5 hours ago, krazyivan1942 said:

I think with the new FAQ, there could be some love for the Imperials again.

So, looking to try out a new faction. Should I try a swarm first up and then move to an Aces list?

aces first, though really you should start with six health ships (Sfs, defenders) to start. Both ships are still incredible, despite people confusing how the x7 errata made them interesting to fly with making them worthless. It's a really silly viewpoint, since defenders are still some of the most difficult to kill ships in the game especially now that bombs have been curtailed

swarms are the hardest lists to fly in general because there's just far more you have to keep track of. even the most skilled veterans can royally screw themselves over flying one

swarms also aren't in a great place right now on the overall power curve.

36 minutes ago, Steelgunner said:

Start by:

1. Flying Punishers with a few support craft.

2. Fall in love with their beefy frames and bloated loadouts.

3. Fail miserably, but still do well enough so that you think "There must be some way to make this work!..."

4. Give in to the feeling of frustration and disillusionment.

5. Move on to stronger wing lists but retain the salt.

ARE YOU SPYING ON ME?

3 minutes ago, RufusDaMan said:

ARE YOU SPYING ON ME?

No! Of course not! *slips binoculars into pocket*

It's way worse, to start watching the gunboat cult with a smirk in your face, and finally getting excited with the whole thing...

All hail the GUNBOAT!

Stockholm syndrome much?

4 minutes ago, Malasombra said:

It's way worse, to start watching the gunboat cult with a smirk in your face, and finally getting excited with the whole thing...

All hail the GUNBOAT!

Stockholm syndrome much?

I'm starting to feel less like a special snowflake

imho you should taste the following:

- Duchess +VI: learn to avoid arcs like a pro. Also Strikers/Alirons are super fun and is something we have that other factions lack.

- Carnor+PTL+AT+HU: troll token stack (Attani/Defenders) and get intimate with your green dice.

- Ryad + Juke +X7: the best wingman on triple aces list, my fav squad archetype for imperials. Because aces shoot first Juke is like an infinite crackshot.

Once all the above is second nature try Whisper backed by Yorr + Palpatine

Avoid at all costs flying Chirineau as over upgraded two ship squads and turrets is what other factions are good at.

So much fun for you ahead, welcome to the empire.

5 minutes ago, RufusDaMan said:

I'm starting to feel less like a special snowflake

I'm just a convert. I never had faith in the whole thing.

The true believers are special.

PS: I still want my red gunboat.

35 minutes ago, ficklegreendice said:

swarms are the hardest lists to fly in general because there's just far more you have to keep track of. even the most skilled veterans can royally screw themselves over flying one

swarms also aren't in a great place right now on the overall power curve.

If you want a swarm-esque list which can still do a decent job, try a 'heavy swarm'.

5 TIE strikers are a good one to start with - either 5 Scarif Defenders with Adaptive Ailerons and Lightweight Frame, or 4 Imperial Trainees and Countdown with the same (possibly a hull upgrade on countdown instead).

A bit of a tangent, but the Empire also has a lot of really good ways to troll your opponent. We've talked about Kylo Ren and @Jo Jo mentioned Carnor Jax, but you also have Omega Leader, Captain Oicunn, Captain Kagi, Mara Jade, Rebel Captive and Kylo Ren's Shuttle which can all play havoc with your opponent's tactic and/or action economy. Darth Vader crew is still beastly on a high health ship.

For giggles:

Rear Admiral Chinareau - Kylo Ren, Rebel Captive - 52
Captain Oicunn - Darth Vader, Mara Jade - 48

3 minutes ago, FTS Gecko said:

"Empire also has a lot of really good ways to troll your opponent."

I used a Major Rhymer; Snapshot + tactician + rebel captive built for a while, troll builds are my favorite build type.

Captain Oicunn loves some daredevil + dauntless action.

48 minutes ago, the1hodgy said:

Captain Oicunn loves some daredevil + dauntless action.

Also Ion Projectors with Palpatine.

It's also been pointed out that Lieutenant Kestal with Ion Cannon Turret makes for a fantastic ace hunter.

Empire does probably have the best ion tech in Tie/D (double tap overcomes damage cap, can trivially 4k and follow enemy off the table) and now OG-1 infinite ion pulse missiles

Yes, you can now oneshot ionize large ships...forever...even after SLAMing...

17 minutes ago, ficklegreendice said:

Yes, you can now oneshot ionize large ships...forever...even after SLAMing...

Well, so long as you're relying on fickle red dice, of course. Retaining the Target Lock plus no Guidance Chips means you won't be getting many modifiers.

OS-1, Ion Pulse Missile, Advanced SLAM

A Rho Squadron Veteran or an Ace could add Predator for giggles. It's a thing alright, but it's an expensive thing.

Imperials are a joy to fly--when you do it right! It's a high risk/high reward kind of thing. I'm really having fun with the Imps at the moment.

Probably the easiest transition from Rebels to Imperials would have to be to use TIE/sfs, TIE Defenders, TIE Agressors and maybe a Decimator.

Frankly, any ship that can take Comm Relay and an evade is essentially doing the Rebel Regen thing--Imperial style, so there's that to consider.

Strikers are the epitome of high risk/reward. They have a lot of punch and great named pilots. And they have the most unique flight patterns.

