Stasie's Galactic Starfighter Guide (Ships, Components, Crew, Tips)

[Dorian]

( I found this guide when I was getting into GSF and found it to be pretty useful. All credit goes to Stasie )

The link to the guide on the official forum page

PREFACE

I have plenty of experience playing Galactic Starfighter. There is no absolute way to measure skill but I can supply some statistics that may reassure the reader that I have some idea of what I am talking about. I have over 4,500 games played, great Kill/Death (12+) and Win/Loss (94%+) ratios, every GSF-related title (including world 2nd Space Ace, world 3rd The Devastator and every title first on The Bastion), 100% GSF Achievement completion, have mastered all ships twice over and have completed and tested every component on nearly all ships (like the popular Mangler/Quarrel, Quell/Pike, Legion/Warcarrier, Razorwire/Rampart Mark Four, Blackbolt/Novadive and Sting/Flashfire). I play on The Bastion (both factions) but moonlight on The Ebon Hawk and other servers from time to time (not that there's real competition anywhere). Like many other veterans, I’d love to be challenged and wish there was a way to implement x-server/ranked/etc. without tearing apart the smaller communities each server has.

This compendium was made for the countless players that ask what the veterans run and why. Many of these players have already grasped the basics of GSF and so I’ll try to avoid answering the most basic questions. There are new player tutorial links in this guide that are better for that. Instead, I will share tips, links, opinions, ship builds and crew selections across the board. Other veteran players like Verain, Ramalina and Armond have come and offered additional analysis and opinions. If you're a veteran, I'd love to add (and credit you) for alternate ship builds and strategies/tips in this thread to help our up and comers out. This definitely isn't a one size fits all, but I feel it could be a great repository of information for those frequently asked questions. Maybe I’ll learn something new. On a long shot, maybe someone at BioWare will take a look at this (and other threads, of course) and make note of what needs to be addressed. I will update and add to this on a fairly regular basis if people find it useful.

There is a lot of duplication of minor components and crew explanation, so if you’re only interested in one type of ship feel free to look at it knowing you probably didn’t miss anything I posted elsewhere. I mix up builds fairly often (and those I play with have a tendency to try and play the worst builds possible, as well) but listed all ships and crew members with their opposite faction counterparts. I highly recommend trying to play the huge variety of ships available though, it helps to know what your opponents are capable of! The builds listed are for 3.0 and may be adjusted over time.

- Anastasie / Phytia


TABLE OF CONTENTS

General Information
New to GSF?
Spending Requisition / Upgrading
Tips for Success
Developer Comments

Bombers
Bomber Tips
B-5 Decimus / Sledgehammer
M-7 Razorwire / Rampart Mark Four
B-4D Legion / Warcarrier / G-X1 Onslaught / G-X1 Firehauler
Additional Bomber Builds

Gunships
Gunship Tips
GSS-4Y Jurgoran / SGS-S1 Condor
GSS-5C Dustmaker / SGS-41B Comet Breaker / K-52 Demolisher / K-52 Strongarm
GSS-3 Mangler / SGS-45 Quarrel / VX-9 Mailoc / VX-9 Redeemer
Additional Gunship Builds

Scouts
Scout Tips
S-SC4 Bloodmark / Spearpoint
S-12 Blackbolt / NovaDive
S-13 Sting / Flashfire / IL-5 Ocula / IL-5 Skybolt
Additional Scout Builds

Strike Fighters
Strike Fighter Tips
FT-3C Imperium / FT-7B Clarion
F-T6 Rycer / FT-8 Star Guard / TZ-24 Gladiator / TZ-24 Enforcer
F-T2 Quell / FT-6 Pike
Additional Strike Fighter Builds

Choosing Your Crew
Crew Passive Abilities
Crew Active Abilities

Community Resources
Guilds
Chat Channels
Helpful Players
Twitch Streams
Useful Links

Acknowledgements


GENERAL INFORMATION


:: NEW TO GALACTIC STARFIGHTER?

If you're a new player and the other information in this guide is a bit overwhelming, please feel free to check out these amazing links to get you caught up and ready to fly!

DudesterRadman's Galactic Starfighter Tips for Beginners - a 5 minute YouTube video. Great if you want to get into GSF quickly.

Dulfy's New Player Guide - a great read covering everything a new player needs to know. Lengthier than DudesterRadman's short video, but worthwhile if you have the time.

Pincer's Tips for Beginners - covers non-gameplay related tips that most players should know and use.


:: SPENDING REQUISITION / UPGRADING

It is usually best to buy the components you want to use first and then work on upgrading them across the board. This takes precedence over anything else. You need the right tools to do the job, even if they're basic tools.

Try and buy cheaper upgrades first wherever possible unless the payoff is huge (T3 Distortion Field, Armor Penetration on Primary Weapons/Railguns, etc.). When buying upgrades keep in mind the benefit-cost ratio.

Your two points spent in engine maneuvers that help break missile locks helps a ridiculous amount and is totally worth the wait on other components. If you're new, surviving missile and laser attacks more often can give you more opportunities to learn about something other than flying back to the battle.

Some weaker components like Reactor and Armor provide a massive leap in your ability to survive damage. Living longer will give you more time to react to enemy attacks. It also typically means a larger contribution to objectives.

Purchasing the Razorwire/Rampart Mark Four, GSS-3 Mangler/SGS-45 Quarrel and S-13 Sting/Flashfire first is a great way to spend fleet requisition. Each of these ships excels at their role and are "kings of the meta," so to speak. Some players (myself included) save our daily/weekly token rewards and spend them after acquiring all ships we might play.


:: TIPS FOR SUCCESS

Verain's comments and information on Power Settings, arguably one of the most important parts of GSF.

Always try to end up near an obstacle after using an engine maneuver. This allows you to line of sight additional missile locks, laser cannons and gunships targeting you.

Try and avoid revenge killing and focus on what your ship does best, be it killing gunships, defending satellites or providing covering fire for your allies. Revenge kills are predictable, and predictability is death.

Use your 1-4 abilities early and often.

Try and avoid locking missiles before firing your lasers. In most situations, an enemy will react slower to attacks that do not sound the missile lock alarm.

Don’t be caught without engine power, you never know when you might need to break a missile lock.

Break missile locks after the missile has launched, where possible.

Switch back and forth between power to blasters, shields and engines. Do it often and where needed. Skilled players tend to switch back and forth a great deal, especially when playing a scout or strike fighter.

Too many players seem to use armor penetration, so don’t get stuck in the trap of stacking tons of damage reduction unless it is for a specific reason. It will be useless the majority of the time.

Always try to pitch (go up/down) instead of yaw (left/right) when turning, all ships pitch better than they yaw. This can mean the difference for getting a drop on a nearby opponent. Greater maneuverability is always better.

S-key to stabilize your tracking and accuracy when applicable. It will help you melt targets faster. Do not do this often under fire, as it also makes you much easier to track and therefore more vulnerable to damage.

S-key is also useful for making sharper turns to get the drop on unsuspecting enemies or to shake missile locks (alternatively you could use both X and S to slow even farther and make even sharper turns).

For upgrading, I prefer to put two points into my engine maneuver and work from there. Typically I make my ship more durable and then focus on other aspects. I don't use this approach when upgrading bombers.

Juking around in a random direction and then boosting off in another is a great way to manually shake missile locks if pressed and there is no cover available.

If you use weaponry with a high tracking penalty try and straighten your firing lane out to increase the chances you will hit.

Challenge yourself by playing with an engine that is not upgraded or an alternative to Barrel Roll if you want to dodge missiles manually with more consistency.

A great way to hit unsuspecting targets with a heavy missile is to hold the lock, speed in close and release it within 1000m. This gives enemies little to no time to react to missile fire. Be wary of this practice being used against you!

Practice and try to kill targets of varying difficulty. You can learn a lot from someone outpiloting you!

If you like playing Team Deathmatch, it is a great idea to go looking for where powerups spawn in the first few games so you have an idea where to look for the bright red glow of Damage Overcharge or other useful buffs in the future.

When defending satellites, fly under and on top of satellites (and in between vanes) to discourage pursuit and make it harder for enemies to hit you and lock on. You can prevent capture very well by doing this.

Use the “C” key often to help you avoid the line of sight of enemies targeting you. This is especially useful against gunships.

Hitting "Tab" repeatedly can get you a lot of information when you're not under fire. Who is attacking who? What is the enemy fielding? Where are they? What is their health at? All of this is useful information and can be quickly absorbed.

If you find your shots are inaccurate, part of that has to do with mouse shake which can come from nervousness. If you're below 30% accuracy with Quad Laser Cannons or anything that fires slower than that try lowering your mouse sensitivity. It'll make a big difference and you can amp up your sensitivity as you get better (source).

Verain and Ramalina's explanation regarding why many of us choose evasion over its alternatives.


:: DEVELOPER COMMENTS

Eric Musco & Mike Villalobos explain the matchmaking system on SWTOR's Twitch Stream. (6-5-2014)

Chris Schmidt explains Powerup spawning. (4-30-2014)

Chris Schmidt explains Shield Projector's mechanics. (4-9-2014)

Chris Schmidt answers specific questions on Shield Projector. (4-2-2014)

Chris Schmidt explains EMP's disarm mechanic. (4-1-2014)

Eric Musco & Chris Schmidt answers community questions on SWTOR's GSF Twitch Stream. (3-27-2014)

Senior Game Designer Jason Attard's comments on mechanics like accuracy and power pools. (3-19-2014)

Eric Musco & Mike Villalobos on SWTOR's GSF Twitch Stream. (2-20-2014)

Tait Watson introduces the new non-contributor system with vote kick in 2.6. (1-31-2014)

Tait Watson & Jason Attard explain Sensor Range, Focus and Communication. (1-15-2014)

Chris Schmidt pops in to talk about how to break missile locks and how they can be broken. (12-10-2013)

Eric Musco, Mike Villalobos & Jason Attard on SWTOR's Twitch Stream. (12-6-2013)

Eric Musco explains what the highlighting of 4-ship groups on the main list/map window means. (12-1-2013)

[Dorian]

BOMBERS

:: BOMBER TIPS

Keep your Repair Drone out of line of sight! Repair Drones function even when it can’t see you. It’s harder for the enemy to kill what it can’t see. I place my Interdiction Sentry and Missile Sentry Drones on the bottom or side of the satellite facing away from the enemy approach lanes so it won't be destroyed outright.

