FIRST ORDER: X-WING Faction buying guide
Faction preview
Let the past die! Kill it if you have to!
The First Order is a group of villainous individuals that have emerged from the remnants of the Empire and threaten the galaxy again in The Force Awakens. Aside from the conflicted Kylo Ren, you will find Captain Phasma, Supreme Commander Snoke and General Hux as recognizable characters. In addition to them, you will find various pilots from the Poe Dameron comic series as well as the TV show Resistance.
As the First Order was treated as a part of the Empire faction during X-Wing’s First Edition and only got 4 ships during that time (out of which 3 have already been reprinted for Second Edition), it is a far more accessible faction than the factions of the original trilogy, those being Empire and Rebels. At the time of writing, the First Order has 8 different ships. The most recognizable of these are the regular TIE/fo fighter, the Upsilon Shuttle seen in the battle of Crait, and Kylo Ren’s Tie Silencer.
Speaking of Kylo Ren, he is also the cornerstone of many First Order lists in X-Wing. Due to the Tie Silencers powerful statline and Kylo’s force points, he is a very reliable ace. Thematically, he is often fielded with a few tie/fo fighters, which give him the fire protection he needs to excel at overpowering the enemy list. This is a classic archetype, the so-called “Ace + Miniswarm”, which is also popular in other factions but especially prevalent in the First Order.
While the First Order certainly relies on its imperial heritage when it comes to ship designs, its respective successor crafts tend to be more advanced, often adding some shielding. That said, they do not follow the Empire’s playstyle. While the Empire has a strong focus on discipline and precise flying, the First Order instead emphasizes fanaticism and following aggressive strategies.
The First Order’s comparatively high number of 2.0-accessible ships, in addition to its relatively self-sustaining expansion packs make it a great faction for beginners. This also means that you can’t really make mistakes when first buying First Order expansions, as you can cobble together a solid list from any selection of the ships.
How to use this guide
- This guide contains actual information up to June 2024. We will update it accordingly with the new info when need be.
- The given handling and power levels of the ships can be subjective and/or simplistic, but are given for overall comparison. We are planning to add more "objective" stats at a later date.
- The number of pilots listed corresponds to the different pilots in the box; in some cases, there are more copies of generic pilots in the boxes containing a couple of the same ships.
- When pilots a stated "exclusive to this box", that means you need to buy this box to get them, they are not included in the Conversion kit or elsewhere.
The First Order was a part of Galactic Empire during the first edition and had only 4 ships. There is a Conversion Kit, but with the Black Box releases you can get all the ships fresh except only one ship. There are two major pathways to collect all the wrath of the First Order, although in reality one will be faced with a mixture of both depending on your LGS stocks and community at large:
Getting started
X-Wing Core Set
- 0 pilots (non for First Order)
- 2 ships (non for First Order)
- FFG
The X-Wing Core Set comes with zero Scum ships - so the question is, what is it doing here?
First of all, It also has all necessary tools and accessories to play the game: range ruler, maneuver templates, dice (3+3), obstacles and one damage deck.
More importantly, the Core Set is a great way to test the game on a smaller scale!But keep in mind: it contains the rules for 2.0 (FFG/Legacy) version of the game. If you want an updated Rule Book for 2.5 (AMG) version for this set - we got you covered:
If you just want to try out the game - the Core Set is a way to do. Even if you later trade all ships and leave yourself with tools to play the game.
But if you insist on having a pure start, you can get all the tools separately:
Deluxe Movement Tools and Range Ruler
Deluxe Movement Tools and Range Ruler
Deluxe Movement Tools and Range Ruler
- 11 Maneuver Templates
- 4 Range Ruler segments
- FFG
This pack contains plastic maneuver templates and a range ruler with segments to make your measurements quick and precise. You can paint, just don't forget to varnish it after!
Dice Pack
Deluxe Movement Tools and Range Ruler
Deluxe Movement Tools and Range Ruler
- 3 Red dice
- 3 Green dice
- FFG
Dice Pack contains three red attack dice and three green defense dice, identical to the dice included in the Core Set.
First Order Damage Deck
Deluxe Movement Tools and Range Ruler
Never Tell Me the Odds Obstacles Pack
- 33 Damage cards
- FFG
This deck contains a complete set of damage cards that correspond to those in the standard damage deck. The text on the cards is the same as that of the standard Damage cards, only the card graphics are different.
