MechWarriors of the Inner Sphere were baffled when they first encountered Clan Elemental troops wearing BattleArmor in 3050. Awestruck, the Inner Sphere MechWarriors watched as BattleArmored Elementals withstood machine gun fire and even direct laser hits from BattleMech weapons, bounded about the battle field, and swarmed enemy 'Mechs, even firing BattleMech-class missiles. The armies of the Successor States had never seen anything like these BattleArmored troops. Indeed, the capabilities of Clan BattleArmor were so far beyond any Inner Sphere infantry-armor technology at the time, it is hardly surprising that some Inner Sphere MechWarriors believed the Clan Elementals were some type of alien life form.
         The origins of modern BattleArmor can be traced back to the pressurized diving suits developed by Clan Goliath Scorpion for use in exploiting the resource-rich oceans on the planet Dagda. This proto-BattleArmor featured myomer musculature, self-contained air-supply and life-support systems, and heavy, atmospherically sealed bodies designed to withstand the high pressures of deep sea work. When Clan Wolf observed these suits in use, they quickly realized their combat potential. Consequently, the Wolves obtained a few of the suits and set about adapting them for combat by adding armor, weapons, and small jump jets.
         The Wolves first deployed their new BattleArmor in 2868.   Later that year, the Wolves faced off against Clan Hell's Horses in a series of Trials. Hell's Horses had been breeding genetically enhanced conventional infantry troops-what later came to be called Elementals. After the Trials concluded, the Horses had obtained BattleArmor technology and the Wolves had obtained the knowledge needed to create their own Elementals. Almost immediately, the two Clans initiated the tradition of matching Elemental troops with BattleArmor. Within a short period of time, BattleArmored Elemental troops were deployed throughout Clan forces.
         Clan Wolf initially developed several suits, each tailored to specific environments (these environment-specific suits would later be revived as the Gnome, Salamander, Sylph and Undine designs.) However, the Wolves soon opted for a general-purpose BattleArmor, an Elemental that could fight in any element and was suited to nearly any battlefield condition.

         Modern Clan BattleArmor suits differ little from the original Wolf design. They use similar types of myomer musculature, self-contained life-support systems, atmospherically sealed bodies, armor, integral jump jets, and weaponry. The most distinguishing characteristic of the Elemental BattleArmor remains the variety of weapons it can carry. Typically, an Elemental suit carries an arm-mounted small laser, an arm-mounted anti-personnel machine gun, and a detachable short-range missile launcher on its back. This mix of weapons enables an Elemental trooper to deal with targets large and small. The impressive firepower an Elemental, along with the maneuverability provided by their jump jets, enables a group of Elementals to destroy a 'Mech with easy.
         Inner Sphere MechWarriors continue to call Elemental BattleArmor troops "toads," a nickname first coined by Victor Kurita-Steiner-Davion.

         The Elemental is the bar that every other BattleArmor is measured against. Its unique blend of firepower, mobility, and armor makes it the most versatile suit in use, and so it is the most common in nations with access to Clan technology. If they can support it, they use it. Clan Sea Fox also sells the design to private organizations with the funds and ability to support it, spreading the design out further.