I think the biggest issue with the X-wing is that when this game first came out they took the TIE fighter flipped the evade for attack slapped on 2 shield and said here you go..

The X-wing shouldn't of been balanced around the TIE fighter and that's why it comes in as mediocre. X-wings do need something and always have.. I felt it when we first started playing this game with the box set.. X-wings just didn't feel all that.

And just as a point of reference; I have a number of friends who're Star Wars fans, and none of them play X-wing. I also, have a local game store, that hosts a large gaming group, and half of them dove into X-wing last summer and immediately bought more ships than they knew what to do with, none of them are hardcore Star Wars fans, they just heard it was well balanced, and were pre-painted minis, because they were fed up with 40k's imbalance and painting requirements. My guess is that people who invest a lot of money in games are X-wing's biggest customers.

You're making a conclusion based on your small region (not meant to be disrespectful, but the game is sold worldwide so pretty much every region is small).

That's why I prefaced what I wrote with "as a point of reference".

And I thought that it was ''a point of reference'' to your earlier claim that FFG would stop producing the game if it was not for the 40k players, which I simply don't think is true.

I didn't mean 40k specifically, just people who invest a lot of their disposable income into games. And I certainly don't think FFG would stop X-wing without these customers, but they must be major aspect of the game's sales, and the game's lifespan is dependent upon it's sales. But again, it's an opinion based upon star wars fans and avid gamers I know out of a fairly large social circle between two states.

Anyway, we're derailing the topic about what the X-wing does or doesn't need.

Its relevance is the argument some peope seem to be making that because X-Wing is mostly casual players apparently FFG shouldn't balance it, instead giving it the "print moar stuffz" balance neglect Attack Wing suffers.

Just to be sure, I hope you're not including me because I do care about game balance and the competitive aspect of the game. I just don't think that the 40k players are what's keeping the game alive.

Yeah as a veteran here I have seen that Jock'ish thing become more of an issue, and that is what gets me annoyed with some of the topics and newer posters here.

One thing I have taken from reading these replys to my original post was the consensus that the X-wing was sub par. From a math standpoint that is true, I never argued that. Just remember that battles don't take place in a vacuum.....Ok well technically they do, but I think you get my meaning.

Getting the most out of the X-wing requires work and tactics, it aint easy, but its possible. Having said all that, im not opposed to my beloved X-wing getting some help. My personal choice would be a title that gives a points discount on modifications. Perhaps something that gives access to barrel rolls outside the EPT slot.

One thing I have taken from reading these replys to my original post was the consensus that the X-wing was sub par. From a math standpoint that is true, I never argued that. Just remember that battles don't take place in a vacuum.....Ok well technically they do, but I think you get my meaning.

Getting the most out of the X-wing requires work and tactics, it aint easy, but its possible. Having said all that, im not opposed to my beloved X-wing getting some help. My personal choice would be a title that gives a points discount on modifications. Perhaps something that gives access to barrel rolls outside the EPT slot.

That would do it brother... or that idea some of us had for the good ole X-Wing-Drift.

I use this but allow the ships to go anywhere on the end of the template, kinda like a half barrel roll.

One thing I have taken from reading these replys to my original post was the consensus that the X-wing was sub par. From a math standpoint that is true, I never argued that. Just remember that battles don't take place in a vacuum.....Ok well technically they do, but I think you get my meaning.

Well that's just the thing, though

even from a math standpoint, fat han is awful. His damage output for the points spent on him is absolute garbage, and yet he is one of the most competitive ships in the game. He has plenty more going for him between his maneuverability and how badly the turret can abuse it.

What does the X-wing have to offset its sub-par jousting value? ******* nothing apart from its unique pilot abilities, many of which are very difficult to use effectively because the X-wing is so brittle. It's a poorly priced upgrade of a Z-95

It's not just a question of math, it's also a huge lack in flexibility. I don't know why people find this so hard to believe, but the B-wing does not just beat the X-wing in raw stats, it's also several times more flexible. Just having the ability to flippin' barrel-roll makes the formations it is a part of several times more fluid because you don't have to commit to just your maneuver. You can scramble your initial deployment, set up alternate routes for the next turn, get into amazing positions for blocking etc. And that's before getting into the variety you can squeeze out of the system, cannon, and/or crew (B/e mod) slots.

