's Star Wars Battlefront and Star Wars Battlefront II.

Star Wars Battlefront

Hero

"I will show them the true nature of the Force"

— Intro Dialogue

Emperor Palpatine is a Galactic Empire Hero in DICE's Star Wars Battlefront. He acts as the Empire's support Hero, serving as the equivalent to the Rebel Alliance's Leia Organa.

Overview

Despite looking frail and weak, Emperor Palpatine is equipped with a variety of combat and support abilities to help turn the tide of battle. Darth Sidious can also use the Force to block a variety of attacks and weapons.

Abilities

Emperor Palpatine is equipped with the following abilities:

• Force Lightning: This ability fires a large, continuous burst of lightning towards enemies in front of Palpatine, inflicting constant damage at a rapid pace. Although extremely deadly at close range, the ability has a restricted range.

• Chain Lightning: This fires a single large burst of electricity with a greater range than the default force lightning. When fired, the Chain lightning will attach itself to a target within range and then spread to all nearby valid targets as well, killing them instantly in most cases. If used against a hero, the ability will deal high damage and briefly stun them. This ability briefly immobilises the Emperor upon use.

• Force Dash: This move allows Palpatine to quickly dash forward in the direction he is moving. This can be used to move into range or fly up to a high point. This manoeuvre appeared in Star Wars: Episode 3: Revenge of The Sith.

• Imperial Resources: This support ability spawns a basic power-up for all infantry, barring Palpatine's Royal Guards. On Heroes vs. Villains and Hero Hunt, in lieu of spawning this, a Hero Health Pickup is spawned, obtainable by any hero (even those of the enemy team). This gives the Emperor up to 50% health, although this varies for other heroes, such as Darth Vader, whose health is naturally higher than that of his fellow heroes, causing him to only regain around 20-30% health. The health pickup is also spawned on the offline modes of Skirmish and Battles. The pickups can be stolen by the Rebels so it is important not to leave the pickup sitting around.

• Royal Guard: Imperial players can choose to spawn next to Palpatine (whenever he is in play) as a Royal Guard. They are equipped with buffed T-21 and T-21B Blasters as well as Smart Rockets, and Homing Shots as reusable Star Cards. A maximum of two Imperial Guards can be on the map at a time. On Heroes Vs. Villains Royal Guard spawns are limited to two per round. On regular game modes more than two can spawn per game.
  • Note that, prior to the Bespin update, these Royal Guards were instead Shocktroopers, although their abilities and statistics were identical.

• Force flight: Unlike in the original games Palpatine does not hover constantly. Instead of a regular jumping ability, Palpatine will instead use the force to "fly" several feet off the ground and slowly descend back to the ground afterwards. While doing this he can still use his Force dash ability upward to gain altitude quickly (therefore making his flight ability superior to that of Darth Vader's or any other heros' jump ability) before descending. This force ability provides much more altitude compared to other jump abilities, albeit more slowly and gradually.

• "Block": Palpatine can use the force to block attacks in a similar fashion to other force wielders and even block lightsaber strikes. Palpatine's blocking ability absorbs all blaster shots directed towards him, however, it does not reflect the shots towards the player's crosshair as is the case with Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, instead the shots are simply absorbed while any damage dealt by them will be negated. Normal blaster shots will be blocked with no damage dealt, explosive projectiles such as Bowcasters, Homing Shots and Explosive Shots, will be blocked but Palpatine will still suffer splash damage while solid projectile weapons such as the Cycler Rifle or Scatter Gun, cannot be blocked at all.

Trait

Emperor Palpatine was given a hero trait, along with the other vanilla heroes in Battlefront, as a part of the Scarif DLC patch. Emperor Palpatine's trait gives him an increased amount of lightning sustainability with each kill or damage dealt to opposing heroes. This means that as Emperor Palpatine increases his trait level, he will be able to use his main lightning attack for a greater period of time. As Emperor Palpatine's trait level increases, his lightning usage rate will decrease. In addition, his lightning recharge rate will increase. With this trait, Emperor Palpatine will be able to use his lightning attack to a much greater extent against his enemies, thus, making him a greater attack threat on the Battlefront to pair with his characteristics as a support hero as well.

