Surviving the early game as the Empire in Awakening of the Rebellion So you want to play the Empire, eh? The Empire in AotR plays in a very similar way to the way they do in the base game. Your best options for dealing damage are still big ships and your fighters are still pretty bad one on one. The big difference is that your early options for building your fleet are kind of meant to deceive you. Close range options tempt you into big head on clashes with the enemy. While this may be a fun way to play it often leads to high casualties and many losses down the line. Cheap Gozantis allow you to spam out fighters early, yet they are fragile and often dont provide much value. Worst of all the once invincible seeming ISD is now but a pawn in a larger game and can get easily overrun. This guide is meant to show you guidelines to use those early game units to the best of their ability. Getting those early conquests and setting yourself up for an evolving strategy in the mid game. This guide can be applied more generally, but will need to be adapted to your game and difficulty. General Offensive Tactics (Space) Arguments can be made over the merits of close combat, however in my experience it is far better in the early game to engage at range when possible. (Dont get it twisted, you will have to fight at close range and you will need to be prepared) In most offensive battles, the AI will wait at it's defenses for you to get close enough and then charge at you with all it's got. (We will get into defensive strategy later) I've had many of my fleets destroyed trying to face the enemy head on, and often that is a good way to lose fighter superiority. The ideal combat situation is for you to do as much damage as possible while the enemy can't fight back. Here are some quick guidelines to what your fleet comp and formation should look like: What to bring: Artillery like the Victory I or Arquitens Some Dreadnaughts to soak up damage in the front line Star Destroyers (if you use Ozzel it is highly recommended that you also use Vader to balance his debuff) Carracks (They are very cheap and great once the AI charges at you)(PS: try and bring as many carriers as possible, they will be included but it is quite possible you wont get many until you invest into tech) Fleet formation: Deploy the fleet far from the front line to give you time to deploy fighters and fight off any scouts Put the Dreadnaughts in the very front at broadside angle ( you can change the angle of ships by holding right click and moving the arrow that appears) Dont fret over Dreadnaught losses, it is better to save your other ships than to save the tank Place your ISDs just behind them just close enough to allow the long range weapons to fire If you brought Victorys place them with the ISDs If you brought Arquitens use them until the AI charges, then retreat them before they get destroyed Keep in mind that artillery is weak to fighters and bombers, I recommend keeping a close eye on their health Place the Carracks just behind the Dreadnaughts and retreat them once health is low or they are under heavy fire Any carriers (excluding Gozantis and Battle Carriers) should be in the very back where they can replenish fighters when lost. Only use them in combat when necessary Remember these are just guidelines and often the chaos of combat will cause you to need to think on your feet. Fighter Overview You may have noticed that I have not been talking about fighters this whole time. That does not mean they are not important, in fact they are the 'make or break' of any combat situation. If you do not eliminate enemy fighters, they will pick apart your fleet ship by ship. There are three basic ways of approaching fighter superiority on the battlefield: [1] Sheer Numbers [2] Better Fighters [3] AA (Anti-Air) As the Empire you will mostly be using 1 and 3, with the Rebels using mostly 2, and the Black Sun being annoying and using all three. Be aware if you build your fleet around expensive fighters, be wary of logistics as you will need to replace them at a dedicated fighter shipyard. The Empire thrives on carriers, but they have many draw backs. You will be waiting long periods for deployment times and you have a limited amount, if any, replacements. You have very limited options for carriers and the best ones are locked behind tech. (I recommend doing missions that include getting Acclamators and Venators, as they are some the best carriers early game) So, you have the carriers, what do you do now? Fighter Tactics Your main fighter will be the basic TIE. It is good as a scout or as a swarm to take down enemy fighters. You will mostly be using them for intercepting enemy fighters, keeping them close to your bigger ships. Tips for Fighters: Put them in a command group (using Left Ctrl + 1-9) and micro them to single targets for maximum damage (you can do this for all ships but Fighters benefit most) Keep them away from enemy AA, they will not survive for long Prioritize targets like Bombers or Strike Fighters Keep an eye on how many losses you take and make sure to include replacements in your command group Use Vader and the ships he gets as a supplement to your TIEs Republic ships carry V-wings, use the