I'm a new player and will be buying the 2.0 set when it drops. My question is what do I need to stock up on now in order to be competitive when 2.0 drops? Any particular ships? Do we even know what ships will be in the 2.0 box? Same old ships or all new ships?

12 hours ago, Phydaux42 said:

Do we even know what ships will be in the 2.0 box?

The Core Set comes with 2 TIE's and 1 X-wing. Beyond that you have the individual expansions or the conversion kits.

It's also worth being aware that at least some of the competitive events will be limited to ships that have been re-released as full expansions in 2nd Edition, so it should be easier for new players (or players with smaller collections) to be a bit more competitive. That said, we're still awaiting details on what the various different types of organised play events will look like. ?

Disclaimer: I've played a LOT of 2nd edition games but that in no way makes me some kind of X-wing Nostradamus. No one will really be able to see the future of competitive second edition x-wing, we can only provide educated guesses.

But in my honest opinion, if you're playing Rebels, you really don't need anything more than X-wings to be competitive. They're all very solid and Servomotor S-foils gives you the flexibility required to take on any list.

Imperials can always bank on TIE SWARM!!!!!!!!!!, if you're willing to put in the practice needed to fly that many ships. Vader + mini-swarm (4/5 TIE fighters) is also very solid.

And scum Firespray (Boba Fett) and Fang Fighters are also REALLY good.



So, I'm fairly certain you won't need anything (save practice) to be competitive. You'd be buying first edition stuff + conversion kit for the sake of variety in list building, which is subject to personal taste. Note that conversion kits come with Wave 1 contents so you don't need to buy Wave 1 expansions to get all the goodies.

In my biased opinion, Rebels don't actually offer that much beyond X-wings ATM apart from the Moldy Crow.

For the other two, we have a lot of fun options

Empire:

1. TIE Bombers are amazing,
2. TIE phantoms are amazing fun,
3. the TIE Punisher (especially Deathrain)
4. TIE/v1 has very solid force users,
5. Lambda is a very solid support ship to build a list around
6. TIE Strikers are all quite good and REALLY fun if you enjoy movement shenanigans
7. Most unique imperial upgrades are very nuanced, powerful, and fun to play with

Scum:

1. The Moldy Crow (HWK) is the best thing ever (HOWEVER ****** FFG didn't include the ****** Moldy Crow title in the ****** scum kit ?)
2. Serissu (M1-A Interceptor, or "Scyk") is a really great support pilot that'll keep a list together
3. Khirax Fighters are solid filler ships
4. The Kimoglia is a very good bruiser
5. The Lancer Pursuit Class gives you Sabine, whom you can turn into a basically a moving "wall" to bulldoze enemies with
6. The Starviper has some of the most fun maneuvering capabilities in the game
7. The Quadjumper is a troll
8. Scum crew are simple and powerful. Scum also boast the most powerful and flexible Gunner upgrades in the game

I was going to type out an analysis, but I feel @ficklegreendice did a good job covering most of what I would have said.

I feel things are open enough here at the beginning that you can basically pick what you like the look of in wave 1 ships and build something that has some potential in competitive.

To a new player, my recommendation is to buy the core and then any of the 2.0 expansions. They are packaged differently, so it should be obvious. Don't buy 1.0 ships and conversion kits; it isn't cost effective. These ships will eventually be rereleased, so I would wait to get them that way. You may initially miss out on some competitive builds, but in the long run you will be better off.

Also, the game has grown to a point where I would pick one or two factions and stick with it. This is more doable now that FFG is making all non-faction cards available without having to make out of faction purchases.

Assuming ffg sticks to its current pricing (2nd edition small ships are $20 and 1st Ed are 15), you'll break even after buying 12 small ships

But the ideal is you troll around eBay to find players selling collections for cheap, which can make conversion sets a steal

Assuming you want to try out the other ships, ofc. Xwings would provide a more focused and sufficiently balanced experience for a new player (options could be overwhelming if taken in all at once)

...oh God, I just realized that the game's titular ship is actually VERY worth recommending...what a time to be alive!

1 minute ago, Darth 2Face said:

To a new player, my recommendation is to buy the core and then any of the 2.0 expansions. They are packaged differently, so it should be obvious. Don't buy 1.0 ships and conversion kits; it isn't cost effective. These ships will eventually be rereleased, so I would wait to get them that way. You may initially miss out on some competitive builds, but in the long run you will be better off.

Also, the game has grown to a point where I would pick one or two factions and stick with it. This is more doable now that FFG is making all non-faction cards available without having to make out of faction purchases.

