Hey guys. Hypothetical.

I'm playing a game where points don't matter, only limits are no Uniques.

What would you guys consider to be the most powerful loadouts for a Gamma Squadron Veterans(from Imperial Veterans), and Black Eight Squadron pilots?

I'm going to assume Extra Munitions and Guidance Chips for everyone. And Fire Control Systems for the Punishers. And my gut tells me Cluster Missiles, but I'm not sure. So what are the strongest munitions for each ship and Elite talents for the Bombers?

Like I said, cost is no object, but the most expensive upgrade isn't necessarily the best. So what would you pick?

Who wants an easy 45-70 MOV points?

overloading bomber ships is the biggest pitfall. They just don't have the sustainability unlike point fortresses of Wave 5 (which has been cracked open a little with the MOV nerf). The more you put on a ship the more the opponent is going to prioritize that ship getting more points.

The original poster clearly stated that points are not a factor. His message was pretty clear about that... he just wants to know what people think would do the most damage.

It depends on the target and situation. I think Clusters do pack great bang for their buck, esp. vs low-agility targets but they're also short range. An assault missile can do an obscene amount of damage to a swarm, way more than a set of cluster missiles. And Homing missiles are nothing to scoff at, either, if you're going after ships that can evade. As far as torpedos go, you can't beat the power of Advanced Torps, but they're range 1. There's also utility to consider. An Ion torp does less damage but the utility of an area effect is nothing to scoff at.

Then there's the bomb loadout to consider. Do you go for utility and get a net? Max possible damage to one ship with cluster mines? Or again, against a swarm, is it all about the seismic/thermal detonators? Nothing is cut and dry.

Elite skills... Marksmanship might be good with Cluster Missiles, but a waste with anything else. I'm not sure what the mathematical damage output would be compared to one of the reroll abilities (Rage/Predator) or something like Outmaneuver or Opportunist. Some of them are situational. Rage is very effective, but stresses you out big time. I think there's more than one way to skin a cat, or load a bomber, if points are not an issue.

Who wants an easy 45-70 MOV points?

overloading bomber ships is the biggest pitfall. They just don't have the sustainability unlike point fortresses of Wave 5 (which has been cracked open a little with the MOV nerf). The more you put on a ship the more the opponent is going to prioritize that ship getting more points.

I take it you didn't read the whole thread. In this hypothetical build, points don't matter. For example, maybe he's playing a 1v1 deathmatch with unlimited upgrades. In that case, there is no MoV, just did you die or did you not die? EDIT: Although in general, you give sound advice.

I'm not a huge bomber expert, but I like Clusters on the Punishers. If I understand the timing right, Cluster Missiles lets you perform two attacks, so after the first attack, you get your target lock back from Fire Control System and can now mod the second attack. Not too shabby. And if you already have the TL, you can boost into range 1-2 if your target tries to run away. You do have two missile slots, though, so you can easily choose a different missile in the second slot that will reach range 3. I think Ion Pulse Missiles would combo well. You can ionize the target, then zoom up and blast them with Cluster Missiles. For the torpedo slot that isn't filled by Extra Munitions, I think I'd go with good old Proton Torpedoes. Guidance Chips will turn a blank to a hit, Proton Torpedoes turns one focus into a crit, then you've just gotta hope for two natural hits, unless you want to get a target lock the turn before and take a focus the turn you fire so you can have 75% chance to hit on each of the last two dice.

Is this duels or against swarms? Makes a big difference.

That said, there's a couple options. Clusters, ions, and proton torps will do you sell; just load the bomb of choice on (Conner nets and protons being the obvious picks), but then, you might do well with ion pulse, homing, and... Adv proton torpedoes. Don't laugh - they pack a man punch if you can reliably get range 1 (hence ion weaponry), and FCS will help you land the focus too. If you fly a glaive squadron Predator or lone wolf are pretty easy picks.

...That said, I wouldn't automatically go for a bomber at all unless it's a requirement. Are large ships forbidden? Contracted Scouts are hilarious, even with their points efficiencies aside. So too a Firespray.

But I think I'd personally have the most fun with a B-wing. HLC, two torps (and because you don't care about cost, they don't have to be the same!), and a crew of your choice is tasty.

Or an A-wing, perhaps: hilarity ensues with that twin EPT.

Okay, I'll elaborate a bit.

Me and 3 friends are basically doing a "bring every ship you own and equip whatever you want on them as long as it's not Unique and we'll have a giant battle royal".

So it's a huge battle where I could be facing anything and everything all at once.

Equipping everything else wasn't much of an issue. I only own TIEs. My Advanced, Defenders and TAPs are all loaded with Proton Rockets.

But I have 2 Bombers and 2 Punishers that I wasn't entirely sure how to fill up.

