It's been over a year since I last played but I've had my interest in the game piqued again and am wondering what the current Imperial meta looks like. I have all the Wave 1-2 stuff. Any must have ships or ships to avoid? What from the early waves is still useful/obsolete? (I'm not looking for the ultimate meta build just curious about viability of various ships).

Thanks in advance.

Good to have you back.

On the imperial side pretty much anything can be viable from wave 1 and 2. Onwards you can give the interdictor a miss unless you're playing campaign, where it becomes tolerable. A pack of Transports or two, a pack or two of imp fighters and the carrier would be my first buys back in.

If you are going to play competitively there's a few cards in the light cruiser that are awesome but the ship itself is a bit meh.

ISD’s are still doing very well, as they should as the mainstay of the Imperial Navy- and we are about to get two more variants to fill other specialized roles as well. I would definitly reccomend picking up a gozanti and the new squadron pack, as they both will add a lot of support/utility to your fleet. The quasar is a good dedicated carrier if you don’t want a battlecarrier, and the Arq is nice for supplemental long range firepower. I wouldn’t reccomend more than one of each of those (though people have had success with multiples of both, particularly the arquitens). The Gladiator/Demo is still popular and menacing, though the nerf has somewhat reigned him in. Flechette torpedoes and external racks are upgrades that the raider has desperately wanted since its release so they are seeing a resurgence. Squadrons one and R&V are still very good.

The current boogeyman is a high activation fleet centered around gallant haven, yavaris, and several key multirole squadrons that can output obscene damage in quick succession. Squadron play has become very popular (and strong)- so have a plan for that. People still can play squadronless but you need to know exactly what you can/can’t do with your fleet and how you need to approach various max bomber lists.

18 minutes ago, MandalorianMoose said:

Flechette torpedoes and external racks are upgrades that the raider has desperately wanted since its release so they are seeing a resurgence.

Ugg. Just looked those up (I loved my Raiders) and saw that those expansions come from two different rebel ships.

Thanks for the info so far.

Welcome back! Flotillas are probably the biggest game changers for cheap activations (both ships and squadrons). I would recommend 2 at least.

Oh and get the Imperial Squadrons pack 2. Maarek Steele and Colonel Jendon are very effective together. You will see that combo a lot!

43 minutes ago, AlexW said:

What from the early waves is still useful/obsolete? (I'm not looking for the ultimate meta build just curious about viability of various ships).

The good news is that everything from the early waves is still useful.

The (bad? neutral?) news is that some of those things meta builds require help from other boxes to shine (ex: ExRacks for Raiders, or Disposable Capacitors for the VSD). But nothing you own has to be "shelved", so to speak.

1 hour ago, MandalorianMoose said:

ISD’s are still doing very well, as they should as the mainstay of the Imperial Navy- and we are about to get two more variants to fill other specialized roles as well. I would definitly reccomend picking up a gozanti and the new squadron pack, as they both will add a lot of support/utility to your fleet. The quasar is a good dedicated carrier if you don’t want a battlecarrier, and the Arq is nice for supplemental long range firepower. I wouldn’t reccomend more than one of each of those (though people have had success with multiples of both, particularly the arquitens). The Gladiator/Demo is still popular and menacing, though the nerf has somewhat reigned him in. Flechette torpedoes and external racks are upgrades that the raider has desperately wanted since its release so they are seeing a resurgence. Squadrons one and R&V are still very good.

The current boogeyman is a high activation fleet centered around gallant haven, yavaris, and several key multirole squadrons that can output obscene damage in quick succession. Squadron play has become very popular (and strong)- so have a plan for that. People still can play squadronless but you need to know exactly what you can/can’t do with your fleet and how you need to approach various max bomber lists.

Let the record reflect said boogeyman is not all that common in total play and is by no means the end all be all of play at the moment. IMO a large part of why it's still around (backed up anecdotally as the exact reason the one in Atlanta reappeared) is that once it can be flown, it's like riding a bike and getting back into it is extremely easy, and it's a consistent, if not very flashy setup. Other archetypes running the gamut, including double ISD sans squads, swarms of smaller ships like Raiders and Glads, and other shenanigans are more than capable of being both fun and winning in competitive environments.

The Imps don’t really have a turd. Arquitens (Light Cruiser) are actually really good ships, but you must invest some points into dice modification to make them good. The new Intensify Firepower Upgrade coming out in the Chimaera expansion will be very effective for that. otherwise, the commander Darth Vader or Turbolaser Reroute Circuits are needed.

The Interdictor is not a bad ship and the bad reviews (IMO) stem mostly from frustrations people have wth its direct combat effectiveness. If you do not take good advantage of the Experimental Retrofits, it will never feel viable. My theory has always been that those upgrades had some of their cost baked into the ships cost. Essentially forcing you to use them if you want to field the interdictor. @Drasnighta is probably the most vocal about making Interdictors work.