Keep your railgun sentry drones away from the satellite/area you are defending. This will force the enemy to choose going after your drone or the objective. I like placing it near an asteroid close to the satellite.

Drop mines early and often. You can detonate (cause damage with) mines you already have out if you have the maximum amount deployed and attempt to redeploy. This is extremely useful for shaking enemies on you since the enemy does not need to be in the activation radius, only the explosion radius.

Don’t be afraid to go on the offensive with a bomber. Bombers are great at killing satellite defenders or attackers through area denial. They can create new area denial zones in Team Deathmatch and are able to take serious punishment!

Alternate mine cooldowns so that your mines are not all destroyed at once and you can keep constant pressure on an opponent. For example, drop a Seismic Mine, wait 7-10 seconds and drop an Interdiction Mine.
Drop a mine on an enemy starfighter when you see it turning. The enemy usually lingers around long enough to cause the mine to detonate, giving you great burst damage or control!


B-5 DECIMUS // SLEDGEHAMMER

This ship appears to be a mix of both strike fighter and bomber. It trades off multiple mine/drone types in favor of more direct missile damage. It is also the only bomber to get its own missile break, thrusters and capacitor, albeit at the expense of an armor component (which is a sizeable defensive loss). This build is designed to dogfight and stall enemies from capturing objectives. It is also still able to exercise a bit of area denial.

:: COMPONENTS

Primary Weapon: Heavy Laser Cannon (T4 Ignore Armor, T5 Increased Shield Damage)
I use heavy lasers over the other alternatives for the armor piercing and range. They are great for clearing turrets, drones, mines, killing other bombers and attacking enemies coming in to your area. Bypassing enemy bomber damage reduction is immensely useful. I go with the increased shield damage upgrade to weaken enemies for concussion missile and other follow-up attacks. With a slower, less engine efficient ship like a bomber, having the lasers with the largest range compensates somewhat for your lack of mobility.

Secondary Weapon: Concussion Missiles (T4 Increased Range, T5 Engine Targeting)
Versatile missile capable of inflicting tremendous amounts of damage to enemy hull. I lock these on in head-to-heads and release them right at point blank for easy damage, typically after having stripped shields with Heavy Laser Cannons. Concussion Missiles combo really well with this primary weapon, which has a slightly shorter range but still allows you to quickly strip shields. Increased range allows you to fire these at 7700m and engine targeting lets you slow enemies so that you can keep up with them and achieve an easier kill.

Engine: Power Dive (T3 Increased Turning Rate)
The only unique engine option that other bombers cannot acquire. Additionally, the only way a bomber can break missile attacks through ability usage. Additional turning rate will help you fire your Heavy Laser Cannons and Concussion Missiles with less difficulty. You can also opt for Increased Ship Speed if you’d like to increase the bomber’s already extremely limited mobility. Power Dive also happens to be the one missile break with a 10-second cooldown. Advanced users can pre-aim their ship in a direction and use Power Dive to travel farther, as well.

Systems: Concussion Mine (T4 Increased Radius, T5 Increased Hull Damage)
This bomber has an interesting array of systems. On one hand, you could go with Interdiction Sentry Drone and stack its snare with Concussion Missile. On the other, you could drop more frequently armed Concussion Mines to destroy enemies weakened by your lasers and missiles. For this build, I opted to go with the straight up damage. I find Concussion Mines to be extremely useful for both node clearing and defending allies (like gunships) from starfighter attacks. Increased Radius gives the mine a 2500m blast (and 2000m activation), making it more likely the enemy will actually trigger it. Increased Hull Damage was chosen due to the Heavy Laser’s increased damage to shields, hopefully leading to either Concussion Missile or Concussion Mine finishing off the weakened opponent.

Shields: Directional Shield (T3 Reduced Regen Delay)
This shield option gives you hefty shields and a quicker regeneration delay, making you more tanky (you are a bomber, after all). I prefer it over Charged Plating because of the questionable usefulness of damage reduction (and this particular ship does not have an Armor component). I prefer it over Overcharged Shield because I like having the ability to actually regenerate shields without waiting an excessive period of time. This shield is useful for handling enemies that try to come head-on or even while retreating. Once you get used to switching your shield arcs around it feels like a superior option that rewards proactive, skillful gameplay. Reducing regeneration delay seems better than increasing shield regeneration rate, and so I go with that option.

Thruster: Regeneration Thrusters
With all the boosting around evading enemies and closing in to targets and objectives, having a quickly replenishing engine pool is mandatory. I go with Regeneration Thrusters to give myself more staying power in the match. You could opt for Increased Turning if you feel like surprising opponents with the double turning upgrades, but this ship sorely needs additional engine power to get around.

Reactor: Large Reactor
More shields to protect yourself with. I find most kills are done through high damage in a short period, which is why I tend to favor Large Reactor over the others. This concept repeats itself throughout the guide.

Capacitor: Frequency Capacitor
These offer the highest amount of damage with the tradeoff of increased weapon power pool consumption. With Heavy Laser Cannon, the appropriate crew member (if necessary) and Regeneration Extender I feel like the drawback is minimal. More damage is always good if you can handle the power consumption.

Magazine: Regeneration Extender
Blaster power really isn’t an issue with this build, but the regeneration extender allows you to maintain heavy laser fire for quite some time. With a higher rate of weapon power regeneration you can fire on multiple targets or wail on an enemy for a longer period of time.

:: CREW

Copilot: Salana Rok / Akaavi Spar (Wingman)
An amazingly useful copilot ability that lets you have a higher chance of hitting enemies that are off-center (heavy lasers have a huge tracking penalty) and targets with evasion. I could also see an opportunity here to run Lockdown, which works well with Concussion Missile’s Engine Targeting upgrade. Hitting Wingman will get you more kills on high-evasion targets (like gunships and scouts) at a medium to long range (enemies will be scared of closing into knife range thanks to your Concussion Mines). Quicker and farther kills = less struggling = victory.

Offensive: Jaesa Willsaam / Qyzen Fess (2 degrees to firing arc, 6% accuracy)
Most of the other offensive crew choices are very lackluster and do not contribute anything to bomber damage. Accuracy and firing arc help your heavy lasers and concussion missiles out.

Defensive: Xalek / M1-4X (10% shield power pool, 9% damage reduction)
I am always a fan of a larger renewable source of defense, and stacking damage reduction here allows me to survive mine attacks and any other weaponry lacking armor penetration. This stacks well with the 10% base damage reduction you get as a bomber. A Legion/Warcarrier can stack evasion to a decent degree, but this bomber is incapable of that. However, you could also go with 10% shield power pool and 5% evasion here. The choice is yours!

Tactical: Salana Rok / Akaavi Spar (sensor focus range & communication / communication & dampening)
Increased sensor focus range for finding enemies across the battlefield and communication range for a better view of the battlefield. Primarily chosen for the active ability, Wingman. Unfortunately, the Republic only has two options for Wingman, neither of which are all that great.

Engineering: Blizz / C2-N2 (10% engine power pool, 13% engine efficiency)
With regeneration extender it’s unlikely you’ll be running out of power to your heavy lasers. Bomber engines don’t last worth a damn, though. I chose the companion that would give the largest bonus to mobility, allowing you to respond more quickly and evade longer. If you find you run out of weapon power more often than engine power and would like a switch, you can swap this crew member for Yuun or 2V-R8 for weapon power efficiency and engine efficiency. There really are no other good options.


M-7 RAZORWIRE // RAMPART MARK FOUR

This ship is amazing at clearing satellites. It also has the added benefit of allowing you to drop mines on gunships that have tunnel vision. Watching mines explode is always satisfying. This bomber variant has group utility that is different from the Legion/Warcarrier but still remains interesting and useful. I prefer playing this variant because it feels more interactive. I turned my Razorwire/Rampart into a more specialized build to win bomber fights, since this bomber is already very adept at killing scouts and strike fighters.

:: COMPONENTS

Primary Weapon: Heavy Laser Cannon (T4 Ignore Armor, T5 Shield Piercing)
I use heavy lasers over the other alternatives for the armor piercing and range. They are great for clearing turrets, drones, mines, killing other bombers and attacking enemies coming in to your area. Bypassing enemy bomber damage reduction is immensely useful. I go with the shield piercing upgrade to finish off any additional hull weaker enemies have after being hit by my mines or other allies.

Secondary Weapon: Seismic Mine (T4 Increased Radius, T5 Hull Resonance)
I use these to deal damage straight to enemy hull in an area of effect (AoE) around you. They seem far more useful against players who know what they are doing, since both Seeker Mines and Proton Torpedoes can have their locks broken. I opt for increased radius because Interdiction Mine already has a powerful (and lengthy) slow, and who doesn’t want to hit more people with direct hull damage? Hull resonance for the bonus damage, since many players won’t be receiving heals for the duration of the damage over time portion. The mine should be killing repair drones, right?

Engine: Hyperspace Beacon (T3 Hyperspace Slingshot)
I primarily play bomber in Domination matches because of how great they function at defending/attacking satellites. Beacon allows allies to get back faster to either fighting in TDM or node defense/offense in Domination. I typically play with others and coordinate this ability’s use for friendlies that have died. If you don’t like the group utility the Beacon offers, you could go Shield Power Converter for more self-sustainability and a larger shield pool with the T3 upgrade.