Side question: If I'm picking a mod to put on, like, 10 TIE Fighters and FOs, is Stealth Device or Shield Upgrade better?

Okay, I'll elaborate a bit.

Me and 3 friends are basically doing a "bring every ship you own and equip whatever you want on them as long as it's not Unique and we'll have a giant battle royal".

I'm smiling. This game is going to be incredible. Long, messy and incredible.

There needs to be pictures posted .. and yes, I understand the fundamental difference between needs and wants.

Side question: If I'm picking a mod to put on, like, 10 TIE Fighters and FOs, is Stealth Device or Shield Upgrade better?

Considering the type of game you're playing, I think you want hull/shield. I love Stealth Device, but it works better if you will have tokens for defense. In this game, I think you want as many offensive tokens as possible so you can start taking ships off the board. Hull and Shield upgrades give you that guaranteed extra hit before death.

I could see a counter argument that with so many ships, you're bound ti get lucky streaks with a few fighters, so Stealth Device should pay for itself. But that's still very dependent on luck.

My favorites are Homing Missles. They don't require you to spend a TL and the don't allow the defender to spend their evade token. Before the buffs they were reliably the most accurate torp or missile. Now with Guidance chips, they are even better. But with all the ships, you need crowd control options. I'd go something like this:

Gamma Squadron Veteran (19)
Opportunist (4)
Extra Munitions (2)
Ion Torpedoes (5)
Homing Missiles (5)
Assault Missiles (5)
Proton Bombs (5)
Guidance Chips (0)

Cutlass Squadron Pilot (21)
Fire-Control System (2)
Extra Munitions (2)
Advanced Proton Torpedoes (6)
Assault Missiles (5)
Homing Missiles (5)
Proton Bombs (5)
Ion Bombs (2)
Guidance Chips (0)

Total: 93

View in Yet Another Squad Builder

I'm smiling. This game is going to be incredible. Long, messy and incredible.

There needs to be pictures posted .. and yes, I understand the fundamental difference between needs and wants.

One of the guys always takes pictures and puts them in Facebook albums, so I'm sure that's doable. Though the battle probably isn't going to happen until sometime in May.

Okay, I'll elaborate a bit.

Me and 3 friends are basically doing a "bring every ship you own and equip whatever you want on them as long as it's not Unique and we'll have a giant battle royal".

So it's a huge battle where I could be facing anything and everything all at once.

Equipping everything else wasn't much of an issue. I only own TIEs. My Advanced, Defenders and TAPs are all loaded with Proton Rockets.

But I have 2 Bombers and 2 Punishers that I wasn't entirely sure how to fill up.

Side question: If I'm picking a mod to put on, like, 10 TIE Fighters and FOs, is Stealth Device or Shield Upgrade better?

Ahhh.....ok....that helps a bit. I can work with this. One thing first. I would probably put Cluster Missiles on the Tie Adv. and go for Accuracy Correctors. This way you are sure to maximize your damage.

OK...with that in mind, here's what I would do:

2 Gamma Squadron Vets

-VI

-Extra Munitions

-Proton Torps

-Cluster Missile

-Homing Missile

-Cluster Bombs

-Guidance Chip

2 Black Eight Squadron

-Extra Munitions

-Proton Torps

-Cluster Missile

-Homing Missile

-Proximity Mines

-Proton Bombs

-Guidance Chip

I like the idea of having Cluster Missiles purely for those times when you will have a ship within R1 of you. Yes, you can go Proton Rocket, but I think Cluster might be used more.

Vet Instincts on the Gamma Vets (if you can play with a card not out yet) means you will go with a high PS to grab that TL that you need. You can also fire first. If you want, you can probably trade out the Proton Torps on the Bombers with Plasma since they will be firing first. If you hit something with shields, you will do extra damage. Still, you might roll bad and not have the Focus to turn that one eyeball to crit, so it might just be a wash.

You might not have enough templates if you went with the same bomb type for everything. So, the Punishers move first and drop the Proximity mines. This way, the Cluster Mines are dropped when you know where everyone is on your side when you move. So, you won't accidentally place them and have one of your own move on it later in the same turn.

I'm thinking....if you are playing a big game and you can just take whatever PS you want (as long as it's generic), then I have another idea to help smooth things along. I see issues when you have one side move ALL their PS 3's....and then he moves ALL his PS 3's. Since this is going to be a huge game and you don't really want one side to move ALL of those ships at one time of that PS, what if you alternated between ships? Maybe break all ships into squads or squadrons. Then, you move a squadron of PS 3, and then he moves a squadron of PS 3. Then you do one, and then he does one. It might work. It might just add more complication than you want. I would recommend maybe not getting all the highest PS skill pilots for everything. You might want some Academy Pilots to jump out there and jam things up with bumping.

Anyways....it sounds fun!