The raider got got some goodies, the ISD is getting more with Chimaera, Demolisher is still too cheap, and the Gozantis are excellent support ships. The Quasar Fire is the closest I get to thinking of an a Imperial ship as bad and it really isn’t. It is just super specialized.

3 hours ago, AlexW said:

Ugg. Just looked those up (I loved my Raiders) and saw that those expansions come from two different rebel ships.

Thanks for the info so far.

If u want a copy of flechette torps and ER, i can spare 1 of each, just pm me.

The Interdictor's main problem, in my opinion, is the need for more experimental retrofits. At the moment, the interdictor's main strength is screwing with deployment*, and most people struggle to exploit the advantages it provides. A hypothetical Rebel ship with an experimental retrofit in wave VIII would breathe new life into the Interdictor by letting it perform new roles via new experimental retrofits.

*Targeting Scramblers is also great, but matchup dependant.

If you want to grab stuff to slip back into competitiveness, I'd suggest grabbing Gozantis, Arquitens cruisers, or the new fighter packs. The new mediums are hit-or-miss on whether you'd want them- Interdictors are really specialized, an the value of the Quasar is in the upgrades rather than necessarily the ship itself (too easily destroyed).

Demolisher is still pretty powerful. Our most feared combination right now is an ISD carrying Avenger and given Boarding Teams out of the Quasar Fire pack.

The Quasar is also the Squadron Alpha Strike platform par excellance...

sometimes, that fragility is worth it to throw 7 Fighters with Flight Commanders and then back them up with Ruthless Strategists on a red anti squadron die to wipe the field clean...

I have found everything new to be extremely useful. Even the interdictor you just have to know the role you are giving it as they are amazing support ships

15 hours ago, DrakonLord said:

If u want a copy of flechette torps and ER, i can spare 1 of each, just pm me.

Thanks and maybe if I end up getting back into the game more seriously, I'll get in touch.

Otherwise, thanks again for the thoughts so far! A lot of helpful info here.

18 hours ago, Squark said:

A hypothetical Rebel ship with an experimental retrofit in wave VIII would breathe new life into the Interdictor by letting it perform new roles via new experimental retrofits.

I would love an actual 'grav well' experimental retrofit for the Interdictor.

Something like 'during setup, place a grav well token on the map - when maneuvering, enemy ships within range 5 of the grav well token may only make yaw adjustments in the direction of the grav well token'. (Adjust wording to balance - maybe decrease range, maybe you put a turn token on top of the grav well token when placing it and it only has that effect on the identified turn, etc...but something along the lines of that effect)

As to the OP question - I think I'd take a slightly different take on most of the ideas in the thread. At the moment, the Interdictor does feel a bit useless. It CAN be made to work, but you sort of have to build your entire list around it, and you get locked into a rock-paper-scissors match as a result. It's very inflexible, and given its cost...I dunno, I'd pass. And the Arquitens is interesting enough, but I can't really imagine trying to make a fleet work with less than 3 of them...they call for a play style (basically kiting the enemy around the edge of the battlefield) so different from most Imperial ships, they don't fit well into a fleet not built for them. So...I'd generally recommend passing on those until you want to specifically play with what they are bringing to the table. (Of course, the Arquitens does come with two terribly useful cards - Minister Tua is super handy on ISD-Is and VSDs, and the fleet commander Moff Jerjerrod is currently the best Imperial admiral, hands down. So...YMMV on it.)

The Imperial Light Carrier, though (Quasar Fire)? YES! Not only does it bring solid fighter support at a reasonable cost, but it also comes with two fantastic upgrades in the Quad Battery Turret and Disposable Capacitors that turn the VSD-II back into a proper monster. And Admiral Sloane feels like she's just a new squadron release or two away from becoming an amazing fleet commander, herself - as-is she's solid and fun.

2 hours ago, xanderf said:

I would love an actual 'grav well' experimental retrofit for the Interdictor.

Something like 'during setup, place a grav well token on the map - when maneuvering, enemy ships within range 5 of the grav well token may only make yaw adjustments in the direction of the grav well token'. (Adjust wording to balance - maybe decrease range, maybe you put a turn token on top of the grav well token when placing it and it only has that effect on the identified turn, etc...but something along the lines of that effect)

I like this idea, although I'd make it affect all ships, and instead of restricting mobility, I'd have nearby ships' maneuver tools start one click towards the grav well token- A less punishing effect for enemy ships, but it'd also let the controlling player place the grav well such that it could enable them to make sharper turns- particularly valuable for Arquitens and Victory Star Destroyers.