That's what I personally mean when I say it needs a "fix," it needs that "something." It is not the Tie Advance, the Tie Advance has "something" (Barrel-roll and very good durability) but its damage is ******* pitiful. The X-wing has decent damage, but it's inefficient (as opposed to "pitiful") and just doesn't "do" anything special. Taken on its own merits, there's not much reason to use it at all apart from nostalgia and some of the very specific pilots, who have some game-changing abilities.

I personally take it for the Stress Wing, which is a combination of Luke Skywalker's ability, PS 10 (w/V.I), R3-A2, and cost w/engine (35 points, same as naked Corran Horn) which turns it into the most efficient anti-Whisper/anti-PTL guarantee I can personally find in the rebel fleet. Apart from him, Tarn, and Biggs, I barely take another glance at the X-wing anymore.

You could give the X-Wing a barrel roll. One of the last unique faction identities about TIEs in general.

One thing I have taken from reading these replys to my original post was the consensus that the X-wing was sub par. From a math standpoint that is true, I never argued that. Just remember that battles don't take place in a vacuum.....Ok well technically they do, but I think you get my meaning.

Getting the most out of the X-wing requires work and tactics, it aint easy, but its possible. Having said all that, im not opposed to my beloved X-wing getting some help. My personal choice would be a title that gives a points discount on modifications. Perhaps something that gives access to barrel rolls outside the EPT slot.

Some killer astromechs wouldn't hurt. The old comparison of FCS versus R5-K6, for example. X-Wings get a crappy version of an FCS for the same point cost?

@JBR7...

You know, if you're not interested in discussions of what is lacking and how to fix it (or gently nudge it in the right direction), you don't have to participate.

Posting comments that essentially say "I have the moral high ground, neiner neiner, haha!" Would be funny if it happened once or twice. But to consistently drop in, insult people, and then claim that the people you arbitrarily insult are somehow injecting the environment with negativity is more than a little ironic. All the emoticons in the world don't make it any less hypocritical.

It also seems odd that you support the fix for the Advanced (presumably because you understand it to be underpowered), yet draw an imaginary line at fixing another weaker-than-it-ought-to-be ship. Fixing this ship is cause for joy and excitement, but discussing fixing another makes you a dumb jock? Ooookay then...

Alex Davy has repeatedly acknowledged weak ships and fixes or new toys for them--the HWK, the advanced, the interceptor, and also the X-WING.

You're implying (whether intentionally or not) that one of the core designers of the game you love and so hypocritically defend is a 'stupid-jock-40k-space-gyrine-schmuck" simply because he agrees with competitively minded players that the X-wing isn't represented as it should be. Yet you suckle from his "unwashed" "gamer rot" teat as they continue to expand this game with an eye toward balance.

If you don't care about the meta, that's totally fine, enjoy the game as you do! These conversations are irrelevant to your interests. Instead of hurling smiley barbs around, and attempting to counteract perceived negativity with spite and pettines, just avoid these threads and post another "I love everything" thread. That's what you're best at!

Wow... jokes and a little ironic snark is getting taken way to seriously my friend. I am not attacking anyone here. What I am arguing is that some people are to negative and ready to get fired up if you make a post they don't like. In the last two weeks I have read and heard some nasty mouth about the new Boba.

I am shaking a proverbial fist at that sentiment. Also it is very funny to me that these people are going against what our design boys have mentioned and written about; The New Boba Fett is more like the real character. They are happy about this new and improved version and so are most of us.

We all have strong views on the game and most of us feel that way because we love it.

Then there are the here today rage quitting tomorrow types that spam up these boards, and many awesome guys are gone because of this.

I am not here to be a jerk just because I think it is cute and fun.

Nope.

I am here because I love the entire product, even when I do not like some small part of it. I have spent more than two years and way more than $2 grand on FFG Goodies... dammit I am committed to it!

Now the little jabs and pokes at the all important meta. Well... I can be noisy like many others have been, but in reverse. I do not think talking about any detail of this product a million times is all that productive. I do see and read that some people are put off by it. The elite meta cult bothers some people. I have heard it mentioned in X-Wing videos on Youtube, my friends have talked with me about it, and I have read post on more than a few blogs about this topic

I stand before an entire legion that says by their own actions and repetitive postings; "Do it our way or you are not a good player!" this is what has been understood most of all by the general public, which is why they are not on this forum. I know of several people who feel this way. How many more have been put off by the aggressive gamers discussions posted here?