Systems: Interdiction Mine (T4 Increased Radius, T5 Hull Resonance)
Interdiction Mines are used in conjunction with Seismic Mines to slow down enemies near you, leaving them vulnerable to your Seismic Mines and Heavy Laser fire. This mine AoEs with a 2500m radius and cripples movement, making it an awesome choice for node defense and scout-slaying. Like Seismic Mine, I opt for the damage over time. Since 2.8, popping both these mines on the same scout(s) will not instantly destroy them from full to nothing. Using direct-to-hull damage mines coupled with heavy movement impairment against dronecarriers is a very effective way to take them down. Interesting to note: If you want to build for destroying scouts, choose Concussion Mine. If you like winning bomber fights and more control, use these (Interdiction).

Shields: Charged Plating (T3 Engine Power Shunt)
When coupled with other damage reduction components/effects, Charged Plating is very effective at negating mine damage and a lot of other weaponry lacking damage reduction (Quad Laser Cannon, Light Laser Cannon, Cluster Missiles, etc.). I pop this on a node and typically outlast other bombers with ridiculously high damage reduction. I opted for the Engine Power Shunt because realistically you don’t run out of laser power often and a bomber can always use more engine power.

Sensor: Communication Sensors
Being under satellites you will typically be visible to almost all enemies, and since a bomber is relatively stationary (fighting only under/over satellites and other obstacles) they do an excellent job of communicating data to friendly players, including the location of gunships and other bombers.

Reactor: Large Reactor
More shields to protect yourself with. I find most kills are done through high damage in a short period, which is why I tend to favor Large Reactor over the others. This concept repeats itself throughout the guide.

Armor: Deflection Armor
This is the only ship with armor where I use Deflection Armor. The ship’s strength is in holding and attacking satellites, and having higher damage reduction helps you outlast the opposition on mine-laying fights. Enemy Razorwire/Ramparts will be taking more damage from each mine (and cluster missiles, among other things) than you will, allowing you to outlast the enemy and put on more pressure.

Magazine: Regeneration Extender
Blaster power really isn’t an issue with this build, but the regeneration extender allows you to maintain heavy laser fire for quite some time. With a higher rate of weapon power regeneration you can fire on multiple targets or wail on an enemy bomber for a longer period of time.

:: CREW

Copilot: Blizz / B-3G9 (Hydrospanner)
I feel that it’s already been established just how powerful evasion is (even after nerfs), so Running Interference is a great choice here as well. However, this copilot ability benefits a bomber more directly than many of the others and gives it great staying power. Because of Charged Plating's shield bleedthrough and other armor-piercing weapons, it is useful to continually keep your hull fresh and full. It's a long way back from a spawn point on a bomber, so each life matters even more! It strengthens the bomber’s ability to hold on to satellites, which is the reason I would choose to play a bomber. Pick what you like but make sure they complement your build.

Offensive: Jaesa Willsaam / B-3G9 (2 degrees to firing arc, 6% accuracy)
Most of the other offensive crew choices are very lackluster and do not contribute anything to bomber damage. Accuracy and firing arc help your heavy lasers out. B-3G9 is necessary on the Republic side if you want Hydrospanner (you still retain 6% accuracy this way).

Defensive: Xalek / M1-4X (10% shield power pool, 9% damage reduction)
I am always a fan of a larger renewable source of defense, and stacking damage reduction here allows me to survive mine attacks and any other weaponry lacking armor penetration. Again, this is a fairly specialized build.

Tactical: Mako / Kendra Novar (sensor radius & communication / sensor focus & communication)
The tactical crew is different because of the copilot ability (Running Interference) not being available with identical passives. The Sith Empire gets the better end of this bargain with increased sensor radius and communication range, although the difference feels minimal at best.

Engineering: Blizz / C2-N2 (10% engine power pool, 13% engine efficiency)
With regeneration extender it’s unlikely you’ll be running out of power to your heavy lasers. Bomber engines don’t last worth a damn, though. I chose the companion that would give the largest bonus to mobility, allowing you to respond more quickly and evade longer.


B-4D LEGION // GX-1 ONSLAUGHT // WARCARRIER // GX-1 FIREHAULER

A better ship for those who like playing support. Will typically lose one-on-one against an equally-skilled Razorwire/Rampart, but brings a lot of group utility and interesting dynamics to the table. It can be surprisingly fun to play in a TDM. Keep your drones alive (the hard part) and you will be a powerhouse.

:: COMPONENTS

Primary Weapon: Heavy Laser Cannon (T4 Ignore Armor, T5 Shield Piercing)
I use heavy lasers over the other alternatives for the armor piercing and range. They are great for clearing turrets, drones, mines, killing other bombers and attacking enemies coming in to your area. Bypassing enemy bomber damage reduction is immensely useful. I go with the shield piercing upgrade to finish off any additional hull weaker enemies have after being hit by my mines or other allies.

Secondary Weapon: Seeker Mines (T4 Increased Speed, T5 High Explosives)
I used to think these were fairly bad until I tried switching T5 to High Explosives. They are consistently activated due to satellite/bomber proximity but can be broken with engine maneuvers, so I chose Increased Speed to reduce the time enemies have to react to the lock on. Dealing AoE damage makes these nasty for node defense and provides something comparable in power to the Razorwire’s mines. The missile options are neat and kind of useful against enemy bombers, but a bomber typically spends time avoiding line of sight with enemies and the locks are easier to break because your ship has bad pitching and yawing.

Engine: Shield Power Converter (T3 Increase Shield Power)
This is immensely useful for staying alive, and I am not a fan of Interdiction Drive (especially after the recent nerf). Since you are using this to keep yourself alive and are likely going to stay around the area you are defending (satellite or otherwise) I go with Increase Shield Power in the final tier.

Systems: Railgun Sentry Drone (T4 Increased Shield Piercing, T5 Reduced Charge Time)
This is something I really hate while I am playing scout. Drones will no longer fire through satellites, asteroids and other obstacles but can be hidden fairly well without being directly on a satellite. I opt for the railgun drone because of the shield penetration each shot gives. It is wonderful at providing support to friendly gunships and satellite defenders and seems to account for a ridiculous amount of damage over the course of a match. T4’s Increased Shield Piercing grants even more damage to enemy hulls, which are typically more difficult to repair. T5’s Reduced Charge Time mathematically (if I did the math correctly…) does equivalent damage over time to the other choice, but allows the drone to fire faster, taking out enemy drones, mines and weaker targets more quickly.

Shields: Repair Drone (T3 Refill Ammunition)
Group utility, heal and most importantly an ammo refill for those other pilots you are running with! Be careful to place this in a protected area and alert teammates once you have the Refill Ammunition option in T3. Giving allied ships a renewable source of ammunition on a satellite is a wonderful thing to have.

Sensor: Communication Sensors
Being under satellites you will typically be visible to almost all enemies, and since a bomber is relatively stationary (fighting only under/over satellites and other obstacles) they do an excellent job of communicating data to friendly players, including the location of gunships and other bombers.

Reactor: Large Reactor
More shields to protect yourself with. I find most kills are done through high damage in a short period, which is why I tend to favor Large Reactor over the others.

Armor: Lightweight Armor
Being near obstacles you will typically be able to avoid the deadlier missile locks. Lightweight Armor does a better job of negating blaster, railgun and rocket pod fire than the other alternatives. Too many players utilize armor penetrating weapons, so I opt out of Deflection Armor in all my builds save the Razorwire/Rampart. This ship will typically not win a one-on-one fight against an equally skilled Razorwire/Rampart.

Magazine: Regeneration Extender
Blaster power really isn’t an issue with this build, but the regeneration extender allows you to maintain heavy laser fire for quite some time. With a higher rate of weapon power regeneration you can fire on multiple targets or wail on an enemy bomber for a longer period of time.

:: CREW

Copilot: Mako / Kendra Novar (Running Interference)
I feel that it’s already been established just how powerful evasion is (even after nerfs). This copilot ability benefits a bomber more directly than many of the others and gives it great staying power on top of group utility (3000m 15% evasion buff for 20 seconds). It strengthens the bomber’s ability to hold on to satellites, which is a reason I would choose to play a bomber. Nothing changes here between bombers.

Offensive: Jaesa Willsaam / Qyzen Fess (2 degrees to firing arc, 6% accuracy)
Most of the other offensive crew choices are very lackluster and do not contribute anything to bomber damage. Accuracy and firing arc help your heavy lasers out.

Defensive: Vector / Nadia Grell (10% shield power pool, 5% evasion)
I am always a fan of a larger renewable source of defense, and evasion is too good to pass up.

Tactical: Mako / Kendra Novar (sensor radius & communication / sensor focus & communication)
The tactical crew is different because of the copilot ability (Running Interference) not being available with identical passives. The Sith Empire gets the better end of this bargain with increased sensor radius and communication range, although the difference feels minimal at best.

Engineering: Blizz / C2-N2 (10% engine power pool, 13% engine efficiency)
With regeneration extender it’s unlikely you’ll be running out of power to your heavy lasers. Bomber engines don’t last worth a damn, though. I chose the companion that would give the largest bonus to mobility, allowing you to respond more quickly and evade longer.

[Dorian]

GUNSHIPS

:: GUNSHIP TIPS

Zoom back out (mouse wheel back) when you enter sniper mode, it allows you faster tracking and a larger field of view.

Always try to fire your railgun right at the center of your firing arc to negate the accuracy penalty. If you have to shift your aim, overcompensate and swing your reticle back to the center to take the shot at the last second. With practice, you'll quickly become skilled at this.

Pay attention to damage warnings, many times an enemy will not lock a missile on you. Avoid tunnel vision. If you have to run, run.

Try and stay near allies. The closer you are to them, the more likely they will peel for you.

Avoid the center of the map. The farther you are from enemies while still being able to fire, the better.

Prioritize enemy gunships, typically they are the most lethal to your group (and simple to kill if you can get the opening shot).

Get in some early hits on enemies that attack you from the front. Odds are the next time they come they’ll be behind you as you’re running for cover/allies. This is an efficient use of your renewable shields that allow you to kill people more easily or weaken them for others.

