The second digital expansion for Star Wars: The Old Republic included four different classes of Galactic Starfighter ships. They are the Scout, Strike Fighters, Gunship and Bombers. This guide is designed to give you a quick overview of the Galactic Starfighter ships for each class, in order to give you a better idea of how each one operates.
While it may not cover every aspect of the ships, it should provide you with enough information to help you choose the ship from each class that suits your particular style of play the best.
The Scout Ships
The Scout Starfighters all have strong maneuverability and speed combined with boost ability. They’re also equipped with blaster cannons and rocket pods. There are three types of scout ships for both factions.
S-12 Blackbolt and NovaDive Ships
The Empire S-12 Blackbolt Scout ships are fast and easy to maneuver. The sensors and communications systems are very powerful, so it gives you the ability to find enemy ships and report their location to your team easily. The ships are equipped with both short and mid-range laser cannons, a sensor beacon to track the enemy and a slicing device to scramble their navigation systems. However, they do not perform well with moving targets nor do they do well in close combat due to the weak shields and unarmored hull.
The Republic NovaDive is the equivalent to the Blackbolt and it also has advanced sensors and communications in addition to being fast and easy to maneuver. It’s equipped with short and mid range rocket pods and laser cannons. It can strike armored objects and do well when fighting the enemy but its defensive systems are weak.
S-13 Sting and Flashfire Ships
The Empire S-13 Sting has an assortment of laser cannons and missiles along with hardened shields and armor. Its defense system is not as strong as that of a full strike fighter but an experienced pilot can do a lot of damage to the enemy using this ship.
The Republic Flashfire is the equivalent to the S-13 Sting and it is best known for its maneuverability, very powerful mid range missiles and laser cannons. Its defense system is also stronger than that of the Sting. Both are designed to handle ship-to-ship combat and they have Cluster Missiles and Rapid-Fire Laser Cannons.
Check out our guide to Flashfire / Sting here
IL-5 Ocula and IL-5 Skybolt Ships
The Empire IL-5 Ocula is the first modern Scout Starfighter ship and it’s often used for reconnaissance missions that take the pilots into dangerous territory, where they need to keep a low profile.
The Republic IL-5 Skybolt is the equivalent to the Ocula and it is a favorite of many pilots due to the ability to install a wide variety of aftermarket components. These ships can only be acquired from the Cartel Market.
Check out our guide on how to build a Blackbolt/NovaDive Galactic Scout Starfighter here
The Strike Fighters
The Strike Fighters have the ability to fight other starships or to handle stationary objectives. These ships do a great job of balancing both firepower and maneuverability. There are two variations to choose from and the first carries two different types of blasters, while the second one carries two types of missiles. Both variations allow you to equip and swap the two primary weapons or the two secondary weapons while in the middle of combat.
F-T6 Rycer and FT-8 Star Guard Blaster Ships
The Empire F-T6 Rycer and the Republic FT-8 Star Guard are the default blaster ships and you can swap the primary weapons on both of them, which includes Ion Cannons and Quad Lasers. Your secondary weapons will consist of Concussion Missiles and Cluster Missiles.
The Rycer is manufactured from the Dromund Kalakar shipyards and it’s a great ship for dogfighting. It has the maneuverability and firepower to destroy your enemy at close or far range but its defenses are weak so the pilot must be quick.
Produced by Rendili the Star Guard is also a great ship for dogfighting and it has the ability to increase maneuverability but it will weaken the defensive strength during the process. You can engage the enemy from long and short distances but it’s not very effective against armor.
TZ-24 Gladiator and TZ-24 Enforcer Blaster Ships
The Empire TZ-24 Gladiator and the Republic TZ-24 Enforcer are identical to the Rycer and the Star Guard in loadout but you’ll need 1500 CC to purchase these from the Cartel Market.
The Empire conquered many of the worlds in which the security forces used Gladiator ships, which resulted in an undetermined number of these ships falling into the hands of the Imperial Guards. These are combat fighters designed for long missions that take the pilots to remote regions and they have a long history of performing extremely well.
The same can be said for the Enforcer, which was created before the Great Galactic War began. Many planetary defense forces use this Starfighter and its received very little upgrades throughout its history.
F-T2 Quell and FT-6 Pike Missile Ships
The Empire F-T2 Quell and the Republic FT-6 Pike carry two types of missiles and to unlock these, you’ll need 5000 fleet requisition. Manufactured from the Dromund Kalakar shipyards, the Quell offers maneuverability and speed and it has a decent defense system.
Produced by Rendili, the Pike offers both maneuverability and speed. This versatile ship has the ability to take out armored objectives along with enemy ships during the same attack run, making it a popular choice among pilots.
check out out Pike/Quell Battle Strategies here
The Gunships
The Gunships were built by several SoroSuub factories at the request of Imperial engineers after the Empire invaded Sullust. They are equipped with long-range railguns that feature a zoom firing mode. The Slug railgun will penetrate the shields of the enemy ship, the Plasma railgun will cause heavy damage when used repeatedly and the Ion railgun will drain the enemy ship’s power. When the railguns are being fired, the gunships cannot move, so most pilots try to remain hidden as long as possible.
Gunships are designed with rotational thrusters that make it possible for you to rotate when the enemy is firing on you. If you need to get out of a particular area fast, the Interdiction Drive will slow down the enemy ship’s speed and give your ship a boost.
Gunships have two different shield options. The Feedback Shield will charge the shields with energy that is released when you’re hit by enemy fire. The Fortress Shield can also act as the ship’s shield for added protection but the ship cannot move when in use. The Gunships available at this time are as follows.
GSS-3 Mangler and Quarrel Ships
The Empire GSS-3 Mangler has two types of railguns, both of which are swappable. These ships have amplified communications range and they can attack rather quickly. The speed and turning rate are standard for this type of class ship and the sensors are not very impressive.
The SGS-45 Republic Quarrel is the equivalent to the Mangler and it has a lot to be desired when it comes to maneuverability and speed but its swappable long-range railguns gives it the firepower make up for it. It is equipped with long-range communications and has the ability to strafe quickly. In the hands of a skilled pilot, these ships have the ability to take out an entire squadron of enemy ships.
Bombers
Bombers will be available in February 2014 but here is what we know about them as of now.
4D Legion and Warcarrier Ships
The Empire B-4D Legion and the Republic Warcarrier will require 5000 fleet requisition to unlock and both will carry a drone turret and missiles. The B-4D Legion uses drone technology in every area, making it an extremely versatile ship. It can also equip a mine or missile as a secondary weapon.
The Warcarrier will transport and deploy automated drones and you can increase the laser cannons with secondary mines and missiles. This ship is very resilient but it has limited ship-to-ship combat abilities.
M-7 Razorwire and Rampart Mark Four Ships
The Empire M-7 Razorwire and the Republic Rampart Mark Four require 2500 fleet requisition to unlock and they only carry mines. The M-7 Razorwire has numerous mines and expanded ammunition capacity. This makes it possible for the ship to set traps and barricades for the enemy. It has a moderate sensor range and long range communications system but it doesn’t perform well in dogfights.
The Rampart Mark Four is designed for laying mines above all else and it has the ability to lay down strong barricades the enemy don’t want to cross. It has two different types of mines, moderate sensors and a very strong communications system. The primary weapons are similar to other bombers but it has limited defenses.
Look for the SWTOR Galactic Starfighter components comparison guide coming soon, and don’t forget to check out constantly growing list of guides for Star Wars: The old republic
