Guide: What ships should I buy for Xwing? Rebel Edition

Note (January 17, 2018): This is currently updated to include Wave 13. You can also find the Imperial and Scum versions of this list.

Today we continue our foray into helping new players decide what ships to buy when getting into Fantasy Flight’s X-wing Miniatures game. Last time we took a peak at the Imperial fleet. Today we’ll look at the Rebel fleet. How will we rate each expansion?

We’ll look at a few things

• Max Squad– For the ship(s) in this expansion, what is the maximum that you could potentially fly in a 100pt squad. Very rarely will you ever have a reason to buy more than this number unless you are really into Epic play.
• Standard Squad– This will be the number of ships of this type that you will typically see wielded in a squad. This number will often be a range as some ships can be wielded well in a number of different formations.
• Unique Upgrades– What unique upgrades come with this expansion, and only this expansion? Many upgrades can be found in a few different packs so you will have different ways to obtain them. But some have only one avenue to acquire.
  • Note: Upgrades that are unique to ships only available in this pack are not listed.
• Notable Upgrades- While these upgrades aren’t necessarily unique to this ship, they are ones that are unique to the wave or having many of these is not a bad thing. Note, this isn’t a complete list of the upgrades that come with the ship, just ones that are worth noting.
• Suggested Buy: This is our recommendation for the most balanced amount to buy to gain the most benefit from the ship and upgrade cards it contains. We’ll give a little rationale behind it but this isn’t a full review of each ship so it won’t be very detailed. We tend to lean toward two copies of each ship on average to maximize squad options and access to upgrades. But sometimes you only really need one of a ship. Sometimes, you’ll definitely want more. And in reality, you’re probably good with just one.

A-Wing

• Max Squad- 6
• Standard Squad- 2
• Unique Upgrades
  • None
• Notable Upgrades
  • Elite Pilot Talent
    • Push the Limits
    • Deadeye
  • Secondary Weapon
    • Homing Missile
• Suggested Buy: 1 (MSRP- $15)
  • A-wings work well in a couple different ways. They are quite tough and maneuverable for a cheap ship. Though to really be cheap, you need the Rebel Aces expansion. You’ll often see a pair of them thrown into a squad as fodder that’s superior to a Z-95. Or you’ll see one ace as a flanker, usually Tycho or Jake from the Aces.  They have their place in a true swarm though.

ARC-170

• Max Squad- 3
• Standard Squad- 1
• Unique Upgrades
  • Astromech
    • R3 Astromech
  • Crew
    • Tail Gunner
  • Secondary Weapon
    • Seismic Torpedo
• Notable Upgrades
  • Crew
    • Recon Specialist
  • Modification
    • Vectored Thrusters
  • Secondary Weapon
    • Homing Missile
• Suggested Buy: 1 (MSRP- $20)
  • This ship comes with no generic pilots. Most of the pilot’s abilities are related to supporting other ships so you will most likely fly this ship in a mixed squadron. You might want to fly two as they can work well supporting each other. Multiple copies of Seismic Torpedo could also be fun to have as it is a cheap torpedo to mess with the game board.

Auzituck Gunship

• Max Squad- 4
• Standard Squad- 1-4
• Unique Upgrades
  • Elite Pilot Talent
    • Selflessness
  • Crew
    • Wookiee Commando
    • Breach Specialist
• Notable Upgrades
  • Crew
    • Tactician
  • Elite Pilot Talent
    • Intimidation
• Suggested Buy: 2 (MSRP- $30)
  • This ship brings some new mechanics to the small ship game in the form of the Reinforce action and a 180 degree firing arc on a small base. This ship makes a good companion to Biggs. Four flying together is a really tough jousting squadron with their 180 arc and high health. But for most things one of these will be plenty.

B-Wing

• Max Squad- 4
• Standard Squad- 2-4
• Unique Upgrades
  • None
• Notable Upgrades
  • System
    • Fire Control System
  • Secondary Weapon
    • Advanced Proton Torpedo
    • Autoblaster Cannon
    • Ion Cannon
• Suggested Buy: 1 (MSRP- $15)
  • B-wings come into play in a few flavors. A single B-wing decked out or four B-wings as a whole squad (though a one-time popular list only involves 3).  But you only really want one expansion because you’ll get more from the Aces pack.