Never Tell Me the Odds Obstacles Pack
Never Tell Me the Odds Obstacles Pack
Never Tell Me the Odds Obstacles Pack
- 15 obstacles
- FFG
You've read it right - you are getting obstacles, all of them! Well not all, excluding particular Gas Clouds from the Separatists and Republic Squadron Packs, Asteroids and Debris from the Pride of Mandalore Reinforcements Pack. But that's a lot of obstacles plus some upgrades.
Great little pack! It contains cards with special setups for you game to spice things up.
Never Tell Me the Odds Obstacles Pack
Never Tell Me the Odds Obstacles Pack
So you bought all necessary tools to play the game, or maybe this is not you first faction...
Ok, calm down! We hear you asking: Where are our ships? Give us ships!
This is a bare minimum, new player friendly back bone of your First Order:
TIE/fo Fighter
TIE/vn Silencer
TIE/fo Fighter
- 12 pilots
- 1 ship
- medium to fly
- medium strength
- FFG
This ship is the First Order’s bread and butter. In contrast to the Empire’s Tie/ln Fighter, the TIE/fo Fighter has a shield in addition to its hull value of three, making it far more difficult to get one-shoted.
Its pilots also have abilities that allow the ship to operate more independently. “Scorch” for example allows you to roll an additional attack die at the cost of a stress token. As the TIE/fo Fighter has blue hard turns at speed two, it is also far easier to get rid of said stress tokens.
Most First Order lists contain at least one of these, but even seeing six of them is not that unusual. As this is the only pack that includes Fanatical, a talent unique to the First Order, you likely want at least three TIE/fo Fighters at some point. Another upgrade that's frequently used on TIE/fo Fighters is Automated Target Priority from the Xi-class Light Shuttle pack.
TIE/sf Fighter
TIE/vn Silencer
TIE/fo Fighter
- 4 pilots
- 1 ship
- medium to fly
- medium strength
- FFG
Also known as the Special Forces TIE, TIE/sf Fighter has a 2-die turret arc limited to the front and back along with a 2-die front arc. This ability also allows it to fire missiles from its turret arc. You can use the Special Forces Gunner unique to this ship to either roll an additional attack die if the turret arc is in front, or do an additional attack from the rear arc after attacking with the front arc, if your turret arc is facing backwards.
With these options, the TIE/sf Fighter is a very flexible ship with many uses in list-building. “Backdraft” pilot is a great filler piece, while “Quickdraw” is a powerful ace at initiative 6. “Quickdraw”s ability allows you to perform a bonus primary attack once per turn upon losing a shield. This ability is very powerful, but it takes some time to learn how to use it properly.
TIE/vn Silencer
TIE/vn Silencer
TIE/vn Silencer
- 6 pilots
- 1 ship
- easy to fly
- strong
- FFG
TIE/vn Silencer features First Order’s most well-known pilot - Kylo Ren. This ship has a very strong stat line along with a great dial featuring blue hard turns. In addition to this, it shares a common ship ability with the TIE Interceptor: Autothrusters allow to perform a red boost or barrel roll action after an action, making it a very mobile ship that is still quite durable.
This combination of stats, dial and ship ability make the TIE Silencer a ship that is both accessible to beginners and powerful in the hands of an experienced player. This tendency is especially strong if you decide to fly Kylo Ren, as his force points both provide an additional layer of defense (especially when coupled with Hate) and offense (emphasized if you use Malice).
Aside from Kylo, the Tie Silencer also features three other unique pilots and two generics. The Sienar-Jaemus Engineer at initiative 1 is a very reliable pilot.
Tie Silencers are usually played either alone (if you’re flying a high initiative ace like Kylo Ren or “Blackout”) or in triples.
EXPANDING COLLECTION
Fury of the First Order Squadron Pack
Fury of the First Order Squadron Pack
Now, when you are feeling bold and wanting more ships, it's time to expand your fleet with different options:
Fury of the First Order Squadron Pack
Fury of the First Order Squadron Pack
Fury of the First Order Squadron Pack
- 12 pilots exclusive to this box
- 3 ships
- FFG
The First Order’s starfighter engineers continue to develop new technologies for use by their ace pilots, and the Fury of the First Order Squadron Pack allows players to bring advanced starfighters to their games.
TIE/se Bomber bristles with a heavy payload of ordnance.