You think I am a jerk because I am one of the few very casual players here who speaks up?

Okay... that is fine. I do post a bit heartily, after I have read a few hundred complaints and cult meetings about turrets, TIE's being useless, and TIE Phantoms being a monster which has brung the evil Falcons to every tournament. Not to forget the actual hatred posted once in a while about FFG in general. I do not like this at all.

It is a thing that builds up over time, and it gets aggravating... thus once in a while, like everyone else here, I post a little fuss about the fuss. I have been chilled way back because I have been seeing that I do bother some people.

That is not my goal.

Dammit when you badmouth Boba, and you prolly don't even get why FFG has been so triumphant with the whole of S&V and how it insures this game will continue, it gets my dander up a tad.

So this weekend I fussed some.

I am very good with smilies... yes indeed.

Fly Casual my dear fellows... Boss loves you like a true Star Brother.

X-Wings could use a tiny fix sure...

Thing is, actually agree with you on a lot of your points, but I take issue with your delivery more than anything else.

First of all, remember that this is a rapidly growing community and there is a lot of churn on the forums. A hot topic one day, may disappear to page 4 the next, only to be replaced by the same subject a day later. While that may be irksome for members who've been here a while and check frequently, but it's a sign of health in the community. I'd prefer that to a post sitting on page one with no replies and the inevitable I invasion of spambots.

So when you see yet another fix this ship, or nerf(herd) that ship thread, try not to get frustrated with it. Remember than we're ALL here because we love this game. Focus on that and try to reply from that point of view.

And while your excessive emoticons do chaffe, I value your personality being on this forum. It is very easy for people to get focused on all the wrong things and having outspoken, optimistic people assuring the community that not only is the sky NOT falling, things are actually pretty great is EXACTLY what these forums need.

It's just that occasionally, and now more and more frequently, your posts have a real (or perceived) venom to them. Shake your proverbial fist all you like, but don't hurl it into our collective gut.

Nothing in this thread had anything to do with Boba, but in the thread you started about him, you started off with some pretty harsh jabs too. It was hardly in defense.

And yeah, I listened to the same podcast you're alluding to, and definitely was scratching my head at moments too. But don't get annoyed by that, everyone has different preferences and play styles. If you think they're taking a narrow minded stance, post your reasons why, and another way to look at it. But you can do that without derision. It's beneath you.

Anyway, you seem to have taken that point already, and I'm sorry if I hammered it home too hard. I don't want to bludgeon you into silence, just back onto your usual over-the-top excited course. It suits you far better.

You could give the X-Wing a barrel roll. One of the last unique faction identities about TIEs in general.

Ken: While I can understand the point about certain ships deriving identity from their action bar, it's severely limiting to try and restrict certain actions to certain types of fighter if others are deserving of them. S & V have already muscled in on the TIE's territory with both the M3 and Starviper having barrel roll. You could equally argue that anything with 3 green dice is doing the same to other ships such as the Interceptor and TIE fighter. With only a few different actions and combinations of factors available, a certain amount of duplication is inevitable, subtle differences will be far more important to distinguish ships.

On a wider point. The internal logic of a ships action bar often seems to me a little bit obscure. Why does the Firespray have evade as an action when something like the X Wing doesn't? Probably because of THAT scene from the prequel trilogy. It's a MUCH larger ship but somehow manages to feel more agile than a more modern star fighter built to take on, dogfight with and beat agile attackers. You would have thought that being able to evade attacks would be important to the X Wing design concept there. I could see evade on Slave 1 because it was heavily customized and was probably far more capable than the baseline FS. But it feels a bit disingenuous to suggest that the FS can be that agile but the X Wing as a dogfighter can't.

Surely the TIE (and any ship) is more than just its action bar, it's the combination of cost, dice, dial, actions as well as the LOOK of the mini and FEEL and the ship as a whole.