Rebel Aces

• Unique Upgrades
  • Crew
    • Jan Ors
    • Kyle Katarn
  • Secondary Weapon
    • Chardaan Refit
  • Title
    • A-Wing Test Pilot
  • Modification
    • B-wing/E2
• Notable Upgrades- 
  • Secondary Weapon
    • Proton Rocket
  • System
    • Enhanced Scopes
• Suggested Buy: 1 (MSRP- $30)
  • You can get by with buying a single Aces plus single B-wing and A-wing expansions. This would let you fly two of each ship in any squadron. Though, A-Wings really shine when swarmed so you might consider a second of each.

E-Wing

• Max Squad- 3
• Standard Squad- 1
• Unique Upgrades
  • Astromech
    • R7-T1
    • R7 Astromech
• Notable Upgrades
  • Elite Pilot Talent
    • Outmaneuver
  • Secondary Weapon
    • Flechette Torpedo
  • System
    • Advanced Sensors
• Suggested Buy: 1 (MSRP-  $15)
  • Really, the reason to buy more than one E-Wing right now is for more copies of Advanced Sensors. They are really useful on a lot of different ships (such as the B-wing/Scurrg/TIE Silencer etc). You’ll rarely ever fly any E-Wing other than Corran Horn and then it will likely be Etahn A’baht just for the EPT. So buy more if you need Advanced Sensors (or Outmaneuver) but you’ll probably be good with just a single E-wing.

Ghost

• Max Squad- 2
• Standard Squad- 1
• Unique Upgrades
  • System
    • Reinforced Deflectors
  • Secondary Weapon
    • Dorsal Turret
  • Crew
    • Chopper
    • Ezra Bridger
    • Hera Syndulla
    • Kanan Jarrus
    • Zeb Orrelios
    • Sabine Wren
• Notable Upgrades
  • Elite Pilot Talent
    • Predator
  • Secondary Weapon
    • Thermal Detonator
• Suggested Buy: 1 (MSRP- $50)
  • In addition to providing two ships, Ghost is very valuable for the wide range of crew options it provides. They open up a lot of options to quite a few other ships and make this expansion well worth the price. Plus, if you’re a fan of Star Wars Rebels you’ll definitely want it, the value of the cards aside. It’s an awesome model.

Heroes of the Resistance

• Max Squad- N/A
• Standard Squad- N/A
• Unique Upgrades
  • Astromech
    • M9-G8
  • Crew
    • Finn
    • Rey
    • Hotshot Co-Pilot
  • Elite Pilot Talent
    • Trick Shot
  • Illicit
    • Burnout SLAM
  • Modification
    • Smuggling Compartment
  • Tech
    • Pattern Analyzer
  • Titles
    • Millenium Falcon (TFA)
    • Black One
• Notable Upgrades
  • Elite Pilot Talent
    • Snap Shot
  • Modification
    • Integrated Astromech
  • Tech
    • Primed Thrusters
• Suggested Buy: 1 (MSRP- $40)
  • This is expansion serves as a great upgrade for the T-70 and YT-1300. There are quite a lot of valuable upgrades you can’t get anywhere else. Pattern Analyzers really change the nature of the T-70’s and Smuggling Compartments lets your YT freighters be real smugglers. I would recommend this expansion over the original Millenium Falcon because of all of these new toys.

HWK-290

• Max Squad- 6
• Standard Squad- 1
• Unique Upgrades
  • Turret
    • Blaster Turret
  • Crew
    • Saboteur
• Notable Upgrades
  • Crew
    • Recon Specialist
    • Intelligence Agent
• Suggested Buy: 1 (MSRP- $15)
  • You’ll never want more than a single HWK. You might think it would useful to have two Blaster Turrets or two HWKs supporting a squad. Then you’ll remember how terrible they are at everything else. HWK’s, especially the Scum ones, are very good at what they do. But what they do is support a squad and to do that you only need one.