- 6 pilots
- 2 ship
- medium to fly
- medium strength
While these at first look fairly similar to the Empire’s TIE/sa Bomber, they play a lot differently. The main reason for this is the ship ability: Pursuit Thrusters allows them to perform a free boost action during the System Phase, making it the most agile ordnance platform in the game. In addition to this, it has a white barrel roll action linking to a red target lock, granting it more options in close-quarters combat.
This however comes at a price, as the ship is very vulnerable to stress, with the only blue maneuvers on its dial being straight maneuvers. Stress also disables Pursuit Thrusters, thereby drastically reducing the bomber’s maneuverability.
The Tie/se Bomber is usually flown either alone, using a high initiative pilot such as “Breach”, or in swarms consisting of generics and “Grudge”. Popular upgrades on these are Advanced Proton Torpedoes, Ion Missiles, Bomblet Generator, Seismic Charges and Electro-Chaff Missiles.
TIE/wi Whisper Modified Interceptor is a deadly craft worthy of the Supreme Leader himself.
- 4 pilots
- 1 ship
- medium to fly
- medium strength
This ship features a three attack die bullseye firing arc and a two attack die turret, which you can rotate to its front or back arc. Along with this, the TIE Whisper features the Enhanced Jamming Suite configuration, which grants it access to a white jam action that you can link to from a focus, barrel roll or boost. In addition, this also allows you to jam friendly ships, granting a third defense die if the attacker does not have green tokens or a ship in your firing arc is jammed. As such, the TIE Whispers regular two defense die can be a bit misleading.
All of its unique pilots feature interesting and unusual abilities, making the Tie Whisper a very enjoyable ship to fly and giving it a high skill ceiling. You usually only fly one of these per list. Popular upgrades are Predator and Sensor Scramblers.
There's been an act of sabotage at the factory, and all TIE/wi Whisper ship tokes lack proper firing arc identifications.
Major Vonreg's TIE/ba Interceptor
Major Vonreg's TIE/ba Interceptor
Major Vonreg's TIE/ba Interceptor
- 4 pilots exclusive to this box
- 1 ship
- difficult to fly
- strong
- FFG
If you’re looking for an agile and powerful ace with a high skill ceiling, TIE/ba Interceptor flown by Major Vonreg is the right ship for you. Its Fine-Tuned Thrusters allows you to perform a lock or barrel roll action after completing a maneuver, at the cost of taking a deplete or strain token. This unique ability allows you to take a temporary debuff to your offense or defense for a greater advantage in position or attack modifiers.
This makes a well-flown TIE/ba one of the most dangerous ships in the game, but the negative effects of using Fine-Tuned Thrusters also make mistakes very punishing. The Tie/ba also has an unusual dial for an ace, having blue hard turns at speed 1 instead of the common speed 2 blue hard turns. Access to blue speed 1 banks also allow the Tie/ba to navigate a bit easier in tight spaces compared to most other aces
“Holo” at initiative 5 is a rather unique ace, whose pilot ability requires you to pass 1 token of your choice (be it positive or negative) to a friendly ship at range 0-2 upon start of the Engagement Phase. This pilot frequently sees usage with three Sienar-Jaemus Engineers (Tie/vn Silencer) and Proud Tradition.
The star of this pack however is Major Vonreg, primarily due to him being initiative 6 and having a lot of movement options to capitalize on this. His pilot ability is rather unremarkable, allowing you to assign a deplete or strain token to an enemy ship in your bullseye arc during the System Phase. Popular upgrades on Major Vonreg are Daredevil, Outmaneuver and Afterburners.
Xi-class Light Shuttle
Major Vonreg's TIE/ba Interceptor
Major Vonreg's TIE/ba Interceptor
- 4 pilots exclusive to this box
- 1 ship
- easy to fly
- weak
- FFG
Xi-class Light Shuttle is the First Orders low-budget Lambda Shuttle. With only two attack dice but a better dial on a medium base, the Xi Shuttle is a decent coordinate platform that doesn’t get stuck between obstacles quite as quickly as large bases do.
With a red coordinate and a white jam action, the Xi-Shuttle works as a reliable support craft that does not take up large parts of your list, granting greater flexibility in list-building. The ship also comes with two crew slots and a handful of crew upgrades, with the most important ones being Tactical Officer and Agent Terex.
