The idea of this guide is to explain how to use different space units, and what purpose they serve in Star Wars Empire at War. This guide is meant to be for the Forces of Corruption expansion, and I will include units exclusive to that expansion. As of 9/12/17, this guide became semi-irrelivant, because Steam Workshop means you have no reason not to mod the living hell out of this game, but It's still useful for "vanilla", quote unquote, since we're including FoC, I guess. Units pt1: Fighters Starfighters should be the most numerous units in any fleet you deploy, except maybe bombers. They're fast, and they're agile enough that Frigates, capital ships and space stations really aren't equipped to fight them, but they probably pack the least punch of any class of ship. That might sound like a dealbreaker, but they're more than adequate for killing other fighters and bombers, they have all the firepower they need for it in fact, just don't expect them to bring down anything bigger than they are without overwhelming numbers. Fighters have a fairly simple purpose in space battles: A) They are your scouts, they can spread out quickly and watch for enemy units moving in on your forces. B) They protect your units by attacking enemy fighters and bombers. In battle, bombers are a big deal, and fighters are one of the only good ways to deal with them. Because of that, your fighters will have two jobs: protect you big ships and space station from the enemy bombers, and to protect your bombers from the enemy fighters. In the late stages of a battle, the fighters' job changes to become hunters, as they will fan out across the map to locate and destroy enemy fighters and bombers before they can retreat. Units pt2: Bombers Bombers may be the Most powerful units in Star Wars Empire at War, and they will certainly be the blunt of many an offensive. Bombers are much like fighters, too small to be adequately targeted by anything bigger than a corvette, but Bombers are slower (still faster than most frigates), and while they're more durable, they lack good weaponry to battle enemy fighters, their lasers probably being the worst in the game. The exception to this is the B-Wing and Tie Defender bombers, which can easily hold their own against enemy fighters, and are darn fast to boot. They could probably serve as fighters themselves if they had to. But the majority of bombers have to rely on a less direct weapon to be useful, and they succeed massively: Bombers are distinguished from fighters by the fact that they carry proton torpedoes, slow powerful weapons that are just as impractical as turbolasers against fighters and bombers, but cause huge damage when they impact larger ships and space station. Torpedoes also ignore shielding, letting a few squadrons of bombers work together to quickly eliminate a ship's shields before their capital ships even enter firing range. Bombers are best used to tactically strike the enemy frigates, capital ships and space stations, either to destroy them on their own, or to take down the shields and destroy them in conjunction with larger ships of their own. Units Pt3: Corvetts and missile cruisers. Corvettes are small, fast cruisers, much larger than fighters and bombers, but also smaller than any frigate. Corvettes are armed to take down ships smaller than themselves, and can rip through fighters and bombers very effectively with precise, fast-firing lasers being used to great impact to guard any allied ships larger than themselves. Corvettes don't do massive damage when compared to larger ships, but their ability to consistently hit fighters and Bombers makes them invaluable. Missile cruisers are long-range attack ships, firing waves of missiles that ignore shielding. They can be used to great effect against large space stations and capital ships from behind your lines, and can use their barrage ability to eliminate fighters and bombers in a circular area. Missile cruisers consistently suffer from poor armor and shielding, as well as poor speed and maneuverability. These are your artillery units, built to assist your other ships from a distance by bombarding the enemy with missiles, but if the enemy attacks them with most anything, even fighters, they won't make it. Keep them away from the battle itself, and they can be devastating. Units pt4: Frigates Frigates are medium-sized ships, and easily the most varied class in the Game. In the mid-to-early stages, they will serve as your main firepower, when Capital ships are unavailable, or too expensive. In later parts of the game, they will support and draw fire from your capital ships. Frigates are also the best option for battling enemy corvettes, as they're faster and more able to follow the smaller ships than the larger capital ships. Different frigates serve different purposes over time in a game of Empire at War. Few players can afford enough capital ships to garrison their border systems with them, so the duty will often fall to Frigates. Other frigates have individual abilities or specializations that make them powerful. The Empire's interdictor frigates can prevent your enemies from retreating in space battles, while the Rebel's MC 40 frigates pack enough proton torpedoes to put a squadron of bombers to shame, and can offensively serve a similar purpose. Frigates are also the first class that has hardpoints: You don't just tell your ships "Shoot the frigate", you tell them "Shoot that Frigate's shield