KEY POINTS

  • Kimble "Irish" Graves was an NPC squadmate in "Battlefield 4's" main campaign
  • He is returning as a playable Specialist in "Battlefield 2042"
  • Irish is a defensive character who can deploy cover and deny enemy explosives 

The release of the “Exodus” short film for “Battlefield 2042” offered players a glimpse of the events that precede the fictional future war, and it also revealed that the game is a direct sequel to 2013’s “Battlefield 4” through the appearance of an old character.

Kimble “Irish” Graves makes a return in “Battlefield 2042” following the events in “Battlefield 4.” Irish was a marine who fought alongside the player’s character, Recker, throughout the main campaign of the previous game as they operated behind enemy lines during the fictional war of 2020. Over 20 years after the events, Irish has become the leader of a No-Pat fleet who tried (and failed) to prevent a global conflict from breaking out.

In “Battlefield 2042,” fans will get to play as Irish as the fifth Specialist to officially join the roster, standing alongside Mackay, Casper, Falck and Boris. While his exact role isn’t implicitly stated, he appears to fall under the Support class due to the nature of his abilities.

Battlefield 2042 reintroduces Kimble 'Irish' Graves as a playable Specialist character
Battlefield 2042 reintroduces Kimble 'Irish' Graves as a playable Specialist character Electronic Arts

Irish is a defense-oriented character who can deploy tools that can protect himself and his teammates. He comes equipped with a Fortification System that is composed of the DCS Deployable Cover piece, which can absorb enemy small firearms, and the APS-36 Shootdown Sentinel, which is essentially a trophy system device that shoots down enemy explosives like grenades and rockets.

Like the other Specialists, Irish has a unique passive ability. The Veteran trait allows Irish to provide armor, which receives additional bonuses from downed enemies. The exact details on how this ability works is unclear as of late, but the implication is enough to warrant some concern from the community.

The “Battlefield” games are known for having fast time-to-kill values and anything that tampered with this formula often resulted in backlash from the community, as made apparent with “Battlefield V’s” long back-and-forth TTK patches. Giving players the option to increase their durability may create balancing issues that can harm the game in the long run.

More details regarding Irish, the other Specialists and “Battlefield 2042” will be made available in the coming weeks as the devs prepare for Gamescom and the game’s upcoming open beta.

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