Imperial repeater rifle

Moff Rebus pioneered the development of a larger iteration of this weapon at the Weapons Research Facility located on Fest. This served as a prototype for the Dark troopers and saw its initial deployment during the Attack on Tak Base on Talay. Rebel agent Kyle Katarn discovered one such prototype, deemed too unwieldy for standard troopers; the weapon's markings ultimately led the Rebellion to Rebus. Later Dark Troopers were seen using the assault cannon.

The Imperial armories primarily housed this weapon. Katarn located a functional version at the Fest facility, and around that time it was also found in space stations like Fuel Station Ergo.

Following the conclusion of the Galactic Civil War in 4 ABY, the Imperial Remnant forces, then under the command of Dark Jedi Jerec, adopted a more condensed version of the weapon. It remained in service with the remnant through 10 ABY during Operation Shadow Hand. The Imperial Heavy Repeater was adopted by Remnant forces by 12 ABY, superseding the older model.

The Imperial repeater rifle, a rapid-firing and precise ranged weapon, offered two distinct firing modes: a single-shot option and a slower, three-shot burst that discharged projectiles in a triangular pattern. The tri-shot mode proved particularly effective against Jedi, as their lightsabers could only deflect one or two bolts, ensuring that at least one would penetrate their defenses. The primary firing mode delivered a very high rate of fire, capable of swiftly eliminating numerous adversaries. However, this came at a cost: the weapon's rapid consumption of ammunition. Despite this drawback, the primary mode's exceptional accuracy compensated for the high ammo usage, enabling effective engagement at considerable distances. Projectiles lost momentum over longer ranges, resulting in reduced damage upon impact. Furthermore, the weapon's projectiles were lighter and lacked the impact force of blaster bolts, resulting in less overall damage compared to blasters.

The weapon's frame featured a notably angular design, with the barrel housing resembling a triangle. This housing contained three barrels, one at each corner, facilitating the tri-shot firing mode. A drum magazine attached to the right side of the weapon's body contained the ammunition. The internal belt wrapped around the weapon's interior, with the belt and rounds visible on the left side. The projectiles were caseless. The grip and trigger were situated at the rear of the main body, and most models included a wooden grip. A slender stock extended from the bottom of the grip.

During the game's development, the Autogun was initially an overwhelmingly powerful weapon, surpassing all others. Its power was subsequently adjusted in the final version to encourage players to adopt a wider range of strategies.

According to Justin Chin, the Phase II dark trooper was initially planned to wield an Imperial Repeater fed by a ribbon chain connected to an ammunition pack worn on the back. However, he does not specify whether "initially" refers to the intentions of the game designers or the Imperials themselves.

The 'Dark Trooper Weapon' that Katarn discovers in the second level of the game visually corresponds to a repeater rifle. Despite Katarn's observation that the weapon appears too large for a standard human soldier to wield, the Repeater proves to be perfectly usable by Kyle and others and is quite prevalent (and appears rather compact) in Dark Forces' sequel, Jedi Knight.

The resource files for Dark Forces include an animation labeled "IDTGUN," which corresponds to a single IDTGUN sprite representing the prototype weapon the player recovers. However, the DTGUN animation is a placeholder, depicting a simple character jumping.

The Dark Forces Official Player's Guide lists 'Auto Gun' as the gun's "nickname," without clarifying whether this term was also used within the game's universe.