If that is the case, then I have to agree that the X just doesn't FEEL like an x wing, it's too one dimensional. I'm not a huge SW expert so a lot of the EU and history goes way over my head, so I may be missing something. But the X Wing from the movies and the computer games (talking the Lucasarts sims mainly here) felt more like a real game changer for the rebellion era. As the mainline fighter of the rebels it was nearly as fast and could manouever nearly as well as it's main opponent, the TIE fighter, but was much tougher and with twice the firepower. It's supposed to be the 'ideal' package of firepower, agility and endurance, at least when it was introduced. But it doesn't feel like that on the table.

Would the X Wing feel right with a barrel roll action? Sure, though I don't think BR on its own is a cure all for the issues raised here and elsewhere. You could achieve similar with more generic EPTs and Expert Handling. I'm not so convinced about Boost on the X as i think that feels more like the province of the really fast ships. (A Wing, TIE Interceptor etc) and engine upgrade X Wings are a thing. I really feel like Evade could be a thing for the X Wing as it seems suited to ships designed to mix it up with other fighters. Could I see an X Wing with a 4 action bar (TL, Focus, Evade and BR)? Yes I could. Maybe just me though , but I think that would go a long way to shaking up the X Wing. Throw in a 5/6 PS, EPT generic pilot card and FFG might have cracked it.

As others have said you could equally solve some of these problems with astromech slot upgrades, maybe new droids which grant actions (BR etc) but that to me suggests that the astromech was the integral part of the ship and that the pilot and the ship design and guns were all just upgrades to the droid. I think the X Wing has to be good, not just the little beeping annoyance in the backseat.

But that's just my 2. Others will undoubtedly have a different opinion.

X wings have been hugely represented in the Atlanta are store championships, but it's also been decided that our meta is a one-off "against the grain" way of playing.

Of the three store championships we've had, 5 x wings (three named, 2 rookies) have both made top 4.

Yeterday, one of Atlanta's smaller championships was won by Luke, lone wolf r5-p9 and 3 blues.

Only 11 in attendance, so the sample size may be skewing in his favor, but the guy that won (instantaequitas here on the boards) is largely considered the best x wing pilot in the area.

After reading this thread, I think it's sad that the most famous fighter jet in which this game took its name has been negated like a red-headed step child. Since the Imperial Raider expansion pack will supposedly fix TIE Advanced's problems (from what I read), maybe FFG can come up with an expansion to fix X-Wing's shortcomings as well.

After reading this thread, I think it's sad that the most famous fighter jet in which this game took its name has been negated like a red-headed step child. Since the Imperial Raider expansion pack will supposedly fix TIE Advanced's problems (from what I read), maybe FFG can come up with an expansion to fix X-Wing's shortcomings as well.

They did, it was the transport.

4 great pilots came with it:

-Wes Janson: can remove a focus, evade or blue TL token from his target. People are scared of Soontir with his many tokens, well this guy will get rid of one automatically. You think Vader will be too strong with ATC, this guy will be able to negate it completely. Pair him with some opportunist fighters and help them trigger their ability.

-Tarn Mison: automatically get a target lock when being attacked. Pair him with R7 and you have one very good tank. Or keep the TL to snipe. Either way, even by being only PS3, this ship is a pest during the end-game.

-Hobbie Klivian: When you receive or use a TL, you can remove one stress token. The best ship to use R3-A2 since you can give a stress and clear yours automatically. You want a maniable X-Wing? Pair him with Dutch and give it Expert Handling (thanks to R2-D6). Congratulations, you can now make white k-turn and barrel roll! Move with Hobbie at PS5 and do either a k-turn or a barrel roll, move with Dutch at PS6 and give a TL to Hobbie so he can clear his stress!

-Jek Porkins: Can remove a stress but risk getting a damage. Another Pilot that can pull a white k-turn. Pair it with R5-D8 for some hull regeneration or push the limit to pull a F+TL shot each turn. R5-D8+Push the Limit can be surprisingly tanky sometimes.

There was also four little astromech that can each be useful: R2-D6, R3-A2, R4-D6, R5-P9

R2-D6: For 1 point, your ship can now take an EPT. Expert Handling on Hobbie comes to mind, Veteran Instinct on Garven.

R4-D6: With more and more ship attacking with 4-5 dice, this one might actually start to be useful for only 1 point. If you have 3 or more damage, you can trade them for stress until there is only 2 that pass. I'm thinking that it might help Biggs survive one more shot. For only 1 point, take it as an insurance against bad luck.