Gideon Hask and Commander Malarus pilots both boost the firepower of friendly ships in range 0-2 of them at the cost of a strain token, making them reliable core pieces for a swarm of TIE/fo Fighters. A popular list uses Commander Malarus along with six TIE/fo Epsilon Squadron Cadets to create a powerful swarm, which due to Malarus’ range does not have to fly in as much of a tight cluster as most swarms do.
CARDBOARD PACKS
Hotshots and Aces II Reinforcements Pack
Hotshots and Aces Reinforcements Pack
These packs do not contain any ship minis, but what they have is cardboard in abundance to further expand your fleet: new pilots, new upgrades, game tokens that you might not have: like bombs or new obstacles. The rule of thumb is to check for which ships are you getting the pilots and upgrades before getting one.
Hotshots and Aces Reinforcements Pack
Hotshots and Aces II Reinforcements Pack
Hotshots and Aces Reinforcements Pack
- 3 pilots (16 for 5 factions exclusive to this box)
- FFG
This expansion gives new pilots and upgrades for multiple factions. The First order gets only 3 new pilots:
- Captain Phasma (TIE/sf Fighter)
- Lieutenant LeHuse (TIE/sf Fighter)
- "Rush" (TIE/vn Silencer)
Plus you are getting some upgrades that were missing in Order's black boxes but were in other factions.
It's a good pack to buy with friends, because you can split pilots by factions without any fuss.
Hotshots and Aces II Reinforcements Pack
Hotshots and Aces II Reinforcements Pack
Hotshots and Aces II Reinforcements Pack
- 5 pilots (36 for all factions exclusive to this box)
- AMG
Another pack, somewhat like a previous one, but only with new pilots. This time First Order gets 5 new pilots:
- Lieutenant Galek (TIE/fo Fighter)
- Jul Jerjerrod (TIE/se Bomber)
- DT-798 (TIE/fo Fighter)
- Lin Gaava (TIE/fo Fighter)
- Agent Tierny (Xi-class Light Shuttle)
It’s also worth noting these Hotshots and Aces have some odd printing choices with different faction pilots being on opposite sides of the same token. So splitting it with friends from other factions might not be possible.
Never Tell Me the Odds Obstacles Pack
Never Tell Me the Odds Obstacles Pack
Hotshots and Aces II Reinforcements Pack
Fully Loaded Devices Pack
Never Tell Me the Odds Obstacles Pack
Fully Loaded Devices Pack
- 15 bombs and mines
- FFG
Like a pack with obstacles, but instead - a bunch of mines and bombs: tokens and upgrade cards all in one package!
Another great little pack! It also contains cards with special setups for you game to spice things up.
Beyond black box
As Kylo Ren once yelled: "More! More!! " - or something like that along the lines, talking about the First Order Conversion Kit. With great sadness we have to inform you (and Supreme Leader), that in this day and age this Conversion Kit is needed for only one ship. Good thing this kit is cheap relative to the original factions' Conversion kits.
We will talk about the exact contents and possibilities of the First Order Conversion Kit in the second section of the guide. For now let's look at that ship:
Upsilon-class Command Shuttle
Upsilon-class Command Shuttle
Upsilon-class Command Shuttle
- 6 pilots (from the Conversion kit)
- 1 ship
- difficult to fly
- medium strength
- FFG
The Upsilon Shuttle is a mighty craft with a powerful 4-die primary weapon but a weak dial. It is the only large base ship available to the First Order and comes with a powerful action bar including a white reinforce, coordinate and jam action.
Due to its base size and four of its six available hard turns being red, the most important factor in succeeding with the Upsilon-Shuttle is keeping time on target and getting the most mileage out of your valuable actions. Due to its agility value of 1 and its combined hull and shield value of 12, coupled with its slow dial, the Upsilon Shuttle is a ship that rarely makes it to the late game stages, however, it often contributes to the destruction of large parts of the opponents list.
The most commonly used pilot is Lieutenant Tavson, who gains a free action after suffering damage, thereby allowing for coordinate actions during the Engagement Phase. He’s frequently flown using Agent Terex and Biohexacrypt Codes.
Upsilon-class Command Shuttle
Upsilon-class Command Shuttle
Upsilon-class Command Shuttle
There are places on the internet where you can buy single conversions for specific ships. As you see, this might be an ideal opportunity in this case.
Otherwise we have reached the end of First Order standard ships, only Epic remain.
EPIC
Epic Battles Multiplayer Expansion
Epic Battles Multiplayer Expansion
So you have reached the end of the Black Box guide wondering, what else it there beyond your magnificent collection of ships and starfighters?
