Arcane season 2, Act I hinges around Caitlyn’s efforts to bring Jinx to justice, which she hopes to do with an all-new strike team filled with fresh and familiar faces alike. The formation of Caitlyn’s strike team stems from Arcane season 1’s cliffhanger ending and Jinx’s attack against Piltover. After the Zaunite shot a Hextech-powered rocket at Piltover, the people of the wealthy city were left mourning the deaths of Arcane’s Piltover council members, none more than Caitlyn, who lost her mother Cassandra in the assault.
By the time of Arcane season 2, Act I’s ending, Caitlyn’s rage and anger at Jinx’s actions are well-established. This leads to the formation of an elite team, created with three goals in mind: apprehend Jinx, dismantle the operation responsible for creating Zaun’s Shimmer drug, and eliminate any agents still loyal to Silco. This strike team consists of some familiar faces and new members of Arcane’s cast of characters, each with their own unique weapons as they venture beneath Piltover into the streets of Zaun with justice – or in some cases, revenge – in mind.
Caitlyn: Armed With A Hextech Rifle
Naturally, the leader of Caitlyn’s strike force in Arcane is, well, Caitlyn. As the heir to the Kiramman family, Caitlyn holds a great deal of power within Piltover’s fractured political landscape. At the end of Arcane season 2, episode 1, Caitlyn enters a secret council mission and declares her intentions to venture into Zaun and bring the followers of Jinx and Silco to justice. This comes shortly after Caitlyn gains Arcane’s Kiramman key, which makes her infiltration of Zaun much easier thanks to the deplorable use of factory smog known as The Gray.
Caitlyn uses The Gray to weaken any Zaunite resistance while she and her team search for Jinx, with her previously compassionate ways making way for vengeful rage. In Arcane season 2, Caitlyn upgrades her arsenal from her usual rifle. With the aid of Jayce, Caitlyn possesses a powerful new Hextech rifle that shoots incredibly powerful projectiles at her targets. This weapon aided Caitlyn in her fight against Sevika in Arcane season 2, episode 3, while also allowing her to injure Jinx by shooting off her rival’s middle finger.
Vi: Armed With Hextech Gauntlets
Another of the familiar faces as part of Arcane’s strike team is Vi. Vi was left off in an interesting position as of Arcane season 1’s ending; the character was left reckoning with the idea that Powder is dead and only Jinx remains, all while having to help Caitlyn as the latter grieved for her mother. This culminated in Vi being asked to join the Piltover Enforcers, a decision that was also difficult for the former Zaunite. Vi knows the oppression that the Enforcers can inflict on Zaun after experiencing it as a child.
However, she also knows the organization may be her only way to apprehend Jinx and protect Caitlyn. Eventually, Vi agrees to join the Enforcers and becomes part of Caitlyn’s task force. Vi is shown at the end of Arcane season 2, episode 1, standing beside Caitlyn and the other members of the team in her blue uniform. Like Caitlyn, Vi possesses unique weapons powered by Arcane’s Hextech. These weapons come in the form of the giant gauntlets used by Vi in Arcane season 1, once again giving her an appearance that is emblematic of her League of Legends counterpart.
Maddie: Armed With A Pistol & Grenade Launcher
The most prominent new Arcane character as part of Caitlyn’s task force is Maddie. Maddie is first introduced in Arcane season 2, episode 1 when she finds Vi in a drunken state on the streets of Piltover. Maddie is shown as someone who looks up to Vi and is inspired by her and Caitlyn’s stories. Maddie tells Vi about how Caitlyn made a scene when the Piltover Enforcers tried to deny Vi’s enlistment, showing a deal of enthusiasm when talking about Vi’s supposed bravery in attempting to take down Silco in Arcane season 1.
Beyond this, little is known of Maddie’s overall character, though more will likely be revealed as Arcane season 2 moves into Acts II and III. Regarding weaponry, Maddie is not quite as kitted out as Vi and Caitlyn are. Maddie possesses weapons that do not include Hextech, including a pistol and a grenade launcher.
In Arcane season 2, Act I, Maddie is not seen using any of these weapons outside of episode 3’s opening montage, but they are shown several times. The introduction of Caitlyn’s task force at the end of Arcane season 2, episode 1 sees Maddie loading her grenade launcher, with episode 2 showing the group infiltrating Jinx’s hideout. As they stalk through the Gray-infested rooms, Maddie is shown holding her pistol at the ready, proving her bravery regardless of whether her weapons are powered by Hextech or not.
Loris: Armed With A Giant Riot Shield
Another of the new characters in Arcane season 2 as part of Caitlyn’s strike team is Loris. While his name is only revealed via Arcane’s credits, Loris is still an intriguing character. He is depicted as the gentle giant type, initially providing Vi with someone to talk to despite her introducing herself by throwing a bottle at him. Loris is present when Vi is confronted by Maddie, later being shown to have joined the Enforcers as well. After this, Loris’ caring nature is shown as he often tries to protect others, either with his shield or a friendly arm around the shoulders.
While Loris did not have much in the way of character development in Arcane season 2, Act I, several scenes hinted at his continued importance further down the line. For one, Loris is shown looking notably interested when Maddie reveals that Vi attempted to single-handedly take down Silco. Whether this simply implies his reverence for Vi or something deeper remains to be seen. Furthermore, Loris is the only Enforcer shown to not support Caitlyn’s ascension to general in Arcane season 2, episode 3, begging the question of what his future holds.
As alluded to, Loris wields a giant shield in Arcane. As was the case with Maddie, the shield is not shown in all that much action outside of Arcane season 2, episode 3’s opening montage. That said, Loris is shown as much more of a protector given his choice of weaponry, raising the question of whether he will continue to use it in Arcane Acts II and III.
Steb: Armed With Batons
The final character introduced as part of Caitlyn’s assault team in Arcane season 2 is Steb. Steb is the strong-but-silent character of Caitlyn’s team, with the character not having a line of dialogue throughout Arcane season 2, Act I. Steb is first introduced alongside Maddie as the two find Vi and Loris on the streets of Piltover. Steb is intriguing in that he is not human, but instead a human-fish hybrid in Arcane. Whether this grants him any special abilities is unclear, yet none were shown in Arcane season 2’s first three episodes.
Like Maddie and Loris, Steb’s weaponry is more subdued than that of Caitlyn and Vi. Steb is not shown actively using his weapons, but they can be spotted in the finale of Arcane season 2, episode 1. Steb is shown standing to the right of the task force holding two police batons with a side grip, indicating he, like Loris, is responsible for crowd control during the infiltration of Zaun. Like Maddie and Loris, questions remain over whether Steb will have more development in Arcane season 2’s final two acts, as Caitlyn’s strike force takes on new tasks.