I have to disagree to some level. definitely do not buy brand new 1.0 ships, but the second hand market is really in the buyer's favor right now. There are plenty of people getting out of specific factions or the game altogether with the 2.0 jump, so going on eBay or somewhere and finding a lot can be a real bargain. I personally bought an entire faction from someone on eBay and when I take that plus the cost of the conversion kit I needed, it averaged to $6/ship. Conveniently, I never bought into that faction in 1.0, so even if some of the ships were the basic fodder of the faction, it was all new to me. I may have gotten some ships that will never hit the table competitively, but I got plenty to play with and stuff for my friends to use in some casual games.

Jumping in like that isn't for everyone, and may be a large upfront investment, depending on what you get, but I don't see you being able to buy ships and relevant upgrade cards for around $6 each any time in the future (or in the past - which is why I never bought into other factions at the time). The conversion kits are incredible for new players if you can find a good enough sale on the ships.

30 minutes ago, ficklegreendice said:

Disclaimer: I've played a LOT of 2nd edition games but that in no way makes me some kind of X-wing Nostradamus. No one will really be able to see the future of competitive second edition x-wing, we can only provide educated guesses.

But in my honest opinion, if you're playing Rebels, you really don't need anything more than X-wings to be competitive. They're all very solid and Servomotor S-foils gives you the flexibility required to take on any list.

Imperials can always bank on TIE SWARM!!!!!!!!!!, if you're willing to put in the practice needed to fly that many ships. Vader + mini-swarm (4/5 TIE fighters) is also very solid.

And scum Firespray (Boba Fett) and Fang Fighters are also REALLY good.



So, I'm fairly certain you won't need anything (save practice) to be competitive. You'd be buying first edition stuff + conversion kit for the sake of variety in list building, which is subject to personal taste. Note that conversion kits come with Wave 1 contents so you don't need to buy Wave 1 expansions to get all the goodies.

In my biased opinion, Rebels don't actually offer that much beyond X-wings ATM apart from the Moldy Crow.

For the other two, we have a lot of fun options

Empire:

1. TIE Bombers are amazing,
2. TIE phantoms are amazing fun,
3. the TIE Punisher (especially Deathrain)
4. TIE/v1 has very solid force users,
5. Lambda is a very solid support ship to build a list around
6. TIE Strikers are all quite good and REALLY fun if you enjoy movement shenanigans
7. Most unique imperial upgrades are very nuanced, powerful, and fun to play with

Scum:

1. The Moldy Crow (HWK) is the best thing ever (HOWEVER ****** FFG didn't include the ****** Moldy Crow title in the ****** scum kit ?)
2. Serissu (M1-A Interceptor, or "Scyk") is a really great support pilot that'll keep a list together
3. Khirax Fighters are solid filler ships
4. The Kimoglia is a very good bruiser
5. The Lancer Pursuit Class gives you Sabine, whom you can turn into a basically a moving "wall" to bulldoze enemies with
6. The Starviper has some of the most fun maneuvering capabilities in the game
7. The Quadjumper is a troll
8. Scum crew are simple and powerful. Scum also boast the most powerful and flexible Gunner upgrades in the game

Why is the moldy crow so hyped? I understand the changes and why they make it a not awful choice anymore, but it really doesn't seem like it will do much better than an X-Wing in a list. Why would they not give a support ship coordinate?

13 hours ago, Phydaux42 said:

What did I need to buy now?

3 minutes ago, ThinkingB said:

Why is the moldy crow so hyped? I understand the changes and why they make it a not awful choice anymore, but it really doesn't seem like it will do much better than an X-Wing in a list. Why would they not give a support ship coordinate?

Because coordinate isn't that great on its own

You lose an action to give someone else an action. If you want to spend time doing that, you bring a piece of crap ship like Ap-5 to support someone that matters (like Wedge)

Moldy Crow ain't a piece of crap ship, it's a combat powerhouse on par with Luke freaking Skywalker because of its ability to just swim in focus like Scrooge McDuck swims in $$$

Its ability to support is almost incidental, but the fact that Kyle can fling a focus at range 1-3 (compare to coordinate 1-2) WITHOUT an action at the beginning of engagement (so you know when and where you'll need it) WHILE STILL KEEPING 1-3 focus (assuming perceptive co-pilot) is just fantastic

4 minutes ago, SuperMarino said:

I have to disagree to some level. definitely do not buy brand new 1.0 ships, but the second hand market is really in the buyer's favor right now. There are plenty of people getting out of specific factions or the game altogether with the 2.0 jump, so going on eBay or somewhere and finding a lot can be a real bargain. I personally bought an entire faction from someone on eBay and when I take that plus the cost of the conversion kit I needed, it averaged to $6/ship. Conveniently, I never bought into that faction in 1.0, so even if some of the ships were the basic fodder of the faction, it was all new to me. I may have gotten some ships that will never hit the table competitively, but I got plenty to play with and stuff for my friends to use in some casual games.