K-Wing

• Max Squad- 4
• Standard Squad- 1-3
• Unique Upgrades
  • Crew
    • Bombardier
• Notable Upgrades
  • Secondary Weapon
    • Advanced Homing Missile
    • Conner Net
    • Extra Munitions
    • Ion Bombs
    • Plasma Torpedo
    • Twin Laser Turret
• Suggested Buy: 2 (MSRP-  $40)
  • K-Wings bring a lot to the table. Miranda Doni is very useful with her pilot ability providing her with shield regeneration, something very rare and usually requires an astromech upgrade slot. The Twin Laser Turret has been a real game changer and something everyone needs to build a list considering. Getting two K-Wings gives you four of them so you can field quite a few list options with them. Three K-wings was once a very effective list but with the changes to SLAM isn’t as popular.

Millenium Falcon (YT-1300)

• Max Squad- 3
• Standard Squad- 1
• Unique Upgrades
  • Crew
    • Luke Skywalker
    • Chewbacca
    • Nien Nunb
  • Elite Pilot Talent
    • Draw Their Fire
• Notable Upgrades
  • Crew
    • Weapons Engineer
  • Elite Pilot Talent
    • Veteran Instincts
  • Modification
    • Shield Upgrade
    • Engine Upgrade
• Suggested Buy: 0-1 (MSRP- $30)
  • You can’t not get a copy of the Millenium Falcon. No matter what faction you play. It’s the friggin’ Millenium Falcon. That aside it’s got one of the single best upgrade in the game; Engine Upgrades (EU). Fortunately it comes with two of those, reducing your need to buy two of this pack. You’ll rarely find a time when you have a squad where you might want to field more than two ships with EU. You might consider skipping this pack though if you get Heroes of the Resistance and only want one YT-1300. The Han and Chewie pilots are better from this pack though.

Phantom-II (Sheathipede Shuttle)

• Max Squad- 4
• Standard Squad- 1
• Unique Upgrades
  • Astromech
    • Chopper
    • Flight Assist Astromech
  •  Crew
    • Maul
    • Courier Droid
  • Titles
    • Ghost
• Notable Upgrades
  • None
• Suggested Buy: 2 (MSRP-  $30)
  • You will most likely only ever fly one of these at a time BUT Flight Assist Astromech is a great upgrade for a lot of other ships. That said, you can also make some decent lists with two of these because they are quite cheap. They bring the Coordinate action to the Rebels which opens u shenanigans.

Resistance Bomber

• Max Squad- 4
• Standard Squad- 1
• Unique Upgrades
  • System
    • Trajectory Simulator
• Notable Upgrades
  • Secondary Weapon
    • Conner Net
    • Thermal Detonators
  • Tech
    • Advanced Optics
    • Targeting Synchronizer
• Suggested Buy: 1 (MSRP-  $30)
  • Once loaded with bombs these ships get pretty expensive to fly. You could make an interesting list with three of them but they seem suited for one with some escorts.

Sabine’s TIE Fighter

• Max Squad- 4
• Standard Squad- 1
• Unique Upgrades 
  • Crew
    • Captain Rex
  • Illicit
    • EMP Device
• Notable Upgrades
  • Elite Pilot Talent
    • Veteran Instincts
• Suggested Buy: 1 (MSRP- $15)
  • There is really no reason to ever buy more than one of these packs. Because it’s  a TIE Fighter if you want to fly two of the pilots you can just use the dial and model from one of your other TIE’s (since they come with the core box you already have two). The only obstacle would be the cardboard if you wanted to fly two pilots that were on the same one. But really, the cool titles are unique and you’ll want to use them.