R3-A2: Take a stress to give a stress. No need to describe, this astromech is a pure gem.

R5-P9: A second astromech that can regenerate shields. Only now, you can actually still maneuver instead of being stuck being predictable and doing only green maneuver. Paired with Garven or Kyle as a wingman, or on Luke with his innate defensive focus, this astromech is being neglected.

X-Wing had their love. It might need a little more push, but it has not been neglected by FFG. I think that people expect a little too much from this ship: They want it to be as resilient as a B-Wing, as maneuvrable as an Interceptor and hitting as much as a Phantom.

@red I think people just want it to be worth the points. Wes, jek, and Hobbie have terrible survivability. If the opponent is smart they will focus these guys down and kill them by the 2nd round of combat and scoring about 1-3 of your total points.

Wes at least can be ps10 but most ships get 1 token and will spend it on defense anyway. Fragile and expensive.

Jek kills himself. At ps9 his only way of stressing himself is to k turn and that's not really a good use of his points and the k turn is very predictable. At ps7 and a medal that stresses himself you still have a very fragile ship that kills itself.

Hobbie, should have came with an ept. Good candidate for the stress Droid but at ps5 he is unable to course correct to hit the best targets for stress Droid. He is super easy to arc dodge and fragile.

Tarn, love this guy. At 25 points with the r7 he very close to being cost effective. He can be super annoying against 2 ship builds and turrets. Again he is easy to arc dodge and sometimes r7 back fires and now those hits and eyes become crits!

R2d6-should have been free or non unique.

R4d6-good on Biggs against 4 dice attacks. Keep you alive longer which is good on biggs. Garbage on any other x wing. Once you multi stress an x wing it becomes slow and predictable and you can't modify dice so you gotta pray to the dice gods.

R5p9-Good if you can get multiple focus and good with Luke's ability!

R3a2-awesome!

The transport was a step in the right direction and gave some interesting options but still doesn't help that the x wing is over costed by 2-3 points. Now if there was a title like tie advanced x1 which discounted modification slots by 3 points which basically means free hull, stealth, or 1 point shield and engine upgrades then now you are able to customize your x wings and give them more durability for free or 1 point and they start becoming worth there points!

I've bought and extensively used the transport upgrades specifically to counter the toxic wave 5 meta.

Of all its contents, I ended up using:

*R3-a2 (IMO THE astromech, one of the best stess mechanics in the game requiring no dice and working at all ranges)

*Tarn (with R7 he's someone your opponent simply won't shoot unless there's no other choice)

*r4-d6 (the anti-hlc droid, also works well against lucky opponents. Slap on Biggs, drive people up a wall)

That's it.

I love Wes and he was the original stress wing but sadly he just hasnt cut it in my games. His amazing ability to cut down a single ship does not compensate for the x-wings horrid fragility.

Hobbies is just...ew. The stress removal with r3-a2 is cute, but without focus the xwing is just laughably easy to kill.

R5-p9 is almost infinetly better than that action --> roll a green diE garbage, but it's very situational. There have been turns where I've gotten it off, but the droid does not work when you spend your focus during combat. Its leaps and bounds better than the sh*tty green die droid because it doesn't eat your action , but its 3 points for something that does not trigger often.

Havnt used jek and don't want to. There's no reason in my mind not to spend the few points for a PS 8 or wedge.

IMO, the transport DID prepare the xwing for future waves, but almost exclusively through r3-a2 (who also rocks on gold squadrons). Wes was a great attempt, but the ship still doesn't do enough even with his excellent ability

Atomic: I think you hit on a good point with your comments about survivability.

Red Castle: I havent seen anyone saying that the X Wing should be as resilient as the B. If anything it 'should' be more survivable. Its ability to dogfight would mean it could get out of the way of (evade) incoming attacks which the B Wing because of its slower less manouverable design would just have to sit and take on the chin. The B should be tougher, yes as it is in the game. It is designed to weather more hits going into its target to deliver its attack, its a strike fighter, not a dogfighter, by design. The X Wing as a superiority fighter should be able to dodge (some) attacks, weather those attacks it couldnt dodge or just kill its attackers faster than they could kill it.

