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!

not a huge problem if you can't get boost on your bar, though

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

Actually Tarn is best when paired with R7 ... and with this upgrade you are losing your 'combo'....

I think that this card is terrible for T-65s... Droids are advantage of Xwing, losing them is a disadvantage.... and the worse thing is --> It's a MODIFICATION not a TITLE... this is also ultra terrible. Just look how powerful fix was released for TIE Advanced - when you compare those 2 cards, Integrated Astromech is useless. Most of T-65 pilots are relying on droids. This card is taking away posibility to mount Modification and you are trading one hit for ... very good Droid.

And on T-70s Autothrusters are far better choice.

So.... so sad, but this card is terrible for T-65s and they are still close to unplayable in terms of 'competitive' lists.

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

Actually Tarn is best when paired with R7 ... and with this upgrade you are losing your 'combo'....

I think that this card is terrible for T-65s... Droids are advantage of Xwing, losing them is a disadvantage.... and the worse thing is --> It's a MODIFICATION not a TITLE... this is also ultra terrible. Just look how powerful fix was released for TIE Advanced - when you compare those 2 cards, Integrated Astromech is useless. Most of T-65 pilots are relying on droids. This card is taking away posibility to mount Modification and you are trading one hit for ... very good Droid.

And on T-70s Autothrusters are far better choice.

So.... so sad, but this card is terrible for T-65s and they are still close to unplayable in terms of 'competitive' lists.

Huh?!

You choose when to discard the droid. Don't do it at the very first damage you take! Wait until the shot that will otherwise kill you or until you are dealt a really bad critical hit!

At the very worst Integrated Astromech can be considered a shield upgrade for 1 point (cheapest currently available astromech).

Seeing as you also get the benefit of the astromech, and as the ability to cancel a bad critical hit is actually worth more than a shield upgrade what you have is actually:

Something better than a shield upgrade for close to nothing (since, as you say, most x-wings rely on droids anyway).

That is not bad.

as above

if you Tarn and R7, you don't have to fling the droid out the air lock at the first sign of damage

if Tarn's taken some hits, R7s, and still suffers fatal damage you can punt the little bastard out the air-lock and still come out alive.

it's a lifesafer, especially when eating multiple attacks (R7 is round per round, Tarn's ability is not; could end very well for Tarn if an enemy tries to kill him, fails due to integrated astro, and then eats a tled + focused shot)

the alternative? I guess you don't take it, Tarn takes fatal damage, and then he dies. Losing 25 points is a fair bit worse than losing 2, imo

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

Actually Tarn is best when paired with R7 ... and with this upgrade you are losing your 'combo'....

I think that this card is terrible for T-65s... Droids are advantage of Xwing, losing them is a disadvantage.... and the worse thing is --> It's a MODIFICATION not a TITLE... this is also ultra terrible. Just look how powerful fix was released for TIE Advanced - when you compare those 2 cards, Integrated Astromech is useless. Most of T-65 pilots are relying on droids. This card is taking away posibility to mount Modification and you are trading one hit for ... very good Droid.

And on T-70s Autothrusters are far better choice.

So.... so sad, but this card is terrible for T-65s and they are still close to unplayable in terms of 'competitive' lists.

What makes Tarn good is that he's the opposite of Biggs. He's the guy you don't want to shoot at because he's got R7. He makes damaging him very difficult. Adding integrated astromech for 0 points means that even if Tarn is close to dying, he gets one last use of R7 and if it fails, he can kill R7 to save himself. It makes killing Tarn even harder.

like Calibri said, its about saving yourself from a killing shot or avoiding a nasty crit....like a direct hit even.

Aren't the big winners the T-70's who get to use all these upgrades, but already started off better ?

Aren't the big winners the T-70's who get to use all these upgrades, but already started off better ?

nope

T-70 gets autothrusters; wouldn't deign to use integrated astromech

unless PWTs and TLTs evaporated overnight, ofc

not to mention, **** like Tarn + R7 + Integrated Astro? 1 more point than a naked Blue Novice.

and, honestly, we have to dispel the myth that the T-70 starts out any better than the vanilla X. If anything, the poor generic buggers are worse off than the rookie.

It's not until you start combining the T-70's inherent capabilities (especially boost) with thrusters, epts, and pilot abilities that they start to come into their own. Basically, if you want them to be good you're going to have to shell out some points for them.

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.

Why must you be unique R2-D6. Lightning Reflexes, R2-D6, Integrated on a Red.

Autothrusters are good, but 4x Blue Squadron Novice with R2s and Integrated Astromechs are also very good - good dial, good survivability and nice firepower.

I seriously can't see any point in fielding T-65s, even with Integrated Astromech - and I still think they are bleh (both T-65s and IA).

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.

Also fair point. I usually load Jek with PTL, -D8, and Engine, to get the most of his ability.

