Space Roles

Welcome to the AOTR 2.9 Unit Roles Guide. Here, all will be explained about the starship and starfighter variants that you will find in the new 2.9 version.

Before jumping into it, first you must know that there are 2 kinds of roles within the game. The first is that ship's designated class, be it a Capital, Bomber, or Corvette-class ship. These ship classes will then fit into a certain subsection role, which is explained below.

With this explained, we can now proceed with the guide.

## **Fighter Roles**

**Swarm Fighter** - A fighter designed to be used in massive groups which overwhelm the enemy via sheer numbers. Generally armed with minimal weapons, they have little role beyond fighter superiority (e.g. TIE-Fighter).

**Alpha Strike** - Generally cheap fighters armed with missiles (though not always), Alpha strike fighters are designed to frontload their damage and kill enemies in a single wave before resetting. However, they are reliant on their high alpha damage to win fights, and protracted engagements will not suit them.

**Superiority Fighter** - A broad, catch-all category for fighters designed primarily for engaging other fighters, Superiority fighters generally carry specialised anti-fighter weapons but usually lack the ability to substantially damage anything larger than themselves. They also usually lack the durability to operate in heavy AA environments, and work best either in defensive roles, or in fighter sweeps over areas of space free of enemy AA. (e.g Z-95 Headhunter)

**Strike Fighter** - Multi-role fighters who have the capability to engage both starfighters and larger units (usually frigates and corvettes).Typically armed with a combination of Laser Cannons, Assault Missiles and Proton Torpedoes, their main weakness is their lack of specialisation and are best used to back up specialist units. Agility is usually average for a fighters, and their durability is also average compared to other fighters (e.g. X-Wing)

**Heavy Fighter** - Big, beefy fighters which possess multiple weapon systems capable of ripping apart anything up to frigate-class units and can still be useful against large cruisers and capital ships. Generally slow and unmaneuverable, they can survive  in dogfights for a short time, but nothing more. They have a wide variation of potential armament configurations, but normally possess multiple laser cannons, ion cannons and sometimes Torpedo launchers, though the latter is not as common. They have better durability than most fighters due to heavy armour or shielding, meaning some types of AA are less effective against it, but at the cost of becoming more vulnerable to larger weapons.  (e.g. Supa Fighter)

**Bomber** - The typical heavy ordinance carriers, Bombers may carry either Missiles or Torpedoes (though a select few also carry proton bombs). Missile armed bombers typically engage corvettes and frigates, whilst Torpedo armed units are better against cruisers and capital ships.(Note that some units carry a mix of both weapons and are multi-role bombers) Poor dog fighting qualities and poor agility necessitate good positioning and forethought, though their heavier armour and shielding allows them some degree of durability, particularly against AOE weaponry. (e.g. Y-Wing)

**Heavy Bomber** - The concept of the bomber taken to the extreme, heavy bombers sacrifice almost all speed, maneuverability and anti-fighter capability in exchange for vast anti-capital ship damage. Usually packing a combination of proton torpedoes, bombs and missiles, they are hyper-specialised to the extreme. Poor speed and low durability against determined AA/fighter defence necessitates forethought and escort. (e.g. Freefall)

**Interceptor** - Fast, nimble and usually possessing either high burst or high alpha damage, Interceptors are designed to knock down incoming bombers as quickly as possible. Usually possessing paper thin armour and/or minimal shielding, they are a primarily defensive unit not suited to fighter sweeps over enemy fleets. (e.g. A-Wing)

**Swarm Interceptor** - The combination of the swarm fighter and interceptor roles, swarm interceptors have the excellent agility of the Interceptor and the efficacy in numbers of swarm fighters. (TIE Interceptor)

**Ion Interceptor** - high speed, high maneuverability, the concept of the interceptor with its main weapons replaced with ion-based weaponry. Generally speaking, they are designed to debuff enemy fighters to allow other units to destroy them, as well as stripping the shields off heavily shielded units. They possess similar weaknesses to regular interceptors. (e.g. Toscan Fighter)

**Scout** - Usually equipped with only light weaponry and the ping ability, scouts are designed to provide intelligence to the fleet via their very large FoW reveal. Not suited for dogfighting or striking, they should generally be kept out of fights. (E.g. Y-Wing Longprobe)

**Gunship** - A small, fast unit with multiple turreted laser cannons designed to engage fighters, Gunships are bigger and slower than fighters, but have a much higher damage output in return. Gunships are best used when mixed with true starfighters, where their lack of maneuverability can be compensated for and their DPS maximised. Whilst their durability is greater than starfighters, its larger size and poor maneuverability makes it an easy target for AA and other fighters. (e.g. Dornean Gunship). Note that some Corvettes also fulfill a gunship role.