Two answers:
- Huge Ships
- Multiplayer fun
Epic Battles Multiplayer Expansion
Epic Battles Multiplayer Expansion
Epic Battles Multiplayer Expansion
This expansion introduces a totally new way to play X-Wing, inviting 2 to 8 players to engage in epic multiplayer battles as they command massive fleets in large-scale games that evoke iconic Star Wars scenes.
It features 11 scenarios ranging from Free For All Deathmatch where each player controls only one ship to an Epic Battle where players fly coordinated wings of starfighters supporting huge ships. From desperate defensive actions to daring assaults on enemy fortifications, each scenario creates an exciting narrative.
Within this expansion, you'll find five wing tools that ease and speed up the game letting you fly your fighters in wings and not separately.
Huge Ship Conversion Kit
Epic Battles Multiplayer Expansion
Huge Ship Conversion Kit
- 2 pilots (10 pilots for all factions)
- FFG
Within the Huge Ship Conversion Kit, X-Wing players will find all the components they need to upgrade their first edition huge ships: CR-90, C-ROC, Gozanti, GR-75 and Raider - to the second edition with unique mechanics and upgrades. These ships are not suitable for Standard play, there is a special Epic mode for them that intertwines with Epic Battles Multiplayer Expansion.
The First Order gets Raider-class corvette (huge ship killer) and Gozanti-class cruiser (support or battery platform).
Needless to say that you need to have actual ships to use this Kit. But just look at these beauties below!
Imperial Assault Carrier Expansion Pack
Huge Ship Conversion Kit
Imperial Raider Expansion Pack
Imperial Assault Carrier Expansion Pack
Imperial Assault Carrier Expansion Pack
Raider comes with an additional TIE Advanced-x1 model for the Empire. Huge ship components from 1.0 are not used in epic 2.0, including the bases and pegs, but you can use those bases and pegs for any large ship in your collection.
Imperial Assault Carrier Expansion Pack
Imperial Assault Carrier Expansion Pack
Imperial Assault Carrier Expansion Pack
Gozanti comes with two additional TIE Fighter for the Empire (but you could probably repaint and use them as TIE/FO). Huge ship components from 1.0 are not used in epic 2.0, including the bases and pegs, but you can use those bases and pegs for any large ship in your collection.
You have reached the end of the Black Box guide to the First Order.
We hope it will guide you on the path of bringing down the Resistance and the Galaxy to your will!
The next guide, as we've said before, is aimed at first edition veterans or players who obtained a large collection of minis with outdated first edition cardboard:
So you have a sizable pile... a sizable First Order fleet from the first edition days, either you played in the past or got a deal on the eBay. You might be wondering on how to stat playing an actual version of the game without buying any surplus mini. Well, you are in luck - this is your guide:
THE SMELL OF NEW CARDBOARD
First Order Conversion Kit
- 28 pilots
- FFG
First Order Conversion Kit is a box of second edition cardboard designed specifically for this occasion.
It has components to make this list of ships fully operational again:
- 7x TIE/fo Fighters
- 5x TIE/sf Fighters
- 3x TIE/vn Silencers
- 3x Upsilon-class Shuttles
Plus it has a ton of upgrades and tokens.
If you need a general rundown on what these ships are - check out our Black Box Guide! We have covered that information starting from this section.
What this pack does not have are basic tools and components you will find in the Core Set. You will need a range ruler, maneuver templates, dice, obstacles and one damage deck to play. Range ruler didn't change from the first edition, so it might be out there in the pile, along with dice and obstacles. Maneuver templates got a central notch, so it'll be great to get new ones and the damage deck is completely new. If you want, you can grab a Core Set.
There is also an alternative:
Deluxe Movement Tools and Range Ruler
Deluxe Movement Tools and Range Ruler
Deluxe Movement Tools and Range Ruler
- 11 Maneuver Templates
- 4 Range Ruler segments
- FFG
This pack contains plastic maneuver templates and a range ruler with segments to make your measurements quick and precise. You can paint, just don't forget to varnish it after!
Dice Pack
Deluxe Movement Tools and Range Ruler
Deluxe Movement Tools and Range Ruler
- 3 Red dice
- 3 Green dice
- FFG
Dice Pack contains three red attack dice and three green defense dice, identical to the dice included in the Core Set.
