Hello there,

I used to play X Wing when it first released until wave 2.

I was hoping to get back into the game. I was wondering if there were any new rule changes or anything i should know about before I invest more into the game?

What are the staple ships and upgrades?

Is the game pretty balanced no matter which ship/pilot I pick?

Thank You

Ohh boy; kicked an anthill, you have.

Oof. I'll direct you to the FAQ. If that looks like a bear then yes, it has changed.

There is a laundry list of ships you'll want, and even more you'd need if competitive play is your thing (if that's the case I suggest buying a collection off eBay). Cha-ching.

It's gotten more complex to put it mildly, but it's not cumbersome - or at least that's a popular opinion. There are a lot of fun hi-jinks now.

Actually - if you can, download X-Wing Squadron Builder app (Android) and take a gander. That'll give you all you need.

While you're there, check out the Jumpmaster 5000 maneuver dial...

I was hoping to get back into the game. I was wondering if there were any new rule changes or anything i should know about before I invest more into the game?

As Rinzler says, the FAQ is the easiest way to quickly get an idea of what is different. Probably, most of the changes and erratas there don't affect you so much, because you didn't experience the first version of those corrected cards and rules, anyway.

What are the staple ships and upgrades?

Long gone are the days of Wave I and II, where ships limited themselves to do one move, one action, and one attack with, perhaps, one modifier in the form of a focus token or a target lock.

Nowadays there are upgrades and pilot ability combos that allow ships to move several times per round, get lots of actions or action-like effects, then attack multiple times per round.

You will soon see that these are the ships most used and abused in the current meta.

Also, long gone are the days of Rock-Paper-Scissors that was Jouster-Turret-Arcdodger. Nowadays you have ships that can act both as jouster, as arcdodger, and some even as turret. Arc dodgers that are strong agaisnt turrets. Jousters that have no chance against turrets.

There are just too many to mention.

Is the game pretty balanced no matter which ship/pilot I pick?

Unfortunately, not at all.

Some ships are utterly underpowered for what they cost. Most ships have one single viable pilot, the rest's usage being testimonial.

Most are still waiting for some improvement to X-wings, that are still stuck at the gameplay from Wave 1, while the rest of the game has moved on, however some particular pilots still see some action.

Some other ships are bad with almost no redeeming qualities, like the TIE Punisher, or the Scyk Interceptor.

At the same time, some ships are exceptionally competent for their cost.

The designers have a track of revisiting old ships and giving them some rebalancing to adapt them to the new times. But their results are uneven. Sometimes the buff is too little (X-wing's Integrated astromech, Scyk errataed Heavy title), sometimes it is too much (TIE Defender's TIE/x7 title, Y-wings' Twin Laser Turret), sometimes they are spot on (TIE Phantom errataed cloaking rules, A-wings' Chardaan Refit and title).

As a Wave II player, I bet what you will find most shocking is the amount of control the opposite player has over the dice and over your own ships.

Cards like Zuckuss, Emperor Palpatine, Autothrusters, Sensor Jammer, Crackshot, Tractor Beam, stress dealing cards like Tactician, R3-A2 or Asajj Ventress, unpreventable damage like Conner Nets, Vader crew (soon Kylo Ren crew), and almost unpreventable damage like that from alpha strikes from heavily modified torpedo or missile attacks.

In that sense, the game has changed, and nowadays I find that reaction in many players that have come back after a long while of not playing. You can release some combos on them that leave them thinking "What am I supposed to do against that?". It's not fun when that happens, for either player.

One good thing is that the increase in variety has made the game more fun. Since the FAQ toned down JumpMaster 5000s (they were unholy ordnance carriers when first released), I would say there are more viable lists than at any other time in the game's history. The days of tooled up Millenium Falcon vs invisible Tie Phantoms has long gone.

My advice would be to take you time, read some of the threads and look at the squad lists sub-forum. That will give you a good flavour for what lists are popular at the moment. The 2016 Worlds thread is particularly good for seeing what is at the top of the pile. https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/topic/233380-2016-worlds-results/

Probably the biggest question for you at this stage is which fleets you want to invest in or "To Scum or not to Scum"? Scum love their large-base ships and combining multiple upgrade cards for crazy effects. Rebels love their big ships almost as much with the Falcon (YT-1300), Outrider (YT-2400) and Ghost (VCX-100) all being solid bricks capable of dealing lots of damage. Regeneration is also a popular theme for Rebels with 2 astromechs and 1 pilot capable or recovering shields lost during the course of the battle. The Empire love their fast fighters and have a flavour of Tie fighter to suit every occasion. The Tie Defender with the /x7 upgrade from the Imperial Veterans expansion is probably the best pure jouster in the game currently.

