AotR Full Campaign Guide: Empire

Welcome to the AotR Full Campaign Guide! These pages are to help new players answer some basic questions when starting the Full Campaign for the first time, such as "what should I buy first?" "What should I attack first?" "What are some general tips and tricks?" and so on. While not a full "play-by-play" guide since every campaign will be different, this should help new players figure out strategies to get started.

\*Note, these tips are used for the galactic map only, and not so much how to win space or ground battles\*

## Empire Start

The Empire starts off with control of the Core Worlds and Deep Core sectors, several planets in the south/south-west sector such as Eriadu and Sullest, and a few other worlds scattered throughout the galaxy such as Yaga Minor and Kessel. Since they have control of the rich Core, along with planets such as Eriadu, Malastare, and Kessel, the Empire starts off with the highest starting income of the 3 major factions. They also have a reasonably defensible starting position given that the Core is only accessible by very few planets, protecting the rich worlds like Aargau and Coruscant from attacks.

This comes at a cost, however, as the Empire starts with few space units. They start with 2 Hero Star Destroyers in the Core, 3 Venators split between the Core, south and at The Maw, and 3 Victory 1's split in the Core, South, and The Maw, along with several support ships. Due to this limited unit start, the Empire player is immediately put on the defensive as they build up their infrastructure and forces, and given how most ships in the Empire are more expensive then the Rebels or Black Sun, this only adds to the slow start the player will have. The Empire makes up for this by having a very good mid game and one of, if not the, best late games of all factions, as their powerful fleets and impressive economy will allow the player to essentially steamroll the galaxy if they can survive the early stages.

## Empire Strategy and Opening Moves

*\*This guide is updated as of 2.8 "Commence Ground Assault," which changed cost of ground units and structures in general, and as such changed how the economy and upkeep function. Future updates might make this guide slightly outdated. Also, this guide is not a play by play, but an understanding to how to start the game as Empire. Use these tips as you see fit.*

Immediately, you will have 2 major goals to complete. The first goal is to get the economy up and running to be able to afford the more powerful ships and units in your arsenal. The second is to start building up your forces in order to begin attacking neighbouring systems. While many players will generally agree the Empire is one of the best turtling factions due to the defensive position and high health of units and structures, waiting too long will allow the AI to build up to extreme numbers that you will find difficult to overcome. The following tips will help the player in the early game (Remember these tips are not to be taken to heart, but rather a look at one way of starting off as the Empire.)

### 1: Fortify Key Worlds and Be Prepared to Lose; Selling is OK (First Steps)

Unfortunately, you will have to accept the fact early on that you cannot possibly defend every planet you control with the limited number of units you start off with, even more so given several planets are cut off completely. The goal here is to protect your core worlds as much as possible while preparing your economy and military power. This section will go over the starting moves that can be taken in the first week of gameplay in the Core and South. It is also advised to paused the game as soon as you load in, so that way you can plan out your strategy and building order without worrying of attacks.

