So, I've had a surprising amount of luck with the Defender since I started playing it. I don't use it often, but I've found that it's unique dial does wonders against opponents who aren't familiar with it. I've really enjoyed dual-Defender lists, but I keep hitting the same snag over and over. I have no idea what I should give Vessery for an EPT!

Right now, I'm starting off with this:

Rexlar Brath - 37

Heavy Laser Cannon - 7

Predator - 3

Colonel Vessery - 35

Heavy Laser Cannon - 7

That leaves me with 89 points to play around with modifications and Vessery's EPT. Twin Ion Engine is great for the extra greens, but I've found that I almost never need them. I hear Hull Upgrade is a great choice to help protect how big of an investment the ships are, though I'm half-tempted to go with Stealth Device instead.

As for Vessery's EPT, I've got no idea. Predator would be practically useless, thanks to Vessery's ability to get target locks from Brath. Perhaps Calculation or Marksmanship to get some crits from the Heavy Laser Cannon? Crackshot is always a nice EPT for one point, but when I've got 5 or more points left over, I'm not exactly trying to be thrifty with my EPT, and would prefer something that has a lasting effect throughout the game. Should I go with Veteran Instincts to put me at two PS 8 ships, letting Vessery fire first, which would open up more of a chance for Brath to use his ability? Intimidation, to discourage the opponent from blocking him? Outmaneuver is a pretty awesome option when I'm out of arc, but aside from their white K-turns and ability to barrel roll, Defenders aren't too stellar at arc-dodging. Push the Limit isn't a bad idea on most ships, but Vessery doesn't really benefit much from the extra action economy, and taking the stress would probably hurt more than the extra action would help.

So what do you guys think? What is the best EPT for Vessery to take, and which modifications would be the wisest choice?

In this 2 defender list you have no choice but take veteran instincts otherwise brath will have spent his target lock before vessery shoots and his whole pilot ability will never work because rexler shoots first. With veteran instincts you can have vessery shoot, get his target lock and then rexler use his target lock. Or are you planning on never using rexlers target lock?

In this 2 defender list you have no choice but take veteran instincts otherwise brath will have spent his target lock before vessery shoots and his whole pilot ability will never work because rexler shoots first. With veteran instincts you can have vessery shoot, get his target lock and then rexler use his target lock. Or are you planning on never using rexlers target lock?

Rex has predator, so he almost never needs to use his target lock. It is literally there only for Vess' benefit. The one time he wants to use it is to fire the ion pulse missile (if you have it).

Here's Biophysical's original double defender list, as I recall:

Brath w/ pred, HLC, hull & ion pulse missile = 53

Vess w/ lone wolf, HLC & stealth device = 47

100

Lone wolf might seem like an odd choice, because if you got a target lock, you don't need the re-roll. But here are some things to consider:

-Rex might die, leaving Vessery with no way to generate re-rolls.

-Rex might not be able to get an early game target lock all the time, so Vessery can 'make do' with lone wolf until Rex puts down the lock.

-lone wolf is only half about offense. The defensive boost gives Vessery much needed tankiness, especially against high numbers of low attack dice shots (z-95's or TIE/ln for example). And it makes stealth device stick a bit better.

Having said that, this list saw its 'heyday' almost a year ago, so tweaking it for the changes in meta is not a bad idea. Crack shot and twin laser turrets are the new hotness, making stealth device less attractive. The nice thing for Vessery, is you can pretty much go with whatever elite card you like, really. Veteran instincts is not a bad idea (helps against IG88, Dash, etc). Crack shot is great for dealing with Soontir Fel or other stealth device equipped annoyances. Although lone wolf is still pretty good, especially considering its a 2 ship list, so easy to keep it on. If you went with crack or VI, definitely switch to a hull upgrade, or possibly even a shield upgrade (although initiative bid is not a terrible idea for their PS range).

I'd like to thank blade_mercurial for saving me from typing all that on my phone. It's all completely correct.

Friends dont let friends use stealth device.

PtL is opened up because of the TIE Mk II...

Good success with PTL and MKII so you can generate your own offense if needed and gives you enough green to matter.

Crackshot + hull/sheild is great too.

Most fun and challenging is outmaneuver. When Vess hits with it your opponent feels it.

I was thinking about equiping Determination+Hull Upgrade on mine for some extra durability though I'm not sure if it's really worth it.

I like the ounmaneuver idea - will try it.

Something like this?

Colonel Vessery (50) TIE Defender (35), Ion Pulse Missiles (3), Heavy Laser Cannon (7), Veteran Instincts (1), Shield Upgrade (4)

Rexler Brath (50) TIE Defender (37), Heavy Laser Cannon (7), Lone Wolf (2), Shield Upgrade (4)

I want to try thit list on a tournament in one week. I hope that my second defender will be delivered.

Something like this?

Colonel Vessery (50) TIE Defender (35), Ion Pulse Missiles (3), Heavy Laser Cannon (7), Veteran Instincts (1), Shield Upgrade (4)

Rexler Brath (50) TIE Defender (37), Heavy Laser Cannon (7), Lone Wolf (2), Shield Upgrade (4)

I want to try thit list on a tournament in one week. I hope that my second defender will be delivered.

Yeah that's fine, except one problem: You have to put the ion pulse missile on Rexler. Vessery never takes target lock as his action, so he can't fire missiles easily (he gets his target lock AFTER he shoots)

How would this build deal with stresshogs?

How would this build deal with stresshogs?

Stress can be a problem, but with 2 HLCs firing at PS 6 or 8, the hog only gets to shoot once before it dies. Leave yourself an exit so your double stressed ship can recover while your other defender finishes it off and you should be okay...

My best experiences with vess so far have been with vet instincts + shield, and lone wolf + stealth which is probably my preference. That said its been pretty difficult to keep LW turned on in-game even in a 2 ship build. Part of this might be my tendency to fly dual defenders in tandem though.. idk. Rex is definitely best with predator IMO.