If you have not already found it, the X-wing miniatures wiki is a great resource. It lists all the cards in the game and provides screen shots of them together with which expansion(s) they can be found in. This is great for planning your purchases.

http://xwing-miniatures.wikia.com/wiki/X-Wing_Miniatures_Wiki

First off, if you have an Android phone, the best app to get used to the new stuff is X-wing Companion. It's not a list builder, but it sorts all the cards in about any way you want. You can look via upgrade type or blister. When you look at a card, it tells you which products it comes in, etc. It's great.

http://xwingcompanion.com/

One thing you should think about is how you want to play the game. Are you planning on going to tournaments and doing the whole competitive games? If so, then there is a lot of stuff that changed. Out of the Wave 1-2 ships there are few that are considered "competitive" anymore. So, you will have a lot of things to learn before you do well. There are a lot of ships and packages to buy to get you there, as well. I will say, though, that it's not the only way to play the game anymore. For one, find your local store and see what people there play. See what the locals like to play.

I've found a host of other ways to play X-wing that aren't all about tournaments. The latest craze is Mario Kart X-wing, which is a real hoot. It's quite a bit of fun and you don't even need to buy anything more to play it.

Probably the best way to get back into the game is the "Heroes of the Aturi Cluster" (also known as HotAC) campaign pack. It's fan made and a free download. It's a 2-6 person campaign that is cooperative. You play as Rebels in either X-wings or Y-wings against AI controlled Imperial forces. It sounds easy, but those missions are really tough. It's a lot of fun and I know a lot of hard core tournament types that really enjoy it. I could go on and on about this campaign set as it's really amazing. There are even podcasts that have talked about it at length if you wanted to know more. I do think it would be a good way to get back into X-wing and also integrate with the local X-wing scene.

There are a ton of ways to play the game besides the standard tournament games. If you want tournament games, though, then that's fine. Just....get ready to have to almost re-learn the game! There are a lot of ships out there now and almost all the Wave 1-2 stuff isn't worth it.

I will speak to balance, it is fair balanced. However this forum will take a ship they think is .5 points to expensive and deam it unplayable so these forums are really a bad place to determine the state of ship balance.

If I can add, as a recent player myself (Sept 2016), I have found the game incredibly deep in terms of tactics and gameplay, plus the diversity of the ships / squadrons is overwhelming. I have taken a few advice on this forum on "what to buy first" but ultimately it's a lot about choosing the type of ship you enjoy.

But I confirm, if you intend competitive play or even just local store play, you have to read a bit to use something appropriate.

Otherwise with just friends I have enjoyed playing very simple lists without synergies or complex effects.

Before you get the wrong idea.

the meta in the game is the most balanced I have seen any tabletop game be in my 15 years of tabletop gaming. Period. The diversity in lists, ships, and upgrades is staggering and amazing. I play competitively and the last regional we had there were only one/two duplicated lists in the top 16 cut. I didn't play the same list twice throughout the entire event as well. Are there certain ships that are preferred? OF COURSE. Are they the end all be all? HELL NO. The game is in a GREAT place right now, you're coming back at a great time.

Man, I really wish there was a dislike button sometimes....

First off, if you have an Android phone, the best app to get used to the new stuff is X-wing Companion. It's not a list builder, but it sorts all the cards in about any way you want. You can look via upgrade type or blister. When you look at a card, it tells you which products it comes in, etc. It's great.

http://xwingcompanion.com/

One thing you should think about is how you want to play the game. Are you planning on going to tournaments and doing the whole competitive games? If so, then there is a lot of stuff that changed. Out of the Wave 1-2 ships there are few that are considered "competitive" anymore. So, you will have a lot of things to learn before you do well. There are a lot of ships and packages to buy to get you there, as well. I will say, though, that it's not the only way to play the game anymore. For one, find your local store and see what people there play. See what the locals like to play.

I've found a host of other ways to play X-wing that aren't all about tournaments. The latest craze is Mario Kart X-wing, which is a real hoot. It's quite a bit of fun and you don't even need to buy anything more to play it.

Probably the best way to get back into the game is the "Heroes of the Aturi Cluster" (also known as HotAC) campaign pack. It's fan made and a free download. It's a 2-6 person campaign that is cooperative. You play as Rebels in either X-wings or Y-wings against AI controlled Imperial forces. It sounds easy, but those missions are really tough. It's a lot of fun and I know a lot of hard core tournament types that really enjoy it. I could go on and on about this campaign set as it's really amazing. There are even podcasts that have talked about it at length if you wanted to know more. I do think it would be a good way to get back into X-wing and also integrate with the local X-wing scene.

There are a ton of ways to play the game besides the standard tournament games. If you want tournament games, though, then that's fine. Just....get ready to have to almost re-learn the game! There are a lot of ships out there now and almost all the Wave 1-2 stuff isn't worth it.

You said "its a real hoot" I would have liked your post for that alone.

Is the game pretty balanced no matter which ship/pilot I pick?

Yes and no.

The game is balanced as far as different play styles and strategies are viable. And all factions have access to a variety of builds that are competitive in the current meta.

But not all ships are viable in a competitive environment, and all upgrades most certainly aren't.

I will speak to balance, it is fair balanced. However this forum will take a ship they think is .5 points to expensive and deam it unplayable so these forums are really a bad place to determine the state of ship balance.

Different people have different opinions on where to draw the line as to whether ships are playable. What this forum is good at though is assessing the value of ships relative to one another. You can then make up your own mind about whether or not it is something that appeals.