* **The Core:** Many players advocate that you begin by selling everything on Coruscant except for the Army Support Post, and by selling the Hypervelocity Guns on Kuat and Corellia. This increases the income generated to around 6500 Credits a week, and gives the player 27,500 Credits to use immediately, although it does of course weaken your inner defences were the enemy to get that far. How to use these credits will be covered in the next section. As far as units go, you have Lord Vader at Coruscant, Admiral Ozzel at Corulag, a Venator at Carida, A Victory-1 Class Star Destroyer at Rendili, a Dreadnaught at Cato Neimoidia, and a Carrack Cruiser at Bilbringi. Here, most players will do one of two things with these units to defend the Core, though neither one will be able to withstand massive attacks and both are only useful for the very early game.
	1. Combine all of your ships into one single fleet. The goal here is to use this fleet as a response fleet, sent to attack any enemy fleet that enters your systems. You will have decent firepower and fighter support due to the 2 Imperial Star Destroyers and the Venator, but have very little in the way of both ship numbers and support, especially against enemy fighters and bombers. You will have to pick your battles carefully with this fleet until you can get more ships built. As a side note, if you can take the space above Jedha very quickly, you can add a Acclamator from Jakku to this fleet. This only gives you a very slight increase in firepower and fighters, but still useful if you feel you can get it without losses. You could also take the planet with a ground force whilst you're there.
	2. Add some extra firepower and defence to your key stronghold worlds. Send Lord Vader to Felucia and the Victory to Cato Neimoidia. Keep Ozzel at Corulag and the Venator at Carida. While not as powerful as the first strategy, this helps add more protection to your stations if they are attacked. Along with that, this usually keeps the AI back for some time, as they usually won't attack planets with a force above them until they can overwhelm it and guarantee victory. This will only keep them back for a short while, however, so building more ships is still a must.
* **The South:** Have one of your ships (preferably from Naboo) move and take Zhar. Not only does it give a nice capture bonus, it will give you the ability to recruit Captain Brandei at an Officer Academy. After this, move all your spaces forces from Ord Ibanna to Falleen together over Eriadu. Together, this fleet consists of a Venator, a Victory 1, 2 Dreadnaughts, 2 Arquintens, an Acclamator, and a Carrack. While stronger as a support fleet, it has less fighter squadrons and slightly less firepower then the Core. Keep these units together over Eriadu or Sullust and use them primarily to protect that planet, but you can use them as a response fleet if you think you can destroy the enemy without many losses.
* **Remaining Planets:** The only other moves most Empire players make is moving the Victory 1 from The Maw to Kessel, as The Maw cannot be access without controlling the space over Kessel, and moving the hero unit Agent Arliz Hadrassian from Yaga Minor to the Core, as she is the only stealth hero the Empire starts with and you cannot rescue her if she dies in combat. The remaining planets that were not mentioned above are Jakku, Ghorman, Aridus, Intersection-4, and Yaga Minor, all of which are cut off at the beginning to the Empire. It is here that you can do one of two things; either keep the units and structures as they are, or sell them to make more money. Generally, these will be the first planets the AI will attack, so the decision comes down to personal preference. Selling all the units and structures on these planets will give you slightly more income per week, but gives you up a total of 54,100 Credits to spend immediately (This number is given if this step is followed along with selling the buildings above in the Core Section). On the other hand, these planets have a decent enough defense that you could hold out for a short time and deny the AI units that could be used elsewhere. The decision will come down to player preference.

At this point, you will have a couple decent defense fleets in the Core and South, and the starting defenses on the ground and in space will be able to withstand several early game attacks. However, this won't last for long, and if you sold the buildings above, you will have either 27,500 or 54,100 Credits to spend, depending on how much was sold. In either case, these credits will be helpful in preparing your early game economy.

### 2: Economy, Economy, Economy!!

This tip applies to every faction, but it is extremely important for the Empire. Since a Imperial 1-Class Star Destroyer costs over 10,000 credits, getting your economy up and running is paramount if you want to have any success to winning. Even though you will start off with the highest starting income, this won't be close to enough. Luckily, the Core Worlds and several planets in the Outer Rim provide extremely profitability, but you must build them up before you really start seeing results.

The Empire can improve their economy with the use of space and ground mines, unlike the Rebels and Black Sun, who do not have much in the way of ground infrastructure to improve their economy. This gives the Empire two big advantages. First, you wont have to micromanage with Envoy's or Corruption, which can be removed. Second, this gives the Empire the ability to grow their economy to massive proportions, since they start in control of some of the most profitable planets in the game, allowing you to build up your economy quickly and efficiently. Below is a list of planets that should be a focus on which to build your economy, as well as what structures can be built on them to maximize your income growth.

* Coruscant: This is one of the biggest money makers in the game. A Imperial Palace and X-Q3 Platform will bring the planetary income up to around 1,850 Credits, given no other buildings are on the planet. Defense structures will lower this slightly, but still one of the best money makers and an absolute focus.
* Aargau: Directly south of Coruscant, this planet has the chance to grow into a money maker as well. A Governors Palace and 3 Mining Facilities will bring this planets income up to around 1,200 Credits. Word of warning; this is only possible if EVERY structure is economy, meaning no defenses is possible. This leaves the world open to constant raids by the Rebels and Black Sun. Either remove a ground mine for an Outpost, reducing the income to around 1000, or have a large garrison of troops to protect the planet.
* Corellia: With the addition of an Imperial Palace, Corellia can produce around 650-700 Credits. Given Corellia can build both a Capital and Frigate Shipyard, and serves as a great production center for the Empire, this planet could serve for both an economic and production role while having enough defense to fight off raids.
* Eriadu: Eriadu can only build a Moff Palace, but with that and a XQ-3 Space Platform, this can give Eriadu an income of around 750 Credits. This planet will serve as the command hub for the southern forces, and can also have enough defenses to hold off many attacks. This is one of two money makers in the south.
* Malastare: The second money maker in the south. With the addition of 2 mines and a Governors Palace, this planet can make around 700 Credits. Due to it's close position to the Black Sun, and given space defenses wont last long, a ground defense is absolutely necessary. A good combo of ground units and the Army Support Post will allow you to hold off ground invasions.