First Order Damage Deck
Deluxe Movement Tools and Range Ruler
First Order Damage Deck
- 33 Damage cards
- FFG
This deck contains a complete set of damage cards that correspond to those in the standard damage deck. The text on the cards is the same as that of the standard Damage cards, only the card graphics are different.
Boxes you might be looking for
Fury of the First Order Squadron Pack
Fury of the First Order Squadron Pack
The Conversion Kit is a powerful box, but to have all the content for you faction you still need a help of Black boxes to make your collection complete. Here some of those boxes, some will contain only carboard, some come with new minies and some with those you might already have, but in new paint jobs:
Fury of the First Order Squadron Pack
Fury of the First Order Squadron Pack
Fury of the First Order Squadron Pack
- 12 pilots exclusive to this box
- 3 ships
- FFG
The First Order’s starfighter engineers continue to develop new technologies for use by their ace pilots, and the Fury of the First Order Squadron Pack allows players to bring advanced starfighters to their games.
TIE/se Bomber bristles with a heavy payload of ordnance.
- 6 pilots
- 2 ship
- medium to fly
- medium strength
While these at first look fairly similar to the Empire’s TIE/sa Bomber, they play a lot differently. The main reason for this is the ship ability: Pursuit Thrusters allows them to perform a free boost action during the System Phase, making it the most agile ordnance platform in the game. In addition to this, it has a white barrel roll action linking to a red target lock, granting it more options in close-quarters combat.
This however comes at a price, as the ship is very vulnerable to stress, with the only blue maneuvers on its dial being straight maneuvers. Stress also disables Pursuit Thrusters, thereby drastically reducing the bomber’s maneuverability.
The Tie/se Bomber is usually flown either alone, using a high initiative pilot such as “Breach”, or in swarms consisting of generics and “Grudge”. Popular upgrades on these are Advanced Proton Torpedoes, Ion Missiles, Bomblet Generator, Seismic Charges and Electro-Chaff Missiles.
TIE/wi Whisper Modified Interceptor is a deadly craft worthy of the Supreme Leader himself.
- 4 pilots
- 1 ship
- medium to fly
- medium strength
This ship features a three attack die bullseye firing arc and a two attack die turret, which you can rotate to its front or back arc. Along with this, the TIE Whisper features the Enhanced Jamming Suite configuration, which grants it access to a white jam action that you can link to from a focus, barrel roll or boost. In addition, this also allows you to jam friendly ships, granting a third defense die if the attacker does not have green tokens or a ship in your firing arc is jammed. As such, the TIE Whispers regular two defense die can be a bit misleading.
All of its unique pilots feature interesting and unusual abilities, making the Tie Whisper a very enjoyable ship to fly and giving it a high skill ceiling. You usually only fly one of these per list. Popular upgrades are Predator and Sensor Scramblers.
There's been an act of sabotage at the factory, and all TIE/wi Whisper ship tokes lack proper firing arc identifications.
Major Vonreg's TIE/ba Interceptor
Fury of the First Order Squadron Pack
Major Vonreg's TIE/ba Interceptor
- 4 pilots exclusive to this box
- 1 ship
- difficult to fly
- strong
- FFG
If you’re looking for an agile and powerful ace with a high skill ceiling, TIE/ba Interceptor flown by Major Vonreg is the right ship for you. Its Fine-Tuned Thrusters allows you to perform a lock or barrel roll action after completing a maneuver, at the cost of taking a deplete or strain token. This unique ability allows you to take a temporary debuff to your offense or defense for a greater advantage in position or attack modifiers.
This makes a well-flown TIE/ba one of the most dangerous ships in the game, but the negative effects of using Fine-Tuned Thrusters also make mistakes very punishing. The Tie/ba also has an unusual dial for an ace, having blue hard turns at speed 1 instead of the common speed 2 blue hard turns. Access to blue speed 1 banks also allow the Tie/ba to navigate a bit easier in tight spaces compared to most other aces
“Holo” at initiative 5 is a rather unique ace, whose pilot ability requires you to pass 1 token of your choice (be it positive or negative) to a friendly ship at range 0-2 upon start of the Engagement Phase. This pilot frequently sees usage with three Sienar-Jaemus Engineers (Tie/vn Silencer) and Proud Tradition.
