Last Update: 03/20/2019 with 2.0 Wave 2 and Points Update 1.2.
X-wing 2.0 launches with a wide variety of upgrades carrying over from 1.0. Similar to the guides we did for 1.0, we’re going to start looking at making sense of all of the new upgrades and how they will function in 2.0:
- Ranking– We’re going to rank each card within an upgrade slot. This is an imperfect ranking as the usefulness of any card is mostly determined by how and where you use it. But it’s an easy number to grasp and can serve as a starting point when trying to pick your upgrades.
- Comments- Some general thoughts about how to use this upgrade. If this upgrade had an equivalent in 1.0, we’ll give a few notes about how it plays differently
- Combos– If there are any noteworthy cards this upgrade combos with it will be noted here. Not all cards have this section.
Other Guides
- Personnel
- Astromechs (Coming Soon)
- Crew
- Gunners
- Pilot Upgrades
- Ship Upgrades
- Devices (Coming Soon)
- Illicit (Coming Soon)
- Modifications (Coming Soon)
- Sensor (Coming Soon)
- Tech (Coming Soon)
- Weapon Systems
Rebel Gunners
Ships with Gunners
- ARC-170
- BTL-A4 Y-Wing
- BTL-S8 K-Wing
- Modified YT-1300
- VCX-100
- YT-2400
Ranked List
These were particularly hard to rank, which says good things about the game’s current state of balance. Most of them have a particular niche to fill, and they fill that niche well, but don’t really compare against each other directly.
- Han Solo
- Bistan
- Luke Skywalker
- Ezra Bridger
Gunners (listed alphabetically)
Bistan (Wave 1 Rebel Conversion Kit)
Cost: 14 points
After you perform a primary attack, if you are focused, you may perform a bonus Mobile Arc attack against a ship you have not already attacked this round.
- Ranking- 2
- Comments
- The only gunner that lets you perform a Bonus Attack from the same mobile arc that you’ve already attacked from. The rest use a different arc with the Bonus attack.
- Combos
- Perceptive Co-Pilot (Crew)- Gain two Focus actions so you can modify the first attack and still have one available for Bistan’s bonus attack.
- Cluster Missiles (Missile)- On a bowtie arc ship, fire twice out of your front with Clusters or twice out of your side with Bistan. Double attacks from any direction.
Ezra Bridger (Wave 1 Rebel Conversion Kit)
Cost: 18 points
Force: 1 (Reoccuring)
After you perform a primary attack, you may spend 1 Force to perform a bonus Mobile Arc attack from a Mobile Arc you have not attacked from this round. If you do and you are stressed, you may reroll 1 attack die.
- Ranking- 4
- Comments
- Three times the cost of a Veteran Turret Gunner. For that price you gain a reroll, if you’re stressed, and a Force token to use if you don’t take a bonus attack.
- The Force point is worth a reasonable amount by itself. Seventh Sister and Fifth Brother are 9 points and that seems fair. Ezra is twice that and his ability is not worth it. Maybe he’s worth it at 12. Maybe.
- Combos
- Maul (Crew)- Ezra allows you to take Maul, so if you have some use for him than maybe it’s worth it. But for 22-23 more points you could get a whole ship with Ezra pilot rather than just a bad gunner.
Han Solo (Wave 1 Rebel Conversion Kit)
Cost: 14 points
During the Engagement Phase, at initiative 7, you may perform a Mobile Arc attack. You cannot attack from that Mobile Arc again this round.
- Ranking- 1
- Comments
- A useful counter to Init 6 aces always getting the first shot. Because Han shoots first.
- Combos
- Roark Garnet (HWK-290 Pilot)- The combo of using Roark and Han to get double shots out of the same Mobile Arc is no longer legal. But, you can still use them together to get multiple Init 7 attacks.
Luke Skywalker (Wave 1 Rebel Conversion Kit)
Cost: 26 points
Force: 1 (Reoccurring)
At the start of the Engagement Phase, you may spend 1 Force to rotate your Mobile Arc indicator.
- Ranking- 3
- Comments
- Luke is the ultimate “I never want to get arc dodged” upgrade. You will always be able to point your guns at a target.
- Combos
- Luke is priced to make him not competitive. This prices him out of most useful combos. But, it does go well with any Force pilot or crew. Then you can rotate your arc and still have Force points to spend.
Resistance Gunners
Ships with Gunners
- MG-100 StarFortress
- Scavenged YT-1300
Ranked List
Thanks to the StarFortress being the only, current, ship with double Gunner, the Resistance has some of the most interesting combos.
- Rey
- Finn
- Paige Tico
Gunners (listed alphabetically)
Finn (Wave 2 Resistance Conversion Kit)
Cost: 10 points
While you defend or perform a primary attack, if the enemy ship is in your Forward Arc, you may add 1 blank result to your roll (this die can be rerolled or otherwise modified).
- Ranking- 2
- Comments
- Pretty much his 1.0 ability.
