Tactics: fighting alongside Force-users and against Force-users

As acting “support troops” Antarian Rangers “assist Jedi in the field”. Beyond reconnaissance missions, they also provide “arm support (…) on the battlefield”, thus implying that they operate in close proximity of the Jedi.

Antarian Rangers tend to develop synergistic tactics with Force-users to optimize offensive and defensive abilities.

Their proximity to the Jedi enables them to aid Jedi more efficiently as they would others. This may be because of the fact that Antarian Rangers know of the precognitive abilities of the Jedi and thus can anticipate that the Jedi will react faster to their aid.

Finally, Antarian Rangers benefit from some sort of “Jedi familiarity” and their “minds become exceptionally open to Force abilities” thus easing the way Jedi would use their powers with the Rangers (especially Force Mind, Knight Mind, or Master Mind).

Unfortunately, there is no known example of how, in practice, their abilities in fighting alongside Jedi come into play. The Force Unleashed Campaign Guide provides an illustration of an Antarian Ranger acting as a bodyguard to a fallen Jedi while Imperial Commando 501st depicts the sacrifice of Master Iri Camas to let Kester escape; only The New Essential Chronology mentions a battle where Antarian Rangers and Jedi are present. However, it hardly delves on the way they coordinated their actions.

The known combat abilities are mainly entrenched on the information provided by Hero’s Guide which extrapolates from the following quotes:

“Jedi (…) deal with a small group of Rangers with whom they are familiar, and rely on the same Rangers repeatedly. Some Jedi actually have semi permanent Antarian Ranger companions who (...) assist them in a fashion similar to the Padawan-Master relationship.”

In addition “typically one to three Rangers accompany [a Jedi]” and “Jedi-Ranger pairings”. Finally, The Force Unleashed Campaign Guide mentions “a squad of Antarian Rangers”. Although, no numbers are given regarding a “squad”, it seems safe to assume that it is greater than “one to three” or a “pairing”. If such is case, then, it may be an indication of adaptive tactics by the Antarian Rangers during the Clone Wars.

From these elements, it is possible to ascertain that Antarian Rangers are able to work in close-quarters with Jedi and also, as during the Battle of Antar 4, on larger battlefields with numerous squads of Rangers and Jedi.

As far as body-guarding is concerned there is some irony from the known examples as both cases show downed Jedi and surviving Antarian Rangers. However, Antarian Rangers value their ability to sacrifice themselves to the Jedi, therefore indicating an equal degree of devotion.

Antarian Rangers suffer at times from tactical blindness. As typified with escapees’ safe-houses; despite the sense of security derived from strength in numbers, such gatherings would also constitute a certain threat to their occupants “[huddled] in one place” and therefore be “a single target”; to “scatter” could be recommended.
Finally, given their line of work and the enemies that they have, Antarian Rangers do not, on average, benefit from the Force and thus “rarely get advance warning that agents of the dark side are approaching” making them “susceptible to ambush”.

Sources: Hero’s Guide, The Force Unleashed Campaign Guide (pp.67, 68, 78), Star Wars Miniature, Imperial Commando 501st (p.304), The New Essential Chronology (p.50)