The star of this pack however is Major Vonreg, primarily due to him being initiative 6 and having a lot of movement options to capitalize on this. His pilot ability is rather unremarkable, allowing you to assign a deplete or strain token to an enemy ship in your bullseye arc during the System Phase. Popular upgrades on Major Vonreg are Daredevil, Outmaneuver and Afterburners.
Xi-class Light Shuttle
Hotshots and Aces Reinforcements Pack
Major Vonreg's TIE/ba Interceptor
- 4 pilots exclusive to this box
- 1 ship
- easy to fly
- weak
- FFG
Xi-class Light Shuttle is the First Orders low-budget Lambda Shuttle. With only two attack dice but a better dial on a medium base, the Xi Shuttle is a decent coordinate platform that doesn’t get stuck between obstacles quite as quickly as large bases do.
With a red coordinate and a white jam action, the Xi-Shuttle works as a reliable support craft that does not take up large parts of your list, granting greater flexibility in list-building. The ship also comes with two crew slots and a handful of crew upgrades, with the most important ones being Tactical Officer and Agent Terex.
Gideon Hask and Commander Malarus pilots both boost the firepower of friendly ships in range 0-2 of them at the cost of a strain token, making them reliable core pieces for a swarm of TIE/fo Fighters. A popular list uses Commander Malarus along with six TIE/fo Epsilon Squadron Cadets to create a powerful swarm, which due to Malarus’ range does not have to fly in as much of a tight cluster as most swarms do.
TIE/vn Silencer
Hotshots and Aces Reinforcements Pack
Hotshots and Aces Reinforcements Pack
- 6 pilots
- 1 ship
- easy to fly
- strong
- FFG
First edition model of TIE/vn Silencer was notoriously out of scale, it was about 2 times bigger than it should have been. So you might want to get a second edition model in correct small proportions, if you are tired of removing this ship on every bump occasion.
In terms of the pilots - they are the same ones you get from the Conversion kit.
Hotshots and Aces Reinforcements Pack
Hotshots and Aces Reinforcements Pack
Hotshots and Aces Reinforcements Pack
- 3 pilots (16 for 5 factions exclusive to this box)
- Cardboard only
- FFG
This expansion gives new pilots and upgrades for multiple factions. The First order gets only 3 new pilots:
- Captain Phasma (TIE/sf Fighter)
- Lieutenant LeHuse (TIE/sf Fighter)
- "Rush" (TIE/vn Silencer)
Plus you are getting some upgrades that were missing in Order's black boxes but were in other factions.
It's a good pack to buy with friends, because you can split pilots by factions without any fuss.
Hotshots and Aces II Reinforcements Pack
Hotshots and Aces II Reinforcements Pack
Hotshots and Aces II Reinforcements Pack
- 5 pilots (36 for all factions exclusive to this box)
- Cardboard only
- AMG
Another pack, somewhat like a previous one, but only with new pilots. This time First Order gets 5 new pilots:
- Lieutenant Galek (TIE/fo Fighter)
- Jul Jerjerrod (TIE/se Bomber)
- DT-798 (TIE/fo Fighter)
- Lin Gaava (TIE/fo Fighter)
- Agent Tierny (Xi-class Light Shuttle)
It’s also worth noting these Hotshots and Aces have some odd printing choices with different faction pilots being on opposite sides of the same token. So splitting it with friends from other factions might not be possible.
Never Tell Me the Odds Obstacles Pack
Hotshots and Aces II Reinforcements Pack
Hotshots and Aces II Reinforcements Pack
- 15 obstacles
- Cardboard only
- FFG
If you are missing some of your obstacles from the pile - now you are getting obstacles, all of them! Well not all, excluding particular Gas Clouds from the Guardians of the Republic Squadron Pack, Asteroids and Debris from Pride of Mandalore Reinforcements Pack. But that's a lot of obstacles plus some upgrades.
Great little pack! It contains cards with special setups for you game to spice things up.
Fully Loaded Devices Pack
Hotshots and Aces II Reinforcements Pack
Fully Loaded Devices Pack
- 15 bombs and mines
- Cardboard only
- FFG
Like a pack with obstacles, but instead - a bunch of mines and bombs: tokens and upgrade cards all in one package, if you are missing all or some!
Another great little pack! It also contains cards with special setups for you game to spice things up.
Fully Loaded Devices Pack
If you suddenly find a Huge ship in your pile and start wondering: what to do with it? - we have covered this particular question in the EPIC section.
Otherwise this guide is over.
Now go out there and have some fun playing X-Wing!