Other planets, such as Cato Neimoidia, Chandrila, Borleias, Abregado-Rae, and Kessel can also be upgraded with mines, space platforms, or space mines to produce huge profits. Building your economy up is an absolute must as Empire, and these planets are where you build that up in the start. Later on, more planets will be conquered to give you more money making options, but for now, these planets will give you enough to build up your army and navy at the beginning.

### 3: Start Building your Navy and Army as Soon as Possible

Now that the economy is set up, it's time to start looking into the Imperial Military. As stated above, the Empire is in an odd position with starting troops. The army is in a good spot, sporting a nice force of infantry and vehicles, so they are good for now. The navy, however, is in dire need of support. As already mentioned, while they do sport a decent starting force of a couple ISD's and support ships, it's not enough to reclaim the galaxy. It's time we changed that. For the purpose of this section, we will split it up into two different parts; one for the Imperial Navy, and one for the Imperial Army.

* **Imperial Navy:** The bread and butter of the player's fleets will be the imposing Imperial Star Destroyers. In AOTR, the player has access to three different varients; Imperial I-class Star Destroyers, Tector-class Star Destroyers, and Imperial II-class Star Destroyers. Building these ships as soon as possible should be a major priority. However, the start of the game only allows the Imperial-I class to be constructed. Once economy is up and running, start building one or two of these ships at Kuat. Constantly try to produce Star Destroyers as much as possible if the player can afford to. At the start of the game, Kuat is the only planet with a capital shipyard, but the Empire has control of several planets that can build them. Bilbringi, Corellia, Rendilli, and Yaga Minor all have the ability to build capital shipyards. If possible, try to build another shipyard on one of these planets to speed up production. Once Tech Levels 1 and 2 are reached, the player will have access to Tector's and ISD II's. Improving your fleets with these variants is also a good idea.

Star Destroyer's wont be enough, however. The player will also need an escort force to deal with pesky fighters and bombers that will try to knock out the Star Destroyers. Here, the player has a couple options to deal with them.

* Carriers: At Tech 1, the player has access to the Ton-Falk Carriers. These ships can be built at a Frigate Shipyard with the Fighter Extension. These carriers come equipped with multiple laser cannons and carry a large array of star fighters, ranging from TIE-Fighters and Bombers to TIE-Defenders and Interceptors. There are four variants, each with a unique fighter loadout that can be unlocked at different tech levels. While they can provide that early game defense against fighters and bombers, they are also expensive to produce, has a long build time, and not capable of engaging enemy ships.
* Corvettes: Another option is the use of Imperial corvettes, specifically the Nebulon-B frigate and the Lancer Class Corvette. These two ships are cheap, quick to produce, and excel at starfighter screening, especially the Lancer. The biggest downside is the fact the Nebulon is not available until Tech 2, and the Lancer Tech 3. Therefor, these ships should be used in the mid to late game.

Finally, the Empire boasts a decent selection of support ships, ranging from Dreadnaughts to Gladiators. The Empire also has access to Interdictors, ships that can prevent the enemy from retreating in combat. Having one of these ships per fleet, whether it would be the Immobilizer or the Interdictor Star Destroyer, would help crush any resistance in the galaxy.

* Imperial Army: Unlike its navy counterpart, the Imperial Army stands in a good position at the beginning of the game. The Empire starts with a decent group of infantry, made up of Army Troopers and Stormtroopers, and a small force of vehicles, mostly AT-DP's and AT-ST's. Since they have a good start, and given how powerful some of the Empire ground forces can get, this section will be a bit smaller. Have a couple worlds such as Anaxes and Carida build Stormtroopers and elite Imperial Troopers when given the chance. Worlds such as Rendili and Corellia can start producing medium vehicles such as AT-DP's and AT-ST's from Imperial Factories to provide infantry support. Finally, Byss starts with an Advanced Factory, allowing it to produce the mighty AT-AT and the mobile Juggernaut.

Since the Army starts off already with a decent force, and it takes time and a good amount of money to get the most powerful units, while the player should build up their army and upgrade infastructure, it should not be at the cost of neglecting the navy, at least early game. Once it hits mid game and economy is through the roof, or the player believes their navy is in a good place, then the army can get priority.

### 4: The Best Defense is a Good Offensive (Optional Step)

This is an optional step and is for those who want to perhaps take their time playing the game or want a true turtle style. Since the Empire starts off in the Core, they start in a very good defensive position. The Core is only accessed by a few worlds, and those worlds have access to a good chunk of build slots and high tier star bases. As such, the player has the option to turn these worlds into fortresses, powerful worlds that can withstand the Rebel or Black Sun Assaults. Word of note: This would take away some income that could go to the economy, navy, or army, but if balanced right, won't prevent the player from doing both. Also, given the amount of worlds and the long build time for Empire, this can take a while.

