We've seen the card. We're having the debates of its overall worth elsewhere. But what is it good for, really?

A small note before we begin: This card is not so much a Hull Upgrade as it is a mini-Chewbacca crew card - you choose when to use it. So you don't throw it away when you're about to take your first damage; you throw it away when you're about to take your last damage (After which that astromech wasn't going to help you anyway, what with your being destroyed!), or a critical hit more valuable than the bonus your astromech was giving you - cancel a Direct Hit in return for losing your r2 unit? Easy trade. It's this flexibility that's key. It'll work on Proton Bombs too, kids!

Rookie + 1pt Astromech

Be it the venerable R2 for a wide spread of greens, R5 for a teeny touch of durability, or one of the more bespoke options out there, this is probably going to be the make-or-break test, balancewise. With Integrated Astromech, the Rookie sits at 22pts, and durability roughly on par wit a B-wing, so it comes down to the dials (The X-wing is faster, the B-wing a better, if limited dogfighter; call it roughly even in different areas of play) and whether a 1pt astromech is really the equal of the Barrel Roll when board starts getting cluttered. I guess we'll see.

Tarn Mison + R7

Tarn, though, really benefits. He was already one of the better X-wing pilots, and his gimmick was always durability - now the R7 (that he was buying anyway!) can force the enemy dice to reroll, then be discarded to ablate one incoming hit regardless. Make no mistake, this is nontrivial - while he'll lose his R7 combo in the process, if it was the hit was going to kill him anyway, you can think of the R7 having bought one extra hit again.. I suspect we'll see more of him, should the TLT meta die down by the arrival of Wave 8; his annoyingly-tough properties just got even better.

Rookie + R3A2

This has the same caveat as Tarn, but the Rookie was never a bad platform for R3A2; it's just that the 'hog stole what little thunder the X-wing had left. While not able to double-stress like the Stresshog, a Rookies better set of greens means it can keep tapping out stress and maintain full 3-die firepower round after round... and then scrap the card to keep alive on that final kill-shot. You don't throw it away early, but it's better to lose the upgrade than the entire ship, right?

Biggs

Hello, old friend... The only question is what we put on you! R2, R5, R4-D6, and R7s all look possible contenders, depending on just what sort of tactics you expect to use with him. The old rule of not spending too much on the ablative shield for your squad still applies, but I suspect 1-2pts to get a minor bonus that turns into an extra hitpoint at the critical moment is almost certainly a fair trade.

Luke + R2D2

Sacrilege that it may feel to blow up a 4pt droid that would have regenerated shields for you, if you were about to die anyway why not see R2D2 explode to let Luke live through that one more attack? Remember, you can't regenerate shields when you're already dead! Luke is often taking Engine to help arc-hunt his foes, but if you're saving points there... this isn't a bad option #2 (free never hurts, eh?), and hey, it fits canon.

With all these, it's important to note what this upgrade is not - it's not meant as an auto-include 'fix' for the top aces (Wedge will still prefer Engine, for instance), nor is it a balance sledgehammer. But it's a little more value out of a relatively weak upgrade slot, providing a little more durability to a relatively weak jouster. Is it enough? Time will tell. Is it bad? Certainly not.

So! What other amusing combos are there out there?

It`s gonna be fun. Not the fix we needed, but fun

@Reiver great points. Loving this mod on Tarn Mison and really add to his "do you really want to shoot me?" quality.

How about:

Wes Janson + R3-A2: Strip an evade/focus/TL token and give it a stress. Should make sure that it stays in your sights fairly easily.

Hobbie Kilvian + R5-K6: Potentially able to perform a stream of red manoeuvres and then remove the stress during an attack. Should help keeping a target in your sights.

There is one more thing to consider: It's extra value from R2-D6, but sacrificing that particular droid also means sacrificing the Elite Talent equipped on top.
Therefore, you probably want to use an Elite Talent that isn't as necessary in the end-game than the early- to mid-game, even one that's sacrificial in its own right.

OP: I ran out of likes today already.

It`s gonna be fun. Not the fix most of us thought we needed wanted, but fun

"Fixed."

Love the theme, hate the fact you only get one.

Still won't be happy if we're supposed to swallow that this fixes the T-65.

Love the theme, hate the fact you only get one.

Still won't be happy if we're supposed to swallow that this fixes the T-65.

Might I suggest working on your gag reflex and actually playing some games with it?

Love the theme, hate the fact you only get one.

Still won't be happy if we're supposed to swallow that this fixes the T-65.

Might I suggest working on your gag reflex and actually playing some games with it?

Ack! But thine sharp wit hath wounded me so!

Love the theme, hate the fact you only get one.

Still won't be happy if we're supposed to swallow that this fixes the T-65.

Agreed. Losing one damage card doesn't make the dial any better, or the fact that the new ones get a shield upgrade and engine upgrade for half the cost. I was hoping they would come out with a way to close the S-Foils for an action one turn and give the X-wing a free boost action that turn or hard 1 or something, but couldn't shoot that turn... that would have been thematic and helped the T-65 more than losing your droid to get rid of A damage card which usually is only one of the many that are needed to kill you.

There is one more thing to consider: It's extra value from R2-D6, but sacrificing that particular droid also means sacrificing the Elite Talent equipped on top.

