There has been one gaming genre that I love above all others and that is Star Wars flight games, X-Wing vs Tie Fighter, Rogue Squadron and even some of the missions in the Star Wars content for Disney Infinity. There has always been something appealing about jumping into these now icon ships and a Buick and taking down enemy ships in glorious combat.

With the reveal of Star Wars Squadrons, I was more interested with the ships I would get to pilot, along with how they would fly and what I could do to them, so I started to research. EA and Motive have released a few details, but I have done additional research and thankfully, I have tempered my plans here, so you won’t get a full rundown on the Incom Corporation, but you will learn a little.

First up, lets look at how the ships can be changed, to suit the pilot in question and we will of course mention the good news, there will be no loot boxes or microtransactions here. Instead, the parts you obtain will all be acquired though in game actions, meaning the more you play, the more you can upgrade your ships. Each ship will have the same customisable parts, primary weapons and such, but there will be some restrictions on what you can place into it, ie A-Wing exclusive parts will not fit on a X-Wing.

There are a total of six locations where you can make changes and they are as follows:

• Primary Weapons

• Auxiliary Weapons

• Hull

• Shields

• Engines

• Countermeasures

With the six loadout locations, there will be plenty of variety on how each ship flies, fights and of course looks, perfect for when you and the other four members of your squad all pick the same ship in a dogfight. There are also a host of cosmetic options as well, including things like the Astromech, paint scheme and more, meaning that should you desire, you could have a one of a kind ship.

When considering the upgrades for your ship, you will need to take into consideration the type of fight you are going into, should it be one with some larger ships, known for carrying extensive laser weapons, then you will want shields that are suited for that. Because each part, while being good, will also have a draw back and while your shield might be better against turbo laser fire, it could be weaker to missiles, leaving you exposed from an enemy in your rear.

All these parts can be changed before each battle, though there is no word on if you can save custom loadouts but given the amount of options you will have available, I would hope so. With that said though, we now need to look at the ships, so lets start with the New Republic forces.

T-65B X-Wing Starfighter

Perhaps one of the most well-known ships in all of Sci-fi and even amongst the Star Wars worlds, the X-Wing has been on screen in a few designs, most recently as the ship of choice for Poe Dameron. The ship first gained acclaim when Luke Skywalker flew it down the trenches of the first Death Star at the Battle of Yavin, taking a risk and managing to destroy it.

Taking this into battle means you want to be an all-rounder, as a fighter class ship, it is pretty equal across the board, but has some perks as well, check out the stats:

RZ-1 A-Wing Interceptor

A ship best known for crashing into the bridge of a Superstar Destroyer, the A-Wing is a nimble ship and quite agile, making it one of the best ships when speed is of the essence. The ship is designed to get in and out quickly, making it great for those who want to take the fight to the enemy, but the speed comes at a cost, with weak hull and shields that cannot stand up to direct bombardment.

Check out the stats for this nimble little fighter:

UT-60D U-Wing Starfighter

This is one of the more recent additions to Star Wars lore, the U-Wing is designed more as a support ship than a combat ship. With that in mind, the ship comes packed with some heavy-duty shields. But while it is a beast in combat, it has a few tricks up it’s proverbial sleeves as it has options that let it disrupt enemy ships, allowing other members of the squadron to pick them off.

Here are the stats for this supporting ship:

BTL-A4 Y-Wing Assault Bomber

The Y-Wing, or the bomber of the New Republic is a slow-moving ship, but carries some devastating payloads, perfect for raids on shipping yards, prisons or other heavily fortified facilities. While shown in the movies, they never really had a starring role, instead previously the other video games that let you fly ships, gave it prominence.

Check out the stats for this tank of a ship:

Now we defect and take a look at the ships available to members of the Empire

TIE/ln starfighter (“TIE fighter”)

Designed to be the counterpart to the X-Wing and the working horse of the Empire’s fleet, the TIE Fighter, which stands for Twin Ion Engine has no shielding, making it an easily destroyed ship. But that lack of shielding is traded for some more agility in flight than other ships and it also contains a tiny silhouette, making it much harder to hit.

Here are the specs for the most common ship in the Empire:

TIE/IN interceptor (“TIE interceptor”)

Much like the Fighter, the TIE Interceptor contains no shields at all, but unlike the Fighter is more manoeuvrable and able to match the New Republic’s A-Wing for agility. With this speed, it can easily dodge missiles and other incoming projectiles, turning a con into a pro, plus with its speed, it makes for a great get in and out ship.

Here are the stats you need for the speediest Imperial ship:

TIE/rp reaper attack lander (“TIE reaper”)

This ship is designed to support the squad and annoy the enemies, with its ability to issue repair droids to other fighters in the midst of battle. The Reaper is also the only ship at this size, in the Imperial fleet, that comes equipped with deflector shields, making taking this ship down, quite the challenge, but with low powered lasers, it is not designed for direct combat.

Here are the specs for this special looking ship:

TIE/sa bomber (“TIE bomber”)

Perhaps the other known ship is the TIE Bomber, designed to strafe a target, delivering countless bombs, before making sweeping turns and coming in for another run. Like most others in the TIE series, there are no shields for this ship, so ensuring a clear run is the job of the others in the squad, but while there are no shields, there is heavy armour, making it a little tougher to take out.

Here are the specs for the bomber: