12-01-2016, 12:32 PM
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Because people asked for it here too:
"Mostly" instead of "all" because I'm sure to miss something. Also some of this is simply collating data from various sources.
Parts of this have been put into a Google doc that you can access here; it has:
Ship Acquisition Timer - find out how long it will take you to get your desired fleet at the desired level/rarity
A chart of all ships at max stats including pilot contributions (which SWGOH.gg does not yet have) in which you can sort by speed, health, type, faction, etc. Info courtesy of SkyKrak
Location for each ship (used this thread but added to tool to make it more convenient)
Target Lock Chart - simply reference guide for theorycrafting of what ships create target locks and what ships use them.
Pilot Contributions Pilots are the primary contributor to your ship's stats. Everything about them matters - gear, stars, level, mods (to a minor extent), and even ability levels. Some aspects are more beneficial than others, and the higher you go in any one area the bigger the difference (going from 6 to 7 stars has roughly the same impact as going from 2 to 6 stars). You can find the charts from czarbss here. Something of note that many seem to miss: Mods do NOT affect ships the same way they affect characters. Only the tier and level of the mod matters; primaries, secondaries, and set bonuses do not.
Watch out: crew power != crew rating. Crew rating, which is what the game uses to calculate your stats, is hidden and based off the 5 character aspects. Crew power is essentially a rough reverse-engineer after calculating what the ship’s stats would be without the pilot. It’s weird, somewhat convoluted, but it is what it is. Don’t be misled.
Ship Locations This information is pulled from this thread, which was here for convenience but since Reddit doesn't have [spoiler] I'll remove the clutter.
Ship Requirements There are certain ship requirements to enter various challenge tiers for ships. After reaching the designated level, you will also need the following ships at the designated rarity and of the designated alignment (where applicable). In order to get zeta ability materials from challenges you will need 5 Dark Side ships at 4* (to get Tarkin to 5* ) and 8 ships of any alignment at 5* (plus Tarkin at 5* ).
Capital Ship Upgrades - Admiral Ackbar
Tier 1 - 5 ships 1* - Reward: Enhance Home One to 2*
Tier 2 - 6 ships 2* - Reward: Enhance Home One to 3*
Tier 3 - 7 ships 3* - Reward: Enhance Home One to 4*
Tier 4 - 5 ships 4* Light Side Only - Reward: Enhance Home One to 5*
Tier 5 - 6 ships 5* Light Side Only - Reward: Enhance Home One to 6*
Capital Ship Upgrades - Grand Moff Tarkin
Tier 1 - 5 ships 1* - Reward: Enhance Executrix to 2*
Tier 2 - 6 ships 2* - Reward: Enhance Executrix to 3*
Tier 3 - 7 ships 3* - Reward: Enhance Executrix to 4*
Tier 4 - 5 ships 4* Dark Side Only - Reward: Enhance Executrix to 5*
Tier 5 - 6 ships 5* Dark Side Only - Reward: Enhance Executrix to 6*
Capital Ship Upgrades - Mace Windu
Tier 1 - 4 ships 1* - Reward: Enhance Endurance to 2*
Tier 2 - 5 ships 2* - Reward: Enhance Endurance to 3*
Tier 3 - 6 ships 3* - Reward: Enhance Endurance to 4*
Tier 4 - 4 ships 4* Light Side Only - Reward: Enhance Endurance to 5*
Tier 5 - 6 ships 5* Light Side Only - Reward: Enhance Endurance to 6*
Ship Building Materials
Tier 1 - 5 ships and Home One 1* - Reward: up to 200k
Tier 2 - 6 ships and Home One 2* - Reward: up to 225k
Tier 3 - 7 ships and Home One 4* - Reward: up to ___k
Tier 4 - 8 ships and Home One 5* - Reward: up to ___k
Ship Ability Materials
Tier 1 - 5 ships and Executrix 1* - Reward: Ship Ability Mat Mk 1
Tier 2 - 6 ships and Executrix 3* - Reward: Ship Ability Mat Mk 1-2
Tier 3 - 8 ships and Executrix 5* - Reward: Ship Ability Mat Mk 1-3, Zeta
Ship Enhancement Droids
Tier 1 - 4 ships and Endurance 1* - Reward: T3 Enhancement droids
Tier 2 - 5 ships and Endurance 2* - Reward: T_ Enhancement droids
Tier 3 - 7 ships and Endurance 4* - Reward: T_ Enhancement droids
Tier 4 - 7 ships and Endurance 5* - Reward: T_ Enhancement droids
Ship Leveling Ships level both separately from their pilots as well as at a different rate (and cost). The chart for how much it will cost to enhance your ship to any particular level (individual and total) has been moved to the spreadsheet.
Target Locks This new debuff is central to ships. Only 3 out of 20 ships are not augmented in some way by target locks, and the 3 that don't use it generate it. Target locks should be kept in mind when building a fleet. The chart showing who creates a target lock, who uses a target lock, on which ability, and any applicable cooldowns has been moved to the spreadsheet.
Fleet Commanders Each fleet commander has a different specialty and a different synergy. Choosing a fleet commander that synergizes with your faction and/or your fleet's style of play is important.
Admiral Ackbar
Ackbar is the middle of the road commander. He provides both offensive and defensive boosts, but arguably not as well as the two focused commanders. His two assist-generating attacks (basic and aoe) add extra damage to the fight while the protection up he grants to assisting attackers can provide a good deal of sustain. Recommend using ships like Geonosian Soldier and Jedi Consular for the assists.
Mon Cal. Cannons: Pretty straightforward, attack and call a random ally to assist. Since it will be the basic attack, having ships that either get bonus attacks on their basic (FO TIE Fighter, Slave 1) or have good effects on their basic (Geonosian Soldier, Geonosian Spy, Sun Fac) is preferable.
Seize the Advantage: The heal itself is somewhat small compared to other heals, though it is one of the only ways to repair health instead of protection. Cleansing debuffs can be very helpful, but oftentimes this ability is best used on offense. It grants Advantage, guaranteeing several crits. Using this at the start of a fight when you have Biggs out will guarantee he gets a crit and will therefore taunt. However, if you're fighting a Mace lead, don't use it if the enemy has no taunts out and Mace's taunt ability is off cooldown. He'll grant crit immunity and you'll have wasted your opportunity.
Defiant Volley: Yay, an aoe! ...that does minimal damage. The best part about this ability is that it calls 2 allies to assist, allowing some nice bonus damage out of Ackbar's turn. Make sure, though, that you have at least two allies buffed when you use it - it "[calls] up to 2 buffed allies to assist." Without that it's a waste.