Right-click to enter sniping mode in order to stop instantly, no matter what speed you are going. This is useful for shaking off pursuit or taking quick kill shots on weakened, unsuspecting opponents.

Make sure an enemy is in line of sight of you before firing. Being out of line of sight is indicated by grey lines in a striped pattern over the enemy target.


GSS-4Y JURGORAN // SGS-S1 CONDOR

The newest (but still powerful) gunship. This variant is very similar to the Mangler/Quarrel but features more close-range weaponry in lieu of a second railgun. It offers great short-range crowd control in the form of interdiction missile, high damage with slug railgun and burst laser cannon, high survivability and two missile breaks. It loses its ability to easily flee from fights with the loss of Barrel Roll, but can engage more effectively in close quarters with Retro Thrusters.

:: COMPONENTS

Primary Weapon: Burst Laser Cannon (T4 Ignore Armor, T5 Increased Hull Damage)
This weapon is amazing for point defense. If you are good at picking up incoming enemy targets you can hit them once with a slug and finish them with burst laser cannon. If you’re mobile you can combine this with interdiction missile to allow your burst laser cannon to very easily and quickly finish off targets. It also helps you destroy turrets while on the move!

Secondary Weapon: Slug Railgun (T4 Improved Accuracy and Tracking, T5 Increased Critical Hit Chance)
On paper, increased damage is more DPS. However increased critical chance still allows you the opportunity to one-shot scouts. I’ve found that it is more useful than an additional 10% damage, because frequently that still means charging an extra railgun shot and it doesn’t really feel like you get much out of it at all.

Secondary Weapon: Interdiction Missile (T4 Increased Range, T5 Engine Targeting)
This appears to be a great short-range control weapon that can be fired alongside your burst laser cannons. It offers crowd control on nearby targets (like enemy scouts and strike fighters), giving you a good opportunity to run. If you choose to stay and fight, you’ll typically have a maneuverability advantage on the opponent. Increasing the range on this bad boy brings the lock-on range to 5500m, allowing you to hit enemies from even a moderate distance. The T5 upgrades are fairly minimal either way, but I opted for Engine Targeting to reduce the enemy’s ability to boost away from or after you (depending on whether or not you choose fight or flee). This can be switched out for Cluster Missiles if you prefer direct, spammable short-range damage.

Engine: Retro Thrusters (T3 Increased Turning Rate)
Ridiculously good for defense and jousting. Retains a missile break and more utility than the gunship's other options. I opt for increased turning for faster target acquisition. Since this gunship will fare a bit better in close-range combat than the Mangler/Quarrel, turning seems like an even more obvious choice here. This still feels like the gunship’s best option due to the versatility of the component, though if you have mastery of Power Dive you may wish to try that instead (I dislike it).

Shields: Distortion Field (T3 Disable Enemy Missile Lock)
Stacking evasion is still incredibly worthwhile and still the best defense you can get. Since Distortion Field has a base 6 second duration and likely won’t need to use the additional 3 seconds I opted for a second missile break. This second break is even more useful thanks to Barrel Roll’s increased cooldown. I will be testing all sorts of builds with this gunship and will update if I find anything works better.

Thrusters: Regeneration Thrusters
In the current GSF meta, mobility is king. The ability to catch up to and flee from enemy pilots is huge. This component allows the gunship additional mobility. This component could be swapped for others like Turning or Speed Thrusters, but I find Regeneration Thrusters are a huge boon and extend the potential for movement. Experiment and see what you find most useful!

Reactor: Large Reactor
Larger shields are tastier shields. Since dying to burst damage is more commonplace than dying to attrition, I favor larger shields.

Capacitor: Range Capacitor
See the math done by Verain in this thread. Range Capacitor gives Burst Laser Cannon a larger range and a sizeable damage increase. If you choose to go with a different primary weapon you may want to swap this out.

Magazine: Regeneration Extender
The all-around best choice for sustained fire. More regeneration means more slug railgun shots means more damage.

:: CREW

Copilot: Malavai Quinn / Lieutenant Iresso (Wingman)
An amazingly useful copilot ability that lets you have a higher chance of winning gunship duels and surviving encounters with scouts by hitting them more frequently. Hitting Wingman will get you more ranged kills via slug railgun (and helps counter the current battle scout meta), which prevents enemy scouts from closing in and taking advantage of their close-quarter combat playstyle. Anticipate angry little scouts coming for revenge, hit Wingman and send them back to their spawn point (again). Quicker and farther kills = less struggling = victory.

Offensive: Jaesa Willsaam / Qyzen Fess (2 degrees to firing arc, 6% accuracy)
These crew members provide the best offensive power to your weaponry. Having an extra 6% accuracy for your railguns and already accurate burst laser cannon doesn’t hurt, either.

Defensive: Vector / Nadia Grell (10% shield power pool, 5% evasion)
I am always a fan of a larger renewable source of defense, and evasion is too good to pass up, especially when you are stacking it with Distortion Field.

Tactical: Malavai Quinn / Lieutenant Iresso (sensor focus range & dampening)
Increased sensor focus range for finding those pesky scouts & revenge killing gunships. Pan around often to take advantage of your increased focus cone. Dampening allows you to make your vulnerable and stationary ship much more difficult to find. Primarily chosen for the active ability, Wingman.

Engineering: Blizz / C2-N2 (10% engine power pool, 13% engine efficiency)
With regeneration extender it’s unlikely you’ll be running out of power to your burst laser cannon, and you’ll mostly be firing your two railguns anyway. The 13% blaster reduction does not seem to affect railguns, which makes it feel a bit useless. Gunships also tend to run a lot. I chose the companion that would give the largest bonus to mobility, allowing you to respond more quickly and evade enemies longer.



GSS-5C DUSTMAKER // K-52 DEMOLISHER // SGS-41B COMET BREAKER // K-52 STRONGARM

Coined the “shi**y gunship.” Trades off many of the strengths of the Mangler/Quarrel for weaker alternatives. I only played this variant in order to master it, and so went with a railgun build. I have a torpedo platform variant at the end of the gunship section. I understand the idea behind the design but feel it’s vastly inferior to other offerings. However, any ship is devastating in the right hands. This thing can still score the bulk of kills in a Team Deathmatch.

:: COMPONENTS

Primary Weapon: Heavy Laser Cannon (T4 Ignore Armor, T5 Shield Piercing)
I use heavy lasers over the other alternatives for the armor piercing and range. They are great for clearing turrets, drones, mines, killing other bombers and attacking enemies coming in to attack you. As mentioned, bypassing enemy damage reduction is immensely useful. I go with the shield piercing upgrade to finish off any additional hull weaker enemies have after being hit by my railgun or other allies.

Secondary Weapon: Slug Railgun (T4 Improved Accuracy and Tracking, T5 Increased Critical Hit Chance)
On paper, increased damage is more DPS. However increased critical chance still allows you the opportunity to one-shot scouts. I’ve found that it is more useful than an additional 10% damage, because frequently that still means charging an extra railgun shot.

Secondary Weapon: Plasma Railgun (T4 Melt Thrusters, T5 Intense Plasma)
All the secondary weapon choices feel pretty inferior but I opted to make this a railgun platform. Use Plasma Railgun for the damage over time and evasion debuff. Switch to Slug Railgun to finish them off.

Engine: Barrel Roll (T3 Increased Turning Rate)
Ridiculously good for mobility, offense, defense and a missile break with sugar on top. I opt for increased turning for faster target acquisition.

Shields: Directional Shield (T3 Reduced Regen Delay)
The only shield option that allows mobility and gives you hefty shields. Useful for handling enemies that try to come head-on or even while retreating. Reducing regen delay seems better than increasing shield regeneration rate, and so I go with that option.

Sensor: Dampening Sensors
Easier to avoid detection when on the outskirts of a map, which is typically where you should be. Since you see everyone in a 15k radius you should be able to react to any threats.

Reactor: Large Reactor
Larger shields are tastier shields. Since dying to burst damage is more commonplace than dying to attrition, I favor larger shields.

Capacitor: Damage Capacitor
With a regeneration extender you should have little weapon power pool problems, but slug railgun tends to suck up quite a bit of power. You’ll find yourself typically using lasers in defense following a railgun shot, which is why I opted out of Frequency Capacitor for this one.

Magazine: Regeneration Extender
The all-around best choice for sustained fire. More regeneration means more slug railgun shots means more damage.

:: CREW

Copilot: Malavai Quinn / Lieutenant Iresso (Wingman)
An amazingly useful copilot ability that lets you have a higher chance of winning gunship duels and surviving encounters with scouts by hitting them more frequently. Hitting Wingman will get you more ranged kills via slug railgun (and helps counter the current battle scout meta), which prevents enemy scouts from closing in and taking advantage of their close-quarter combat playstyle. Anticipate angry little scouts coming for revenge, hit Wingman and send them back to their spawn point (again). Quicker and farther kills = less struggling = victory.

Offensive: Jaesa Willsaam / Qyzen Fess (2 degrees to firing arc, 6% accuracy)
These crew members provide the best offensive power to your weaponry. Having an extra 6% accuracy for your railguns and heavy laser cannons doesn’t hurt, either.

Defensive: Vector / Nadia Grell (10% shield power pool, 5% evasion)
I am always a fan of a larger renewable source of defense, and evasion is too good to pass up, especially when you are stacking it with Distortion Field.

Tactical: Malavai Quinn / Lieutenant Iresso (sensor focus range & dampening)
Increased sensor focus range for finding those pesky scouts & revenge killing gunships. Pan around often to take advantage of your increased focus cone. Dampening allows you to make your vulnerable and stationary ship much more difficult to find. Primarily chosen for the active ability, Wingman.

Engineering: Blizz / C2-N2 (10% engine power pool, 13% engine efficiency)
With regeneration extender it’s unlikely you’ll be running out of power to your heavy lasers, and you’ll mostly be firing your railgun anyway. The 13% blaster reduction does not seem to affect railguns, which makes it feel a bit useless. Gunships also tend to run a lot. I chose the companion that would give the largest bonus to mobility, allowing you to respond more quickly and evade enemies longer.


GSS-3 MANGLER // VX-9 MAILOC // SGS-45 QUARREL // VX-9 REDEEMER

The obscenely powerful gunship. This variant has pretty much everything anyone could ask for in a gunship. It offers ridiculously amazing crowd control in the form of ion railgun, high damage with slug railgun and burst laser cannon, high survivability and two missile breaks.

:: COMPONENTS

Primary Weapon: Burst Laser Cannon (T4 Ignore Armor, T5 Increased Hull Damage)
This weapon is amazing for point defense. If you are good at picking up incoming enemy targets you can hit them once with a slug and finish them with burst laser cannon. If you’re mobile due to running from an enemy or attacking a node, burst laser cannon will quickly finish off turrets or unsuspecting targets.

Secondary Weapon: Slug Railgun (T4 Improved Accuracy and Tracking, T5 Increased Critical Hit Chance)
On paper, increased damage is more DPS. However increased critical chance still allows you the opportunity to one-shot scouts. I’ve found that it is more useful than an additional 10% damage, because frequently that still means charging an extra railgun shot and it doesn’t really feel like you get much out of it at all. This is great in conjunction with Ion Railgun.

Secondary Weapon: Ion Railgun (T4 Hits Do Area Damage, T5 Engine Disruption)
This weapon is too good to not use. It offers crowd control on up to 4 targets, can clear mines and drones with ease and render a large portion of the enemy team useless. Ion Railgun can chain from satellite turrets, mines and drones to hit targets with high evasion and allow teammates to blow enemies out of space with little in the way of defensive options. It’s a great opener on almost any target. If you peg an enemy with this twice they’re almost completely helpless. The Engine Disruption snare has been improved for 2.8, giving gunships a great way to control enemy players.

Engine: Barrel Roll (T3 Increased Turning Rate)
Ridiculously good for mobility, offense, defense and a missile break with sugar on top. I opt for increased turning for faster target acquisition. This is still the gunship’s best option.

Shields: Distortion Field (T3 Disable Enemy Missile Lock)
Stacking evasion is still incredibly worthwhile and still the best defense you can get. Since Distortion Field has a base 6 second duration and likely won’t need to use the additional 3 seconds I opted for a second missile break.

Sensor: Dampening Sensors
Easier to avoid detection when on the outskirts of a map, which is typically where you should be. Since you see everyone in a 15k radius you should be able to react to any threats.

Reactor: Large Reactor
Larger shields are tastier shields. Since dying to burst damage is more commonplace than dying to attrition, I favor larger shields.

Armor: Lightweight Armor
Being near obstacles you will typically be able to avoid the deadlier missile locks. Lightweight Armor does a better job of negating blaster, railgun and rocket pod fire than the other alternatives. Too many players utilize armor penetrating weapons, so I opt out of Deflection Armor in all my builds save the Razorwire/Rampart. This stacks with the crew passive and Distortion Field.

Magazine: Regeneration Extender
The all-around best choice for sustained fire. More regeneration means more slug railgun shots means more damage.

:: CREW

Copilot: Malavai Quinn / Lieutenant Iresso (Wingman)
An amazingly useful copilot ability that lets you have a higher chance of winning gunship duels and surviving encounters with scouts by hitting them more frequently. Hitting Wingman will get you more ranged kills via slug railgun (and helps counter the current battle scout meta), which prevents enemy scouts from closing in and taking advantage of their close-quarter combat playstyle. Anticipate angry little scouts coming for revenge, hit Wingman and send them back to their spawn point (again). Quicker and farther kills = less struggling = victory.

Offensive: Jaesa Willsaam / Qyzen Fess (2 degrees to firing arc, 6% accuracy)
These crew members provide the best offensive power to your weaponry. Having an extra 6% accuracy for your railguns and already accurate burst laser cannon doesn’t hurt, either.

Defensive: Vector / Nadia Grell (10% shield power pool, 5% evasion)
I am always a fan of a larger renewable source of defense, and evasion is too good to pass up, especially when you are stacking it with Distortion Field.

Tactical: Malavai Quinn / Lieutenant Iresso (sensor focus range & dampening)
Increased sensor focus range for finding those pesky scouts & revenge killing gunships. Pan around often to take advantage of your increased focus cone. Dampening allows you to make your vulnerable and stationary ship much more difficult to find. Primarily chosen for the active ability, Wingman.

Engineering: Blizz / C2-N2 (10% engine power pool, 13% engine efficiency)
With regeneration extender it’s unlikely you’ll be running out of power to your burst laser cannon, and you’ll mostly be firing your two railguns anyway. The 13% blaster reduction does not seem to affect railguns, which makes it feel a bit useless. Gunships also tend to run a lot. I chose the companion that would give the largest bonus to mobility, allowing you to respond more quickly, change positions often, and evade enemies longer.

[Dorian]

SCOUTS

:: SCOUT TIPS

You’re squishier than most other ships, so manual dodge/evasion and use of terrain is even more important.

Scouts have an advantage in speed and engine efficiency, make use of it for getaways and closing on targets.

Scouts are typically deadliest at a short range and have a huge advantage there. Try and stay close to enemies to take advantage of your superior turning and speed.

Use hit-and-fade attacks on bombers. Try and take out drones/mines before attacking the bomber itself. Staying close to the bomber and its mines is deadly.

Two of the three scouts have great burst damage available to them, they are great for surprise attacks.

Like the Mangler/Quarrel, every scout is capable of having two missile breaks and high evasion, allowing them to avoid lots of deadly attacks like torpedoes, missiles and railgun shots.

Don’t joust against opponents without Distortion Field, Retro Thrusters or Running Interference available. Any one of these or a combination of them could save your life.

Additional Sting/Flashfire/IL-5 tips, analysis and opinions from Armonddd. A worthwhile read if you're planning on playing a battle scout (Flashfire/Sting/etc.).


S-SC4 BLOODMARK // SPEARPOINT

I’m not sure why BioWare decided to take the best ship model and turn it into this. At least it's fun to play. For those who like support, this could be really interesting to use. I built my Bloodmark/Spearpoint to make it a bit more self-sufficient but still offer something unique and interesting to group play. I have only tested this build once (in Denon Exosphere on PTS) prior to 2.7's launch so it was mostly theoretical at that point. Since then I've put in many hours of play into this ship and am loving the group utility and maneuverability it brings. It sure is fun, even if scoring kills is harder!

:: COMPONENTS

Primary Weapon: Laser Cannon (T4 Increased Critical Hit Chance, T5 Increased Shield Damage)
Solid damage with amazing tracking, accuracy and range. These pair decently well with Thermite Torpedoes since they're the farthest firing lasers you can equip. Increased Critical Hit Chance offers more straight-up damage, which the build otherwise lacks. Increased Shield Damage ensures you will drop opponents quickly with your Thermite Torpedo hitting straight to hull.

Secondary Weapon: Thermite Torpedo (T4 Increased Projectile Speed, T5 Plasma Warheads)
Of the secondary weapon options, this is the only decent one that seems to offer something beneficial to the ship firing it. I ruled out Ion Missile thanks to the ninja nerf of the debuff's duration. EMP is better for group utility but offers very little to the Bloodmark/Spearpoint firing it. Honestly, I wish they had added something better here so this ship wouldn’t feel clearly inferior to the Sting/Flashfire. I opted for Increased Projectile Speed so that enemies have less time to react to your Laser Cannon => Thermite Torpedo barrage. Plasma Warheads gives you more damage over time if they escape your initial burst.

Engine: Snap Turn (T3 Increased Turning Rate)
I’ve tried Power Dive and I can’t stand it. Maybe with more practice I may switch to it. Snap Turn seems the next best on the list of offerings this ship has. Because the ship does not have any Thrusters component and already offers a significant speed boost, I opted for increased turning here as well.

Systems: Tensor Field (T4 Evasion Boost, T5 Engine Power Restoration)
This is one of the few systems that is unique to the new ships. I selected the one that is most unique (it is only available on this particular ship) to have some variety here. I went with an evasion boost for myself and teammates because I felt adding an additional 15% turning rate would already feel awkward when used. Engine Power Restoration was selected to allow ships to get farther and evade more often.

Shields: Distortion Field (T3 Disable Enemy Missile Lock)
The other two options this ship have could make it even stronger for group coordinated gameplay. I feel that Repair Drone doesn’t really belong on a ship with low hull value to begin with and an already squishy feel. Taking Distortion Field bumps up your already high evasion rating while granting you a second missile break.

Sensor: Communication Sensors
Since you’ll be among teammates (and presumably, enemies), this is probably the best option. Communicate with players at other satellites and regions in space and transmit farther, adding more group utility.

Reactor: Large Reactor
More shields to protect yourself with. I find most kills are done through high damage in a short period, which is why I tend to favor Large Reactor over the others.

Armor: Lightweight Armor
Being near obstacles you will typically be able to avoid the deadlier missile locks. Lightweight Armor does a better job of negating blaster, railgun and rocket pod fire than the other alternatives. Too many players utilize armor penetrating weapons, so I opt out of Deflection Armor in all my builds save the Razorwire/Rampart. This stacks with the crew passive.

Capacitor: Frequency Capacitor
These offer the highest amount of damage with the tradeoff of increased weapon power pool consumption. With Light Laser Cannon and the appropriate crew member I feel like the drawback is minimal. More damage is always good if you can handle the power consumption.

:: CREW

Copilot: Mako / Kendra Novar (Running Interference)
I feel that it’s already been established just how powerful evasion is (even after nerfs). This copilot ability benefits a scout more directly than many of the others and gives it great staying power on top of group utility (3000m 15% evasion buff for 20 seconds). Since your accuracy is already very high (thanks to Laser Cannon) and your ship isn't really built for dogfighting, I opt out of Wingman here (though it is always a great option regardless of ship choice). I've also used Concentrated Fire here and can't really say it isn't a good option. Pick what you like but make sure they complement your build.