2 hours ago, xanderf said:

As to the OP question - I think I'd take a slightly different take on most of the ideas in the thread. At the moment, the Interdictor does feel a bit useless. It CAN be made to work, but you sort of have to build your entire list around it, and you get locked into a rock-paper-scissors match as a result. It's very inflexible, and given its cost...I dunno, I'd pass. And the Arquitens is interesting enough, but I can't really imagine trying to make a fleet work with less than 3 of them...they call for a play style (basically kiting the enemy around the edge of the battlefield) so different from most Imperial ships, they don't fit well into a fleet not built for them. So...I'd generally recommend passing on those until you want to specifically play with what they are bringing to the table. (Of course, the Arquitens does come with two terribly useful cards - Minister Tua is super handy on ISD-Is and VSDs, and the fleet commander Moff Jerjerrod is currently the best Imperial admiral, hands down. So...YMMV on it.)

Funny, a lot of players find the opposite true of the Arquitens; Many people find that the low burst damage of the Arquitens makes it better as a lone finisher and skirmisher supporting a more traditional imperial fleet. Large conga lines of Arquitens are too easy to catch due to their unique maneuver chart, and their damage potential drops off after the first since only the first one can run Captain Needa to support Turbolaser Reroute Circuits.

4 hours ago, xanderf said:

I would love an actual 'grav well' experimental retrofit for the Interdictor.

Something like 'during setup, place a grav well token on the map - when maneuvering, enemy ships within range 5 of the grav well token may only make yaw adjustments in the direction of the grav well token'. (Adjust wording to balance - maybe decrease range, maybe you put a turn token on top of the grav well token when placing it and it only has that effect on the identified turn, etc...but something along the lines of that effect)

As to the OP question - I think I'd take a slightly different take on most of the ideas in the thread. At the moment, the Interdictor does feel a bit useless. It CAN be made to work, but you sort of have to build your entire list around it, and you get locked into a rock-paper-scissors match as a result. It's very inflexible, and given its cost...I dunno, I'd pass. And the Arquitens is interesting enough, but I can't really imagine trying to make a fleet work with less than 3 of them...they call for a play style (basically kiting the enemy around the edge of the battlefield) so different from most Imperial ships, they don't fit well into a fleet not built for them. So...I'd generally recommend passing on those until you want to specifically play with what they are bringing to the table. (Of course, the Arquitens does come with two terribly useful cards - Minister Tua is super handy on ISD-Is and VSDs, and the fleet commander Moff Jerjerrod is currently the best Imperial admiral, hands down. So...YMMV on it.)

The Imperial Light Carrier, though (Quasar Fire)? YES! Not only does it bring solid fighter support at a reasonable cost, but it also comes with two fantastic upgrades in the Quad Battery Turret and Disposable Capacitors that turn the VSD-II back into a proper monster. And Admiral Sloane feels like she's just a new squadron release or two away from becoming an amazing fleet commander, herself - as-is she's solid and fun.

Perfect. I agree with all your ideas.

Hey OP, welcome back!

One thing you've forgotten to mention is whether you're asking for input from a competitive or casual gameplay experience.

Personally, I don't play competitively. And when I actually get the opportunity to play again casually, I want to make the Interdictor my flagship - regardless of how utilitarian it is. It just looks SO awesome!

I also want to play the Corellian Conflict campaign too!! Bought it AGES when it came out but never got the chance to LIVE it!!!

2 hours ago, Alpha Xg1 said:

Hey OP, welcome back!

One thing you've forgotten to mention is whether you're asking for input from a competitive or casual gameplay experience.

Personally, I don't play competitively. And when I actually get the opportunity to play again casually, I want to make the Interdictor my flagship - regardless of how utilitarian it is. It just looks SO awesome!

I also want to play the Corellian Conflict campaign too!! Bought it AGES when it came out but never got the chance to LIVE it!!!

Thanks for asking. I guess if I'm talking about viability, I generally mean competitively. That doesn't mean I want to have the best builds, but I do want to have an idea of where to invest because --even though I'll likely be more casual about Armada -- in other games I play casually I still might get my things together and just show up for a tourney once in awhile and I don't want to bring something that will be a complete waste to try and make work.

Id get:

1. 1x Imperial light carrier - Its a solid ship, but there are some cards in there that will really bring your VSDs up to date like the disposable capacitors. Boarding troopers goes disgustingly well with an Avenger ISD and is a core of most imperial lists I've seen for the last 6 months.
2. 1-2x Imperial assault transports - they are very versatile little devils and are present in most lists nowadays. You missed out on Supressor / slicer tools / Minister Tua / ECM. This is the most irritating ship in the game.
3. 1x Imperial light cruiser. Moff Jerry is a fix for sluggish VSDs, which when quitting after wave 2 will still be your core. Minister Tua can add ECM to an ISD1.

Don't worry so much about fighters/interdictor - do that later. These 3/4 expansions will get you up to date with the minimum of fuss and expenditure. They are written in the order I would recommend purchasing them.