Disney's Star Wars canon introduced several new variations of Stormtroopers to its lore. However, among their legions, two particular classes rank elite among them: the Death Troopers, first introduced in Star Wars: Rogue One, and the Purge Troopers, who first appeared in the comic Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith #13. Both are presented as the Empire's elite legion, far surpassing the standard Stormtroopers.
However, by comparing their equipment, merits and threat level, it becomes superior which type of trooper is superior over the other. Both the Purge Troopers and the Death Troopers are lethal, but only one is the Empire's true elite force.
Purge Troopers were organized to help the Inquisitors hunt down the remaining Jedi left behind after Order 66. Therefore, they were equipped with the weaponry necessary to wipe them from existence. Purge Troopers had armor resistant to lightsaber strikes. That made them incredibly hard to kill — though, unlike Beskar, lightsaber resistant doesn't mean lightsaber immune.
They were equipped with primary Stormtrooper weaponry, such as the DC-15A blaster rifles and E-11 blaster rifles. They were also competent at short-range fighting, using several electrostaffs and electrobatons to parry lightsabers and land lethal strikes on opponents.
On the other hand, Death Troopers were issued advanced armor that was an improvement over the standard Stormtrooper armor, but not necessarily as resistant to lightsaber damage as the Purge Trooper armor. However, it came with far more advancements that helped them in combat. Their helmets contained several targeting systems to help make them incredibly lethal. They also wore multiple layers of armor, with a body suit underneath their core black armor. Their armor also was resistant to radar or tracking, making them ideal for stealth missions.
Death Troopers were also equipped with several standard-issue weapons, but they also wielded far heavier weaponry, such as the DLT-19D heavy blaster rifle and Smart Rockets, which could unleash heavy damage upon targets.
While both Stormtrooper branches are well-armed, that means little if they aren't well-trained. However, both Death Troopers and Purge Troopers received some intense training. Death Troopers were selected among the standard Stormtroopers for their incredible feats of physical power. Those selected received extreme training on the planet Scarif. Many were further augmented with surgical and mechanical enhancements to grant them superhuman physical capabilities. In particular, they were trained to thrive in any environment.
On the other hand, Purge Troopers were trained to combat the Jedi Knights. Many Purge Troopers were Clone Troopers, trained and enhanced from birth to slay Jedi. Most were not Jango Fett clones, like the original Clone Troopers, though some among them were. They were mass-produced to be expendable soldiers. All of them had the Order 66 chip activated in their brain by default, making them as lethal as the very troopers who slew the Jedi Forces. Between their organization in 18 BBY and the events of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, some of the clones were replaced by human troops.
Purge Troopers were designed to be expendable soldiers who could kill Jedi, while Death Troopers were trained to kill anything. Purge Troopers aren't enhanced on a surgical level. Rather, they are just either normal troopers or Clones. Again, none of their training or equipment makes them particularly special, other than their lightsaber-resistant armor.
The Purge Troopers have had remarkably few successful missions. They primarily support Vader and the Inquisitors, often only contributing to their successes — or, as seen in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, failing to divert their ultimate failures. On their first major mission, the Purge Troopers were reprogrammed by Padawan Ferran Barr into turning on their Inquisitors in a surprise attack, killing the Tenth and Sixth Brother. Later on, another Padawan, Cal Kestis, eradicated multiple Purge Troopers on his own.
This is in direct contrast to the Death Troopers, who are not only difficult to kill, but have also successfully completed missions on their own terms. Death Troopers have successfully captured targets, defended kyber crystal shipments, and defended relatively powerless officials, like Tarkin and Krennic, from forces that might try to do harm to them. In all these cases, the Death Troopers either succeeded at their missions or inflicted catastrophic damage upon the victors who managed to overcome them. Even in Star Wars: The Mandalorian, the Death Troopers manage to ward off the forces of Din Djarin, IT-11 and Cara Dune, all of whom are more than capable fighters in their own right.
When comparing the Purge Troopers, the legacy is that of failure. The Purge Troopers failed to protect the Inquisitors from their ultimate destruction. The legacy of the Death Troopers is that of an elite fighting source. The Purge Troopers, on the other hand, had slightly more stable armor. There is no comparison between the two forces — the Death Troopers are vastly superior to the Purge Troopers.
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