Roles & Units: Current 17-Role Roster
The current Steam About section names 17 roles across six units, cross-checked against 25 community-documented loadout profiles; the official landing page separately advertises 19.
The current Steam About section provides a named 17-role roster across Command, Infantry, Recon, Armour, Helicopter and Mortar Squad. A current-build community database cross-check records 25 named loadout profiles, while the official game landing page separately says 19 specialised roles without naming the additional two. This page publishes both boundaries without inventing a reconciliation.
Quick facts
- Specialised roles
- 17 named in the current Steam About section
- Named units
- Command, Infantry, Recon, Armour, Helicopter, Mortar Squad
- Official landing-page count
- 19 specialised roles; two additional names are not published
- Loadout cross-check
- 25 named profiles across the 17-role current-build snapshot
Do this in order
Choose a battlefield job
Start with the unit group that matches the task you can explain to the squad: command, infantry, recon, armour, helicopter or mortar support.
Success signal: You can identify the unit group and the named role you want to try.
Complete the relevant tutorial
Finish Getting Started first, then complete the specific Squad Leader or Commander tutorial before selecting either command role.
Success signal: The current game allows the role and you understand its basic responsibility.
Confirm the current role screen
Use the current Barracks or deployment UI to verify the role name, faction, loadout and progression state for this build; this table is a name index, not a loadout promise.
Success signal: Your selected role matches the current UI and the table is not being used to infer availability or equipment.
Record the role context
When testing a role, record faction, mode, platform and build beside the observation so later patches do not silently rewrite the roster context.
Success signal: A player observation can be checked against the same role and build.
Keep the count discrepancy visible
If you share this roster, say that the 17 names come from the current Steam About section while the official landing page still advertises 19 without naming two more roles.
Success signal: Readers can distinguish the named roster from the unresolved headline count.
Current named roster
The following 17 names are transcribed from the current Steam About section and grouped exactly by its six unit headings. The list identifies roles; it does not by itself establish faction availability, unlock level, loadout or tactical responsibility.
| Unit | Count | Named roles |
|---|---|---|
| Command | 1 | Commander |
| Infantry | 7 | Squad Leader · Rifleman · Grenadier · Engineer · Medic · Specialist · Machine Gunner |
| Recon | 2 | Spotter · Sniper |
| Armour | 2 | Tank Commander · Crewman |
| Helicopter (US only) | 2 | Logistics Officer · Pilot |
| Mortar Squad | 3 | Observer · Support · Gunner |
Current-build loadout cross-check
The table below cross-checks the 17 official role names against the public Hell Let Loose Vietnam Database snapshot. It records 25 named loadout profiles in total. A zero means that the database does not expose a complete loadout record for that role in this snapshot; it does not mean the role is unavailable or has no equipment in the live client.
The database labels the official Commander role as Army Commander and expands the Mortar Squad roles as Mortar Observer, Mortar Support and Mortar Gunner. Those labels are mapped here for navigation only. Verify the current faction, loadout and progression screen in-game before treating any equipment as universal.
| Official role | Unit | Loadouts recorded | Named loadout profiles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commander (database: Army Commander) | Command | 2 | NVA Standard Issue; US Standard Issue |
| Squad Leader | Infantry | 0 | No complete loadout record in the snapshot |
| Rifleman | Infantry | 4 | NVA Bayonet; NVA Standard Issue; US Bayonet; US Standard Issue |
| Grenadier | Infantry | 0 | No complete loadout record in the snapshot |
| Engineer | Infantry | 3 | NVA Combat Engineer; NVA Engineer; US Standard Issue |
| Medic | Infantry | 3 | NVA K50M; NVA Standard Issue; US Standard Issue |
| Specialist | Infantry | 0 | No complete loadout record in the snapshot |
| Machine Gunner | Infantry | 3 | NVA Anti-Air; NVA Standard Issue; US Standard Issue |
| Spotter | Recon | 2 | NVA Standard Issue; US Standard Issue |
| Sniper | Recon | 2 | NVA Standard Issue; US Standard Issue |
| Tank Commander | Armour | 2 | NVA Standard Issue; US Standard Issue |
| Crewman | Armour | 2 | NVA Standard Issue; US Standard Issue |
| Logistics Officer | Helicopter (US only) | 0 | No complete loadout record in the snapshot |
| Pilot | Helicopter (US only) | 0 | No complete loadout record in the snapshot |
| Observer | Mortar Squad | 0 | No complete loadout record in the snapshot |
| Support | Mortar Squad | 1 | NVA Mortar Support |
| Gunner | Mortar Squad | 1 | NVA Mortar Gunner |
How to use the roster
Start with a non-command role that lets you stay with your squad and learn the active objective. Use the current role screen for availability and equipment, then record what the role actually exposed in your platform and build. The names above are a reliable navigation index, not a substitute for the in-game tutorial or loadout screen.
- Leave Commander and Squad Leader until the required tutorials are complete.
- Use the unit heading to find a role family before comparing player advice.
- Record a role observation with faction, mode, platform and build.
19 versus 17: unresolved official count
The official game landing page currently advertises 19 specialised roles, while the current Steam About section names 17. The official page does not publish the two additional names. This page therefore treats the 17 named roles as complete for the source it quotes, but leaves the cross-source count reconciliation open.
Evidence boundary
Role names and unit grouping are source-backed. The loadout table is a community-extracted current-build reference, not an official role matrix: its snapshot is version-bound, incomplete for six roles and uses database labels that do not always match the Steam headings. Per-role responsibilities, faction restrictions beyond the Steam heading, unlock paths and progression values still require a current client.