Master Plan: Ackbar's "ultimate ability" is very strong no matter what fleet you're facing. You get to take two turns on everyone with cooldowns reset in between. Wonderful. You should (almost) always pop this the moment it's available. The only time you want to be cautious when using it right away is when facing Mace Windu. If Valor has existed on enough enemies long enough, there's a good chance Mace will be able to respond with his damage immunity "ultimate" and completely nullify yours. Makes my heart cry every time I miscount Mace's turns/Valor ticks and he stops this very fun ability.
Band Together: This is what gives Ackbar his sustain. Every time an ally assists, they get 25% protection up. It's not a huge amount, but over the course of a fight if you pull them 2-4 times you start seeing appreciable extensions in the lifespan of your ships. There are only 3 Rebel ships out right now, so a full Rebel build isn't possible, but it is certainly worth noting that Biggs, one of the more common tanks, is Rebel, so using him in an assist-focused fleet could potentially add a lot of extra safety to your squishy attackers. When maxed, Jedi Consular targeting Biggs for an assist will grant him 90% protection up. That's a lot of extra health your enemy has to chew through if he's taunting.
Reinforcement Bonus: Gain Advantage for 1 turn.
Grand Moff Tarkin
Tarkin is the full force offense-oriented commander. With Expose on his basic, the ability to give Offense Up (one of the only sources for the buff at the present time), and an "ultimate" that hits 12 times, all Tarkin wants to do is blow up the enemy as quickly as possible.
Turbolaser Batteries: Good for setting up extra damage on your next attack. If they don't have a cleanse and you don't put it on a backline enemy right before a taunt, it's bonus damage every time Tarkin goes. Something to note is that it lasts for 2 of the target's turns, so you don't necessarily have to hit it right away if another target of opportunity presents itself. Just be mindful of any cleanses the enemy might have. It also goes hand-in-hand with his unique ability.
Executive Order: Jawa Engineer and Poggle the Lesser had a meeting and decided to give Tarkin their offspring. Turn Meter gain is always nice. Offense up is always nice. Too bad the ability starts on cooldown, right? But if you build a team that can survive to mid-battle, this is a great boost to break the rhythm of current turn order and put the hurt on your opponent. One nice benefit of Offense Up is it still empowers you even during Mace's critical immunity taunt.
Heavy Ion Cannon: Ability block is a nice debuff to land, perhaps second only to stun (though buff immunity is a solid contender as well). The bonus damage to debuffed enemies is a nice touch if your fleet focuses on applying debuffs. I usually open with this because although I probably don't have as many debuffs out as I could have, the early ability block can really make a difference if it lands on the right enemies.
Imperial Assault: Tarkin's "ultimate" ability is not very impactful if they have 5 ships still out, and it's complete overkill if they only have 1. 4 ships is decent damage, but the ability really shines when they have 2-3 ships. It's just enough ships to not have wasted overkill damage or weak unfocused damage. Arguably more important than the damage is the potential for multiple stuns when Tarkin is in a fleet that emphasizes target locks. There aren't many options for stuns or other crowd control effects (outside of taunts, but those can be dispelled and don't always happen, such as with Biggs needing a target lock), so the chance to shut down multiple ships at once is wonderful.
Victory at All Costs: As if his other abilities weren't obvious, Tarkin loves his debuffs. 15% more damage stacks quickly, especially when ship stats are fixed and we can't mod them to add extra crit damage or something. That being doubled for Empire allies means just 2 debuffed enemies and your Empire ships have more bonus applied than Offense Up. If you can keep the debuffs rolling, you'll be swimming in bonus damage that will eat through enemy ships very quickly.
Reinforcement Bonus: Gain Potency Up for 1 turn.
Mace Windu
Mace is the defensive counterpart to Tarkin. With a taunt that can go on anyone and the opportunity to get full damage immunity for one turn, Mace is the definition of a tanky wall. He synergizes best with Republic ships, though fleets with a non-Republic focus can still work (albeit less effectively). Using another taunt and one or two healing abilities, you can rotate taunts around to keep the enemy wasting damage on regenerating protection while you whittle away at their ships.
Strike True: Simple attack that can inflict target lock. At the writing of this guide, 17/20 available ships use target locks and the remaining 3 still create them even though they don't benefit from them. Target lock is intended to be central to ship battles, and Mace's basic can apply it (if it isn't resisted).
Hold Fast: A wonderful ability, especially when paired with either another tank or Plo Koon (who has a similar ability where he can select who taunts). Between Mace and Plo, you can keep a taunt up non-stop, as both last for 2 turns and have a 3 turn cooldown. Mace's has the added benefit of stopping critical hits, too. Simply alternate recipients of the taunt to greatly boost your survivability. This also works well on defense, as your opponent won't know which of your ships the AI will choose to taunt, making it harder to burst down one of your tanks (unlike someone like Biggs, who everyone knows will be taunting and can focus him first if they know they can't kill off another ship before taunts).
Fortune Favors the Bold: This is the primary method of applying Valor, needed to speed up Mace and quickly reduce the cooldown of his ultimate. Since its cooldown is reduced by one for each enemy struck, and it hits (unless dodged) the primary target regardless of target lock, you only need to have 2 target locked enemies to use this every turn. While Mace's aoe damage is likely similar to the other two commanders (haven't used him outside of challenges so unfamiliar with damage output), getting to use it every turn is free damage. It also helps when allies are dispelled or killed off if you can reapply Valor immediately to keep Mace rolling.
Honor and Might: 18% offense is certainly nice, but it's not a big increase. However, if you run a Republic fleet with him, that bonus goes up to 36% and is definitely noticeable. A solid touch to an otherwise almost entirely defensively built commander.
Convergence: Mace's "ultimate" ability is possibly the best in the game, given that it can completely cancel out the effect of the other two. However, the timing of this ability is more critical than the other two. Ackbar and Tarkin have no means of reducing their "ultimate" ability's cooldown, so you can count the number of times they've activated in battle. Since the AI will always use it as soon as it's available, you should wait to use it until after the enemy has used theirs. Just make sure you activate it when your ships' turn meters are lower than your enemies' or you won't get much use out of it.
Reinforcement Bonus: Gain Valor for two turns.
Reinforcements
Reinforcements are a fun and potentially very strategic feature in ship battles. They are similar to a sidebar in CCG/TCG tournaments, where you can substitute in a select few cards that will work better against your opponent's deck. Since you get to see your opponent's starting ships, you already know what you want to bring, but you can't know exactly how the fight will turn out. So, reinforcements let you pull in a single ship at a time when you lose one of your current ships, and this enables you to adapt to the circumstances. However, you probably don't want to just stick 4 random ships there, even if they're the next best four to your starting fleet. Reinforcements enter battle with 100% turn meter, taking a turn right away, but at the expense of your capital ship's action. As such, reinforcements should be brought in intentionally, not necessarily immediately after a ship dies (though that's usually when you would call in another ship). Additionally, not all ships were created equally with regards to reinforcements. Some benefit a lot more than others from activating immediately without the enemy having a chance to shoot down or inhibit their options. Remember, ships waiting in reinforcement don't count as part of your fleet and don't have to be destroyed in order for the enemy to win.