So looking at its stats; I think its Hull/Shields are about right - its heavy fighter, 2 green dice isnt too bad (fickle as those buggers are), its not as nippy or agile as others and 3 red dice is about right (though I do feel the the X and Interceptor with 4 guns got the poopy end of the stick compared to the Phantom with 5). Its dial is pretty decent though not amazing, I think it could have stood to have Red hard 1 turns maybe, but overall its a good dial you can easily work with. Its astromech slot represents a limited ability to improve and customise what it already has.

Overall its stats and dial and upgrades are a decent reflection of what it was intended to be. Its actions, on the other hand, I think really let it down. TL and Focus by themselves dont reflect a hard hitting, tough but agile brawler which was designed to mix it up in a dogfight. Evade and/or Barrel Roll would give the X a measure of survivability by avoiding or outmanouevering damage/attacks.

The X doesnt need 8 HP like the B Wing or 4 red dice like the Phantom or more greens like the Interceptor. It needs more ways to do the job its designed to do, which is take the fight to any enemy ships . At the moment, as much as I love the X Wing in this game it just doesnt feel like it can do that without a lot of effort planning and tactics.

So, I think we can all agree that the main reason the X isn't played is that the B is generally much better.

The B has:

More HP, slightly offset with worse agility, leading to ultimately greater durability.

A repositioning action, making it more reactionary.

The excellent Systems upgrade slot, which is fantastic for action efficiency.

The good Cannon upgrade slot, giving it versatility or brutal firepower.

Access to a slightly taxed Crew slot, which is also awesome.

Two torpedo slots, while not good, give it twice what an X might have.

A dial that is marginally worse at moving quickly but has access to a red 1 turn. The shorter K-turn is a mixed blessing. Combined with Barrel Roll, the B is a better knife fighter.

The X has an astromech slot and some excellent pilots, but the best astromechs are limited and generally don't improve action efficiency like Systems slots do.

Most proposed X fixes are trying to directly improve the X vs the B by adding Barrel Roll or HP or something. This is the same problem with making the Defender like a Interceptor - one will be better and outclass the other. Instead, something should be done to carve out a niche for the X. Some ideas:

TrainerBot: astromech, -2pts. Equip only if your agility is 2 or greater. Reduce your PS to 1. This makes the ship cheaper for a slight cost to the Rookie and is a direct Chaardan cut for the Knave without making ICT Ys cheaper.

RecSpecBot: astromech, 2pts. When you perform a green maneuver, assign yourself 1 focus token. Scales with greens, so not great on a Y, while being much better on an X or E. The idea here is to get some straight action efficiency with a limited cost. Relatively flexible, since it can be combined with the focus action for defense or the TL action for offense.

MunitionsTitle: title, x only, 1pt. Equip a Torpedo for -4pts. Cheap protons anyone? Not an automatic upgrade, but still quite strong. Might be too strong when the munitions fix is finally made and breaks theme by making the X the best munitions platform out there.

Hardened Vet: title, x only, 0pts. Treat your ship as having 1 less stress. Pseudo white-K and opens the door to more self stressing bots. The stress is only on credit though, so Porkins is still relevant. Follows the flavor of the X being relatively easy to fly without giving it a reposition action.

VeteranTeam: title, x only, 0pts. PS3 or greater. Reduce the cost of an astromech you equip by 2 to a minimum of 0. Fluffy while also helping more bots see play. Luke+R2D2 is probably the strongest here, and still not that strong. Also makes R3-A2 free on X-wings.

Havnt used jek and don't want to. There's no reason in my mind not to spend the few points for a PS 8 or wedge.

Fickle: I agree with most everything you said in that post. However you shouldnt rule out the Fat Boy. I was of the same mindset as you but I like the idea of his ability and have tried to find ways of fitting him in to builds. I am now of a mind that he should be one of the main heavy hitters in your list as he can be pretty frustrating to deal with. Porkins with R5-D8, Hull upgrade and EPT of choice (often Expert Handling) has literally regenerated more than his entire HP worth of hull during a game for me. Throw in some action support (Cracken, Dutch etc) and he can be equally effective in hurting your enemy and regenerating the damage done to him.

AtomicFryingPan nailed it on the Transport Pilots and droids.

The only pilots worth their salt are Wes and Tarn. Hobbie could have been much better with a native EPT slot.

