A phase of clone trooper armor saw deployment by the Purge Troopers throughout the Imperial Era. The armor bore a strong resemblance to Phase II clone paratrooper armor, distinguished by its black and gray color scheme and the inclusion of a red visor. Additionally, it featured the Imperial crest displayed on the shoulder armor in various color schemes, complemented by white stripes adorning the entirety of the armor. Between the years of 14 BBY and 9 BBY, the Phase II Purge Trooper armor was developed, yet the original Phase I armor design persisted in widespread usage.
It appeared that the Phase I Purge Trooper armor was either directly based upon or derived from clone paratrooper armor, and it was composed of black armor plates worn over a black body glove. Given that the troopers specialized in hunting Jedi, the armor was constructed to withstand lightsaber strikes. Equipment configurations and color schemes exhibited slight variations, influenced by the trooper's specific role and rank. Purge Trooper commanders were identifiable by their red pauldron and black kama, signifying their command status, whereas troopers of lower rank typically wore either black or gray pauldrons, or no pauldron at all. Initially, Purge Trooper units consisted of clone troopers from one of the last groups produced by the Kaminoan production line; however, subsequent deployments involved highly competent non-clone conscripts and volunteers, who gradually took the place of their clone forerunners within the Imperial Military as the years progressed.
In 18 BBY, the initial group of Purge Troopers, equipped with this armor, participated in the invasion of Mon Cala to support Darth Vader and a team of Inquisitors in their pursuit of a Jedi who had survived the initial phase of the Great Jedi Purge. Ferren Barr, the Jedi in question, along with his followers, were tracked down and cornered in Bel city by the Inquisitors and their accompanying troopers. Barr was able to determine that the troopers were clones, and he came to the conclusion that the Inquisitors were still considered Jedi, regardless of their allegiance to the Empire. Using this reasoning, Barr gave the order for the clones to execute Order 66. Driven by their ingrained programming and indoctrination, the Purge Troopers turned against their Inquisitor leaders, successfully shooting down the Tenth Brother. Ultimately, the Inquisitors were able to overcome the intense blaster fire and eliminate the majority of the attacking Purge Troopers, while leaving several others seriously injured.
In 14 BBY, Purge Troopers wearing Phase I armor went with the Second Sister to Bracca in order to find and eliminate another Jedi survivor. While on the planet, the troopers stopped a tram carrying several scrap workers and commanded that they exit in order to be interrogated. The Purge Troopers held the workers at gunpoint as the Second Sister threatened the workers into revealing the Jedi's location. When the Inquisitor ultimately killed a worker named Prauf, the Jedi, Cal Kestis, made himself known and was able to escape.
Purge Troopers would then be deployed across various planets in order to impede Kestis' progress as he traveled across the galaxy. When Kestis infiltrated Fortress Inquisitorius, he engaged in combat with several Purge Troopers who were training and providing security for the base. Cere Junda, who had launched an attack on the base alongside Kestis, killed several Purge Troopers using her former Padawan's captured lightsaber.
By 9 BBY, Purge Troopers stationed at Fortress Inquisitorius had begun to utilize the updated Phase II Purge Trooper armor. This updated armor maintained the black color, kama, pauldron, and red visor of the original design, but was styled in a way that more closely resembled a standard stormtrooper. Despite the introduction of this new armor variant, many Purge Trooper deployments continued to employ the original Phase I armor design.