Fantasy Flight Games previews the Separatist Fighter Squadrons Expansion Pack for Star Wars: Armada.
The Separatist Alliance’s strength is drawn from sheer numbers. Nowhere is this more evident than in the epic space battles of Star Wars™: Armada, where the Separatist Navy can unleash swarms of cheap, mass-produced fighters that can overwhelm even the most experienced Jedi Masters in their Delta-7 Aethersprites.
As the game begins exploring the Clone Wars, the Separatist Alliance Fleet Starter lays the foundation for your starfighter assault with four squadrons of deadly Vulture-class Droid Fighters, but this is only the beginning. Soon you’ll be able to tap into the vast array of starfighters the Separatists deployed during the Clone Wars with the Separatist Fighter Squadrons Expansion Pack!
This expansion gives you access to eight additional Separatist fighter squadrons, including two Hyena-class Droid Bomber squadrons, two Droid Tri-Fighter squadrons, two Belbullab-22 Starfighter squadrons, and an additional two Vulture-class Droid Fighter squadrons. The Separatists are always looking for ways to improve their droid starfighters, and 10 squadron cards invite you to choose between four standard squadrons and six more exotic and experimental variants.
Destructive Droids
Mass production has many advantages. For the Separatist Alliance, it means they can build an army and navy rather than recruit one. The Vulture-class Droid Fighter Squadron is the purest expression of this philosophy. These droids feature the same speed, hull value, and ability to swarm enemy squadrons at the same cost as an Imperial TIE Fighter squadron, but with even more benefits.
In addition to removing the risk of losing irreplaceable organic pilots, droid starfighters come with the added advantage of artificial intelligence that help them take on specialized roles with Separatist attack groups. Vulture droid AI in particular gives them some extra firepower while attacking squadrons if they’ve been activated by a squadron command, but this is only the basic model.
The squadron designated DFS-311 is even more intelligent, combining the ability to force an attacker to re-roll a die during an obstructed attack against it with the benefits of defense tokens and the Intel keyword. This intel is particularly valuable for friendly squadrons flying within distance 1 of DFS-311, as it grants them the Grit to keep moving while they are engaged by only one squadron.
Vulture-class Droid Fighters are only the beginning of the Separatist starfighter onslaught. The faction features a variety of different models, each with its own specifications and role to play. Rather than focus on enemy squadrons, the Hyena-class Droid Bomber’s AI is programmed to inflict maximum damage to enemy ships. This programming becomes even more nuanced if you choose to deploy some Baktoid Prototypes that can improve their accuracy when a friendly bomber squadron is at distance one of the defender. DBS-404, on the other hand, shows little regard for its own safety, instead choosing to ramp up its own firepower while it is touching the defender at the cost of suffering damage.
Read more here, and pre-order your copy of the Separatist Fighter Squadrons Expansion Pack at your local retailer or online through the Fantasy Flight Games website landing on December 4th 2020 — happy gaming!