**Heavy Gunship** - A standard gunship whose anti-fighter role has been swapped for a specialisation against larger units. Heavy gunships carry both lasers and heavier ordinance (usually missiles plus torpedoes), allowing them to hammer anything larger than a corvette. Unfortunately, they trade even more agility for this firepower, and whilst their turreted lasers can score some starfighter kills, a dedicated fighter group will not be held off for long. They do have greater durability than most starfighters, but as with regular gunships, this is offset by poorer agility and larger size. (e.g. K-wing, Skipray). Note that some Corvettes also fulfill a gunship role.

**Support** - These units provide buffs/repairs to allied fighters. Depending on the unit in question, improvements can include rate-of-fire buffs, healing and defence buffs, among others. Generally armed with only laser cannons, they have little direct impact on fights. (e.g. U-Wing)

## **Ship Roles**

**Fleet Tender** - Fleet tenders provide indirect buffs and repairs towards their comrades in arms. Generally unsuited to combat, fleet tenders should stay behind the lines and tend to the fleet as much as possible.

**Disabler** - Generally packing the rare and coveted Stun Ion, Disablers are designed to disrupt the electronics of the enemy, massively lowering their damage and maneuverability as well as shutting down abilities. There are two main varieties of diablers, close and long range. Close range disablers such as the MC80 Freedom work best at close range and brawling with targets, whilst long range disablers like the MC60 tend to sit back and deliver a consistent barrage of disabling stun ion bolts or MagPulse Missiles. Primarily, disablers have low hull-damage capabilities and rely on other units for support. Additionally, they need support against smaller units like corvettes and frigates, which they generally cannot hit effectively with their main armament.

**Screener** - A dedicated anti-aircraft unit which usually packs lasers, missiles, point defence lasers or an equivalent/combination and can defend the fleet against starfighter attacks. Dedicated Screeners typically do not possess firepower capable of threatening anything bigger than Corvettes, and are hyper-specialised into their AA role. Deploy them at the edges of fleets to break up starfighter attacks before bigger ships become threatened. Note that Screeners work best in groups, and a single Screening vessel is unlikely to be able to handle AA defence for more than a small sector of the fleet. (e.g. Bulk Cruiser, Lancer Frigate)

**Hunter** - A fast, agile unit usually armed with Light Turbolasers, Heavy Lasers, Barrage rockets or other anti-corvette/frigate weaponry. Hunters are designed to intercept and destroy Corvettes (though some can also threaten light frigates) but struggle against larger ships and fighters. Generally, Hunters lack armour but are small and in the corvette class, meaning that they can operate close to enemy capital ships (who can't hit them). However, when faced with units who have some degree of accuracy against them, they don’t last long. (e.g. Corellian Gunship)

**Destroyer** - Destroyers are high speed units optimised for rapid, close range engagements against larger capital ships. Generally speaking, they possess close range Turbolasers or Turboions (which have significantly higher burst damage than regular variants) and good acceleration/rate of turn, allowing them to dictate when and where combat occurs. Destroyers generally prefer a 'dip in, dip out' style, where they unload damage upon isolated targets before withdrawing to heal and recharge shields. Most destroyers also have some variation of Power to Weapons, giving them even higher burst damage. Generally speaking, they should be paired with torpedo boats or bombers, which can destroy shield generators and allow the destroyers to leverage their damage outputs. (e.g. Carrack Cruiser)

**Monitor** -  Monitors are small ships with disproportionately large guns and are specialised against capital ships and cruisers. Whilst they come in various forms, they generally are of the frigate-cruiser side, with poor durability and agility and usually stay as a second line unit. Furthermore, they generally lack AA or PD and are heavily specialised at their role. (e.g. Vindicator Cruiser)

**Ion Boat** - Packing large batteries of either Turbo or Stun Ions (and sometimes both), Ion boats support the fleet by draining shields and/or stunning opponents. Ion boats normally lack Turbolaser DPS or AA weapons, necessitating escorts. (e.g. Strike Cruiser)