Here is a brief list of a few ships that can work well as a reinforcement; some even work better here than in the starting group. Make sure you are selecting your reinforcements carefully and with a purpose. They have the ability to change the tide of battle.
Scimitar: Maul's ship is slow and pretty squishy. But his group stealth ability (target ally gains protection up and retribution, all other allies gain stealth. Additionally, Maul grants stealthed allies up to +32.5% offense. If Maul were in your starting fleet, the enemy might kill him before he could hide (unless you had a fast ship that providing a tanking option). If you stick him in reinforcements, though, he is guaranteed to get at least one turn in order to do his one simple job.
Biggs Darklighter's X-Wing: Many people prefer to use Biggs in their starting fleet, relying on other ships to land target locks to activate his taunt. However, if Biggs is under an Ackbar lead, he gains advantage for 1 turn; his basic places a target lock on a critical hit, enabling you to immediately set up a taunt (provided the enemy doesn't resist it).
Sun Fac: This Geonosian taunts at the start of each buffed enemy's turn, then stops taunting at the end of it. If your opponent sees Sun Fac, they will likely avoid buffing themselves until they've cleared your damage dealers, at which point Sun Fac has failed his job. But he's a marvelous tank because he gets +40% defense while taunting and is a direct counter to dispellers like Ahsoka and Fives. While this is more applicable to defense, holding rank in fleet arena is important. Bringing in Sun Fac later in the battle after the enemy has a few buffs will ensure he does his job.
Poe: Poe's special is a guaranteed critical if the enemy doesn't have protection. Unless they're running TIE Fighter, everyone starts the fight with protection. Since Poe is the fastest ship in the game right now (at max), he will go first and not get much use out of his special (forcing you to use his basic, losing alpha damage). You can use his self-buff ability first round, then hope you strip protection off in time to get the guaranteed crit, but if he's a reinforcement he'll be almost guaranteed to get to use his ability on someone without protection due to going immediately. Additionally, the AI always uses his special at the start of combat, wasting its potential. If it's in reinforcements, there's a chance the AI will call it in and use the special on someone later in the fight who doesn't have protection.
Ship Acquisition Timer Part of the tool above is a Ship Acquisition Timer, which will tell you how long it will take you to get your desired fleet. It was made with the mindset of rushing to zeta ability mats in challenges as quickly as possible, but I've found it to also be a helpful tool in evaluating priorities because I can see the impact on my end goal completion date when I add another ship or increase a ship's target rarity.
Ship Stats The tool linked above has this, so you can sort through different stats to make various comparisons, but since turn-based combat favors speed, here is a screenshot of all ships at max stats sorted by speed. The values under "Basic", "Special", and "Crew" are the damage values at max ability level, since flat physical/special damage values with no ability modifiers are somewhat meaningless. Potency and Tenacity are missing because we haven't found the values in the game files yet.
Threat Assessment There are lots of ships that could make this list, and most battles should be approached with flexibility in mind. The enemy you were working on might be called to assist and get bonus protection (JC/Ackbar). In these cases, it is often a good idea to switch to other important targets who won't be wasting your damage on a temporary buff. Or, if you see the enemy has Biggs and multiple enemies that can apply target lock, it's a good bet Biggs will end up taunting at some point in the opening round. So although they have an Ahsoka or a Falcon, you might be better off shooting up Biggs right from the start to shorten the amount of time he stands between you and your desired taregts. This list is just a general guideline of common threats to most fleets. "User discretion is advised."
Ahsoka Tano's Jedi Starfighter: Ahsoka has decent damage, the ability to gain and spread Evasion Up, and a dispel. If you run a tank other than Sun Fac, Ahsoka is a primary target unless you can reset the taunt (multiple target lock creaters for Biggs, Plo+Mace). Keeping track of her dispel's cooldown might be helpful so you don't bring in reinforcements shortly after she uses it, thereby refreshing it and giving her extra use of it.
Jedi Consular's Starfighter: JC's basic doesn't do much damage, but every 4 turns he does a significant amount of damage when he calls in an ally to assist. He also grants a decent amount of protection up (40%) and protection recovery (65-90%). The longer you leave him in the battle the more health recovery and bonus damage he is able to apply.
Millenium Falcon (Ep VII): This ship, while somewhat uncommon due to the high paywall it sits behind, is a major threat. It has an AOE and a basic that can hit multiple times, stacking offense bonuses, and the ability to get up to 3 bonus turns. Once the Falcon gains 3 stacks of thrust reversal, make sure you damage it at least 3 times before its next turn. However, since it gains 3% offense and inflicts target lock whenever it is attacked (if it's buffed), using hard-hitting abilities is preferred.
Plo Koon's Jedi Starfighter: If you're facing a Mace fleet, Plo should be one of your first targets. His targetable taunt is on a 3 turn cooldown, lasts for 2 turns, and works well in tandem with Mace's taunt. Since Mace can't be removed, eliminating Plo helps to mitigate some of the tankiness that comes from having to burn through 2 targets that keep getting healed.
Poe Dameron's X-Wing: Poe is the fastest ship in the game (barring turn meter gains on the FO TIE Fighter and Empire ships with Vader present), and his special does massive damage if it hits someone without protection. Granted, the AI always uses this ability first when you're guaranteed to still have protection (hello there, TIE Fighter), but letting it come off cooldown later in the match can be devastating. If the enemy has this as a reinforcement, hope it doesn't target your naked ships.
Scimitar: A great ship to have in reinforcements because then it is guaranteed to use its group stealth ability. But, it's one of the slowest ships in the game. If your opponent uses it in their starting fleet, killing it before it stealths 4 guys, sets up retribution, and gives a solid offense bonus is important.
Slave 1: Boba's Seismic Charge does true damage (ignores armor and protection) of over 40% of the target's health (at max). There are very few ways to heal "hull damage", so this ability is even more significant. Additionally, he has an AOE that can hit everyone who is target locked, giving him overall high damage output. However, he is in the slower half of the ships currently available, so you have a chance of killing him before he makes you regret not eliminating him sooner.
TIE Advanced x1: Vader is a beast. While he doesn’t sport the highest damage as an attacker, permanent unavoidable irresistible target locks are very problematic. But, once he dies, the target locks don’t get renewed. If the enemy has built a fleet around him, he is public enemy number 1.