V-wings as a supplement to your TIEs Be careful around fighters labeled 'Alpha-Strike', they are meant to destroy large groups of fighters with an initial volley of missiles (target them after this initial volley for minimal casualties) Make sure your fighters dont wander, stray TIEs are easy pickings Use TIEs to rush undefended enemy artillery As the Empire, you will not have many Heavy Fighters until later in the game, but the few you will have will be invaluable to your fleet's security. The most common source for early heavy fighters is Republic ships (which carry the ARC-170), and Vader (who carries the TIE-Brute). (PS you can also use Gozantis, which are cheap and mass producible, but gives no replacements, takes up pop space, and are locked behind tech) Tips for Heavy Fighters: Keep them in the center or back line of your formation to protect the fragile artillery and carriers When protecting ships, prioritize Bombers and other Heavy Fighters When using them aggressively, prioritize Gunships and Corvettes, while avoiding Heavier AA and Interceptors Be aware of the stats of the ship (this should be applied generally, but is especially important for Heavy Fighters) Be aware that while Heavy Fighters pack a punch, they are not dogfighters, keep them far from the front line unless necessary It is possible to use Heavy Fighters to escort Bombers, but be aware that they will take heavy casualties if done incorrectly When escorting other ships, use Heavy Fighters as a holding tool, allowing the other ships to get through The TIE bomber is what you will be using for the majority of the game until you unlock the TIE Defender (the TIE Punisher is just the heavier and more expensive cousin, consider it as another TIE Bomber instead of its own ship). Bombers generally target larger ship's hardpoints and are weak to most enemy Fighters and AA. Tips for Bombers: Keep them in the back line until most enemy Fighters and AA are eliminated Prioritize targeting Enemy ship's shield generators and engines first, then taking out their most valuable hardpoints (ex: heavy guns, hangars, missile bays, ect.) Gozantis are the best source of cheap TIE Bombers (most carriers only carry one or two, so it is wise to have some Gozantis for swarming) TIE Bombers can not dogfight and are very fragile, do not use them to engage anything smaller than a gunship unless necessary You can use map elements like nebulas to your advantage, as TIE Bombers have no shield or special ability General Defensive Tactics (Space/Galactic) I am going to be honest, I am a lousy defender in space. And while it is mostly my fault, most AotR players will tell you that defending against the twentieth AI death stack is not very easy. The most general thing I can tell you is to expect to lose every time, and just see how much of the AI you can take down with you. However, with the proper preparation you can defend almost anything with skill. The Empire gives you many good defensive stations, the heaviest and most expensive being the Golan III. However most players cant afford a Golan III at every planet, and placing a garrison fleet everywhere is impossible. So you must follow a system that will be tailored to your individual game and game state. (Long story short, I cant give detailed plans or formations, just general galactic map tactics) A few methods that I've used are: The Bastion Method Use of central reinforced bastions, focusing heavy defenses on a few planets Build large static defenses on important planets Have a medium size fleet on that planet for both defense and counter attack If you have access to your local or main offensive fleet, it can be used in the same way Reinforce frontline planets with cheaper ground based defenses, keeping most of the space defenses to your designated bastions(PS dont just have one bastion, choose a few that have ideal building slots/maps for an ideal defense) The Divisional Method Use of regional defense fleets and light static defenses on many planets Build regional defensive fleets to counter incoming forces Build light defenses on all frontline worlds while investing most of the credits into the regional fleet Move the fleet to either defend against an incoming attack or to counter attack if the initial defense was lost Keep many ground defenses, as many times the light space defense and fleet may not be enough Be sure to prioritize the survival of the regional fleet, if it is destroyed the whole region may be under threat The Offensive Method Use of counterattacks and diversions rather than defense, only using it when needed Put a few defenses into important or chokepoint worlds, focusing more on counter attack than defense Use your main fleet or regional fleet to counterattack when the enemy fleet has overrun your forces Use ground forces to defend, keeping the enemy from taking the planet Use offensive fleets to attack systems left undefended because of their attack The AI often does one planet at a time, but dont bank on this when deciding to counter attack The Scorched Earth Method When you know for a fact you are going to lose Try and retreat when defeat seems assured Focus more on retaking planets when at a stronger point in the game, than defending