I love flying for the Emperor, I think the mix of ships the empire has is excellent. Since I started in this game I always looked on in envy at some of the hardy ships that the Rebels could field like the B-Wing and the X-Wing. These ships could withstand being shot at while in range 1 and with 3 dice they could then dish out a lot of hurt. The only ship the empire had that felt like it could do that was the Firespray and with its large base it wasn't always a good option.

Then along comes the defender and immediately everyone complains that it is too expensive. I felt at first that it was hard to justify only being 3 points cheaper then a firespray sporting 2 fire arcs for basically 1 agility and a white K-turn in exchange. I have played the defender I would estimate 15+ times since it came out so I think I have given it a very fair shake. I have come to the conclusion that it is much more then first meets the eye. There have been numerous games where the defender was an absolute killing machine and very few where it didn't pull its weight. I find that there is hardly ever a turn where I can't shoot at something. I don't mean that I can always shoot the guy I want but I bet 95% of the time it is EASY to get someone in the defenders arc and you guessed it, the white K is a huge reason why. The white K is also much more useful then it first seems. Most people seem to think that someone flying a defender will be very predictable. Joust->K-turn-Joust->K-Turn till dead. I find that I can use this "predictability" to great use. If your opponent "knows" your best move is a K then maybe it's time to mix it up. I find that I can pull another move at the right time and totally bluff my opponent as to what he thinks my defender will do. It is incredibly fun to watch them try to predict the white K just to do a hard turn and watch them Have no shot. Even if I pull the K I have a focus and they likely do not if jousting.

The defender also excels at shrugging off damage. I played another game last night that again proved to me the defender will get you out of a jam. I was in range 1 of a B-wing and 2 Outer Rim Smugglers. I had no damage yet on the defender. I doubt my opponent thought that he would have to use 3 ships to take me out. At the end of the round I had hit the B-wing for 4 hits and made it through with 1 hit left. Next round K-turn and the B-wing is dead. I could have easily lost the defender to 3 ships but with the defense and hits it provides can make it extremely hardy.

I am extremely excited for the Tie x1 because I thing it will pair very well with the Defender. Up until now there was no really good option for the 20 point range for imperials so now we can run a heavy hitting defender for 30-40 points and some excellent support in the 20 point range to go with it.

I am extremely excited for the Tie x1 because I thing it will pair very well with completely replace the Defender. Up until now there was no really good option for the 20 point range for imperials so now we can run a heavy hitting defender for 30-40 points and some excellent support in the 20 point range to go with it.

Fixed it for ya.

But you are right, the Defender is good. Its just not good enough for how much it costs. You really limit your options when you want to field one. Its also completely out-classed by the Phantom for a similar amount of points. If the Phantom did not exist in this game, I assure you, you would see a lot of Defenders.

And now on top of that, you have a cheaper and nearly as good replacement in the ATC X1.

Preach it brother! The people must hear the word!!

People got so distracted by the phantom they never gave the defender a fair shot, their loss but the tides turning and people are slowly waking up to what we've known for a while.

Paired up with the improved tie advanced they are a powerful and tough force.

Hobojebus, I've missed defending the Defender alongside you on this forum.

-deep inhale-

Ahhhh, good to be back.

Yeah, when I first started looking at all the cool things Imperials will be getting after my time away from the game, I saw that new Epic ship and some of the Tie Advanced stuff that is coming out and I can't help but salivate at some of the possibilities. I can't wait to pilot my Defenders again.

It ain't a Defender party without the lizard.

Stuff the numbers, it's the most underrated ship in the game.

Even once wave six is out they'll remain the best cannon ship in the game.

In a 100 point list, it's hard to justify 40 of those on a ship that can't turn and only has 6hp.

The defender can't just be the best ship at its price tag, it needs to be head and shoulders above the rest and it's not.

I've found that flying against Defenders is relatively boring. Given this might be because I prefer to play as mobile ships, but I find that more often than not, it's simple to know where it's going to go. You can almost always rule out one direction for any ship as it's not usually useful to turn away from the fight. And as for the Defender itself, if you get it into the rock field, you can typically rule out one set of speed turn/bank. Leaving you with a K turn without a BR (since a BR will more often than not screw up your next turn), a straight w/ or w/o a BR, but that will more than likely leave you without a shot since you're going to fly past the battle field, a hard turn w/o a BR (due to being stressed), or a bank w/ or w/o a BR.

And most of those can be ruled out even more due to the placement of rocks, ruling out several of the BRs being a bad idea. So, as an opponent, it comes down to "is he going to bank, or is he going to do a 4k?" Often the same maneuver can put me out of arc in either case. And blocking the 4k is still a viable option, especially if no one is facing that way is it basically removes him from the fight for a turn (not as good as removing from the fight for several turns on a normal ship though).

I will say that I recently played against a Defender sporting Adrenaline Rush, and that was much scarier. Perhaps I just haven't come across a quality Defender pilot to really rate it properly.

The Defender is one of those ships you've gotta know how to fly. Fly it wrong and the opponent'll just splat.

I see a lot of build guides but not many flying guides: the only one we ever got was Sable's Flight School for Lambdas. We really need some more big posts from the experts on certain ships detailing how to best to use them while not behind the refit requistion terminal but instead behind the flight stick.

It's not a knife fighter if your trying to use it like a supercepter your doing it very wrong.

You slow roll that bad boy in taking things appart at range three and if something gets too close you boost out with your superior speed pull a k turn and continue to reign hell at range three.

FFG does not duplicate rolls you want a lethal arc did get the interceptor is your ship, the defender is a heavy long range fighter that excellent at long range sniping while the other ships get in close.

The Defender is one of those ships you've gotta know how to fly. Fly it wrong and the opponent'll just splat.

I see a lot of build guides but not many flying guides: the only one we ever got was Sable's Flight School for Lambdas. We really need some more big posts from the experts on certain ships detailing how to best to use them while not behind the refit requistion terminal but instead behind the flight stick.

I present to you Tycho Celchu's private tutoring session for gifted pilots: http://community.fantasyflightgames.com/index.php?/topic/128556-tycho-celchu-daredevil-101/

I would defend the Tie Defender too had it not been for the Aggressor preview.

The IG-2000 is everything I ever wanted from the Tie Defender:

ability to regenerate shields

massive firepower with a cannon slot

extreme maneuverability: hard ones, K-Turn, S-Turn

built in boost (with a possible built in evade)

4 shilds (Tie Defender should have been 3hull, 4 shields)

Sensor slot

additional upgrade slot just for kicks and giggles

autothrusters

I am literally thinking of buying 2 IG-2000s and knocking them out of their bases and putting a Tie Defender on each. The rule set for the IG is identical to the computer game Tie Defender minus the large base.

Large based ships all include a points discount don't forget that, its good but is not going to have the same movement options as a small based ship and the low PS allows other shops with a barrel roll or boost to use the s loop against them.

It'll last longer than a b-wing but it's far easier to keep in your sights.

One of the many weird things about the Defender is that upgrades really suit it. The K-turn (and small base, and speed) makes it awesome with Cannons, and its high Agility makes defensive upgrades really count, which matters because you're protecting extremely high attacking power when an HLC is involved. I've gone hog-wild and run a 2-ship Defender list with tons of upgrades, and it felt right.

In regards to the Aggressor, I felt that way initially, but then I took my double Defender list to a small tournament. Two small ships let me run through an asteroid field really well. I wasn't arc-dodging, but I didn't ever have to engage all of my opponent's ships. I don't think those kinds of tactics will work too well with the Aggressor. I ended up winning that tournament, only ever losing 1 Defender over the course of the three games.

I'm working (on and off) on a Defender movement guide, but it's not really done. I'll start by saying there's a lot more you can do with a white K-turn than just be a better jouster.

Finally, 3 AGI with 6 hit points shouldn't be underestimated. It's really durable, especially if you can get 4 dice from asteroids or range. Unlike an Interceptor, you don't have to dodge everything, you can lean on those shields to press the attack an extra turn or two. This matters a lot, and it's key to getting the most out of Defenders, in my opinion. You trade shields for damage output, helping you kill stuff faster, protecting you in the long run. This is great against Fat Turrets, because it gives you time to eat those guys up. Turrets with Gunner are usually going to do a damage per turn, without Gunner, it might not even be that.

I will say that I recently played against a Defender sporting Adrenaline Rush, and that was much scarier. Perhaps I just haven't come across a quality Defender pilot to really rate it properly.

Thats why generic pilots would need an EPT slot.

It's not a knife fighter if your trying to use it like a supercepter your doing it very wrong.