There are 6 main worlds that can act as a line of defense. These worlds are Devaron, Cato Neimoidia, Carida, Corulag, Fresia, and Byss. For this step, the idea is simple:

* At minimum, build the highest level Space Station and the highest leveled outpost on each of these worlds. This alone will be able to withstand a good amount of forces. If the player wishes for true fortress worlds, once the Space Station is maxed out, install Golan 1 Defense platforms and Mobile Support Stations if possible. On the ground, add Landing Platforms for air support, Turbolaser Towers and Shields for extra defense (if there is not enough build slots for both, it is up to player preference as to which one to add), and finally, add structures such as Barracks, Imperial Factories, and/or Advanced Factories if there is enough space.

Once fully set up, these worlds will be extremely hard to capture due to the strong and powerful defenses in orbit and on the ground. The final step if the player wishes to do so would be adding a small garrison in both space and orbit to provide more defense. Once done, these worlds will be unbreakable to all but the strongest invasion forces.

### 5: Missions are your Best Friend; COMPLETE THEM IF POSSIBLE!!!!

While you are building up your economy and military, you will receive missions starting shortly after the game begins. These link to the Fear factor, where completing these missions will raise the Fear by one and give better rewards the higher the Fear is. Most of these missions are simple and will grant money or units. Completing these missions are incredibly important if the player is able to. Not only does it give credits to help build up, but more space and ground units to bolster your army. Two missions in particular provide big bonuses to Empire players and should be completed as much as possible.

* KYD Demand: This mission will ask the player to build a certain amount of ships for the Empire, usually an ISD or two and support ships. Completing this mission will give a KYD Representative, who will provide a build time and price reduction bonus to space units on whatever planet he it stationed on. Failure of this mission will prevent the construction of KYD units for several weeks. This mission is a must do. Not only does it give the ability to produce ISD's cheaper and quicker, but these units will also be important for the future. Also, failure will prevent you from building more ISD's, something that cannot happen. Out of all the missions provided, this one should always be completed if possible.
* Prototype: This mission will ask the player to save a certain number of credits, then bring Palpatine or Bevel Lemelisk to a certain planet to receive a new ship. These ships will usually be of higher tech, and ships the player cannot build at that point in time. Many times, these will be Imperial 2-Class Star Destroyers or even Interdictor Star Destroyers, giving you a chance of getting powerful warships added to your navy. The downside is the price for these ships are very expensive. If possible, you should complete them, but not at the expensive of other areas such as economy or other military production.

### 6: Where to Strike First; Many Targets of Opportunity

At this point of the early game, you should have your economy well set up and a decent force ready to strike out against the rebel and pirate scum. Now the question is what to attack? At this point, you have 4 different paths to attack from, and you can't really go wrong with any of them. These are:

1. Directly north, heading to Ord Mantell and Yaga Minor, pushing onwards to Muunilinst,
2. Directly east towards Mandalore, with the goal of splitting the Rebels northing sector in half,
3. South-East towards Kashyyyk, linking up with Kessel and giving you access to Hutt Space, and
4. South-West towards Thyferra, eliminating the Black Sun in this area and linking with the south and Eriadu.

Here, you are able to open up and pick whichever way you wish to go depending on what the game situation is like and personal preference. If you are unable to decide, most Empire players would recommend going south-west as an early attack point. Not only do you get access to several money making worlds and a shipyard world in Fondor, but you will also connect the South and Core sectors, allowing you to finally link up your fleets and open up even greater areas to attack. However, this is not a must accomplish move, and you do not have to move here if you do not feel you are ready for it. Go in the direction you feel you would not only succeed in, but have the most fun in. Each path will give you access to rich money worlds, so you truly cannot go wrong with any of the 4 paths above.

### 7: Conquer the Galaxy

With your economy built and your war machine going, it's time for you to reconquer the galaxy. How you do it is up to you, but here are some final thoughts to think about:

* Continue to build up both economy and army/navy. The longer the game goes, the more powerful units the enemy will have. Make sure to stay up to date on tech levels and continue growing the war machine.
* Be prepared for enemy counterattacks as you conquer the galaxy. Be especially prepared for raids against lightly defended worlds.
* Attempt to do the story missions if possible. Not only do you advance the Star Wars story, it will grant access to new units, heroes, and potentially even the Death Star.

That concludes this Empire Guide. The fate of the galaxy now rests in your hands. Good luck Commander, we will await eagerly for the news of your success. Make your Emperor proud.