Xwings and Warthogs can freely boost or br into shots so long they dont have anyone in arc. All for 1 pt, and generic to boot! Time to revisit 4 T-70s

nope (ito implying they're a savior of anything)

they have very marginal usefulness in re-positioning, especially to break off pursuits ( especially especially to avoid chasing drop-on-dial-reveal bomb carriers)

this is very decent for one point, not for fixing severely overpriced T-70s or still overpriced X-wings

it's also okay on higher PS pilots because it helps set up shots, but what kind of high PS X-wing pilot wouldn't prefer a better astromech?

I was SO excited when I saw 1pt and boosts and barrel rolls.

But I feel the "no enemy ships in arc" restriction might hinder them. One of the main things that T-65s were/are good at was/is jousting, but if you want this droid to do anything you have to fly in a way where when you move, you aren't drawing a bead on anyone :/

Could be useful following a turn of jousting. The boost could help followed by a hard turn, so no k turn is necessary (no stress can still perform actions).

Additionally, on a poor alignment when attempting to get a ship in arc it could help; boost or barrel!

Also, I'm not buying 4 of these to get 4 droids for a T-65 spam list lol

Hooba's got the right idea, imo

it IS situational but it IS useful (unlike...r3 astromech )

problem is people are hailing it as something amazing when it really isn't (and it's one point so...yeah, it's not supposed to be amazing). it's not going to save the X-wing

decent astro + bad ship = bad ship still, sadly

I really like it. At the very least, it’s better than just about any other 1-point mech; it helps open up lanes on the approach, and helps you get back in the battle. Not sure if I’d put it on the aces, but it’ll be cool on generics. Or Jess.

I've run this on rookie T-65's and Y-wings with title. It is amazing.

Blue Squadron Novice (24)
Flight Assist Astromech (1)
Primed Thrusters (1)
Integrated Astromech (0)

Total: 26

View in Yet Another Squad Builder

T roll, and if that doesnt give you a shot, boost and barrel roll

9 minutes ago, Ailowynn said:

I really like it. At the very least, it’s better than just about any other 1-point mech; it helps open up lanes on the approach, and helps you get back in the battle. Not sure if I’d put it on the aces, but it’ll be cool on generics. Or Jess.

I think that's the key - it's better than any of the other 1-point astromechs, which makes it ideal for the Wood Chipper X-wing mod.

And, really, it's not bad at all - the 'bank' maneuvers take you off-angle by 45 degrees, which means a free boost the opposite direction puts you back on target...only now closer than you could otherwise have maneuvered, and in a different spot than expected.

The nice thing is that this pairs very well with the lowest-skill pilots. After all, who is going to more reliably be able to plan a maneuver where they KNOW there will be no enemy ships in front of them? Easy - those pilots that are moving first. The aces aren't going to see much use of this at all - by the time they maneuver, it's anyone's guess who is going to be in their arc or not.

It will see play. Will it make Wedge tournament ready? Doubtful. But it gives you some dodging ability on the run and can help you get a shot off.

plus he isn’t JUST a small repositioning option. He also is a hull point

I really think Corran would like one of these if you are running short on points for R2

Definitely not the savior of the T-65, but for 1 point, that little guy sounds like a pretty nice option. A free boost or BR to get people in arc is certainly gonna have me dusting off the likes of Wedge and Wes for some fun.

2 minutes ago, GILLIES291 said:

I really think Corran would like one of these if you are running short on points for R2

If you're running short on points for R2d2 on Corran, you don't take Corran, unless it's casual.

Just now, Mrk1984 said:

If you're running short on points for R2d2 on Corran, you don't take Corran, unless it's casual.

Or you suck it up and put BB-8 on him and fly fast and loose!

I'm curious if running this with Blue Squad Vet and Snap Shot could be effective... I don't think so...but you could do some interesting combos using it and the Shuttle.

This seems like a really balanced expansion.... what gives FFG?

I like it. Do a maneuver that puts them out of your arc, and boost to get them in arc and you out of their arc. Nice.

16 minutes ago, Wiredin said:

I'm curious if running this with Blue Squad Vet and Snap Shot could be effective... I don't think so...but you could do some interesting combos using it and the Shuttle.

This seems like a really balanced expansion.... what gives FFG?

gotta be careful with the shuttle (and ARC)

since you can't have an enemy ship in your firing arc, not just your primary firing arc, you're twice as likely to not trigger it

I think the "If an enemy is not in an arc" restriction is really bad.

I'm very happy to see that FFG is giving us 1) Rebel Astromechs that aren't points hogs & useful, and 2) to me at least, they are showing that they are willing to help out both the X and Y wings. Did you see that Chopper Y-wing build? It wasn't half bad: 13 points to have your opponent chew through? Yes please.

I'm going to let people on Vassal suss out just how viable the new Flight Assist droid is. But for now, my gut says it's going to be good to have on board.

I'm not sure it's the "fix" that will solve all of the X-wing's problems, but it does offer something toward one of it's biggest issues - positioning. Yes, it's situational, but as a 1-point astromech, it's probably more useful on the whole than R2, even if you just want something as IA fodder.

For the T-65 it offers, at least, some basic ability to tighten a turn after a joust or scrape a ship into an arc. Rookie Pilots still won't get a huge benefit from it, but some of the higher PS folks might actually start to appear. Wedge vs Dash becomes a lot more interesting when Wedge can begin to keep up with a Dash diving out of his arc, and Dash is surging in popularity lately.
For the T-70, it probably does more for the low-PS than anyone, as the likes of Poe are going to want their regen buddies. It does have some interesting interactions with pilots like Snap, Nien, and Ello though, and I'd imagine Jess is going to like it if you're not plumping for M9G8.
Y-wings may well like it. You do get the in-arc-only restriction, but you can just stick BTL on there too and make the best of it. It's no stressbot, but... if you really want that TLT/primary double tap and you really like Y-wings, then it could be fun.

Beyond that, I don't see anyone else even looking at it. E-wings need a lot more than a situational boost/roll, especially for the generics. ARCs would barely ever trigger it, and they prefer to take astros that compliment their pilot abilities anyway, and ditto for the Sheathipede. You could barely make an outside case for one on Hera/Sabine Attack Shuttle, but... I'm not even sure why you'd fly those outside of a casual game anyway.

This could simply be another case of a decent upgrade being decent rather than superpowered, therefore looking subjectively disappointing due to being... well, balanced. It's no fix card, but it also offers few reasons not to take it on the ships it's aimed at. It's just... decent. A good option. It's not R2D2 or R3A2, but it's also not R3 Astromech or Targeting Astromech. It's just decent.

So this has given me another of my "looks cool but will never do well" list ideas.

Red Sqd Vet T-70: Primed, Flight Assist, Integrated, Plasma Torps, Intensity x3

99pts of pure "theory never = practice" as usual from me

Oh your talon roll didn't get you arc? DO A BARREL ROLL! Still not that happy? BOOST RIGHT AFTER!

On a intensity Snap Wexly you get potentially 4 actions. I useually run Snap with targeting astromech, but I will give this a go.

It's a good add to any T-65, but this droid really SHINE into a T-70.

Seriously, Autothrusters+Techslots open you a lot of possibilities. Nor to consider the pilots.

12 minutes ago, Captain Lackwit said:

I think the "If an enemy is not in an arc" restriction is really bad.

It's only a point, so its biggest competitors in that price range are the unique Chopper, or the R2 Astromech. I would definitely put this on a high-PS X-Wing pilot over the R2 Astromech.