Jumping in like that isn't for everyone, and may be a large upfront investment, depending on what you get, but I don't see you being able to buy ships and relevant upgrade cards for around $6 each any time in the future (or in the past - which is why I never bought into other factions at the time). The conversion kits are incredible for new players if you can find a good enough sale on the ships.

That's a great point I hadn't considered. I do think the days of buying everything, especially with Republic and CIS coming, is past. That used to be the norm around here, but I see more and players moving to fewer factions now. There are going to be 7 factions soon where 1.0 had 3. Pick a few and stick with those.

@Phydaux42 this is not a direct answer to your question, but worth mentioning since you’re a new player getting into the game right now.

With 2nd edition just days away now, you basically have two main options for buying into the game:

1) Only buy 2nd edition stuff and slowly build your collection as ships are (re)released for 2.0. This has the advantage of being cheaper in the short run and giving you the newer, updated models like X-Wings with flappy wings, but will be more expensive in the long run.

2) Find someone who is selling off all their 1.0 ships on eBay and buy their collection for cheap, then buy the core set and the conversion kit(s) you need to convert everything to 2.0. More expensive up front but cheaper in the long run, plus with the conversion kit you can try out ships you don’t have and decide whether or not you want to buy them.

*had to take a break for a few minutes in typing this and got ninja’d by several other posts, but I still have a few more comments*

I recommend going the 2nd route. Yeah it can be a bit of an investment, but if there are any ships you decide you don’t want/like/need then you can turn around and sell them and make your money back.

I was about to take issue with @Darth 2Face‘s post but then I realized that he’s talking about paying full price for new 1.0 packs. Yeah don’t do that. You probably shouldn’t be paying more than 50% MSRP for any 1.0 ships, used or new. If you stick to that then it will be a very cost effective route.

Most of all, buy the ships/factions that you like. Now is a great time to be getting into X-Wing. Welcome!

So X Wings & TIE Fighters. What ones? There are several of each.

And buy"the core." Are we talking the old Red Box, or is there a new 2.0 box?

And what conversion kit are we talking about? It that a 2.0 box set with no ships in it?

There will be a new Second Edition core set + expansion

You buy one Second Edition starter and 3 Second Edition, Xwing expansions

The core and an expac together have all the Xwing pilots currently existing in second edition (same deal with TIE fighters, core set has Iden and expac has everyone else)

You can have up to four Xwings in a list

EDIT: Oops! Forgot about Saw's Renegades!

There an expansion called Saw's Renegades currently available. On the box, it says it contains second edition components

It has pilots for both the X and Uwing you won't find in any other set

Personally, I believe the standard expansion pack + Luke Skywalker are superior to anyone in Saw's, except maybe Kullbee who is very mobile, but they're an option to consider (plus you get the Uwing)

So 1 Core (2nd edition) + two Xwings (2nd edition) + one Saw's Renegades (currently available)

https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/products/x-wing-second-edition/products/x-wing-second-edition/
https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/products/x-wing-second-edition/products/t-65-x-wing-expansion-pack/
https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/products/x-wing/products/saws-renegades-expansion-pack/

Empire is either Core Set + 5 TIEs

Or, Core set + 2 TIEs + TIE Advanced (Vader's on that ship...)

You can also buy the Reaper, but without the conversion kit it doesn't have any worthwhile options. I'd ignore it for now

So since I will definitely want a squadron from both Empire & Rebel factions, and since a box set is cheaper than buying three ships individually, it seems to me that the thing to do is to buy three 2.0 box sets. Then maybe one more TIE, a TIE Advanced, And then think about the Saw box set.

Any recommendations on how to lug them around and keep cards organized ?

4 minutes ago, Phydaux42 said:

So since I will definitely want a squadron from both Empire & Rebel factions, and since a box set is cheaper than buying three ships individually, it seems to me that the thing to do is to buy three 2.0 box sets. Then maybe one more TIE, a TIE Advanced, And then think about the Saw box set.

Any recommendations on how to lug them around and keep cards organized ?

Keep in mind that the individual ship expansions have pilots and upgrades that are not in the core starter box. Buying two core sets is probably a good idea, but you will still want the individual ship expansions if you want more options.