Offensive: Jaesa Willsaam / Qyzen Fess (2 degrees to firing arc, 6% accuracy)
Most of the other offensive crew choices are very lackluster and do not contribute anything to your damage. Accuracy and firing arc help out your laser cannons and thermite torpedoes.

Defensive: Vector / Nadia Grell (10% shield power pool, 5% evasion)
I am always a fan of a larger renewable source of defense, and evasion is too good to pass up.

Tactical: Mako / Kendra Novar (sensor radius & communication / sensor focus & communication)
The tactical crew is different because of the copilot ability (Running Interference) not being available with identical passives. The Sith Empire gets the better end of this bargain with increased sensor radius and communication range, although the difference feels minimal at best.

Engineering: Yuun / 2V-R8 (13% weapon power efficiency, 13% engine efficiency)
I go with these two because it really is the most effective choice (mathematically). The 13% weapon power efficiency almost completely offsets Frequency Capacitor’s power drain and who can ever say no to 13% more engine efficiency? It’s just too darn good.


S-12 BLACKBOLT // NOVADIVE

The first ship I mastered. Deadly burst damage and extreme maneuverability. This ship is made of paper but it packs quite a kick. I use this as my gunship killer, though a Sting is arguably better. I chose to list a Team Deathmatch killing build for my Sting/Flashfire section so that the Blackbolt/NovaDive had something distinctly different. If you use this to hunt gunships (as I intended), make sure to line up your target perfectly before unloading everything you have. The less warning and reaction time, the better.

:: COMPONENTS

Primary Weapon: Laser Cannon (T4 Increased Critical Hit Chance, T5 Increased Shield Damage)
Solid damage with amazing tracking, accuracy and range. These pair very well with Rocket Pods since ranges match. Increased Critical Hit Chance offers more straight-up damage, which the build otherwise lacks. Increased Shield Damage ensures you will drop opponents quickly with your Rocket Pods hitting straight to hull.

Secondary Weapon: Rocket Pods (T4 Increased Ammo Capacity, T5 Increased Range)
These are sweet. I use these in conjunction with my Laser Cannons, Targeting Telemetry and Wingman to melt opponents very quickly. Gunships and bombers are easy targets and fun to light up. These fire very similarly to your primary weapon but have a much smaller firing arc and horrible tracking penalties. They also tend to run out fairly quickly. For these reasons, I recommend practicing with these a lot to get the feel for when you should hit an opponent with Rocket Pods. I love popping up behind an enemy and unloading on them from behind. Sometimes you can catch them completely off-guard and kill them before they react. My favored tactic (when with buddies) is to have someone else run Ammo Reload on their Repair Drone or Probes, so that I can unleash hell.

Engine: Barrel Roll (T3 Increased Turning Rate)
Ridiculously good for mobility, offense, defense and a missile break with sugar on top. I opt for increased turning for faster target acquisition and tracking, which is especially important when launching Rocket Pods. Since the Blackbolt/NovaDive is a great hit-and-run starfighter and has a second missile break, it's ok to run with a longer-cooldown engine maneuver.

Systems: Targeting Telemetry (T4 Target Prediction, T5 Precision Targeting)
Increases your burst damage capability substantially. I go with Target Prediction to nail harder targets (like gunships that are quick on activating Distortion Field or are stacking evasion). Precision Targeting means your Rocket Pod and Light Laser Cannon criticals will absolutely devastate anyone hit by them.

Shields: Distortion Field (T3 Disable Enemy Missile Lock)
Stacking evasion is still incredibly worthwhile and still the best defense you can get. Since Distortion Field has a base 6 second duration and likely won’t need to use the additional 3 seconds I opted for a second missile break.

Sensor: Communication Sensors
Since you’ll be among teammates (and presumably, enemies), this is probably the best option. Communicate with players at other satellites and regions in space and transmit farther, adding more group utility.

Armor: Lightweight Armor
Being near obstacles you will typically be able to avoid the deadlier missile locks. Lightweight Armor does a better job of negating blaster, railgun and rocket pod fire than the other alternatives. Too many players utilize armor penetrating weapons, so I opt out of Deflection Armor in all my builds save the Razorwire/Rampart. This stacks with the crew passive, Targeting Telemetry, Distortion Field and Running Interference if you choose to go with it.

Thruster: Regeneration Thrusters
With all the boosting around evading enemies and closing in to targets and objectives, having a quickly replenishing engine pool is mandatory. I go with Regeneration Thrusters to give myself more staying power in the match.

Capacitor: Frequency Capacitor
These offer the highest amount of damage with the tradeoff of increased weapon power pool consumption. With Light Laser Cannon and the appropriate crew member I feel like the drawback is minimal. More damage is always good if you can handle the power consumption.

:: CREW

Copilot: Salana Rok / Akaavi Spar (Wingman)
An amazingly useful copilot ability that lets you have a higher chance of hitting enemies that are off-center (rocket pods have a massive tracking penalty) and targets with evasion. Hitting Wingman will get you more kills on high-evasion targets (like gunships and scouts) at a medium to long range. Quicker and farther kills = less struggling = victory. This is a burst damage fighter, and it needs to unload accurate, powerful shots very quickly so that it can get the hell out of Dodge.

Offensive: Lieutenant Pierce / Qyzen Fess (25% ammo capacity & 6% accuracy / 2 degrees to firing arc & 6% accuracy)
Most of the other offensive crew choices are very lackluster and should probably be improved in some way. Accuracy and firing arc help your light laser fire, which is where the huge majority of your damage will be coming from. I chose Lieutenant Pierce on the Empire side for his copilot ability, since accuracy and firing arc were not available with Concentrated Fire.

Defensive: Vector / Nadia Grell (10% shield power pool, 5% evasion)
I am always a fan of a larger renewable source of defense, and evasion is too good to pass up.

Tactical: Salana Rok / Akaavi Spar (sensor focus range & communication / communication & dampening)
Increased sensor focus range for finding enemies across the battlefield and communication range for a better view of the battlefield. Primarily chosen for the active ability, Wingman. Unfortunately, the Republic only has two options for Wingman, neither of which are all that great. Running Interference and Concentrated Fire are also good choices here, though I heavily prefer Wingman. Having options is so nice, isn't it?

Engineering: Yuun / 2V-R8 (13% weapon power efficiency, 13% engine efficiency)
I go with these two because it really is the most effective choice (mathematically). The 13% weapon power efficiency almost completely offsets Frequency Capacitor’s power drain and who can ever say no to 13% more engine efficiency? It’s just too darn good.


S-13 STING // IL-5 OCULA // FLASHFIRE // IL-5 SKYBOLT

The scout to end all scouts. The “nerf me!” and “nerf gunships!” battle scout. I like the impressive array of options this ship has, from primary weapons to secondary to engines and shields. I chose to list a fairly classic kill-‘em-all build here, but there’s so much variety in this ship alone that you could type about it forever. If you just want a pure gunship-killing build, you could swap Cluster Missiles for Rocket Pods, Retro Thrusters for Barrel Roll, Targeting Telemetry for Blaster Overcharge, Damage Capacitor for Frequency Capacitor, and Running Interference (your copilot ability) for Concentrated Fire. There's so many options with this scout that it really deserves its own guide. See additional builds for this below!

:: COMPONENTS

Primary Weapon: Burst Laser Cannon (T4 Ignore Armor, T5 Increased Shield Damage)
An extremely accurate and deadly weapon, especially at the shortest ranges. I tend to fight with this monster as close as possible (under 1000m) to maximize damage and accuracy (further enhanced by your System and Copilot abilities). Ignore armor lets you strip turrets and take down targets like bombers and strikes using Charged Plating. Increased Shield Damage strips enemy shields faster, allowing your secondary weapon to deal more damage to hull.

Secondary Weapon: Cluster Missiles (T4 Increased Ammo Capacity, T5 Double Volley)
Solid close range damage to complement your Burst Laser Cannons. Increased ammo in T4 helps to offset the consumption of T5’s double volley, which does considerably more damage than Plasma Warheads. Double Volley also allows you to win an attrition war, though both volleys will be able to be broken by a single maneuver. Use this very often to force enemies to burn missile locks and allow your allies to land more devastating attacks, or simply to pressure an opponent into leaving an area. Can be swapped for Rocket Pods, if you really hate gunships and bombers but don't mind the little gnats flying about.

Engine: Retro Thrusters (T3 Increased Turning Rate)
These are amazing for head-to-head fights, giving you a huge edge with the additional evasion and damage time on the opponent. Retro Thrusters require practice but are quite fun to play with. With how close you are fighting, Retro Thrusters can easily mean the difference between a killing shot or letting your enemy limp away. Barrel Roll can be substituted here, though I prefer using Retro Thrusters more often than not. Regeneration Thrusters (and Engine Power Ups, when available) are more than enough mobility (partially in thanks to Barrel Roll's cooldown nerf).

Systems: Targeting Telemetry (T4 Threat Evaluation, T5 Precision Targeting)
Increases your burst damage capability substantially. I go with Threat Evaluation to boost my scout’s already extremely high evasion, making it both a defensive and offensive cooldown. Precision Targeting means your Cluster Missile and Burst Laser Cannon (which already has a chance to crit) criticals will absolutely devastate anyone hit by them. This can be substituted with Blaster Overcharge if you prefer. I switch between both fairly often.

Shields: Distortion Field (T3 Disable Enemy Missile Lock)
Stacking evasion is still incredibly worthwhile and still the best defense you can get. Since Distortion Field has a base 6 second duration and likely won’t need to use the additional 3 seconds I opted for a second missile break.

Reactor: Large Reactor
More shields to protect yourself with. I find most kills are done through high damage in a short period, which is why I tend to favor Large Reactor over the others.