I look forward to dog-fighting against the StarViper with the new banked barrel roll title!

I'd start with a QuickDraw/Backdraft/Omega Leader list. Then after a while switch out one of the SFs with a Defender (Vessery or Ryad). From there, branch out to whatever sounds fun to you.

By the time the Gunboat comes to stores, you'll have a good sense of how you want to trick them out and add them to your lists.

Good luck!

My Favorite Imperial list of all time.

Major Stridan w/ Operations specialist/kylo ren's shuttle/rebel captive/ fire control system

3x Omega Squadron Pilots w/ snapshot

use the omegas to set up snapshot traps, evading most of the time.

Ops spec on stridan works out to range 3 of the upsilon, so those snap shots that miss become focus tokens for the ship of your choosing. the stress from the shuttle help keep things more predictable for your snapshots, and if they decide to take out the ties first, that is ideal.

This list is kind of luck dependent, but is a blast. I'm thinking about switching the title to ion projector.

I like Defenders and TAPs with cruise missiles or prockets.

Also, practice the Imperial Motto:

There's always a chance the next gaaaaaaammmmmmeeeeee....................

All solid ideas, guys. I liked way more posts than I thought I would.

I would like to second (or third or fourth) the vote for TIE defenders. Remember, the TIE/x7 "nerf" did two things:

1. It introduced counterplay by your opponent, making it a more engaging, and less frustrating match.
2. It brought the title down to the level of TIE/D, so that the latter is actually a viable option.

I love having a TIE/x7 ace supported by two TIE/D generic defenders. The generics are the easier targets, but the ace makes for a pretty miserable end game for your opponent, which gives them fits in choosing target priority. Also, Twin Ion Engine Mk. II is as good on TIE defenders as Lightweight Frame is on Special Forces TIE Fighters - I will rearrange points to fit that upgrade if I can.

Here's a funky 100 point list. I'm not saying it's competitive, but as long as you're not scared of Bombs or AoE damage it could be a lot of fun to fly:

Academy TIE x 3
Alpha Squadron Pilot x 2
Delta Squadron Pilot - TIE/x7 x 1

Block and wreck shop.

Totally not the meta hotness, but I like an old-fashioned:

Soontir Fel (27)
Push the Limit (3)
Autothrusters (2)
Targeting Computer (2)
Royal Guard TIE (0)

Carnor Jax (26)
Push the Limit (3)
Autothrusters (2)
Targeting Computer (2)
Royal Guard TIE (0)

Turr Phennir (25)
Veteran Instincts (1)
Autothrusters (2)
Hull Upgrade (3)
Royal Guard TIE (0)

Total: 98

View in Yet Another Squad Builder

Turr Phennir should have a Stealth Device and actually should probably just be the Inquisitor, but I don't own either.

All Imperial roads now lead to the Gunboat

46 minutes ago, FTS Gecko said:

Here's a funky 100 point list. I'm not saying it's competitive, but as long as you're not scared of Bombs or AoE damage it could be a lot of fun to fly:

Academy TIE x 3
Alpha Squadron Pilot x 2
Delta Squadron Pilot - TIE/x7 x 1

Block and wreck shop.

Nice! This is my kind of squad!

After flying nearly only Scum, I expanded my collection and tried to find my way into the imperial faction. While clearly not being as experienced as the others speaking before me, I would still like to share my experience. Tl;dr: had a lot of fun with the phantom and the defender, as well as with the interceptor

X7 ryad with push the limit is quite easy to handle, hits hard and is tough. I would add a twin ion engine mkii if I had any.

Whisper also hits hard and can be tough, but you need to fly it very carefully otherwise it's gone in a blink. Not like in cloaked but like in off-the-board... High risk, high reward for sure. I liked the build with veteran instincts, advanced cloaking device, gunner and fire control system, but it's expensive.

Soontir Fel is a beast. I don't own autothrusters or palpatine, but even without them he is scary. But also here, my explode in a second...

Haven't player carnor jax myself but he screwed me over a lot.

5 hours ago, FTS Gecko said:

Well, it's a decent amount of health and a good amount of damage output. Personally I haven't flown any TIE/sfs myself, but Quickdraw is definitely a very powerful ship in the right hands.

That said, I've always found the TIE/sf to be the weak point in the Imperial Alphastrike lists I've faced. They have good overall health, but nothing really in the way of mitigation like Vader, the Inquistor or Defenders have. In the games I've played against Imperial Alpha I've managed to isolate Quickdraw first each time.

The tie sf isn't great QuickDraw requires a lot of luck to her ability off more that once, back draft is okay but even with the crit from the butt its still only a max 3 damage which you can get cheaper, and you're not gonna take the generics over defenders.

5 hours ago, Jo Jo said:

FTFY

I got again onto some good old imperial a-hole matches (Wampa, Inquisitor, Omega leader, Palp Shuttle) and **** it was fun. Sure the list has some weaknesses these days, but unless you play against counter lists played by top 16 national guys all those imperial aces lists are still tons of fun to fly and plenty strong. Outplaying your opponent still works like a charm ... and especially imperial assholes is not as reliant on the reactive palpatine, but loves to use palpatine offensively as well.

4 gunboats and all will be well.