Scurrg H-6 Bomber

• Max Squad- 1
• Standard Squad- 1
• Unique Upgrades 
  • Secondary Weapons
    • Bomblet Generator
  • System
    • Minefield Mapper
  • Salvaged Astromech
    • R4-E1
• Notable Upgrades
  • Secondary Weapons
    • Cruise Missile
    • Synced Turret
    • Seismic Torpedo
• Suggested Buy: 1 (MSRP- $20)
  • While technically this is a Scum ship, it does contain one Rebel pilot in the form of Nym. It also adds some cool toys to any bomber so Rebels, and Imperials, don’t want to miss out. It comes with two Cruiser Missiles but only one Minefield Mapper so you might consider another for that but only if you’re really into early bomb deployment.

T-70 X-Wing

• Max Squad- 4
• Standard Squad- 2
• Unique Upgrades 
  • Elite Pilot Talent
    • Cool Hand
  • Astromech
    • Targeting Astromech
• Notable Upgrades
  • Tech
    • Weapons Guidance
  • Modification
    • Integrated Astromech
• Suggested Buy: 1 (MSRP- $15)
  • This new X-wing really puts the old one to shame. For only a few more points you gain a shield and boost. The pilots are also incredible. You probably won’t ever want to fly four so one, in addition to the new core set and Heroes of the Resistance, is all you’ll likely need. Unless you plan to run three X-wings (either variety) all with Integrated Astromech. But you’re probably better off giving one of them a different modification (like autothrusters) so two should be plenty.

U-Wing

• Max Squad- 4
• Standard Squad- 1
• Unique Upgrades
  • Elite Pilot Talent
    • Expertise
  • Crew
    • Jyn Erso
    • Cassian Andor
    • Baze Malbus
    • Bistan
    • Bodhi Rook
    • Inspiring Recruit
• Notable Upgrades
  • System
    • Sensor Jammer
  • Modification
    • Stealth Device
• Suggested Buy: 1 (MSRP- $30)
  • This is a great ship to add to your fleet…for all the upgrades it gives you. Inspiring Recruit and Expertise are great cards.  Plus, it’s another source of Sensor Jammer finally. As for the ship itself…I love the model and the idea of the ship. But it has a lot of shortcomings making it less than competitive. Though, there are some interesting builds taking advantage of Cassian Andors EPT slot.

X-Wing

• Max Squad- 4
• Standard Squad- 1
• Unique Upgrades 
  • Astromech
    • R5-K6
    • R5 Astromech
• Notable Upgrades
  • Elite Pilot Talent
    • Expert Handling
• Suggested Buy: 1 (MSRP- $15)
  • X-wings are in a weird place currently.  With the introduction of Integrated Astromech card in the T-70 expansion and Flight Assist Astromech from Phantom II they have seen a resurgence. But they still aren’t quite “there” yet. That said, you’ll want to consider one of these packs primarily for Wedge Antilles pilot. He’s still a great pilot to bring to the table. Get one of these, especially if you don’t get the Original Core Set, though that is also recommended.

Y-Wing

• Max Squad- 5
• Standard Squad-  2-4
• Unique Upgrades
  • Astromech
    • R5-D8
    • R2 Astromech
• Notable Upgrades
  • Secondary Weapon
    • Ion Turret
• Suggested Buy: 2 (MSRP- $30)
  • Y-wings have come a long way recently. For a long time, they were largely forgotten. But Most Wanted added the BTL-A4 title and the K-wing added the Twin Laser Turret. Suddenly, Y-wings are showing up a lot.  You could fly a pretty strong list with four of these ships but in most cases, you’ll be set with just a pair of them backing up some other ships.

YT-2400

• Max Squad- 3
• Standard Squad- 1
• Unique Upgrades
  • Crew
    • Lando Calrissian
    • Dash Rendar
    • Leebo
  • Modification
    • Experimental Interface
• Notable Upgrades
  • Obstacles
    • Debris Fields
  • Elite Pilot Talent
    • Lone Wolf
    • Stay on Target
  • Crew
    • Gunner
  • Secondary Weapon
    • Heavy Laser Cannon
  • Modification
    • Countermeasures
• Suggested Buy: 1 (MSRP- $30)
  • This ship pack has a lot of cool things going for it. Many of the once unique upgrades (Lone Wolf, Stay on Target) now come with the YV-666. The other big upgrade that’s great from it, Experimental Interface, can only be fielded on one ship in a squad so no reason to get more than one. You’ll definitely want one but not really any reason for two.