Therefore, you probably want to use an Elite Talent that isn't as necessary in the end-game than the early- to mid-game, even one that's sacrificial in its own right.

I'm not really convinced you lose the EPT.

If you do though you can always run a one and done EPT like Crackshot. Spend it before you pop the droid out.

I think Jek likes this upgrade quite a bit. With or without any other bells and whistles. Just the option of a white K-turn and a cheap upgrade to PS7 makes him interesting to me.

Oh and all y'all.

There is one more thing to consider: It's extra value from R2-D6, but sacrificing that particular droid also means sacrificing the Elite Talent equipped on top.

Therefore, you probably want to use an Elite Talent that isn't as necessary in the end-game than the early- to mid-game, even one that's sacrificial in its own right.

I'm not really convinced you lose the EPT.

If you do though you can always run a one and done EPT like Crackshot. Spend it before you pop the droid out.

I am pretty certain they won't let a ship have an upgrade for which it doesn't have the slot, even if it once did, but I can see the need for an FAQ

I think even a cheap R2 is great as he turns all your 1-2 Green....until he sacrifices himself to keep you alive.

I like what Jo Jo said about the one time use Elites (not EPTS anymore, remember?). Use Crack Shot to really stick it to someone and then use the astromech as a free "stay alive" card.

Remember folks, this is the thread to work out useful combos, not debate whether it's the fix we needed... we've got, like, three threads for that already.

Hey, crack shot synergy isn't half bad. Makes that 1pt surcharge less... surchargey. I still worry to the value proposition, but it's not half bad.

One thing that I haven't seen mentioned:

This card implies that in the future we'll have a ship with more than 1 droid...

Am I the first to spot this? Surely not....

In which case, what good 2 droid combos are out there I wonder?

One thing that I haven't seen mentioned:

This card implies that in the future we'll have a ship with more than 1 droid...

Am I the first to spot this? Surely not....

In which case, what good 2 droid combos are out there I wonder?

R2 astro + R2D2 + Daredevil = Regenerate 2 shields per turn.

I think Jek and his buddy R5-D8 are going to love this mod (well, -D8 less so...). Only problem I have, is I usually like to give Jek Engine Upgrade. Decisions, decisions...

I think Jek and his buddy R5-D8 are going to love this mod (well, -D8 less so...). Only problem I have, is I usually like to give Jek Engine Upgrade. Decisions, decisions...

I usually go with Hull m'self. The extra padding for regeneration is worth 2 points more than the Integratation, in my opinion.

Although the T-70 probably wants Autothrusters, I can see a use for it there. Equip Red Ace with R2D6, Integrated Astromech, and Juke. You get a bit punchier when you take damage, and by the time you have the opportunity to eject the astromech, your shields are down and Red Ace's ability doesn't trigger anymore anyways.

The Integrated Astromech is probably better on the T-65, but I like the idea of Juke on an X-Wing that can get evade tokens by itself.

Wedge or Wes with R7-T1. It's a 3-point boost option that only works if you're within arc at range 1-2 of an enemy ship. But three points for a boost, target lock and shield upgrade isn't bad at all.

The combo with R2D6 really opens up space for a lot of pilots that don't see much play. Garven with VI or Red Squadron Pilot with either Crackshot or Lightning Reflexes seem like they have strong potential here.

The droid you absolutely don't want to use is R5-X3.

Although the T-70 probably wants Autothrusters, I can see a use for it there. Equip Red Ace with R2D6, Integrated Astromech, and Juke. You get a bit punchier when you take damage, and by the time you have the opportunity to eject the astromech, your shields are down and Red Ace's ability doesn't trigger anymore anyways.

The Integrated Astromech is probably better on the T-65, but I like the idea of Juke on an X-Wing that can get evade tokens by itself.

Red Ace already has an EPT, so he can't take R2D6.

The pictures of Red Ace released yesterday have a Torpedo, Astromech, and Tech upgrade.

Wedge or Wes with R7-T1. It's a 3-point boost option that only works if you're within arc at range 1-2 of an enemy ship. But three points for a boost, target lock and shield upgrade isn't bad at all.

The combo with R2D6 really opens up space for a lot of pilots that don't see much play. Garven with VI or Red Squadron Pilot with either Crackshot or Lightning Reflexes seem like they have strong potential here.

The droid you absolutely don't want to use is R5-X3.

Although the T-70 probably wants Autothrusters, I can see a use for it there. Equip Red Ace with R2D6, Integrated Astromech, and Juke. You get a bit punchier when you take damage, and by the time you have the opportunity to eject the astromech, your shields are down and Red Ace's ability doesn't trigger anymore anyways.

The Integrated Astromech is probably better on the T-65, but I like the idea of Juke on an X-Wing that can get evade tokens by itself.

Red Ace already has an EPT, so he can't take R2D6.

I believe you've confused Red Ace with the generic Red Squadron Veterans

One thing that I haven't seen mentioned:

This card implies that in the future we'll have a ship with more than 1 droid...

Am I the first to spot this? Surely not....

In which case, what good 2 droid combos are out there I wonder?

R2 astro + R2D2 + Daredevil = Regenerate 2 shields per turn.

O.o

..

god forbid!

Porkins approves of this upgrade. He can now hold it once more if need be