• Level 1: 9%
• Level 2: 18%
• Level 3: 25%

Quotes

"You will all die as one!"

— Upon using Chain Lightning

"You will all perish!"

— Upon using Chain Lightning

"I will leave you a burning husk."

— Upon using Chain Lightning

"I am all-powerful!"

— Upon attacking an enemy with standard Lightning

"You dare approach me?!"

— Upon being damaged

"Use this to smash their lines."

— Upon dropping Imperial Resources/Hero Health Drop

"A gift from your Emperor."

— Upon dropping Imperial Resources/Hero Health Drop

"Such fragile creatures you are. *laughs*"

— Upon killing multiple enemies in quick succession

"I wonder if your feelings on this matter are clear."

— Emote

"I am quite safe from your pitiful band."

— Emote

"Everything is proceeding as I have foreseen."

— Emote

"It'll take more than that to stop me."

— Upon being attacked

"Now you die!"

— upon using lightning

"I will burn you all to the ground."

— when attacking opponents

"You are nothing but insects."

— Upon killing a soldier

"You are only delaying the inevitable."

— while in combat

"Skywalker is not far"

— When Luke Skywalker is nearby

Updates

Palpatine's Force Lightning was buffed to drain significantly more slowly than it did at launch, in addition to the Hero Health Pickup being made nearly twice as effective.

Star Wars Battlefront II

Hero

"Emperor Palpatine eliminates whole groups of enemies at a time using his powerful manipulation of the Force to slow, stun, and pummel them with lightning."

— In-game description

Emperor Palpatine returns in DICE's Star Wars Battlefront II, once again as a Hero for the Galactic Empire.

Overview

"Be Menacing"

— Star Wars Battlefront II websiteThe sinister ruler of the Empire is a daunting opponent. The Emperor's mastery of the dark side allows him to wield terrifying powers against the forces of good. Compared to the previous game, his main force lightning attack has been drastically weakened. It now deals far less damage, runs out of energy faster and does not prevent enemies from retaliating while they are being damaged by it. Palpatine is also now completely unable to block attacks directed towards him, making him weaker in a straight-up fight.

Palpatine's force lightning attack behaves a little differently in that it is now a two-part attack. Palpatine can now cast force lightning with both of his hands individually, both the left and right hand have separate overheat mechanisms, meaning that alternating back and forth between the left and right hands allows the player to sustain a constant barrage of lightning, albeit with a far weaker damage profile. As a third alternative, the player can also cast force lightning using both hands simultaneously, providing double damage in exchange for a noticeably faster overheat.

Palpatine's ability setup has also been changed. He retains the Chain lighting ability but is no longer able to spawn health pickups or use Force Dash. Those abilities have been replaced with Dark Aura and Electrocute, and the latter has been replaced with a much more usable substitute for the combat roll.

Health and Movement

Health Statistics for Emperor Palpatine
Base Health	700
Health Regen Rate	75 health/sec
Max Health Regen	250
Regen Delay	5 sec

Movement Statistics for Emperor Palpatine
Sprint Speed	7 meters/second
Maximum Jump Height	10 meters
Number of Dodges	2
Dodge Length	Forwards/Backwards: 10 meters Left/Right: 6.25 meters

Weapon

Emperor Palpatine's Lightning
Weapon Image
In-game Description	Dark side Force power firing electricity from the fingertips of the user.
Damage	One hand: 15/0.3 seconds Two hands: 32/0.3 seconds

Abilities

• Chain Lightning
• Dark Aura
• Electrocute

Ability Icon
In-game Description	Force lightning strikes a target and then spreads to hit other nearby enemies.
Damage	120
Ability Cooldown	15 seconds Show No Mercy Cooldown reduces by a maximum of: 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 seconds

Ability Icon
In-game Description	The area around The Emperor is charged with Force energy, damaging and slowing foes.
Damage	15 on startup 15 per second
Ability Duration	8 seconds
Ability Cooldown	25 seconds

