Legion Dev Diaries – Clan Kryze

“Mandalorians are stronger together” – Bo-Katan Kryze

Greetings Star Wars: Legion players, and welcome to another Atomic Mass Games Transmission!

Across the galaxy, Mandalorian warriors gather beneath different creeds, banners, and traditions. Some fight to unite their people under Clan Kryze. Others walk The Way beside the Children of the Watch. Clan Wren fights for family and legacy, while Clan Saxon pursues power through fear and force. And for some, the path forward lies in forging a new clan entirely, carving out a legend across the stars.

Every Mandalorian fights differently, and every clan brings its own strengths, tactics, and identity to the battlefield. But how did those identities take shape? What inspired the playstyles, mechanics, and philosophies behind each force? And how did the development team ensure each clan felt distinct while still capturing the shared spirit of Mandalorian warfare?

Over the next series of transmissions, we’ll be taking a look at the design and development of these iconic warriors, exploring the themes, gameplay, and ideas that shaped them.

Now at the heart of every Mandalorian stands a shared legacy.  Because of that, we knew early on that the clans of Star Wars: Legion could not simply exist as isolated Battle Forces. While the clans  each fight with their own distinct philosophies and tactics, they are all still Mandalorians. Preserving that shared identity became the guiding principle behind the entire design process.

Inspired in part by the structure of the Shadow Collective, we approached each clan as its own Affiliation within a larger Mandalorian framework. This allowed players to build forces that felt personal and thematic while still maintaining a unified Mandalorian playstyle. Each Commander unlocks units tied to their clan, meaning players can devote themselves entirely to a single creed or unite multiple clans beneath one banner. A focused force gains additional Affiliation benefits unique to that clan, while mixed forces open up new combinations and narrative possibilities worthy of the galaxy’s most storied warriors.

To reinforce those identities on the tabletop, each Affiliation was built around a signature keyword designed to capture the spirit of that clan in gameplay form. Every mechanic was created with one question in mind: how do we make these warriors feel like they stepped directly out of the Star Wars galaxy? Whether it is the discipline of the Children of the Watch or the coordinated tactics of Clan Kryze, each keyword serves as a mechanical expression of the clan’s culture, beliefs, and fighting style.

Before those clan identities could truly shine, however, the foundation itself had to feel unmistakably Mandalorian. Rather than creating entirely separate unit pools for every Affiliation, we established a shared core of units including Leaders, Hunters, Initiates, and Warriors. These units create a familiar baseline across every Mandalorian force, ensuring that no matter the clan, players still feel connected to the broader Mandalorian identity on the battlefield.

The next challenge was ensuring those shared units still felt unique within each clan. The answer came through the new Clan Upgrade Card system. These upgrades grant units their clan’s signature keyword, transforming familiar warriors into reflections of their chosen creed. The result is a flexible and modular force building system that mirrors Mandalorian armor itself: built from shared foundations, then customized into something deeply personal.

Now that we’ve explored the philosophy behind the Mandalorian Battle Force as a whole, it is time to take a closer look at Clan Kryze. Led by Lady Bo-Katan, they are prime examples of Mandalorian culture and its warrior ethos, and a perfect starting point for our transmission series. Fiercely capable, they fight not just for themselves but for a brighter future for all Mandalorians. This unity is reflected across all facets of Clan Kryze’s design, and encapsulated in their signature keyword, Mandalorians are Stronger Together.

MANDALORIANS ARE STRONGER TOGETHER: When an allied unit with the Mandalorians are Stronger Together keyword spends 1 or more Aim tokens, after the effect is resolved, it gains 1 Dodge token if it is within 2 of another allied unit with the Mandalorians are Stronger Together keyword.

The rule captures and conveys the identity we wanted for Clan Kryze: Mandalorians working together are better than Mandalorians fighting alone. In an army that consists only of Clan Kryze units, their Affiliation special rule allows you to keep up to 3 green tokens from being removed during the End Phase, setting up plays for the following Round.

Players fielding a Clan Kryze army will want to make sure their units are properly positioned to take advantage of these powerful rules, sticking together on the battlefield while leveraging abilities that grant or utilize tokens such as Tactical, Precise, Duelist, Longshot, and more. Coordination and maximizing shared resources are the name of the game!

The Affiliation unique Command Card Close Formation takes this concept one step further, encouraging Clan Kryze units to stick together and providing further value to Aim and Dodge tokens when they do.

Bo-Katan presented a fun design challenge: while her abilities and Command Cards make her a powerful unit in her own right, we also wanted a mechanical tie to her role as Mandalore, unifier of all Mandalorians. And what better way to do that than with her badge of office, The Darksaber?

Although different versions of The Darksaber already existed in Legion, we knew a Mandalorian Battle Force would present a fun opportunity to put a new creative twist on the iconic weapon. We wanted each new version of The Darksaber to really capture how that character wields the weapon and the authority that accompanies it.

Bo-Katan uses The Darksaber as a unifying symbol that legitimizes her authority as leader of not just Clan Kryze, but of all Mandalorians. If Bo-Katan equips the Darksaber, she gains Allies of Convenience and extends Mandalorians are Stronger Together to other units in the army in a way that is faithful and reflective of her role as Mandalore. This interaction is a great example of evoking lore and identity through gameplay, and one of our favorite examples of our design philosophy for the project. The many different interactions and tactical choices this opens to players to realize the narrative of different clans working together in ways they normally could or would not is further reinforced visually and mechanically by the physical proximity these units must have to each other. Each clan has different ways to take advantage of Mandalorians are Stronger Together, and we are super excited to see what players do!

Axe Woves is Bo-Katan’s loyal enforcer and occupies that role in Clan Kryze armies. We wanted Axe to be a potent unit but also respect his place in the narrative- he’s there to support Bo-Katan, not take the spotlight from her. Whether he is working with Bo-Katan as his own unit or leading a unit of marauders as a character upgrade, Axe helps his Clan Kryze brethren with his Coordinate, Independent, and Infiltrate abilities.

Next time, we’ll be exploring the design of the Children of the Watch, and how they fight in Star Wars: Legion.

Until next time, Atomic Mass Transmissions, signing off!