Umbaran Starfighter: One of the few tanks that has surprisingly great damage output. If you have to choose between him and another tank to focus first, try to take him down. Placing irresistable target locks is also annoying, especially if the enemy has ships that can really benefit from it (fellow Clone Sergeant, for instance).
What Ships Should You Get?
Ships take a while to farm, and since they are the only way to get the all-important zeta mats for regular battles, having a plan of where you want to go is a good idea before you start buying shipments for lots of different ships. If you don't pay for a bunch of data cards, you need to be focused so you don't fall behind from being too spread out. Below are some ships that work well as "solo acts" (decent regardless of fleet build or synergy) and a few basic synergies to help you get started on planning your dream team.
Solo Ships
Another great benefit of going for some of these characters is that they also perform well in other areas of the game. This helps you progress in arena/raid/galactic war while you strengthen your fleet. Lastly, all but Slave 1 and Poe's X-Wing are available in both Galactic War shipments and Fleet shipments, speeding up the process of promoting them considerably.
Ahsoka Tano's Jedi Starfighter: Solid damage, a dispel to help get around tanks, and the ability to obtain and share Evasion Up. Since all ships other than the TIE Fighter have 2% evasion, this can greatly assist in survivability.
Geonosian Soldier's Starfighter: Just like his character form, this attacker doesn't sacrifice health for his high damage output. He has a strong assist that generates sustain if under an Ackbar lead, the ability to attack out of turn for more bonus damage and tankiness, and turn meter reduction on his basic. A great all-around solo player, perhaps best suited for reinforcement once your starting fleet takes on more cohesive synergy.
Jedi Consular's Starfighter: Although his basic is somewhat weak, he has an assist that lets you choose who assists. This can either be used on a tank under an Ackbar lead for the bonus protection (up to 90% protection up when maxed if used on a rebel ship) or on your prized attacker for maximum damage output. It can also be used with someone like Sun Fac or Wedge for their "attack out of turn" bonus. He also has a heal to keep people alive longer.
Poe Dameron's X-Wing: Fastest ship in the game, guaranteed crit for almost 600% of his physical damage value (after crit damage is applied at max ability level). He can give himself Offense Up and Foresight to boost his damage and survivability. No synergies on his own abilities means he isn't hampered by shacking up with any faction.
Slave 1: Multi-attack basic that can generate target locks for others. True damage (ignores armor and protection) AOE for over 40% of everyone's health (not protection), great as a finisher on someone who keeps having their protection recovered/boosted after losing health. He also does a good deal of damage with his other AOE if you have a fleet that produces target locks consistently.
Sun Fac's Geonosian Starfighter: A great tank to keep in reinforcement, especially for defense. The ability to auto-taunt on every enemy that is buffed can be a nasty surprise to spring on an enemy trying to take your arena ranking. He's a great counter to Ahsoka (who is very common thanks to her dispel countering Biggs and other tanks), and he gains up to 40% defense bonus when taunting. That puts his physical damage reduction over 60% and his special damage reduction over 47%.
Synergies
--- Ackbar's Assistance: Ackbar gives any ally that assists 25% protection up (doubled for Rebel allies). Building a fleet around assists lends bonus damage (extra attacks) and survivability (extra protection). Ships with assists include:
Jedi Consular's Starfighter: Great because you can select who assists as a form of healing while still getting in damage.
Geonosian Soldier's Starfighter: Chance to automatically assist anyone, including your fleet commander. Soldier can even fire twice in one turn if he's selected randomly to assist either of Ackbar's attacks. He also calls a random ally to assist.
Wedge Antilles's X-Wing: While Wedge himself doesn't have an assist, he gains 25% turn meter whenever he does assist. That tends to add up over the course of a battle with assists from multiple sources.
Biggs Darklighter's X-Wing: As if this duo needed more screen time, Biggs can call an assist on his special if the target is target locked.
Sun Fac's Geonosian Starfighter: Sun Fac creates target locks when he assists, which can be a useful means of triggering Biggs.
--- Mace Windu's Republic: Straight out of the box, there is a full fleet synergy ready to go. Mace's bonus of 18% offense when under 100% health is doubled for Republic, but the reason they really shine is the double targetable taunt combined with multiple heals and all 3 clones being tanks. Common starting ships:
Plo Koon's Jedi Starfighter: The source of the second taunt as well as a heal and turn meter gain. A wonderful kit bundled up in a single ship.
Umbaran Starfighter: Although Fives gives 25% turn meter when he attacks, he's a stalwart tank with relatively strong damage output. Plus, his irresistible target lock is a nice bonus. Oh, and dispelling on his basic is handy.
Rex's ARC-170: While not as tanky as Fives, Rex provides turn meter gain, healing, and target locks. He is the alternate target for a taunt when Fives gets hurt badly. His turn meter gain (50% to him and target ally) sports a hearty heal and can be used every other turn in a full Republic fleet.
Ahsoka Tano's Jedi Starfighter: Primary method of dispelling currently in the game. She hits esecially hard on her dispel attack. Only real counter to her is Sun Fac due to his auto-taunt.
Jedi Consular's Starfighter: Targetable assist, even more healing, and a Jedi to benefit from Plo Koon's heal over time.
--- Tarkin's TIEs: Not only does Tarkin sport a wonderful collection of both business and casual ties for anywhere the Death Star travels, but the three TIE fighters currently in the game work beautifully under him. However, if not all three TIEs are present (chiefly, if Vader is absent), you will miss out on a great deal of potential damage. It might not be worth using (late game) without him. Basic setup would include:
TIE Advanced x1: Vader provides permanent, unavoidable, irresistable target locks. In a game where those are used frequently, this alone makes him worthy of sitting in most fleets. As a bonus, he passively grants turn meter to Empire allies. All those target locks are debuffs that Tarkin uses to boost the fleet.
First Order TIE Fighter: While not an Empire ship (there are only right now unfortunately), FOTP is the 3rd fastest ship in the game. Additionally, he gains 16.5% turn meter whenever a target locked enemy is damaged by an attack (so with Vader, almost every single attack). Lastly, his special attack, which is the 2nd hardest hitting attack in the game (ignoring Boba's true damage AOE), has no cooldown when he attacks a target locked enemy. Super fast, really high damage, all made possible by Vader's sexiness.
Imperial TIE Fighter: While not quite as powerful as his First Order compatriot, TFP still hits fairly decently. With the 2nd highest speed in the game boosted by Vader's turn meter, he does considerable.
Biggs Darklighter's X-Wing: If Vader's pumping out target locks, might as well use the tank that benefits from them. Steady protection regeneration, since all three TIEs generate target locks on their basic, and constant taunting. Plus his crew ability calls an assist whenever he attacks a target locked enemy.