Armor: Lightweight Armor
Being near obstacles you will typically be able to avoid the deadlier missile locks. Lightweight Armor does a better job of negating blaster, railgun and rocket pod fire than the other alternatives. Too many players utilize armor penetrating weapons, so I opt out of Deflection Armor in all my builds save the Razorwire/Rampart. This stacks with the crew passive, Targeting Telemetry, Distortion Field and Running Interference if you choose to go with it.

Thruster: Regeneration Thrusters
With all the boosting around evading enemies and closing in to targets and objectives, having a quickly replenishing engine pool is mandatory. I go with Regeneration Thrusters to give myself more staying power in the match.

Capacitor: Range Capacitor
Increases damage (see capacitor discussion earlier in this thread) and boosts your Burst Laser Cannons out to 4,400m range, just shy of your Cluster Missiles lock-on range. Can be swapped for Damage Capacitor.

:: CREW

Copilot: Salana Rok / Akaavi Spar (Wingman)
An amazingly useful copilot ability that lets you have a higher chance of hitting enemies that are off-center and targets with evasion. Hitting Wingman will get you more kills on high-evasion targets (like gunships and scouts) and win turning battles without a problem. Quicker kills = less struggling = victory. Again: Running Interference, Wingman and Concentrated Fire are all great choices here.

Offensive: Lieutenant Pierce / Kira Carsen (25% ammo capacity, 6% accuracy)
These crew members provide the best offensive power to your weaponry. Having an extra 6% accuracy for your primary weapon helps overcome evasion-stacking and allows you to take better glancing shots. 25% ammo capacity allows you to carry additional missiles, partially compensating for the capacity loss from the Double Volley upgrade. The Republic side does not have what I would consider to be an ideal crew member for this slot, but Qyzen Fess substitutes 25% more ammunition for an extra 2 degrees to your firing arc if you want to use Concentrated Fire instead. This can also be remedied by Weapon Power Ups or through allied ammo refills (Clarion/Imperium/Warcarrier/Legion).

Defensive: Vector / Nadia Grell (10% shield power pool, 5% evasion)
I am always a fan of a larger renewable source of defense, and evasion is too good to pass up.

Tactical: Salana Rok / Akaavi Spar (sensor focus range & communication / communication & dampening)
Increased sensor focus range for finding enemies across the battlefield and communication range for a better view of the battlefield. Primarily chosen for the active ability, Wingman. Unfortunately, the Republic only has two options for Wingman, neither of which are all that great.

Engineering: Blizz / C2-N2 (10% engine power pool, 13% engine efficiency)
Increase your mobility without sacrificing much offensive firepower. Burst Laser Cannon is typically "clicked" and not fired in a stream, meaning you do not tend to deplete weapon power as quickly. With your two damage-boosting abilities you will be taking less shots per kill and firing less often, so this allows you to focus more on engine power and efficiency, granting your fragile scout more mobility. If you find you frequently run out of weapon power (or don't like to fly all over the map continuously the way I do), this can always be swapped to 2V-R8 or Yuun.

[Dorian]

STRIKE FIGHTERS

:: STRIKE FIGHTER TIPS

Utilize Directional Shields often in head-to-heads and while running from enemies! Giving adversaries a double shield to punch through can mean the difference between life or death.

Don’t be afraid to assume any role, be it satellite defense, offense, protecting an ally or chasing an enemy gunship. Strike fighters are excellent multi-role ships.

Focus on the heavier, slower enemies and try to fight at a longer range (5k+) when possible.

Try and bait enemies into eating your missile by holding locks until they engine maneuver. Alternatively, try firing an alternate, weaker missile to pressure engine usage.

See Aquilon-tune's guide to Rycer/Starguard-style strike fighters here!


FT-3C IMPERIUM // FT-7B CLARION

The healer of GSF, a true support ship. The playstyle of this ship focuses on supporting allies through heals and opportunistic damage. The ship heals in a huge radius. You can fire lasers and launch torpedoes, but more often than not you will be doing one and not the other. With the lack of Barrel Roll and Thrusters this ship will have very low mobility, so players will need to be careful with regard to positioning. I have had plenty of games played in this build and my wingmen tell me they love it. If you want to counter bombers, running an alternative like this is an excellent way to do it.

:: COMPONENTS

Primary Weapon: Quad Laser Cannon (T4 Increased Critical Hit Chance, T5 Increased Shield Damage)
The highest damage and range in the primary weaponry available. Quad Lasers deal a great amount of damage. Increased Critical Hit for more damage and Increased Shield Damage again for the same reason listed above.

Secondary Weapon: Proton Torpedoes (T4 Increased Projectile Speed, T5 Increased Range)
Extended range, allowing this strike fighter to threaten at multiple ranges even with a lack of mobility. This was chosen over Thermite Torpedo simply because the firing arc on Thermite appears to be bugged. I opt for increased projectile speed so that the enemy has less time to engine maneuver and break the torpedo’s lock. Increased Range gives you a farther lock-on, though it's a blast to fire this point blank as well.

Engine: Power Dive (T3 Increased Turning Rate)
The only reasonable (in my opinion) engine option. This ship could greatly benefit from Barrel Roll with the lack of Thrusters, but we have to make do with the options are given. Power Dive allows additional mobility once you get used to the way it works. Additional turning rate will help you fire your Quad Laser Cannons and Proton Torpedoes with less difficulty. It will also benefit you with a quicker recovery after using Power Dive and facing a different direction than you intended. Shortest missile break option.

Systems: Repair Probes (T4 Improved Repair, T5 Refill Ammunition)
Since the fundamental goal of this build is to keep allies alive and dealing lots of damage, I opted for increased healing and ammo reload. This ability lasts a very long time when upgraded (24 seconds every 60 seconds), and has a huge radius (5000m). Being able to follow a Rocket Pods user around and give them unlimited ammo has devastating consequences for the enemy team!

Shields: Directional Shield (T3 Reduced Regen Delay)
This shield option gives you hefty shields and a quicker regeneration delay, making you more tanky. I prefer it over Charged Plating because of the questionable usefulness of damage reduction. I like the larger shield pool to reduce burst damage deaths. Since you can heal, you now have two "health" bars that can be easily replenished! This shield is useful for handling enemies that try to come head-on or even while retreating. Once you get used to switching your shield arcs around it feels like a superior option that rewards proactive, skillful gameplay. Reducing regen delay seems better than increasing shield regeneration rate, and so I go with that option.

Sensor: Communication Sensors
Since you’ll be among teammates (and presumably, enemies), this is probably the best option. Communicate with players at other satellites and regions in space and transmit farther, adding even more group utility to an incredibly powerful support ship.

Reactor: Large Reactor
Larger shields are tastier shields. Since dying to burst damage is more commonplace than dying to attrition, I favor larger shields. These help offset the loss from Shield Projector and further benefits with the crew passive, giving enemies a larger, beefier shield pool to cut through.

Armor: Lightweight Armor
Being near obstacles you will typically be able to avoid the deadlier missile locks. Lightweight Armor does a better job of negating blaster, railgun and rocket pod fire than the other alternatives. Too many players utilize armor penetrating weapons, so I opt out of Deflection Armor in all my builds save the Razorwire/Rampart. This stacks with the crew passive.

Capacitor: Damage Capacitor
Quad Laser Cannons suck a bit more power than other lasers I use, and this ship does not utilize the 13% weapon power efficiency crew buff nor a Regeneration Extender so I opt for Damage Capacitor here.

:: CREW

Copilot: Salana Rok / Akaavi Spar (Wingman)
An amazingly useful copilot ability that lets you have a higher chance of hitting enemies that are off-center (quad laser cannons have a large tracking penalty) and targets with evasion. Hitting Wingman will get you more kills on high-evasion targets (like gunships and scouts) at a medium to long range. Quicker and farther kills = less struggling = victory.

Offensive: Jaesa Willsaam / Qyzen Fess (2 degrees to firing arc, 6% accuracy)
Most of the other offensive crew choices are very lackluster and do not contribute anything to your damage. Accuracy and firing arc help out your quad laser cannons and proton torpedoes.

Defensive: Vector / Nadia Grell (10% shield power pool, 5% evasion)
I am always a fan of a larger renewable source of defense, and evasion is too good to pass up.

Tactical: Salana Rok / Akaavi Spar (sensor focus range & communication / communication & dampening)
Increased sensor focus range for finding enemies across the battlefield and communication range for a better view of the battlefield. Primarily chosen for the active ability, Wingman. Unfortunately, the Republic only has two options for Wingman, neither of which are all that great.

Engineering: Blizz / C2-N2 (10% engine power pool, 13% engine efficiency)
This ship suffers from a distinct lack of mobility options, leading me to choose these Engineering crew alternatives. Your engines don’t benefit from either Regeneration Thrusters or have Barrel Roll as a mobility option. For these reasons, I chose the companion that would give the largest bonus to mobility, allowing you to respond more quickly and evade longer.


F-T6 RYCER // TZ-24 GLADIATOR // FT-8 STAR GUARD // TZ-24 ENFORCER

I play my T1 strike fighter as a ranged combatant that is capable of fighting enemies in close quarters if pressed. I am less a fan of switching primary weapons in combat because it breaks the stream of fire, but it is still a blast to play. Durable, huge shields and a great multirole fighter.

:: COMPONENTS

Primary Weapon: Heavy Laser Cannon (T4 Ignore Armor, T5 Shield Piercing)
I use heavy lasers over the other alternatives for the armor piercing and range. They are great for clearing turrets, drones, mines, killing bombers and attacking enemies coming in to attack you. They are amazing for jousting with others, which happens quite frequently. As mentioned, bypassing enemy damage reduction is immensely useful. I go with the shield piercing upgrade to finish off any additional hull weaker enemies have after being hit by allies or my missiles.