Ability Icon
In-game Description	Palpatine immobilizes enemies in front of him with electrical energy.
Effect	Stuns targets
Ability Duration	1 second
Ability Cooldown	20 seconds

Boost Cards

Lightning Reach	Amplified Aura	Prime Electrocution	Show No Mercy	Growing Darkness
Surge Of Lightning	The Rule Of Two	In Full Control	Forked Lightning

Victory Poses

Galactic Emperor	Good, Good	Turn to the Dark Side	Unlimited Power

In-game Hints

"Using both of the Emperor’s hands together will deliver a much more damaging lightning attack--but at the cost of a greater drain on the player’s Stamina."

— First hint

"The Emperor’s Dark Aura slows and damages targets within its area of effect."

— Second hint

"The Emperor is at his most powerful when he is engaging with multiple enemies at close range"

— Third hint

Emotes and Quotes

• Emotes
• In-game
• Banter

"Good! Let the hate flow through you!"

— First emote

"Do what must be done! Do not hesitate, show no mercy!"

— Second emote

"Now, at the end, do you understand."

— Third emote

"Now you will experience the full power of the dark side."

— Fourth emote

"I thank you for bringing this to my attention."

— Upon spawning

"Sith are not afraid of the dark side of the Force."

— Upon spawning

"I can feel your anger, it makes you strong."

— Upon spawning

"The dark side is powerful"

— Upon spawning

"Experience power!"

— Upon using Chain Lightning

"Do not try my patience!"

— Upon using Electrocute

"I am eternal."

— Upon using Dark Aura

"Good, good."

— In-game

"Luke: There's still good in my father.
Palpatine: Your father exists within my shadow."

— Banter between Luke Skywalker and Emperor Palpatine

"Palpatine: Do not doubt that you still has much to learn.
Maul: I seek your wisdom as always, Master."

— Banter between Darth Maul and Emperor Palpatine

"Vader: What is thy bidding, my master?.
Palpatine: Remove these insolent creatures."

— Banter between Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine

"Palpatine: (Laughter) You have grown decrepit with age.
Yoda: Decrepit perhaps, but with age, comes wisdom. Surrender you will not?"

— Banter between Yoda and Emperor Palpatine

"Palpatine: Lando Calrissian, the Governor of Cloud City. (Laughter)
Lando: Oh blast... Palpatine, that's Palpatine, it's really him."

— Banter between Lando Calrissian and Emperor Palpatine

"Palpatine: I'm sorry about your brothers. (Laughter)
Boba: The clones weren't my brothers."

— Banter between Boba Fett and Emperor Palpatine

Updates

Roger Roger Update

• Health on Kill Star Card "Lightning Absorption" has been replaced with "Show No Mercy".
  • Old Star Card Name: Lightning Absorption
    • Description: Whenever Emperor Palpatine defeats an enemy trooper, he regains twenty health. Whenever he defeats an enemy hero, he regains even more.
    • Stats: 40 / 60 / 80 / 100 Health regained upon defeating enemy hero
  • New Star Card Name: Show No Mercy
    • Description: Each extra target hit by CHAIN LIGHTNING will reduce its cooldown by 0.25 seconds to a maximum. This effect resets when Emperor Palpatine is defeated.
    • Stats: Max cooldown can be reduced to a maximum of 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 seconds

Where are those Droidekas? Update

• Changed heal values upon defeating enemy heroes for Palpatine's "Lightning Absorption" Star Card from 10-15-20-25 to 40-60-80-100.

Capital Supremacy Update

• Fixed an issue that would occasionally slow down a character's overall speed and animations when being affected by Emperor Palpatine's abilities.
• Fixed an issue that would cause Lightsaber Heroes' blocking functionality to break if they blocked the Electrocute ability inside the Dark Aura ability range.

The Chosen One Update

• Reduced Emperor Palpatine's Lightning stun duration from 1,6 to 1.
• Added stun immunity lasting 3,5 seconds to all Heroes, after having been stunned once by Captain Phasma, Iden Versio, Emperor Palpatine, Chewbacca or Lando Calrissian.