Because people asked for it here too:
"Mostly" instead of "all" because I'm sure to miss something. Also some of this is simply collating data from various sources.
Parts of this have been put into a Google doc that you can access here; it has:
Ship Acquisition Timer - find out how long it will take you to get your desired fleet at the desired level/rarity
A chart of all ships at max stats including pilot contributions (which SWGOH.gg does not yet have) in which you can sort by speed, health, type, faction, etc. Info courtesy of SkyKrak
Location for each ship (used this thread but added to tool to make it more convenient)
Target Lock Chart - simply reference guide for theorycrafting of what ships create target locks and what ships use them.
Pilot Contributions Pilots are the primary contributor to your ship's stats. Everything about them matters - gear, stars, level, mods (to a minor extent), and even ability levels. Some aspects are more beneficial than others, and the higher you go in any one area the bigger the difference (going from 6 to 7 stars has roughly the same impact as going from 2 to 6 stars). You can find the charts from czarbss here. Something of note that many seem to miss: Mods do NOT affect ships the same way they affect characters. Only the tier and level of the mod matters; primaries, secondaries, and set bonuses do not.
Watch out: crew power != crew rating. Crew rating, which is what the game uses to calculate your stats, is hidden and based off the 5 character aspects. Crew power is essentially a rough reverse-engineer after calculating what the ship’s stats would be without the pilot. It’s weird, somewhat convoluted, but it is what it is. Don’t be misled.
Ship Locations This information is pulled from this thread, which was here for convenience but since Reddit doesn't have [spoiler] I'll remove the clutter.
Ship Requirements There are certain ship requirements to enter various challenge tiers for ships. After reaching the designated level, you will also need the following ships at the designated rarity and of the designated alignment (where applicable). In order to get zeta ability materials from challenges you will need 5 Dark Side ships at 4* (to get Tarkin to 5* ) and 8 ships of any alignment at 5* (plus Tarkin at 5* ).
Capital Ship Upgrades - Admiral Ackbar
Tier 1 - 5 ships 1* - Reward: Enhance Home One to 2*
Tier 2 - 6 ships 2* - Reward: Enhance Home One to 3*
Tier 3 - 7 ships 3* - Reward: Enhance Home One to 4*
Tier 4 - 5 ships 4* Light Side Only - Reward: Enhance Home One to 5*
Tier 5 - 6 ships 5* Light Side Only - Reward: Enhance Home One to 6*
Capital Ship Upgrades - Grand Moff Tarkin
Tier 1 - 5 ships 1* - Reward: Enhance Executrix to 2*
Tier 2 - 6 ships 2* - Reward: Enhance Executrix to 3*
Tier 3 - 7 ships 3* - Reward: Enhance Executrix to 4*
Tier 4 - 5 ships 4* Dark Side Only - Reward: Enhance Executrix to 5*
Tier 5 - 6 ships 5* Dark Side Only - Reward: Enhance Executrix to 6*
Capital Ship Upgrades - Mace Windu
Tier 1 - 4 ships 1* - Reward: Enhance Endurance to 2*
Tier 2 - 5 ships 2* - Reward: Enhance Endurance to 3*
Tier 3 - 6 ships 3* - Reward: Enhance Endurance to 4*
Tier 4 - 4 ships 4* Light Side Only - Reward: Enhance Endurance to 5*
Tier 5 - 6 ships 5* Light Side Only - Reward: Enhance Endurance to 6*
Ship Building Materials
Tier 1 - 5 ships and Home One 1* - Reward: up to 200k
Tier 2 - 6 ships and Home One 2* - Reward: up to 225k
Tier 3 - 7 ships and Home One 4* - Reward: up to ___k
Tier 4 - 8 ships and Home One 5* - Reward: up to ___k
Ship Ability Materials
Tier 1 - 5 ships and Executrix 1* - Reward: Ship Ability Mat Mk 1
Tier 2 - 6 ships and Executrix 3* - Reward: Ship Ability Mat Mk 1-2
Tier 3 - 8 ships and Executrix 5* - Reward: Ship Ability Mat Mk 1-3, Zeta
Ship Enhancement Droids
Tier 1 - 4 ships and Endurance 1* - Reward: T3 Enhancement droids
Tier 2 - 5 ships and Endurance 2* - Reward: T_ Enhancement droids
Tier 3 - 7 ships and Endurance 4* - Reward: T_ Enhancement droids
Tier 4 - 7 ships and Endurance 5* - Reward: T_ Enhancement droids
Ship Leveling Ships level both separately from their pilots as well as at a different rate (and cost). The chart for how much it will cost to enhance your ship to any particular level (individual and total) has been moved to the spreadsheet.
Target Locks This new debuff is central to ships. Only 3 out of 20 ships are not augmented in some way by target locks, and the 3 that don't use it generate it. Target locks should be kept in mind when building a fleet. The chart showing who creates a target lock, who uses a target lock, on which ability, and any applicable cooldowns has been moved to the spreadsheet.
Fleet Commanders Each fleet commander has a different specialty and a different synergy. Choosing a fleet commander that synergizes with your faction and/or your fleet's style of play is important.
Admiral Ackbar
Ackbar is the middle of the road commander. He provides both offensive and defensive boosts, but arguably not as well as the two focused commanders. His two assist-generating attacks (basic and aoe) add extra damage to the fight while the protection up he grants to assisting attackers can provide a good deal of sustain. Recommend using ships like Geonosian Soldier and Jedi Consular for the assists.
Mon Cal. Cannons: Pretty straightforward, attack and call a random ally to assist. Since it will be the basic attack, having ships that either get bonus attacks on their basic (FO TIE Fighter, Slave 1) or have good effects on their basic (Geonosian Soldier, Geonosian Spy, Sun Fac) is preferable.
Seize the Advantage: The heal itself is somewhat small compared to other heals, though it is one of the only ways to repair health instead of protection. Cleansing debuffs can be very helpful, but oftentimes this ability is best used on offense. It grants Advantage, guaranteeing several crits. Using this at the start of a fight when you have Biggs out will guarantee he gets a crit and will therefore taunt. However, if you're fighting a Mace lead, don't use it if the enemy has no taunts out and Mace's taunt ability is off cooldown. He'll grant crit immunity and you'll have wasted your opportunity.
Defiant Volley: Yay, an aoe! ...that does minimal damage. The best part about this ability is that it calls 2 allies to assist, allowing some nice bonus damage out of Ackbar's turn. Make sure, though, that you have at least two allies buffed when you use it - it "[calls] up to 2 buffed allies to assist." Without that it's a waste.