Z-95

• Max Squad- 8
• Standard Squad- 4
• Unique Upgrades 
  • Elite Pilot Talent
    • Wingman
    • Decoy
• Notable Upgrades
  • Modification
    • Munitions Failsafe
• Suggested Buy: 2 (MSRP- $30)
  • These ships make for great filler in any squad. They are cheap and make a decent swarm. But so do Chardaan refit A-wings. Therefore you don’t need as many Z’s as you do TIE Fighters. Two allows you to serve as cannon fodder fill in most squads and make a good swarm with some A-wings.

Tantive IV (Corellian Corvette)

• Unique Upgrades
  • Crew
    • C-3P0
    • R2-D2
    • Han Solo
• Suggested Buy: 0-1 (MSRP- $90)
  • I did not list all of the unique features of this ship as most of them are for Epic play only and therefore for use just by this ship. If you want to play Epic play, definitely get this ship. If you don’t then probably don’t bother. It looks great sitting on a shelf, which is where mine primarily goes. For sure, C-3P0 is a great card to have but he’s not worth the price of admission alone.

Rebel Transport (GR-75)

• Unique Upgrades 
  • Astromech
    • R2-D6
    • R3-A2
    • R4-D6
    • R5-D9
• Notable Upgrades
  • Flechette Torpedoes
• Suggested Buy: 1 (MSRP- $60)
  • The ship itself is only useful in epic play. But it comes with an X-Wing (reducing the effective cost of the transport to $45) and a lot of really good X-wing pilots. Plus a lot of useful Astromechs. As an X-wing upgrade it’s very useful. The transport itself also looks really nice sitting on the shelf. R3-A2 is the second best Astromech card (after R2-D2). But if you don’t plan on ever flying X-wings it’s probably not worth buying.

Missing Upgrades

Below is a list of the upgrades (that you can use) that you will not have access to by solely buying Rebel ships.The ones that are bolded are the most useful for Rebel ships, though all have their place.

• Elite Pilot Talents
  • A Score to Settle (Quadjumper)
  • Adaptability (Mist Hunter)
  • Adrenaline Rush (TIE Bomber)
  • Calculation (StarViper)
  • Crackshot (Kihraxz/Hound’s Tooth/Imperial Veterans)
  • Daredevil (TIE Interceptor)
  • Debris Gambit (TIE Silencer)
  • Expose (Slave-1)
  • Intensity (TIE Aggressor)
  • Juke (TIE F/O)
  • Lightning Reflexes (Kihraxz)
  • Opportunist (Imperial Aces)
  • Rage (Punishing One)
  • Swarm Leader (TIE Striker)
  • Swarm Tactics (TIE Fighter/TIE Advanced)
  • Squad Leader (TIE Advanced)
• Crew
  • BoShek (Quadjumper)
  • Flight Instructor (Lambda Shuttle)
  • Navigator (Lambda Shuttle)
  • Operations Specialist (Upsilon Shuttle)
• Illicit
  • Blackmarket Slicing Tools  (Shadow Caster)
  • Cloaking Device (Mist Hunter)
  • Contraband Cybernetics (M-12L Kimogila)
  • Deadman’s Switch (IG-2000)
  • Glitterstim (Kihraxz/Hound’S Tooth)
  • Hotshot Blaster (IG-2000/Most Wanted)
  • Inertial Dampeners (Starviper/IG-2000)
  • Ion Discharger (Guns for Hire)
  • Feedback Array (IG-2000/Punishing One)
  • Rigged Cargo Chute (Shadow Caster)
  • Scavenger Crane (Quadjumper)
• Secondary Weapons
  • Arc Caster (C-ROC)
  • Autoblaster Turret (Most Wanted)
  • Bomb Loadout Y-wing (Most Wanted)
  • Cluster Mines (TIE Punisher)
  • Flechette Cannon (M3-A Scyk)
  • Harpoon Missile (Guns for Hire)
  • Ion Torpedo (VT-49)
  • Linked Battery (Alpha Class)
  • Jamming Beam (Alpha Class)
  • Mangler Cannon (IG-2000/M3-A Scyk)
  • Proton Bombs (TIE Bomber/VT-49)
  • Scrambler Missiles (M-12L Kimogila)
  • Seismic Charge (TIE Bomber/Slave-1/IG-2000)
  • Tractor Beam (Mist Hunter/Imperial Veterans)
  • XX-23 Thread Tracers (Inquisitors TIE)
• System
  • Accuracy Corrector (Starviper/IG-2000)
  • Collision Detector (TIE/SF)
  • Electronic Baffle (Mist Hunter)
• Tech
  • Comm Relay (TIE F/O)
  • Hyperwave Comm Scanner (Upsilon Shuttler/Quadjumper)
  • Sensor Cluster (TIE/SF)
  • Targeting Synchronizer (Upsilon Shuttle)
  • Threat Tracker (TIE Silencer)
•  Title
  • BTL-A4 Y-wing (Most Wanted)
•  Modification
  • Anti-Pursuit Lasers (Lambda Shuttle)
  • Autothrusters (StarViper/TIE Silencer)
  • Guidance Chip (Inquisitor’s TIE/Punishing One)
  • Hull Upgrade (Imperial Aces/Starviper)
  • Ion Projector (Hound’s Tooth/Upsilon Shuttle)
  • Long Range Scanners (Imperial Veterans)
  • Pulse Ray Shield (C-ROC)
  • Tactical Jammers (VT-49/Shadow Caster)