It is basically Moff Jerrod for X-wings, only instead of airlocking crew upgrades it is total discrimination against droids.

It fills a modification slot but T-65 X-wing as of now doesn't have a use for that slot. (shield/engine/hull upgrade is useless as you might as well get a T-70 and save a point and get a boost). T-70s since they have boost they will be taking autothrusters so this upgrade will be taken on T-65s more than T-70s that's if you see a T-65 anymore (perhaps when the sub-faction split happens).

For Biggs perhaps R2-D6 with elusiveness could be of some good because it stops hits without burning actions.

TAR-7 it might keep him around for 1 more attack. Once Tarn looses his R-7 he goes down really fast. Which is sort of the thing, you really don't want to lose astromechs that continue to benefit you. It is sort of like a last ditch effort unlike Chewbacca or even Moff jerrod which is supposed to be discarded and doesn't help you unless it is.

It is basically Moff Jerrod for X-wings, only instead of airlocking crew upgrades it is total discrimination against droids.

For Biggs perhaps R2-D6 with elusiveness could be of some good because it stops hits without burning actions.

TAR-7 it might keep him around for 1 more attack. Once Tarn looses his R-7 he goes down really fast. Which is sort of the thing, you really don't want to lose astromechs that continue to benefit you. It is sort of like a last ditch effort unlike Chewbacca or even Moff jerrod which is supposed to be discarded and doesn't help you unless it is.

Moff Jerrod does not discard any damage, he only flips crits face-down and he's re-usable

and of course once Tarn loses R-7 he goes down fast. Without Integrated Astromech, he'll probably go down in one attack less.

again, the idea that you somehow lose the astromech in order to use this is completely missing the point in that you can use it when you would lose the entire ship regardless. Yes, you don't want to lose astromechs that benefit you, but you also don't have a choice in the matter when the dice come up flipping you the bird. Integrated Astromech is a defense against this when before there were none

it's a free durability upgrade that is objectively better than dying, so it's unquestionably a buff

whether or not it's a fix is ultimately up to subjective standards. The actual effectiveness of this upgrade needs to be tested on the table

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

So I did!

It is basically Moff Jerrod for X-wings, only instead of airlocking crew upgrades it is total discrimination against droids.

For Biggs perhaps R2-D6 with elusiveness could be of some good because it stops hits without burning actions.

TAR-7 it might keep him around for 1 more attack. Once Tarn looses his R-7 he goes down really fast. Which is sort of the thing, you really don't want to lose astromechs that continue to benefit you. It is sort of like a last ditch effort unlike Chewbacca or even Moff jerrod which is supposed to be discarded and doesn't help you unless it is.

Moff Jerrod does not discard any damage, he only flips crits face-down and he's re-usable

and of course once Tarn loses R-7 he goes down fast. Without Integrated Astromech, he'll probably go down in one attack less.

again, the idea that you somehow lose the astromech in order to use this is completely missing the point in that you can use it when you would lose the entire ship regardless. Yes, you don't want to lose astromechs that benefit you, but you also don't have a choice in the matter when the dice come up flipping you the bird. Integrated Astromech is a defense against this when before there were none

it's a free durability upgrade that is objectively better than dying, so it's unquestionably a buff

whether or not it's a fix is ultimately up to subjective standards. The actual effectiveness of this upgrade needs to be tested on the table

Exactly!

Scenario:

You and your opponent each have got one hull left but due to PS, you shoot last. He deals one hit. You eject R7 to cancel the hit. Shoot back and do 1 damage. You win. THIS IS A BUFF.

And since FFG did this without using the Title slot, that means you can combine this with whatever future title does come out that IS the "FIX."

and, honestly, we have to dispel the myth that the T-70 starts out any better than the vanilla X. If anything, the poor generic buggers are worse off than the rookie

How is that?

How can you say Generic T-65 pilots are better than Generic t-70s....?

The gap is HUGE and favors new X ones. T-70s are getting Shield Upgrade (4 points), Engine Upgrade (4 points) and 2 new maneuvers on Dial (? points) and new tech slot (1 point) and they are getting all of those for .... 3 points more than generic T-65 pilot? 9 points difference squeazed to 3 points.... wow!

Please explain your logic because for me it's an error.

Integrated Astromech should be a Title, not a modification, and the card should reduce Astromech cost by -4 points and should be alowed only for T-65s. Just look what TIE Advanced get - 4 points reduction on SYSTEM upgrade, and new system that is adding a free Critical, without any further actions - just TL is required! This is something I call fix. Integrated Astromech is terrible.

Now look at this and compare those ships.

For me it's an easy choice what to pick.