Master Plan: Ackbar's "ultimate ability" is very strong no matter what fleet you're facing. You get to take two turns on everyone with cooldowns reset in between. Wonderful. You should (almost) always pop this the moment it's available. The only time you want to be cautious when using it right away is when facing Mace Windu. If Valor has existed on enough enemies long enough, there's a good chance Mace will be able to respond with his damage immunity "ultimate" and completely nullify yours. Makes my heart cry every time I miscount Mace's turns/Valor ticks and he stops this very fun ability.
Band Together: This is what gives Ackbar his sustain. Every time an ally assists, they get 25% protection up. It's not a huge amount, but over the course of a fight if you pull them 2-4 times you start seeing appreciable extensions in the lifespan of your ships. There are only 3 Rebel ships out right now, so a full Rebel build isn't possible, but it is certainly worth noting that Biggs, one of the more common tanks, is Rebel, so using him in an assist-focused fleet could potentially add a lot of extra safety to your squishy attackers. When maxed, Jedi Consular targeting Biggs for an assist will grant him 90% protection up. That's a lot of extra health your enemy has to chew through if he's taunting.
Reinforcement Bonus: Gain Advantage for 1 turn.
Grand Moff Tarkin
Tarkin is the full force offense-oriented commander. With Expose on his basic, the ability to give Offense Up (one of the only sources for the buff at the present time), and an "ultimate" that hits 12 times, all Tarkin wants to do is blow up the enemy as quickly as possible.
Turbolaser Batteries: Good for setting up extra damage on your next attack. If they don't have a cleanse and you don't put it on a backline enemy right before a taunt, it's bonus damage every time Tarkin goes. Something to note is that it lasts for 2 of the target's turns, so you don't necessarily have to hit it right away if another target of opportunity presents itself. Just be mindful of any cleanses the enemy might have. It also goes hand-in-hand with his unique ability.
Executive Order: Jawa Engineer and Poggle the Lesser had a meeting and decided to give Tarkin their offspring. Turn Meter gain is always nice. Offense up is always nice. Too bad the ability starts on cooldown, right? But if you build a team that can survive to mid-battle, this is a great boost to break the rhythm of current turn order and put the hurt on your opponent. One nice benefit of Offense Up is it still empowers you even during Mace's critical immunity taunt.
Heavy Ion Cannon: Ability block is a nice debuff to land, perhaps second only to stun (though buff immunity is a solid contender as well). The bonus damage to debuffed enemies is a nice touch if your fleet focuses on applying debuffs. I usually open with this because although I probably don't have as many debuffs out as I could have, the early ability block can really make a difference if it lands on the right enemies.
Imperial Assault: Tarkin's "ultimate" ability is not very impactful if they have 5 ships still out, and it's complete overkill if they only have 1. 4 ships is decent damage, but the ability really shines when they have 2-3 ships. It's just enough ships to not have wasted overkill damage or weak unfocused damage. Arguably more important than the damage is the potential for multiple stuns when Tarkin is in a fleet that emphasizes target locks. There aren't many options for stuns or other crowd control effects (outside of taunts, but those can be dispelled and don't always happen, such as with Biggs needing a target lock), so the chance to shut down multiple ships at once is wonderful.
Victory at All Costs: As if his other abilities weren't obvious, Tarkin loves his debuffs. 15% more damage stacks quickly, especially when ship stats are fixed and we can't mod them to add extra crit damage or something. That being doubled for Empire allies means just 2 debuffed enemies and your Empire ships have more bonus applied than Offense Up. If you can keep the debuffs rolling, you'll be swimming in bonus damage that will eat through enemy ships very quickly.
Reinforcement Bonus: Gain Potency Up for 1 turn.
Mace Windu
Mace is the defensive counterpart to Tarkin. With a taunt that can go on anyone and the opportunity to get full damage immunity for one turn, Mace is the definition of a tanky wall. He synergizes best with Republic ships, though fleets with a non-Republic focus can still work (albeit less effectively). Using another taunt and one or two healing abilities, you can rotate taunts around to keep the enemy wasting damage on regenerating protection while you whittle away at their ships.
Strike True: Simple attack that can inflict target lock. At the writing of this guide, 17/20 available ships use target locks and the remaining 3 still create them even though they don't benefit from them. Target lock is intended to be central to ship battles, and Mace's basic can apply it (if it isn't resisted).
Hold Fast: A wonderful ability, especially when paired with either another tank or Plo Koon (who has a similar ability where he can select who taunts). Between Mace and Plo, you can keep a taunt up non-stop, as both last for 2 turns and have a 3 turn cooldown. Mace's has the added benefit of stopping critical hits, too. Simply alternate recipients of the taunt to greatly boost your survivability. This also works well on defense, as your opponent won't know which of your ships the AI will choose to taunt, making it harder to burst down one of your tanks (unlike someone like Biggs, who everyone knows will be taunting and can focus him first if they know they can't kill off another ship before taunts).
Fortune Favors the Bold: This is the primary method of applying Valor, needed to speed up Mace and quickly reduce the cooldown of his ultimate. Since its cooldown is reduced by one for each enemy struck, and it hits (unless dodged) the primary target regardless of target lock, you only need to have 2 target locked enemies to use this every turn. While Mace's aoe damage is likely similar to the other two commanders (haven't used him outside of challenges so unfamiliar with damage output), getting to use it every turn is free damage. It also helps when allies are dispelled or killed off if you can reapply Valor immediately to keep Mace rolling.
Honor and Might: 18% offense is certainly nice, but it's not a big increase. However, if you run a Republic fleet with him, that bonus goes up to 36% and is definitely noticeable. A solid touch to an otherwise almost entirely defensively built commander.
Convergence: Mace's "ultimate" ability is possibly the best in the game, given that it can completely cancel out the effect of the other two. However, the timing of this ability is more critical than the other two. Ackbar and Tarkin have no means of reducing their "ultimate" ability's cooldown, so you can count the number of times they've activated in battle. Since the AI will always use it as soon as it's available, you should wait to use it until after the enemy has used theirs. Just make sure you activate it when your ships' turn meters are lower than your enemies' or you won't get much use out of it.
Reinforcement Bonus: Gain Valor for two turns.
Reinforcements
Reinforcements are a fun and potentially very strategic feature in ship battles. They are similar to a sidebar in CCG/TCG tournaments, where you can substitute in a select few cards that will work better against your opponent's deck. Since you get to see your opponent's starting ships, you already know what you want to bring, but you can't know exactly how the fight will turn out. So, reinforcements let you pull in a single ship at a time when you lose one of your current ships, and this enables you to adapt to the circumstances. However, you probably don't want to just stick 4 random ships there, even if they're the next best four to your starting fleet. Reinforcements enter battle with 100% turn meter, taking a turn right away, but at the expense of your capital ship's action. As such, reinforcements should be brought in intentionally, not necessarily immediately after a ship dies (though that's usually when you would call in another ship). Additionally, not all ships were created equally with regards to reinforcements. Some benefit a lot more than others from activating immediately without the enemy having a chance to shoot down or inhibit their options. Remember, ships waiting in reinforcement don't count as part of your fleet and don't have to be destroyed in order for the enemy to win.