**Torpedo Boat** - Armed with either missiles or torpedoes (and sometimes both), Torpedo boats provide shield penetrating DPS, though they generally lack any other weapons. Usually, Torpedo boats lack heavy armour or AA (on the capital ship scale), and cannot defend themselves very well against dedicated assaults, necessitating support from bigger units. Some units will also have either the Full Salvo ability or a secondary missile type swap ability, the former of which ups their (usually) formidable DPS and the latter of which gives their missiles unique effects (e.g. Shield disabling, System disabling) (E.g. HF-901 Freighter)

**Artillery** - Similar to ground mounted artillery, Artillery ships pack long range weapons capable of slowly whitling down enemy units in the form of missiles, Turbolasers or Turbo ions. Generally speaking, Artillery ships lack strong defensive options, but if left alone, they can deal heavy damage to ships over time, either disabling critical hardpoints or simply hitting the Hull. They lack AA and require escorts. (e.g Arquintens Cruiser)

**Brawler** - The barfighter of the group, Bralwers are designed to slowly advance up to enemy units and remain in close quarters combat for extended periods of time. Usually possessing a mix of close range Turbolasers and Turboions, as well as heavy shields or armour, Brawlers typically have a high damage output in close range, with a secondary role of drawing fire from friendly ships. The main weakness of Brawlers is their poor agility, necessitating early withdrawals when fights start to turn south. (e.g Dreadnaught Cruiser)

**Picket** - Similar to Screeners, Pickets fill a general purpose support role, with accurate guns usually tailored to the corvette to cruiser size range. However, Pickets are far more defined by their abilities, which are varied but include examples such as flares, point defence, sensor jam etc. Pickets are also generally Frigates, and as such have middling armour, some AA and average maneuverability, making them most useful with a fleet (e.g. Nebulon-B Frigate).

**Endurance Carrier** - A carrier specialised in providing long term fighter support to the fleet, Endurance Carriers deploy few fighters at once, but have very large reserves. Like all carriers, they have decent AA in the form of either Flak or Point Defense (PD) or Lasers. They usually have the ability to provide buffs and repairs to allied fighters. Endurance Carriers have poor armor and bad agility. (e.g. Quasar Fire Carrier)

**Battle Carrier** - A balanced carrier specialised in providing fire support to the fleet, Battle Carriers deploy an average number of fighters at once and have medium sized reserves. However, compared to endurance carriers they also carry capital-grade weaponry and near-capital grade shields/armour allowing them to form part of the main battle line. However, they can not provide buffs to friendly fighters. (e.g Venator Star Destroyer)

**Strike Carrier** -  A carrier specialised in providing short term fighter support to the fleet, Strike Carriers deploy many fighters at once, but have no reserves. Many Strike carriers are well armed and are able to join front line combat units after deploying their fighters. (e.g Gladiator Cruiser)

**Ship of the Line** - Your traditional Capital ship with many weapons of varying sizes and caliber which can engage anything larger than a frigate, Ships of the Line fill out the core of most fleets. Generally speaking they carry Turbolasers and TurboIons, along with some AA and a small fighter complement. They are also well protected, but in keeping with capital-ship tradition, they have poor agility. Their main weakness is their lack of specialisation, in keeping with their multi-role nature. (e.g Imperial I Star Destroyer)

**Battleship** - A capital ship designed specifically for engagements with other capital ships. Battleships trade most of their secondary and tertiary batteries for vastly enhanced main battery capabilities and improved protection. This makes them excellent for destroying enemy capital ships, but their hyper-specialisation makes them difficult to use in most other circumstances (appart from a tanking role). They also lack any AA or utility, bringing only damage to the party and the necessitating major support. (e.g. Tector Star Destroyer, Allegiance Battlecruiser)

**Command ship** - Mostly consisting of unique ships, Command ships are flexible ships that can support their fleets from range with long range firepower, fighters and sensor range. These ships are designed to sit in the 2nd line as the centerpoint of the fleet. Command ships have it all.... except for their rarity, cost and massive population capacity drain. They do look very cool though. (e.g MC80 Independence, Executor Star Dreadnought)

**Interdictor** - Equipped with unique gravity well generators, Interdictors prevent fleets from escaping to hyperspace within a certain time frame. However, they are pop cap hungry and lack in combat capabilities    . Do not leave them alone. Or unsupervised. (e.g Immobilizer Cruiser, CC-7700 Frigate)