For 22 points you can get generic Xwing pilot with 1-2 green maneuvers and Integrated Astromech... ok, fine BUT... Tempest Squadron Pilot - for 22 points have Barrel Roll (best possible maneuver action in whole game), Evade as well as Advanced Targeting Computer - one of best systems available. Or it's one point cheaper, so 21 (cheaper than Xwing) --> and it's getting Accuracy Corrector or Advanced Systems or simply Sensor Jammer - great TLT counter, all for free.

Padre

IA should most definitely not be a title! This is only the first foray into the long awaited "Xwing" fix. I'm sure they are saving the title space for the obligatory Rogue squadron title. Honestly, this is a great buff for the Xwing and encourages players to make more use of atromechs, which, except for a notable few, were largely underused.

I'm really pumped to try this with Wedge and BB8, Jek and D8, Janson and A2, and more!

I really wonder how many times the stupidly overpriced shield upgrade has been brought up to somehow argue that the t70 is more cost efficient than the t65

It ain't 4 points because it's worth four points, it's 4 points in order to be so horrendously overpriced that it isn't auto include

How much would the b be worth if every shield was four points?

The t70 has a statline that would have been almost as efficient as the tie fighter...at 21 points

The the t70 is not a n efficient ship at the base level; it needs upgrades to make it shine

Compare to the bwing, which is efficient as is and still awesome with upgrades

Its a modification to integrate your astromech because that is, you know, actually modifying the ship! So, duh, it makes total sense that its a mod, not a title.

If Corran didn't exist, this would've been a nice fix for the e-wing too, but alas, Corran gets even harder to kill.

As for a comparison with the TIE advanced fix, its not really reasonable to expect the x-wing fix to equal the TIE advanced fix. Its no secret that the TIE advanced was the worst. ship. ever. Hands down. It needed a powerful fix to make it even worth using, at all. So obviously no other ship will likely get a fix as potent as the x-1 title, and nor should it.

Integrated Astro is a durabiity fix for the x-wing. It makes the x-wing better at jousting, which is in fact exactly the sort of fix that the x-wing needed because its a jousting ship. I get the feeling that some people are disapointed by this fix because of their expectations. They were expecting/hoping for something more.....(more interesting? more potent?). For those people, I would suggest being patient, because I would be surprised if this is 'the x-wing fix'.

I see this more as a 'stop-gap' measure, to keep the T-65 still relevant while the designers are busy releasing all the Wave8/force awakens stuff that Disney has probably told them to do. I wouldn't be surprised if we start seeing some new Aces packs (for all factions) over the course of the next year or two (since both existing ones sold well) and then we'll see some more fixes for those ships that seem to need it...

I'm starting to believe this isn't the 'actual fix' for the T-65 but rather an upgrade that is helping make astromechs more appealing. Looking at FFG's history, every time they have released a 'fix' type card they at least double down on the number you get (chardaan, autothrusters, 4x for tie adv). I'm thinking this is just a useful buff for x-wings but not the complete fix.

In my opinion, I'd like to see an upgrade that makes X-wings use proton torpedoes more efficiently in some manner. Change their role to alpha-strike.

Astros don't need to be any more appealing (not least not the good ones on the right pilots)

Whether or not this will be the only xwing buff Is impossible to say, but it IS an xwing buff

Can't use this **** with ys and es no matter how nice their astros are.(and I know tlt ys would adore this mod)

FFG isn't GW. They aren't going to charge you £12 for the privilege of turning your boring sub-par jousters into boring less sub-par jousters.

So, is the majority opinion that X-wings should be made more durable in order to joust properly or do they need BR/boost to reposition to break out of the jouster role? Should it have a fix to make torpedoes relevant? (4 ship lists just don't have the same alpha strike capability that 5 and 6 ship lists have). Should the X have a series of titles to give a choice of different roles, like Stealth X with sensor slots and evade with a cost to match?

Integrated Astro is a great place to start making the X a valid choice in tourneys again, and a good indication that there is more to come (TFA aces pack with Spooky T-70!). What direction should further upgrades take?

FFG isn't GW. They aren't going to charge you £12 for the privilege of turning your boring sub-par jousters into boring less sub-par jousters.

They are if you play at store championships or above

Otherwise yea, you don't need to drop cash on codexes that get invalidated either through updates or lack thereof

Astros don't need to be any more appealing (not least not the good ones on the right pilots)

This only applies the the good ones, and only on the right pilots. For all the other mechs you just looked at them an thought "yeah this i neat i guess, but i'd rather spend my points on something else".

Now when you what to bring an X-Wing you know you will bring a mech as well, so you are already planing to spend 1 extra point. And when you are at this point why not just pay 1 more points to go a little crazy? That 1 point might get you a unique form of barrel-roll with BB, turn your rookie into a hard hitting stress-canon or give you a R7 when facing to many 2 ship builds.

That's what I like about IA. It even makes some of the more gimmicky astro-mechs appealing.