Here is a brief list of a few ships that can work well as a reinforcement; some even work better here than in the starting group. Make sure you are selecting your reinforcements carefully and with a purpose. They have the ability to change the tide of battle.
Scimitar: Maul's ship is slow and pretty squishy. But his group stealth ability (target ally gains protection up and retribution, all other allies gain stealth. Additionally, Maul grants stealthed allies up to +32.5% offense. If Maul were in your starting fleet, the enemy might kill him before he could hide (unless you had a fast ship that providing a tanking option). If you stick him in reinforcements, though, he is guaranteed to get at least one turn in order to do his one simple job.
Biggs Darklighter's X-Wing: Many people prefer to use Biggs in their starting fleet, relying on other ships to land target locks to activate his taunt. However, if Biggs is under an Ackbar lead, he gains advantage for 1 turn; his basic places a target lock on a critical hit, enabling you to immediately set up a taunt (provided the enemy doesn't resist it).
Sun Fac: This Geonosian taunts at the start of each buffed enemy's turn, then stops taunting at the end of it. If your opponent sees Sun Fac, they will likely avoid buffing themselves until they've cleared your damage dealers, at which point Sun Fac has failed his job. But he's a marvelous tank because he gets +40% defense while taunting and is a direct counter to dispellers like Ahsoka and Fives. While this is more applicable to defense, holding rank in fleet arena is important. Bringing in Sun Fac later in the battle after the enemy has a few buffs will ensure he does his job.
Poe: Poe's special is a guaranteed critical if the enemy doesn't have protection. Unless they're running TIE Fighter, everyone starts the fight with protection. Since Poe is the fastest ship in the game right now (at max), he will go first and not get much use out of his special (forcing you to use his basic, losing alpha damage). You can use his self-buff ability first round, then hope you strip protection off in time to get the guaranteed crit, but if he's a reinforcement he'll be almost guaranteed to get to use his ability on someone without protection due to going immediately. Additionally, the AI always uses his special at the start of combat, wasting its potential. If it's in reinforcements, there's a chance the AI will call it in and use the special on someone later in the fight who doesn't have protection.
Ship Acquisition Timer Part of the tool above is a Ship Acquisition Timer, which will tell you how long it will take you to get your desired fleet. It was made with the mindset of rushing to zeta ability mats in challenges as quickly as possible, but I've found it to also be a helpful tool in evaluating priorities because I can see the impact on my end goal completion date when I add another ship or increase a ship's target rarity.
Ship Stats The tool linked above has this, so you can sort through different stats to make various comparisons, but since turn-based combat favors speed, here is a screenshot of all ships at max stats sorted by speed. The values under "Basic", "Special", and "Crew" are the damage values at max ability level, since flat physical/special damage values with no ability modifiers are somewhat meaningless. Potency and Tenacity are missing because we haven't found the values in the game files yet.
Threat Assessment There are lots of ships that could make this list, and most battles should be approached with flexibility in mind. The enemy you were working on might be called to assist and get bonus protection (JC/Ackbar). In these cases, it is often a good idea to switch to other important targets who won't be wasting your damage on a temporary buff. Or, if you see the enemy has Biggs and multiple enemies that can apply target lock, it's a good bet Biggs will end up taunting at some point in the opening round. So although they have an Ahsoka or a Falcon, you might be better off shooting up Biggs right from the start to shorten the amount of time he stands between you and your desired taregts. This list is just a general guideline of common threats to most fleets. "User discretion is advised."
Ahsoka Tano's Jedi Starfighter: Ahsoka has decent damage, the ability to gain and spread Evasion Up, and a dispel. If you run a tank other than Sun Fac, Ahsoka is a primary target unless you can reset the taunt (multiple target lock creaters for Biggs, Plo+Mace). Keeping track of her dispel's cooldown might be helpful so you don't bring in reinforcements shortly after she uses it, thereby refreshing it and giving her extra use of it.
Jedi Consular's Starfighter: JC's basic doesn't do much damage, but every 4 turns he does a significant amount of damage when he calls in an ally to assist. He also grants a decent amount of protection up (40%) and protection recovery (65-90%). The longer you leave him in the battle the more health recovery and bonus damage he is able to apply.
Millenium Falcon (Ep VII): This ship, while somewhat uncommon due to the high paywall it sits behind, is a major threat. It has an AOE and a basic that can hit multiple times, stacking offense bonuses, and the ability to get up to 3 bonus turns. Once the Falcon gains 3 stacks of thrust reversal, make sure you damage it at least 3 times before its next turn. However, since it gains 3% offense and inflicts target lock whenever it is attacked (if it's buffed), using hard-hitting abilities is preferred.
Plo Koon's Jedi Starfighter: If you're facing a Mace fleet, Plo should be one of your first targets. His targetable taunt is on a 3 turn cooldown, lasts for 2 turns, and works well in tandem with Mace's taunt. Since Mace can't be removed, eliminating Plo helps to mitigate some of the tankiness that comes from having to burn through 2 targets that keep getting healed.
Poe Dameron's X-Wing: Poe is the fastest ship in the game (barring turn meter gains on the FO TIE Fighter and Empire ships with Vader present), and his special does massive damage if it hits someone without protection. Granted, the AI always uses this ability first when you're guaranteed to still have protection (hello there, TIE Fighter), but letting it come off cooldown later in the match can be devastating. If the enemy has this as a reinforcement, hope it doesn't target your naked ships.
Scimitar: A great ship to have in reinforcements because then it is guaranteed to use its group stealth ability. But, it's one of the slowest ships in the game. If your opponent uses it in their starting fleet, killing it before it stealths 4 guys, sets up retribution, and gives a solid offense bonus is important.
Slave 1: Boba's Seismic Charge does true damage (ignores armor and protection) of over 40% of the target's health (at max). There are very few ways to heal "hull damage", so this ability is even more significant. Additionally, he has an AOE that can hit everyone who is target locked, giving him overall high damage output. However, he is in the slower half of the ships currently available, so you have a chance of killing him before he makes you regret not eliminating him sooner.
TIE Advanced x1: Vader is a beast. While he doesn’t sport the highest damage as an attacker, permanent unavoidable irresistible target locks are very problematic. But, once he dies, the target locks don’t get renewed. If the enemy has built a fleet around him, he is public enemy number 1.