generator/laser banks/missile launchers". All Larger ships and Space Stations also have hardpoints. Units pt5: Capital Ships Capital Ships are your big guns, in many cases they will be the primary thrust of your offensive, being used to eliminate enemy frigates, corvettes and space stations, and even facing down enemy capital ships. Capital ships are heavily armed and armored, and can be used to great impact in the battlefield. They will consistently outgun enemy Frigates, and will often have heavy shielding and a lot of hardpoints to disable before destruction. Also worth noting are Space Stations. These non-mobile platforms are built around planets under your control, and consistently provide reinforcements in battle. The Level of your space station drastically changes the size, firepower, construction capabilities and garrison of your space station. Factions pt1: The Rebel Alliance The Rebels rely mostly on strong fighters and bombers. While they have access to good frigates and capital ships, their real power is that they have the best small ships. X-wings and A-wings are fast, and fairly durable as well, they will rip into enemy fighters and bombers with extreme prejudice, and devastate your foes' ability to scout the battle field or counter your bombers. X-Wings can close their S-foils to increase speed, at the expense of attack power. The ability can be toggled freely, so it is recommended you watch them and switch them between "scout/movement" and "attack" modes. A-wings can attract the attention of enemy weapons, providing effective cover for your bombers. The rebels have two hero units that count as fighters as well, Rogue squadron and the Millennium Falcon. Rogue squadron is an upgraded squadron of X-wings with the added "Strike" ability, boosting their speed, damage and rate of fire for a short period. The Millennium Falcon has the speed of a fighter, and turret weapons that function like the guns of a corvette. While considerably less well-armed than the larger ships, they do pack quite the punch for their size. The millennium falcon can also make itself invulnerable for short periods. Y-Wings and the superior B-Wings carry high-yield proton torpedoes, and will be used to destroy everything from Acclimators to Keldabe battleships to space stations. They will require the help of your fleet to protect them from fighters and corvettes, but they will be devastating to anything they can use their missiles on. Y-Wings can use Ion cannons to damage enemy shields, while B-wings can toggle the same S-foils ability as the X-wings. Corillian corvettes are standard anti-fighter ships, and effective. They're faster than other corvettes thanks to their ability, which takes power from their shields and weapons to allow them to move faster for a short period of time, to escape or to rush into battle. Corillian Gunships are similar corvettes, but are less well equipped to battle fighters and bombers, instead packing missile launchers to damage frigates as well, though they do plenty of damage to fighters if they connect, which is not uncommon. The Hero unit, the Sundered Heart, is an upgraded Corellian Corvette with the ability to release an AoE debuff to enemy damage. The Marauder cruiser is the Rebel missile frigate, capable of bombarding the enemy with missiles in a circular area. For Frigates, The rebels have three: The Nebulon-B, a fairly durable ship, but nothing to write home about. The Assault frigate, which packs more punch, though its durability comes into question. These two ships share the shield boost ability, which redirects energy from their weapons and engines to their shields, sacrificing speed and damage for surviveability for a short time. The final frigate is a new Forces of Corruption addition: The MC30. This ship has a bay of proton torpedo launchers on the front, that will unleash salvos of shield-piercing bombs on the enemy . It also has a cluster bomb ability to defend itself, where it releases a payload of bombs around itself in a circle, and effective measure to deal with enemy fighters and bombers. Rebel Capital ship is the Mon Cal cruiser, a tough ship with heavy turbolasers and Ion cannons to deal with enemy shields. Even better than the Mon Cal cruiser however, in the hero unit Home One, which is larger, carries more weaponry, and can order your entire fleet to attack a single target. All Rebel capital ships have the shield boost ability like many of the rebels' frigates. Factions pt2: The Galactic Empire The empire relies primarily on their larger ships in battle, with their fighters and bombers supporting them, rather than the other way around, like for the Rebels. Most Imperial fighters and Bombers must be deployed from their frigates and capital ships. Their fighters are the TIE Fighter, a weak, fast and easy to kill fighter that will be used in large numbers against the enemy. TIE Interceptors, available in stronger frigates and capital ships, as well as high-level space stations, are faster and do more damage, becoming more a match for your enemies' starfighters. Interceptors and basic fighters have the hunt ability, where they will spread out and hunt down any enemies they find. TIE Scouts can use a sonar power to reveal circular patches of the Fog of War, and TIE Phantoms are more durable versions of tie Fighters that can cloak themselves for invisibility. The Imperials can deploy Boba Fett in his ship Slave 1 as a fighter as well, where he is