Primary Weapon: Rapid-fire Laser Cannon (T4 Improved Firing Arc and Tracking, T5 Increased Shield Damage)
Though I feel most of the options are not that useful, I feel this suits my play style best. I switch to this weapon when I am in close quarters trying to defend an ally or satellite. Since I only ever really use these in tight areas I prefer having a higher accuracy and less tracking penalty. I go with the increased shield damage option because it’s generally more damage and lots of times enemies will panic and leave the area once their shields are gone. This accomplishes that quicker. I've also tried Ion Cannon and Quad Laser Cannons as well. Go with what suits your playstyle, they're all pretty good!

Secondary Weapon: Concussion Missiles (T4 Increased Range, T5 Ignore Armor)
Versatile missile capable of inflicting tremendous amounts of damage to enemy hull. I lock these on in head-to-heads and release them right at point blank for easy damage, typically after having stripped shields. Combos really well with Retro Thrusters, which give you a longer time to achieve missile locks. Increased range allows you to fire these at 7700m and ignore armor lets you deal massive damage to bombers and other hardened targets. Cluster Missiles/Ion Cannon is also a popular option - but I figure if you're going to play a gimped scout, why not just play a scout?

Engine: Retro Thrusters (T3 Increased Turning Rate)
This engine allows you a lot of face time with enemies for lock-on missiles and more time spent outside enemy laser and lock-on range. It takes practice to use effectively but is a dangerous weapon in dogfights that can often mean the difference between living, dying or finishing off an enemy. I prefer increased turning rate so that my strike fighters handle like my scouts and can track enemies more easily, but to each their own.

Shields: Directional Shield (T3 Reduced Regen Delay)
This shield option gives you hefty shields and a quicker regeneration delay, making you more tanky. I prefer it over Charged Plating because of the questionable usefulness of damage reduction. I prefer it over Quick-Charge Shield because I like the larger shield pool to reduce burst damage deaths. This shield is useful for handling enemies that try to come head-on or even while retreating. Once you get used to switching your shield arcs around it feels like a superior option that rewards proactive, skillful gameplay. Reducing regen delay seems better than increasing shield regeneration rate, and so I go with that option.

Reactor: Large Reactor
Larger shields are tastier shields. Since dying to burst damage is more commonplace than dying to attrition, I favor larger shields. These stack with Directional Shields and the crew passive, giving enemies a larger, beefier shield pool to cut through.

Thruster: Regeneration Thrusters
With all the boosting around evading enemies and closing in to targets and objectives, having a quickly replenishing engine pool is mandatory. I go with Regeneration Thrusters to give myself more staying power in the match.

Capacitor: Frequency Capacitor
These offer the highest amount of damage with the tradeoff of increased weapon power pool consumption. With Heavy Laser Cannon, the appropriate crew member and Regeneration Extender I feel like the drawback is minimal. More damage is always good if you can handle the power consumption.

Magazine: Regeneration Extender
The all-around best choice for sustained fire. More regeneration means more laser shots means more damage. Reloading ammunition is rarely a problem with Weapon Powerups in Team Deathmatch and Ammo Repair Drones in Domination. Don’t know a good dronecarrier? Get to know one!

:: CREW

Copilot: Salana Rok / Akaavi Spar (Wingman)
An amazingly useful copilot ability that lets you have a higher chance of hitting enemies that are off-center (quad laser cannons have a large tracking penalty) and targets with evasion. Hitting Wingman will get you more kills on high-evasion targets (like gunships and scouts) at a medium to long range. Quicker and farther kills = less struggling = victory.

Offensive: Jaesa Willsaam / Qyzen Fess (2 degrees to firing arc, 6% accuracy)
Most of the other offensive crew choices are very lackluster and do not contribute anything to your damage. Accuracy and firing arc help out your lasers and concussion missiles.

Defensive: Vector / Nadia Grell (10% shield power pool, 5% evasion)
I am always a fan of a larger renewable source of defense, and evasion is too good to pass up.

Tactical: Salana Rok / Akaavi Spar (sensor focus range & communication / communication & dampening)
Increased sensor focus range for finding enemies across the battlefield and communication range for a better view of the battlefield. Primarily chosen for the active ability, Wingman. Unfortunately, the Republic only has two options for Wingman, neither of which are all that great.

Engineering: Yuun / 2V-R8 (13% weapon power efficiency, 13% engine efficiency)
I go with these two because it really is the most effective choice (mathematically). The 13% weapon power efficiency almost completely offsets Frequency Capacitor’s power drain and who can ever say no to 13% more engine efficiency? It’s just too darn good.


F-T2 QUELL // FT-6 PIKE

The Quell/Pike is excellent at clearing hardened targets like bombers and turrets off satellites and amazing at suppressing enemies with constant missile locks. It is the true missile boat of GSF. The missile weaponry can be switched in and out based on preference, but this is a well-rounded build I run. You can use one missile type to bait the enemy into an engine maneuver for another missile launch. As a side note, I prefer playing this ship over all the others. It feels the most fun and exciting.

:: COMPONENTS

Primary Weapon: Heavy Laser Cannon (T4 Ignore Armor, T5 Shield Piercing)
I use heavy lasers over the other alternatives for the armor piercing and range. They are great for clearing turrets, drones, mines, killing bombers and attacking enemies coming in to attack you. They are amazing for jousting with others, which happens quite frequently. As mentioned, bypassing enemy damage reduction is immensely useful. I go with the shield piercing upgrade to finish off any additional hull weaker enemies have after being hit by allies or my missiles.

Secondary Weapon: Cluster Missiles (T4 Increased Ammo Capacity, T5 Double Volley)
Solid close range damage to offset the long range weaponry you are rocking. I use it for point defense and to force enemies to engine maneuver away, typically into a proton torpedo lock they can’t break. Increased ammo in T4 helps to offset the consumption of T5’s double volley, which does considerably more damage than Plasma Warheads. Double Volley also allows you to win an attrition war, though both volleys will be able to be broken by a single maneuver.

Secondary Weapon: Proton Torpedoes (T4 Increased Projectile Speed, T5 Increased Range)
Your “goodbye!” missile. Extended range, shield piercing and armor piercing. It is really fun to bait enemies and then launch this missile. I opt for increased projectile speed so that the enemy has less time to engine maneuver again and break the torpedo’s lock. Increased range allows proton torpedoes to be fired from 11500m, so an enemy Barrel Rolling away from close range will still end up in range for the torpedo lock.

Engine: Barrel Roll (T3 Increased Turning Rate)
Ridiculously good for mobility, offense, defense and a missile break with sugar on top. I opt for increased turning for faster target acquisition, which is especially important when launching missiles.

Shields: Directional Shield (T3 Reduced Regen Delay)
This shield option gives you hefty shields and a quicker regeneration delay, making you more tanky. I prefer it over Charged Plating because of the questionable usefulness of damage reduction. I prefer it over Quick-Charge Shield because I like the larger shield pool to reduce burst damage deaths. This shield is useful for handling enemies that try to come head-on or even while retreating. Once you get used to switching your shield arcs around it feels like a superior option that rewards proactive, skillful gameplay. Reducing regen delay seems better than increasing shield regeneration rate, and so I go with that option.

Armor: Lightweight Armor
Being near obstacles you will typically be able to avoid the deadlier missile locks. Lightweight Armor does a better job of negating blaster, railgun and rocket pod fire than the other alternatives. Too many players utilize armor penetrating weapons, so I opt out of Deflection Armor in all my builds save the Razorwire/Rampart. This stacks with the crew passive.

Thruster: Regeneration Thrusters
Regeneration Thrusters give you huge amounts of engine power over the match, allowing you greater survivability and damage. However, I also prefer Turning Thrusters so that I can mimic the turning capability and feel of my scouts. I switch between these thrusters and Turning Thrusters from time to time. Locking on missiles is a little bit easier with quicker turning, but I've found in difficult matches having that superior engine regeneration is the difference between life and death all too often. Like most things, this is a personal preference. I urge individuals who try my builds to play with both and see which they like more.

Capacitor: Frequency Capacitor
These offer the highest amount of damage with the tradeoff of increased weapon power pool consumption. With Heavy Laser Cannon, the appropriate crew member and Regeneration Extender I feel like the drawback is minimal. More damage is always good if you can handle the power consumption.

Magazine: Munitions Capacity Extender
Tons of ammunition for your Cluster Missiles and Proton Torpedoes, which are a cornerstone of this build. If ammunition isn’t an issue, you can swap this to Regeneration Extender for even more sustained Heavy Laser fire.

:: CREW

Copilot: Salana Rok / Akaavi Spar (Wingman)
An amazingly useful copilot ability that lets you have a higher chance of hitting enemies that are off-center (quad laser cannons have a large tracking penalty) and targets with evasion. Hitting Wingman will get you more kills on high-evasion targets (like gunships and scouts) at a medium to long range. Quicker and farther kills = less struggling = victory.

Offensive: Jaesa Willsaam / Qyzen Fess (2 degrees to firing arc, 6% accuracy)
Most of the other offensive crew choices are very lackluster and do not contribute anything to your damage. Accuracy and firing arc help out your quad laser cannons and proton torpedoes.

Defensive: Vector / Nadia Grell (10% shield power pool, 5% evasion)
I am always a fan of a larger renewable source of defense, and evasion is too good to pass up.

Tactical: Salana Rok / Akaavi Spar (sensor focus range & communication / communication & dampening)
Increased sensor focus range for finding enemies across the battlefield and communication range for a better view of the battlefield. Primarily chosen for the active ability, Wingman. Unfortunately, the Republic only has two options for Wingman, neither of which are all that great.

Engineering: Blizz / C2-N2 (10% engine power pool, 13% engine efficiency)
This ship suffers from a distinct lack of mobility options, leading me to choose these Engineering crew alternatives. Your engines don’t benefit from either Regeneration Thrusters or have Barrel Roll as a mobility option. For these reasons, I chose the companion that would give the largest bonus to mobility, allowing you to respond more quickly and evade longer.