Umbaran Starfighter: One of the few tanks that has surprisingly great damage output. If you have to choose between him and another tank to focus first, try to take him down. Placing irresistable target locks is also annoying, especially if the enemy has ships that can really benefit from it (fellow Clone Sergeant, for instance).
What Ships Should You Get?
Ships take a while to farm, and since they are the only way to get the all-important zeta mats for regular battles, having a plan of where you want to go is a good idea before you start buying shipments for lots of different ships. If you don't pay for a bunch of data cards, you need to be focused so you don't fall behind from being too spread out. Below are some ships that work well as "solo acts" (decent regardless of fleet build or synergy) and a few basic synergies to help you get started on planning your dream team.
Solo Ships
Another great benefit of going for some of these characters is that they also perform well in other areas of the game. This helps you progress in arena/raid/galactic war while you strengthen your fleet. Lastly, all but Slave 1 and Poe's X-Wing are available in both Galactic War shipments and Fleet shipments, speeding up the process of promoting them considerably.
Ahsoka Tano's Jedi Starfighter: Solid damage, a dispel to help get around tanks, and the ability to obtain and share Evasion Up. Since all ships other than the TIE Fighter have 2% evasion, this can greatly assist in survivability.
Geonosian Soldier's Starfighter: Just like his character form, this attacker doesn't sacrifice health for his high damage output. He has a strong assist that generates sustain if under an Ackbar lead, the ability to attack out of turn for more bonus damage and tankiness, and turn meter reduction on his basic. A great all-around solo player, perhaps best suited for reinforcement once your starting fleet takes on more cohesive synergy.
Jedi Consular's Starfighter: Although his basic is somewhat weak, he has an assist that lets you choose who assists. This can either be used on a tank under an Ackbar lead for the bonus protection (up to 90% protection up when maxed if used on a rebel ship) or on your prized attacker for maximum damage output. It can also be used with someone like Sun Fac or Wedge for their "attack out of turn" bonus. He also has a heal to keep people alive longer.
Poe Dameron's X-Wing: Fastest ship in the game, guaranteed crit for almost 600% of his physical damage value (after crit damage is applied at max ability level). He can give himself Offense Up and Foresight to boost his damage and survivability. No synergies on his own abilities means he isn't hampered by shacking up with any faction.
Slave 1: Multi-attack basic that can generate target locks for others. True damage (ignores armor and protection) AOE for over 40% of everyone's health (not protection), great as a finisher on someone who keeps having their protection recovered/boosted after losing health. He also does a good deal of damage with his other AOE if you have a fleet that produces target locks consistently.
Sun Fac's Geonosian Starfighter: A great tank to keep in reinforcement, especially for defense. The ability to auto-taunt on every enemy that is buffed can be a nasty surprise to spring on an enemy trying to take your arena ranking. He's a great counter to Ahsoka (who is very common thanks to her dispel countering Biggs and other tanks), and he gains up to 40% defense bonus when taunting. That puts his physical damage reduction over 60% and his special damage reduction over 47%.
Synergies
--- Ackbar's Assistance: Ackbar gives any ally that assists 25% protection up (doubled for Rebel allies). Building a fleet around assists lends bonus damage (extra attacks) and survivability (extra protection). Ships with assists include:
Jedi Consular's Starfighter: Great because you can select who assists as a form of healing while still getting in damage.
Geonosian Soldier's Starfighter: Chance to automatically assist anyone, including your fleet commander. Soldier can even fire twice in one turn if he's selected randomly to assist either of Ackbar's attacks. He also calls a random ally to assist.
Wedge Antilles's X-Wing: While Wedge himself doesn't have an assist, he gains 25% turn meter whenever he does assist. That tends to add up over the course of a battle with assists from multiple sources.
Biggs Darklighter's X-Wing: As if this duo needed more screen time, Biggs can call an assist on his special if the target is target locked.
Sun Fac's Geonosian Starfighter: Sun Fac creates target locks when he assists, which can be a useful means of triggering Biggs.
--- Mace Windu's Republic: Straight out of the box, there is a full fleet synergy ready to go. Mace's bonus of 18% offense when under 100% health is doubled for Republic, but the reason they really shine is the double targetable taunt combined with multiple heals and all 3 clones being tanks. Common starting ships:
Plo Koon's Jedi Starfighter: The source of the second taunt as well as a heal and turn meter gain. A wonderful kit bundled up in a single ship.
Umbaran Starfighter: Although Fives gives 25% turn meter when he attacks, he's a stalwart tank with relatively strong damage output. Plus, his irresistible target lock is a nice bonus. Oh, and dispelling on his basic is handy.
Rex's ARC-170: While not as tanky as Fives, Rex provides turn meter gain, healing, and target locks. He is the alternate target for a taunt when Fives gets hurt badly. His turn meter gain (50% to him and target ally) sports a hearty heal and can be used every other turn in a full Republic fleet.
Ahsoka Tano's Jedi Starfighter: Primary method of dispelling currently in the game. She hits esecially hard on her dispel attack. Only real counter to her is Sun Fac due to his auto-taunt.
Jedi Consular's Starfighter: Targetable assist, even more healing, and a Jedi to benefit from Plo Koon's heal over time.
--- Tarkin's TIEs: Not only does Tarkin sport a wonderful collection of both business and casual ties for anywhere the Death Star travels, but the three TIE fighters currently in the game work beautifully under him. However, if not all three TIEs are present (chiefly, if Vader is absent), you will miss out on a great deal of potential damage. It might not be worth using (late game) without him. Basic setup would include:
TIE Advanced x1: Vader provides permanent, unavoidable, irresistable target locks. In a game where those are used frequently, this alone makes him worthy of sitting in most fleets. As a bonus, he passively grants turn meter to Empire allies. All those target locks are debuffs that Tarkin uses to boost the fleet.
First Order TIE Fighter: While not an Empire ship (there are only right now unfortunately), FOTP is the 3rd fastest ship in the game. Additionally, he gains 16.5% turn meter whenever a target locked enemy is damaged by an attack (so with Vader, almost every single attack). Lastly, his special attack, which is the 2nd hardest hitting attack in the game (ignoring Boba's true damage AOE), has no cooldown when he attacks a target locked enemy. Super fast, really high damage, all made possible by Vader's sexiness.
Imperial TIE Fighter: While not quite as powerful as his First Order compatriot, TFP still hits fairly decently. With the 2nd highest speed in the game boosted by Vader's turn meter, he does considerable.
Biggs Darklighter's X-Wing: If Vader's pumping out target locks, might as well use the tank that benefits from them. Steady protection regeneration, since all three TIEs generate target locks on their basic, and constant taunting. Plus his crew ability calls an assist whenever he attacks a target locked enemy.