If you are interested in competitive tournament play, you might find X-Wing List Juggler useful for finding out what kinds of lists have done well recently: http://lists.starwarsclubhouse.com/tourneys .

I will speak to balance, it is fair balanced. However this forum will take a ship they think is .5 points to expensive and deam it unplayable so these forums are really a bad place to determine the state of ship balance.

Different people have different opinions on where to draw the line as to whether ships are playable. What this forum is good at though is assessing the value of ships relative to one another. You can then make up your own mind about whether or not it is something that appeals.

I will have to disagree with you here. For one example the forum has been deriding generic rebel ships for months. And yet, a list of generic rebels just won a regional. Another list of generics (with a ROOKIE XWING which judging by this forum should be the worst ship in the game) came in second at another. This forum is good for a lot of things, but I really think it is terrible at assessing what is actually viable and is very susceptible to group think. This game truly shows skill >>>>>>>>>>>> having a "net" list.

That said, this forum is great for other things. Rules questions, painting, campaigns and non-competitive play ideas all come to mind.

I will speak to balance, it is fair balanced. However this forum will take a ship they think is .5 points to expensive and deam it unplayable so these forums are really a bad place to determine the state of ship balance.

Different people have different opinions on where to draw the line as to whether ships are playable. What this forum is good at though is assessing the value of ships relative to one another. You can then make up your own mind about whether or not it is something that appeals.

I will have to disagree with you here. For one example the forum has been deriding generic rebel ships for months. And yet, a list of generic rebels just won a regional. Another list of generics (with a ROOKIE XWING which judging by this forum should be the worst ship in the game) came in second at another. This forum is good for a lot of things, but I really think it is terrible at assessing what is actually viable and is very susceptible to group think. This game truly shows skill >>>>>>>>>>>> having a "net" list.

That said, this forum is great for other things. Rules questions, painting, campaigns and non-competitive play ideas all come to mind.

Disclaimer: I think ships are better balanced than people give them credit for. But ...

I think it's really important to look at the tournament as a whole when trying to draw conclusions about that list with a Rookie Pilot. You say that skill > net-lists, but what if no net-lists were in that tournament? What if everyone was just running crazy stuff? I don't know which tournament you are talking about, so I can't check, but I think we all need to be a little more cautious about how we use and present the data available. This applies to the people crying that X-Wings are broken as well as to those who say they aren't as bad as people seem to think.

I will speak to balance, it is fair balanced. However this forum will take a ship they think is .5 points to expensive and deam it unplayable so these forums are really a bad place to determine the state of ship balance.

Different people have different opinions on where to draw the line as to whether ships are playable. What this forum is good at though is assessing the value of ships relative to one another. You can then make up your own mind about whether or not it is something that appeals.

I will have to disagree with you here. For one example the forum has been deriding generic rebel ships for months. And yet, a list of generic rebels just won a regional. Another list of generics (with a ROOKIE XWING which judging by this forum should be the worst ship in the game) came in second at another. This forum is good for a lot of things, but I really think it is terrible at assessing what is actually viable and is very susceptible to group think. This game truly shows skill >>>>>>>>>>>> having a "net" list.

That said, this forum is great for other things. Rules questions, painting, campaigns and non-competitive play ideas all come to mind.

Disclaimer: I think ships are better balanced than people give them credit for. But ...

I think it's really important to look at the tournament as a whole when trying to draw conclusions about that list with a Rookie Pilot. You say that skill > net-lists, but what if no net-lists were in that tournament? What if everyone was just running crazy stuff? I don't know which tournament you are talking about, so I can't check, but I think we all need to be a little more cautious about how we use and present the data available. This applies to the people crying that X-Wings are broken as well as to those who say they aren't as bad as people seem to think.

This was at the Games and Stuff regional in Baltimore. 92 attendees and there were most certainly net lists. Ron Brannan flew the list in question (can confirm lost to it in the cut) before being beaten by Duncan Howard (believe he went through Jeremy on the way).

Regardless, I should have clarified. To back this up I had the highest SoS in swiss and flew against all the flavors Commonwealth, fenn palob manaroo (made the cut), party bus dengar, howard 2.0 (made the cut), dengaroo (made the cut) and palp carnor ryad (made the cut).

I believe that the results were posted somewhere at least for the top 16 showing some net lists mixed with non net lists.

All this is to say, fly what you want in this meta and with it being so wide open you will do fine.

Hello there,

I used to play X Wing when it first released until wave 2.

I was hoping to get back into the game. I was wondering if there were any new rule changes or anything i should know about before I invest more into the game?

What are the staple ships and upgrades?

Is the game pretty balanced no matter which ship/pilot I pick?

Thank You

For your rules questions/changes, I think that a recent Scum and Villainy podcast went through each wave and the new mechanics introduced. It's easily one of my favorite episodes that they've done. I wish I could find it easily, but if you can, it's the most objective source for rule changes.

As to your last question, this short version is game is still primarily about flying skill, but as flying skill evens out there are definitely builds that are stronger than others. Shorter version: If you're playing competitively and there are players with any amount of decent skill in your area, no.