New Players: What to Buy

If you're starting a new collection from scratch, it comes down to which faction you want to play the most. A Core Set will start you out with a Rebel X-Wing and two Empire TIE Fighters, so if the Rebel or Empire factions are your preference, then the core set is a great start. The core set also gives you some starting upgrade cards, plus the basics for playing the game like dice, tokens & counters, a damage deck, maneuver templates, range rulers, etc.

## Core Purchases

The Core Set is a great start for most players.

If you don't want to buy a core set, then at a minimum you'll need to separately buy:

* Dice Pack or two
* Damage Deck (any faction will do, it's just visual differences)
* Maneuver & Range templates. You can buy the FFG plastic ones, which are kinda thick & clumsy, or you can buy acrylic ones from Etsy etc (these seem to be the preferred options and are highly customizable).
* Expansions to give you some ships in your faction (See Ships and Products)

## Buying Ships

Which ships you should start out with depends on the factions that appeal to you, and also whether you find someone selling a collection of that faction... Buying someone else's collection is often a fantastic way into the game, if you want to spend what they're selling it for (which may be a few hundred dollars if it's a big collection).

However, if you just want to start with a few expansions, here are some suggested starting fleets. You can use YASB or the Launch Bay Next app to theory-craft fleets, btw, which may help you decide on your first fleet composition.

### Empire

* Core Set (for the 2 tie fighters and pilots)
* TIE Advanced x1 (for Darth Vader and friends)
* Skystrike Academy Squadron Pack (2 TIE Interceptors and 1 TIE Defender)
* Empire Squadron starter pack (will get you TIE Fighters, TIE Advanced, and bomber)
* Optional: More TIE Fighters through expansions or another Core Set
* Optional: Decimator or TIE Reaper to act as a support craft and chonker (TIE Reaper is the other expansion that looks 1.0 but is also 2.0)

### Rebel

* Core Set (for the x-wing & pilots)
* Phoenix Cell Squadron Pack (b-wing and two a-wings)
* Millennium Falcon
* Optional: Saw's Renegades (another x-wing + pilots, and u-wing). Note that this looks like a first edition expansion, but it and the TIE Reaper are special in that they have 1.0 and 2.0 components.

### Scum

* Fugitives and Collaborators (2 Y-Wings and 1 HWK)
* Fang Fighter (great aces)
* Firespray (great figher/bomber with a rear gun)
* Optional: Hound's Tooth, Jumpmaster, Mining Guild TIE, etc

### First Order

* Fury of the First Order (TIE Whisper and 2 TIE/se Bombers)
* Special Forces TIE
* TIE Silencer
* Optional: Xi-class Shuttle
* Optional: TIE/ba Interceptor

### Resistance

* Heralds of Hope (2 X-Wings and 1 A-Wing)
* BTA-NR2 Y-Wing Pack
* Optional: Resistance Transport
* Optional: Another A-Wing

### Republic

* Guardians of the Republic (1 Delta-7, 2 Torrents)
* ARC-170
* LAAT GUnship
* Optional: Naboo Starfighter (torpedoes, and support)
* Optional: chubby Y-Wing

### Separatist

* Servants of Strife (1 belbullab and 2 vultures)
* Sith Infiltrator
* Either Hyena (bomber, munitions, support) or Nantex (ace)
* Optional: HMP Droid Gunship
* Optional: Another vulture or two
* Optional: Jango Fett's Slave I

## Multiple Factions

If multiple factions interest you, check out the Dual-Faction Ships section on the Ships page. For example, the Firespray is the same ship for both Scum and Separatist, and the Rebels use the same Y-Wing as the Scum. But that Y-Wing is different from the one used by the Republic or Resistance.

When it's the exact same ship, then you can use that model and maneuver dial in either faction (you just need pilot cards, e.g. from a conversion kit).

## Conversion Kits

The main use for a Conversion Kit is to convert ships from first edition. These kits come with everything needed to field 2 or more of each 1.0 ship in that faction.

Conversion kits are sometimes useful even if you don't have 1.0 ships. They give you pilot cards & cardboard baseplates to use the ship in that faction, e.g. if you bought into Rebel but also want to fly those HWKs and Z-95s for Scum. The conversion kit also has pilots not included in the combo packs like Fugitives and Collaborators. And lots of upgrade cards, if you don't want to proxy those. And if someone happens to be selling 1.0 ships or you see some 1.0 expansions for cheap, the conversion kit will allow you to fly those ships.

You don't have to get one immediately, but they may turn out to be useful later on.

We hope this helps you! If you have questions you can ask in the comments below this article, on our forum, or under articles for the relevant ship/pilot (e.g. ask TIE Fighter questions on TIE/ln Fighter or TIE/ln Fighter Expansion Pack).