You slow roll that bad boy in taking things appart at range three and if something gets too close you boost out with your superior speed pull a k turn and continue to reign hell at range three.

FFG does not duplicate rolls you want a lethal arc did get the interceptor is your ship, the defender is a heavy long range fighter that excellent at long range sniping while the other ships get in close.

Excellent points! I slow play my defender because at range 2-3 a 3 dice ship can still put the hurt on someone and with 3 agility it is at an advantage at longer range then most of its opponents.

Defender pilots really should have that EPT - if only for fluff reasons.

In the objective/mission games i've played i've never actually lost a defender. Maybe I should field more of them

I'll be starting a campaign on friday.

I'll let you all know.

Defender pilots really should have that EPT - if only for fluff reasons.

In the objective/mission games i've played i've never actually lost a defender. Maybe I should field more of them

I'll be starting a campaign on friday, It's casual so i'll be flying a Deci with 2 advance escorts.

I'll try defender and advanced too.

One of the many weird things about the Defender is that upgrades really suit it. The K-turn (and small base, and speed) makes it awesome with Cannons, and its high Agility makes defensive upgrades really count, which matters because you're protecting extremely high attacking power when an HLC is involved. I've gone hog-wild and run a 2-ship Defender list with tons of upgrades, and it felt right.

In regards to the Aggressor, I felt that way initially, but then I took my double Defender list to a small tournament. Two small ships let me run through an asteroid field really well. I wasn't arc-dodging, but I didn't ever have to engage all of my opponent's ships. I don't think those kinds of tactics will work too well with the Aggressor. I ended up winning that tournament, only ever losing 1 Defender over the course of the three games.

I'm working (on and off) on a Defender movement guide, but it's not really done. I'll start by saying there's a lot more you can do with a white K-turn than just be a better jouster.

Finally, 3 AGI with 6 hit points shouldn't be underestimated. It's really durable, especially if you can get 4 dice from asteroids or range. Unlike an Interceptor, you don't have to dodge everything, you can lean on those shields to press the attack an extra turn or two. This matters a lot, and it's key to getting the most out of Defenders, in my opinion. You trade shields for damage output, helping you kill stuff faster, protecting you in the long run. This is great against Fat Turrets, because it gives you time to eat those guys up. Turrets with Gunner are usually going to do a damage per turn, without Gunner, it might not even be that.

What is your two Defender build, if I can ask.

The list and some small battle reports are in the link that follows.

http://community.fantasyflightgames.com/index.php?/topic/132879-putting-my-money-where-my-mouth-is-on-tie-defenders-step-1/

The competition at this tournament was not incredibly stout, but the list has done well against a variety of YT builds in testing as well.

Hobo's does more damage, mine pulls a few PS tricks to counter Phantoms, and it packs an Ion Pulse Missile to screw wit big ships. Both are a ton of fun to fly, and interestingly eschew Engine Upgrade, which other people seem to love.

Rexler Brath (37)

Predator (3)

Heavy Laser Cannon (7)

Shield Upgrade (4)

Colonel Vessery (35)

Veteran Instincts (1)

Heavy Laser Cannon (7)

Shield Upgrade (4)

Total: 98

View in Yet Another Squad Builder

This was mine when i used it, both ships lost the SU and vessery lost 1 shield but they killed two b-wings and an a-wing in short order.

I run the same list but I use push the Limit on Rexler instead of Predator

I have felt that the defender doesn't need upgrades. Not that it can't make very good use of some but it is fully suited to running naked it needed. Most other ships have some upgrade that becomes "must have" to make it worth running. The defender has no glaring weakness. I do enjoy running an ion cannon since the defender can ion a ship then pull a green K and be perfectly lined up to send one straight up the jacksie!

I have felt that the defender doesn't need upgrades. Not that it can't make very good use of some but it is fully suited to running naked it needed. Most other ships have some upgrade that becomes "must have" to make it worth running. The defender has no glaring weakness. I do enjoy running an ion cannon since the defender can ion a ship then pull a green K and be perfectly lined up to send one straight up the jacksie!

No glaring weakness but there are weaknesses. Price, turning, low PS on generics, which may or may not be a weakness depending on how you look at it. No EPT on the higher PS generic. The named pilots either need help from other ships for their abilities or EPTs/upgrades to better allow their abilities to go off. You have to kind of fish tail to truly slow-roll it up the board. No 1-straight.