Darth Tyranus Update

• Reliability of "Electrocute" has been improved in relation to map geometry factors.

General Grievous Update

• Fixed a spelling error on the description of Palpatine's "Lighting Reach" Star Card.

Elite Corps Update

• Fixed an issue where Emperor Palpatine's basic attacks were not increasing the Hold Block stamina costs of lightsaber heroes.
• Fixed an issue where the area of effect from Emperor Palpatine's Electrocute ability would sometimes persist on the ground.

August Patch

• Palpatine has been added back to the game.
• Fixed an issue with Palpatine being very overpowered by restricting the angle from which the player could lock on with his lighting ability.
• Fixed an issue with Palpatine being able to lock onto targets through walls.

Hero Starfighters Update

• Fixed and issue where Emperor's main lightning ability took too long to recharge.
• Fixed issue with Emperor Palpatine's chain lightning not working on close targets.

Han Solo Season Update 2

• Fixed an issue where the CHAIN LIGHTNING Ability was not doing damage.

Han Solo Season Update

• Reduced health regeneration from 300 to 250.
• Reduced amount of health regenerated by the Lightning Absorption Star Card by 5 on all rarities.
• Reduced the targeting angle from dual hand lightning from 14 to 10.

Night on Endor Update

• The GROWING DARKNESS Star Card will now properly increase the radius of DARK AURA.

2.0 Patch

• Fixed an issue where Palpatine’s LIGHTNING ABSORBTION Star Card didn't grant the correct amount of health after being used.

1.2 Patch

• Emperor Palpatine now requires line of sight on his target to trigger damage with his Dark Aura and default Lightning ability. Both abilities will no longer go through obstacles and walls. While we loved the fantasy fulfillment there, the frustration of not knowing what was damaging you was too high for us not to act on.
• Lightning - Increased reach of the ability from 12 to 14 meters to compensate for the tighter collision check.

1.0 Patch

• Increased health from 650 to 700.
• Increased maximum regeneration from 150 to 300.
• Increased regeneration rate from 50 to 75.
• Decreased 1-hand Force lightning cost from 15 stamina/sec to 10 stamina/sec.
• Decreased 2-handed Force lightning cost from 20 stamina/sec to 15 stamina/sec.

Trivia

Star Wars Battlefront

• Emperor Palpatine is voiced by Sam Witwer, who has previously voiced him in The Force Unleashed and Star Wars Rebels.
• Emperor Palpatine's theme music comes from the song, Battle of Endor II Medley from the Return of the Jedi OST.
• Similar to his appearance in Return of the Jedi, Palpatine does not use a lightsaber but in Pandemic Studios' Star Wars: Battlefront II, he does.
  • In addition to his main lightsaber, Emperor Palpatine also used several backup lightsabers throughout his life. He however, greatly disliked using lightsabers of any kind, preferring to use force-based attacks instead, which is the reason why Palpatine's lightsaber is not included with him in this game and the next.

Star Wars Battlefront II

• Sam Witwer once again reprises his role as Emperor Palpatine.
• Like the previous game, Emperor Palpatine's theme music comes from the song, Battle of Endor II Medley from the Return of the Jedi OST. Similarly, he does not wield his lightsaber, preferring to utilize a variety of Force-based attacks.
• After the Hero Starfighters Update in July 2018, Emperor Palpatine was temporarily removed from the game for repairs via a "killswitch" after his lightning attacks were broken; in addition to being able to shoot through walls again, the auto targeting/auto aiming of his lightning attacks were deemed too strong, and as a result, Palpatine was removed from the game in order to be rebalanced. "Kill switches" for heroes were implemented in the behind-the-scenes of the game by the developers at EA DICE after an exploit in Battlefront allowed Lando Calrissian to shoot his homing power blast infinitely with no cooldown.

Gallery

Emperor Palpatine in an Imperial base.

Default Appearance of Palpatine in Star Wars Battlefront II.

In-game icon for Emperor Palpatine in Star Wars Battlefront II.