- Combos
- Rey (YT-1300 Pilot)- They still make a great team. Her ability triggers in the forward arc, allowing Finn to add a blank and Rey to turn it into something useful.
- Rose Tico (Crew)- Rose spends results, including blanks, to acquire a Lock. Teamed up its a free Lock whenever you shoot or get shot at.
Paige Tico (Wave 2 Resistance Conversion Kit)
Cost: 7 points
After you perform a primary attack, you may drop 1 bomb or rotate your Mobile Arc.
After you are destroyed, you may drop 1 bomb.
- Ranking- 3
- Comments
- She is made for the MG-100, which is thematically appropriate. Her ability doesn’t do much for a YT-1300.
- Oddly, she doesn’t have any particular synergy with Rose.
- Combos
- Veteran Turret Gunner- Fire once and then rotate your arc to get another shot. Unfortunately, you can’t rotate your bow-tie arcs 180 degrees and get two shots out of the same side but you could fire left and then rotate to fire front or back, or fire primary front and then rotate to fire turret out of your front.
- Cat (MG-100 Pilot)- If another pilot has Paige, they can drop a bomb after firing. This could give Cat an extra attack die. Finch makes a great pairing as he can put that bomb anywhere along his base to be sure Cat gets her bonus die.
Rey (Wave 2 Resistance Conversion Kit)
Cost: 14 points
Force Charge: 1 (Reoccurring)
While you defend or perform an attack, if the enemy ship is in your Mobile Arc, you may spend 1 Force to change 1 of your blank results to an Evade or Hit result.
- Ranking- 1
- Comments
- Works very similar to her pilot ability except applies to the mobile arc instead of forward.
- Thanks to both gunner carrying mobile arc ships for Resistance being bow-ties, there is a good chance to trigger Rey. That almost translates to one guaranteed positive result each round from her Force charge.
- Combos
- Finn (Gunner)- Drop them both on an MG-100 and turn Finn’s free blank to something useful.
Imperial Gunners
Ships with Gunners
- TIE/ag Aggressor
- TIE/ca Punisher
- TIE/ph Phantom
- TIE/sa Bomber
- TIE/sk Striker
- VT-49 Decimator
Ranked List
There are quite a few Imperial ships with a Gunner slot, though only one truly unique Imperial Gunner.
- BT-1*
- Fifth Brother
Crew (listed alphabetically)
Fifth Brother (Wave 1 Empire Conversion Kit)
Cost: 9 points
Force: 1 (Reoccurring)
While you perform an attack, you may spend 1 Force to change 1 of your Focus results to a Crit result.
- Ranking- 1
- Comments
- Not very exciting. Fifth Brother really is just a Force charge with the slight added benefit that when you use it on offense, you get a crit from the deal
- Because of this genericness, Fifth Brother works well on any ship. He is just a Force charge for 9pts, which is beneficial to any pilot.
First Order Gunners
Ships with Gunner
- TIE/sf Fighter
Ranked List
Not much place for Gunners in the First Order.
- Special Forces Gunner
Crew (listed alphabetically)
Special Forces Gunner (Wave 2 First Order Conversion Kit)
Cost: 10 points
While you perform a primary Forward Arc attack, if your Mobile Arc is in your Forward Arc, you may roll 1 additional attack die.
After you perform a primary Forward attack, if your Mobile Arc is in your Rear Arc, you may perform a bonus primary Mobile Arc attack.
- Ranking- 1
- Comments
- This essentially just grants the TIE/sf the ability they had in 1.0; extra die if they shoot forward or two attacks if they shoot front and back.
Scum Gunners
Ships with Gunners
- BTL-A4 Y-Wing
- Customized YT-1300
- Firespray Patrol Craft (w/Marauder Title)
- Scurrg H-6 Bomber
- YV-666
Ranked List
- BT-1
- Han Solo
- Dengar
- Bossk
- Greedo
Gunner (listed alphabetically)
Bossk (Wave 1 Scum Conversion Kit)
Cost: 10 points
After you perform a primary attack that misses, if you are not stressed, you must receive 1 stress token to perform a bonus primary attack against the same target.
- Ranking- 4
- Comments
- A cross between his 1.0 ability and old school Gunner. He allows you to make two attacks against the same ship, a rarity, but you get stressed for the privilege.
- Combos
- He works on any ship because a free attack after missing increases your damage potential.
- Juke (Talent)- With Juke you can fire once, Juke them and they either spend their focus or take a damage. If they spend, you get to shoot again and Juke them again. Unfortunately, in order to get an Evade on a Scum ship with a Gunner + Talent + Evade you need a Firespray (with Marauder) or a Scurrg + IG-88D (Crew) + IG-88C in an Aggressor. Very convoluted.
BT-1 (Wave 1 Scum Conversion Kit)
Cost: 2 points
While you perform an attack, you may change 1 Hit result to a Crit result for each stress token the defender has.
- Ranking- 1
- Comments
- For two points, BT makes a great filler for any open Gunner slot. He might not trigger often, but if he makes your opponent question linking an action or taking a red maneuver, he’s been worth the cost.