Porkins is so fluffy that he is destined to die. PtL+R5-D8 basically lives on him.

To expand on the Astromechs:

R3-A2 is the undisputed king of that release, better than any of the pilots individually. I say that seriously.

R2-D6 wastes an Astromech Slot. The best place for him is on Hobbie to add PtL.

R5-P9 is better than his brother R5-D8 and meshes well with Luke. Other than that, X-wings typically rely on the Focus for defense and rarely have one left over to get a shield back so R5-P9 is relegated to the card box for 9 out of 10 X-wing pilots.

R4-D6 is a one point tax for your bad luck and adds a stress ( which is not a bad thing since it hardly ever triggers anyways). It's so situational that it is normally a dead upgrade anyways.

I'm a huge proponent of the capabilities of X-wings but it seems that all of the Droids are expensive and situational as opposed to being average priced and regularly work. If X-wings could rely on the Evade dice then Droids like R2-D2 would be costed correctly, but, The X-wing and its two greens get pounded on and fall quickly. Normally with Artoo in the back, I can maybe use his ability once or twice a game before dying, more often it is zero and a shield upgrade would have worked better. The list of good mechs is very short, and out of a stable of 12 Astros the very best is R3-A2. His is allowed to work as long as you are shooting in your arc and there is no limit to the stress you can pile up on yourself! Meanwhile, droids like R5-K6, R5-D8, R2-F2, and R7-T1 essentially fall flat if you want to get the consistency of success.

And how is it that the Rebels don't have a successful R4 Aggromech type ability yet? This would not break any of the Rebel pilots so why is the rebellion relying on garbage situational mechanics on its front line superiority fighter? Maybe if the X-wing were a little bit broken we would see less and less flying tanks in Rebel lists but you know balance and all, it's only called X-wing because Millenium Falcon is too much of a mouth full and Star Wars the miniatures game does not evoke the idea this game was designed for: Dogfighting in space.

/rant *Drops Conch, prepares bacon.

Going by astro v aggro, imo we have

R3-a2 (x and y wing)

R2-d2 (Luke corran eathn)

R2 astromech (good on all 3)

R7 astromech ( tarn and e wing)

R4-d6 (so many 4 dice ships in my area)

Versus

R4 aggro

Unhinged aggro

Have not found a good home for the other two yet because the y wing is the only ship that can take them

Personally speaking I'm not omgwtfbbw impressed with aggros. I love unhinged and believe it essential for btl ys, but overall the two I use are just really good boosts. They don't break enemy squadrons like r3-a2 not immortalize your characters like r2-d2.

I've bought and extensively used the transport upgrades specifically to counter the toxic wave 5 meta.

Of all its contents, I ended up using:

*R3-a2 (IMO THE astromech, one of the best stess mechanics in the game requiring no dice and working at all ranges)

*Tarn (with R7 he's someone your opponent simply won't shoot unless there's no other choice)

*r4-d6 (the anti-hlc droid, also works well against lucky opponents. Slap on Biggs, drive people up a wall)

That's it.

I love Wes and he was the original stress wing but sadly he just hasnt cut it in my games. His amazing ability to cut down a single ship does not compensate for the x-wings horrid fragility.

Hobbies is just...ew. The stress removal with r3-a2 is cute, but without focus the xwing is just laughably easy to kill.

R5-p9 is almost infinetly better than that action --> roll a green diE garbage, but it's very situational. There have been turns where I've gotten it off, but the droid does not work when you spend your focus during combat. Its leaps and bounds better than the sh*tty green die droid because it doesn't eat your action , but its 3 points for something that does not trigger often.

Havnt used jek and don't want to. There's no reason in my mind not to spend the few points for a PS 8 or wedge.

IMO, the transport DID prepare the xwing for future waves, but almost exclusively through r3-a2 (who also rocks on gold squadrons). Wes was a great attempt, but the ship still doesn't do enough even with his excellent ability

You and I share a lot of the same ideas and opinions about X-wings and R3-A2 in particular.

Comparing salvaged mechs to astromechs is a fallacy since they belong to different ships and entirely different factions. It is inherently like comparing astromechs to system or crew slots.

Considering they both fill a slot in a Y-wing and essentially perform the same function, expand a ship's capabilities or survival, they are the exact same thing. The salvaged part was the only way to make them faction specific.