Summary

Total suggested cost for released content at MSRP is ~$505 for your Rebel Fleet. For suggested non-faction ships with the most valuable upgrades plus Epic ships is another $280. Those are some big numbers, but DON’T PANIC.

First, unless you can afford it, don’t buy all these ships at once. This guide is just your goal of where to aim for your fleet. Second, you can often get these ships 30% cheaper if you buy online. This article makes no judgment on buying online vs at your FLGS.

Second, remember this is just a GUIDE, a suggestion. It’s like the Pirate Code. Take from it what you will. Above all else, X-Wing is a fun game, so buy the ships you most want to put on the table.

With the ships and quantities listed above, you’ll be able to make almost any Rebel squad you might want. Fringe lists (like 6 A-wings) will be out unless you stock up more on particular ships. But most good lists use a mix of ships so you never need more than a few of each type.

Suggested Buy Order

Here is my suggested buy order (not including unreleased content). It includes non-faction ships in italics which have the most useful upgrades.

1. 1x X-wing
2. 1x T-70 X-wing
3. 1x Heroes of the Resistance
4. 1x B-wing
5. 1x A-wing
6. 1x Rebel Aces
7. 1x Ghost
8. 2x Phantom II
9. 1x YT-2400
10. 1x ARC-170
11. 2x Auzituck Gunship
12. 2x K-wing
13. 2x Y-Wing
14. 1x Most Wanted (Y-wing upgrades/Illicit Upgrades)
15. 1x Scurrg Bomber
16. 1x Resistance Bomber
17. 2x Z-95
18. 1x Sabine’s TIE Fighter
19. 1x U-Wing
20. 1x E-wing
21. 1x Kihraxz (Crackshot/Glitterstim)
22. 1x TIE Silencer (Autothrusters/Threat Tracker/Debris Gambit)
23. 1x HWK-290
24. 1x Punishing One (Guidance Chip/Rage)
25. 1x TIE Bombers (Seismic Charge/Adrenaline Rush)
26. 1x Millenium Falcon (Engine Upgrade/Pilots/Title)
27. Rebel Transport
28. Corellian Corvette

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Wayne Basta

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Wayne is the managing editor of d20 Radio's Gaming Blog. He also writes Sci-fi, . If you enjoy his work, you can support him on Patreon.

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