- Combos
- 0-0-0 (Crew)- Hand out stress and a free hit conversion or get a free calculate token.
Dengar (Wave 1 Scum Conversion Kit)
Cost: 6 points
Charge: 1 (Reoccuring)
After you defend, if the attacker is in your firing arc, you may spend 1 Charge. If you do, roll 1 attack die unless the attacker chooses to remove 1 green token. On a Hit or Crit result, the attacker suffers 1 Hit damage.
- Ranking- 3
- Comments
- Works similar to the old 1.0 retaliation droid.
- Good discouragement to getting shot.
- You want Dengar on your bait. Something big and tempting for them to shoot at. That way he forces them to make a tough choice.
Greedo (Wave 1 Scum Conversion Kit)
Cost: 1 points
Charge: 1 (Reoccuring)
While you perform an attack, you may spend 1 Charge to change 1 Hit result to a Crit result.
While you defend, if your Charge is active, the attacker may change 1 Hit result to a Crit result.
- Ranking- 5
- Comments
- Even cheaper than BT-1, Greedo ensures you’ll get at least one crit result (assuming you get any hit results).
- If you’re not a high Init then you run the risk of taking a crit yourself. Probably not worth putting on anything under Init 5.
Han Solo (Wave 1 Scum Conversion Kit)
Cost: 12 points
Before you engage, you may perform a red Focus action.
- Ranking- 2
- Comments
- Before the points update, this was a no brainer upgrade. Effectively PTL for the most useful action in the game.
- Even at this price, he’s still worth considering for any pilot. Higher the Init the better since you don’t get your Focus until you engage.
- Combos
- L3-37 (YT-1300 Pilot)- L3 is a droid so can normally only take the Calculate action. With Han onboard she can do both.
- Boba Fett (Firespray Pilot)- Despite the point increase for both of them, Han on Boba is still a great combo.
Generic Gunners
Ranked List
- Veteran Turret Gunner
- Skilled Bombardier
- Veteran Tail Gunner
- Hotshot Gunner
- Agile Gunner
Gunners (listed alphabetically)
Agile Gunner (Wave 1 Conversion Kits)
Cost: 8 points
During the End Phase, you may rotate your Mobile Arc indicator.
- Ranking- 5
- Comments
- This needs to come down in price. Eight points to rotate your arc at the end of the round is too much. Rotating at the end gives away your next move.
- It is essentially a free action so has some value but its not worth taking at that price over anything else.
- Combos
- Scavenged YT-1300- The rotate arc action on these is red. With an Agile Gunner aboard you can do it for free and without stress.
Hotshot Gunner (Wave 1 Conversion Kits)
Cost: 7 points
While you perform a Mobile Arc attack, after the Modify Defense Dice step, the defender removes 1 focus or calculate token.
- Ranking- 3
- Comments
- Similar to 1.0’s Hotshot Co-Pilot.
- Notably, this does not affect Reinforce or Evade.
- Best on a high Init pilot to help clear tokens for your lower Init pilots.
- Might become effective against Separatist with all of their Calculate tokens.
- Combos
- Juke (Talent)- Throw Juke on the rest of your list, that shoots after the Hotshot Gunner and you’re causing some mayhem,
Skilled Bombardier (Wave 1 Conversion Kits)
Cost: 2 points
If you would drop or launch a device, you may use a template of the same bearing with a speed 1 higher or lower.
- Ranking- 2
- Comments
- If you have bombs and the points its absolutely worth trying to fit in. Choices on where you deploy your device increase the odds of where it will land.
- Combos
- TIE Bombers/Sol Sixxa (Scurrg Pilot)/Emon Azzameen (Firespray Pilot)/Constable Zuvio (Quadrijet Pilot)- All of these ships have options beyond a one straight when deploying devices. Combined with Bombardier they double their choices.
- Trajectory Simulator (Sensor)- Since these work on drop and launch you can shorten your launch range.
Veteran Turret Gunner (Wave 1 Conversion Kits)
Cost:6 points
After you perform a primary attack, you may perform a bonus Mobile Arc attack using a Mobile Arc you did not already attack from this round.
- Ranking- 1
- Comments
- Bonus attacks are always good.
- Unless you have a forward arc in addition to your mobile arc, you often won’t have ships on opposite sides of you so it can be hard to pull off.
- Note, they require the Rotate Arc action. The TIE/sf does not have that action except as a linked action, which doesn’t count.
- Combos
- Y-Wings/Scurrg Bombers/MG-100- All of these ships have primary forward arcs and mobile arcs. This allows you to point your mobile arc forward, fire the forward gun and then fire the mobile arc, both at the same target.
Veteran Tail Gunner (Wave 1 Conversion Kits)
Cost:4 points
After you perform a primary Forward Arc attack, you may perform a bonus primary Rear Arc attack.
- Ranking- 4
- Comments
- Bonus attacks are always good. Though, it’s rare you’ll have ships in front of you and behind you.
- Combos
- ARC-170/Firespray- the only two ships that can currently use them.
Wayne Basta
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