3 minutes ago, Phydaux42 said:

So since I will definitely want a squadron from both Empire & Rebel factions, and since a box set is cheaper than buying three ships individually, it seems to me that the thing to do is to buy three 2.0 box sets. Then maybe one more TIE, a TIE Advanced, And then think about the Saw box set.

Any recommendations on how to lug them around and keep cards organized ?

You won't get different named pilots that you WILL want by buying just core sets. If you go this route, get two Core sets, an x-wing expansion, TIE fighter expansion (or two, you'll only have 5 TIE fighters) and whatever else expansions you want. You could even get a couple TIE fighters off eBay for probably around $10 to complete out a swarm. My recommendation? Get one of each conversion kit, rebels and imperials, a core set, and then supplement with ships you want off eBay or the trade groups. You'll have 3 times the collection for $200 than if you just get all new stuff.

Recommendations? Don't carry it ALL with you. Use the Core set box to bring along just a squad of each faction to game nights. Get a system for home like card binders, Plano cases, etc. The Home depot 2-pack cases are the cheapest and best by a good margin since they also lock together (and you can lock more of them as your collection grows)

7 minutes ago, Phydaux42 said:

So since I will definitely want a squadron from both Empire & Rebel factions, and since a box set is cheaper than buying three ships individually, it seems to me that the thing to do is to buy three 2.0 box sets. Then maybe one more TIE, a TIE Advanced, And then think about the Saw box set.

Any recommendations on how to lug them around and keep cards organized ?

Do NOT buy more than 2x core tops. There are pilots in the expansions you won’t get in the core and you’ll want them too. Most of us are buying a single core set, but if you don’t have any ships at all yet it’s a pretty economical way to go.

I would say, 2x core, 1x t65 pack, 1x advanced tie pack. If you can spend a little more, throw in a tie expansion (because pilots) and a ywing OR Saw’s Renegades.

Thanks guys. See you at the tables.

Buy and fly what you like; it's too early to say what will be truly competitive. But beware:

9 hours ago, ficklegreendice said:

Personally, I believe the standard expansion pack + Luke Skywalker are superior to anyone in Saw's, except maybe Kullbee who is very mobile, but they're an option to consider (plus you get the Uwing)

TOTALLY just threw benthic under the bus! He's honestly every bit as good as Kyle Katarn for support, but he's much more survivable and has some crazy maneuverability. The new 0-stop 90° turn is extremely useful, the timing of the card flip got fixed, and a modified 3 primary on an 8-health support ship (plus access to the sensor slot) is every bit worth the points he costs. Honestly I'd even bring a generic U with tactical officer.

I also think the new Y-Wing needs more credit. It doesn't exactly excel in any one field per se, but it's great as a bit of a toolbox ship that can do just about anything you want, has access to the cheapest double-tap in the game, control, AoE damage, and (reloading) proton torpedoes, which are actually good. Dutch and Norra make very decent pilots as long as you don't stack them too high, and simple Greys and Golds can definitely pull their weight.

As far as the other Rebel ships go, yeah, I agree they're pretty meh.

The U is okay, but really pricey once it gets its toys and it doesn't have the moldy's range of movement. It's probably stilk good (esp with Cloaking Device shenanigans), but I know the Xwing is reliably good

Haven't had good experiences with the Y, bugger is just way too slow and gets chopped to confetti by miniswarm right quick. Plus, unlike the tie aggressor, they don't have access to barrage rockets to make their front arc more significant (without requiring a TL, which greatly favors higher initiative, or expensive torps)

Personally, I'd bank on an Xwing before any other rebel ship (save the moldy crow, or Sabine shuttle). Cbination of Servomotor + pilots just make it really dang flexible and seemingly good for just about any list and player

Though I must admit my experience is a tad skewed by the local gents having fallen head over ****** heels with Howlrunner miniswarm. Those buggers will rip anyone apart in one/two rounds, and stuff like boost or decloaking has been INVALUABLE to avoiding them. Poor Ys and such just get diced to ribbons in a round or two

Do we know what ships will be part of "wave 1?"

12 minutes ago, Phydaux42 said:

Do we know what ships will be part of "wave 1?"

Empire: Tie, Tie Adv

Rebels: T65X, Y

Scum: Boba Fetts Firespray, Fang Fighter, Mining Guild Tie, Solo Falcon

12 hours ago, ficklegreendice said:

For the other two, we have a lot of fun options

Empire:

...

1. TIE Strikers are all quite good and REALLY fun if you enjoy movement shenanigans

They are fun, but if you are an absolute beginner they might have a bit steep learning curve, with their premove-boost it is easy to mistakenly crash into obstacles or fly off the board by accident.