equipped with the powerful seismic charge power, which can be deployed to eliminate whole enemy squadrons. TIE Bombers are slow and easy to kill, but hit as hard as any other bombers. TIE defenders have shields and can battle enemy fighters as well as bomb enemy frigates and capital ships. They have the ion cannon ability, as well as the power to boost their weapon damage (lasers, not torpedoes) at the expense of their speed and shields. TIE Defenders must be brought into battle by squadron however, rather than through garrisons aboard larger ships. Tartan Cruisers are the Empire's corvettes, and a skilled players' best friend. They will be your primary defense against enemy fighters, as your own fighters are often inadequate for the task. They can boost their rate of fire as well, at the expense of shields and engines, to perform a high risk-high reward assault. Broadside cruisers are the Imperial missile cruiser, and can bombard a circular area with missiles from long range. Acclimator frigates are strong cruisers, with the ability to boost their weapons like Tartan cruisers, as well as a garrison of a squadron of tie fighters, and a squadron of bombers. The Interdictor cruiser is a small frigate, not significantly larger than an acclimator, nor particularly better-armed. Lacking any garrison of fighters or bombers, the interdictor serves the purpose of preventing the enemy from retreating from battle, or from bringing in new ships within a radius around it. The Interdictor can also disrupt all missiles within a radius around it, making it useful for countering enemy missile frigates. Victory frigates are more powerful than acclimators, and more heavily armed as well. They can deploy a second squadron of fighters, and all their fighters are interceptors. They can boost weapon damage as well. The Imperial Star Destroyer Capital ship packs more firepower than the Victory, the same compliment of fighters, and respawns those fighters after death for a longer time as well. The Star Destroyer lacks a Weapon damage power, but instead can tractor beam smaller ships (corvettes and frigates) in place, trapping them to be destroyed. The Empire has two hero Star Destroyers. Peitt has the power to use a proton beam to heavily damage a single enemy hardpoint or ship, and Thrawn has a version of the increased weapon damage power that does not weaken his engines or shields. The Imperials can also upgrade Darth Vader to wield the Executor, a powerful Star Destroyer twice the length of a normal ship, with a large compliment of fighters that must be manually deployed. If the empire builds the death star and deploys it in battle, it not only provides a significant garrison to assist (One Imperial Star Destroyer, Two Victory Frigates and two Tartan cruisers, all without taking up so much as a single space in your maximum number of ships you're allowed to deploy), but can instantly destroy enemy ships periodically, no matter their strength. If held in battle long enough, the Death star can destroy enemy planets, removing the need for a planetary invasion, any soldiers or buildings on the planet, but also any bonuses or credits the planet generated, all money now being generated by space stations built in the asteroid field. This can be done in the overworld as well. Factions Pt3: The Zann Consortium The Zahn Consortium is a strange faction. They lack the garrisoned fighters and Bombers of the Empire, and the powerful fighters of the Rebels. They seem to rely on powers to make themselves the victors. Their fighters are the Starviper, a tough enough ship, perhaps equal to the X-Wing, with the ability to deploy buzzdroids, essentially making a patch of space cause damage to any enemy fighters and bombers that enter it. The Consortium heroes, IG-88 and Bosk, have fighters. IG-88 can hack enemy systems to weaken them, and Bossk can deploy sensor jamming. The Skipray Blastboat is a heavy bomber, and hard to kill, with the power to disrupt enemy sensors around them. The Crusader corvette destroys enemy fighters and bombers for the Consortium, and can use a point-defense system to destroy missiles and torpedoes in a close proximity, also damaging fighters. The Vengeance Frigate lacks shields, but can do heavy damage, with several of its guns piercing shields, it is comparable to the Alliance assault frigate, and has heavy armor. It is also capable of cloaking and of self-destructing when near death. The Interceptor frigate is armed with missiles as well as laser cannons for battle, and can bombard the enemy with a brief barrage of missiles. The Aggressor Capital Ship has only light weaponry, but can fire a slow-moving blast against enemy capital ships and space stations, doing heavy damage. these ships can self-destruct to damage foes around them. Tyber Zahn, the Consortium's leader, has a special Aggressor that can cloak itself. The Keldabe battleship is a more traditional Capital ship, but lacks shielding. Instead, it drains shields from its targets, giving it protection by draining it from the enemy. It is worth noting that, at least in space, The Consortium can use a fair number of Rebel and Imperial units if they corrupt enemy worlds with the "Piracy" form of corruption. This allows them to build the enemies' corvettes, missile frigates, and I believe a Nebulon-B Frigate as well. All these ships are built for significantly lower prices than the consortium would otherwise pay for comparable ships.