them now Selling off any defenses or facilities on the planet to allow you to salvage what you can Strike back at the enemy when they are diverted and while the planetary defenses are still weak (Use one or more based on the state of your game) General Offensive Tactics (Ground) Ground is much more variable in comparison to space because of the variety of planets you will be fighting on. Infantry and vehicle combat dynamics and tactics will generally be the same, and so that is what we will discuss. The most simple attack force will look something like this: 3-6 Stormtrooper squads (the Army troopers are not a substitute) 2-3 Light Walkers (ATST and/or ATPT, ATDP if nessisary) 1-2 Heavy Vehicles (Veers or ATATs when you have the tech) It is best to have many reserves, and often you will have one main attack force built up from the beginning of the game. Other good ground units to have are: Transports (like ITTs) Artillery (once you have the tech) Air support Army Medics Heros Dedicated Anti-Tank (ATST/R) Most Stormtrooper variants (they are built for offense) Tanks (A uniquely mobile asset for the Empire) Army troopers (mostly to be used as a probing force or as cannon fodder) Some general tips on Ground Combat: Infantry is often best countered with infantry Vehicles are expensive and necessary for victory, protect and put them behind your infantry Be careful of enemy air, they will slowly damage your units over time Destroy all enemy turrets, if you let them be, they will damage large amounts of your army and nullify your tactics Use bombardments for enemy bases or defenses in large areas, use bombing runs for specific targets or small areas Dont just throw your units at enemy defenses, use each unit for its own niche for best effect You can always attack again, be willing to retreat if you messed up Keeping one troop from a unit in the back can save the whole unit if the rest are destroyed After a successful invasion, keep a small portion of the army at said planet and retreat the rest to a safe place (this is to avoid losses in the event of a counterattack) Look for the enemy base and make your way over, either avoiding or engaging enemies until you get to their base The AI will often try and set up a defensive stronghold before they retreat to their base, try and avoid it if you dont have the adequate counters (ex: for the bunker turret have lots of infantry) General Defensive Tactics (Ground) The Empire starts the game with a large amount of ground based units deployed on all your planets. While it may be tempting to take them all and reinforce your frontline, under no circumstances should you ever do this. The Rebels have units that bypass your space defenses and go straight to ground combat. They can and will appear at any of your planets. While it isnt very dangerous, and their forces are weak to any real defenses, they are extremely annoying. They will strike at your money making planets and force you to go and take them again. So it is best to build defenses instead of just moving them. Each planet should have at least: 1-3 units of Infantry (Army troopers recommended, Stormtroopers if needed) 1-2 vehicles (ITTs and ATDPs are good cheap options) A garrison building (the governor's palace does count, but you will need more units to compensate)Generally the best ground defense is built apon the garrison building. That is where you will get most of your units. This is generally, of course there are exceptions. If you have a planet under siege (i.e. they have space but not ground), it is best to have as many units as possible. Other defensive buildings like shields and turrets must be tailored to the individual planet, but most of the time you will at least need one of them. Good units to have: A good amount of Stormtroopers (Army troopers are ok at defense but need vehicle support to be effective) Stormtrooper Gunners in particular (if you dont have the tech, Army gunners are a substitute) Artillery (when you have the tech) Snipers of any kind (extremely useful against infantry) Walkers/Tanks Anti-Infantry vehicles (ATPT) ATAA (when you have the tech) Mercs that can be hired in map Heros Some general tips on Ground Combat: Build turrets strategically, they cant fight off a whole army, but can supplement defenses Try and exploit chokepoints Be wary of a static defense, the enemy has bombing runs that can eliminate whole armies Be aware of flanking routes, special buildings, and the local population Look at the map as a whole, any modifiers, and any terrain that can be used to your advantage Build some AA turrets, they are extremely useful Be aware of the health of your units, and make sure you can retreat when necessary Keep the enemy away from your main structures at all costs If defeat is assured, either take as many units down with you or retreat (most likely losing all of your units anyway) Heros are OP, keep yours safe, and try to bait the enemies out Conclusion This guide is only the basics, you will need to build your own strategies and find your own niche in AotR. However, I hope this guide provides a foundation for you to build apon with time. If I got anything wrong or you have any suggestions, feel free to let me know. -Sexton out