SW Armada: New Corellian Objectives Reviewed
Let’s take a detailed at what the Corellian Conflict’s new Objectives mean for Star Wars Armada.
Hey BoLS fans, did you know FFG is releasing an expansion campaign for Star Wars Armada? Could you tell I am a little excited for it? Well I am, and this week FFG showed us another reason we should all be excited for it: new objectives. Objectives are part of the bread of butter of Armada gameplay, a major component of the game. Every game is affected by them, and yet the existing ones have gotten a little… old shall we say. Adding new ones to the game is a major and good move, that will shake up the meta. The new objectives will add more fun and verity to the game, for both casual and tournaments players. We’ve touched on the objectives a little here at BolLS before but lets get a little more in depth now.
Defense Objectives
You might as well call these the wild card objectives as they can effect any aspect of a game.
Fighter Ambush
We start off strong with the new Fighter Ambush Objective. Frankly speaking I think this is one of the best new objective cards and will be common in a lot of lists. Fighter Ambush is an amazing objective for fighter heavy lists, with an almost unlimited opportunity for objective points and allowing for enhanced fighter deployment. In the right list it gives Fire Lanes, or Contest Outpost, long the favorite in this category, a run for their money. It’s down side is that the enemy can also benefit from it and it does need a list built to gain for it to work, but the pay off can be big.
Planetary Ion Cannon
While this is a fun objective it seems one of the worst to me. It gives neither player any extra objective points. While the second player can befit from this its a pretty random benefit, a give them up to three small extra attacks during a game, but attacks that can’t be buffed and only work if the enemy comes close. Still someone out there will kill a kitted out ISD -II with the extra attack and be very happy. Overall this has the random chance of being amazing, but I don’t see a strong reason to take it over Fighter Ambush or Fire Lanes. It is one of the more evocative and different missions, so there is that.
Jamming Barrier
Mildly complicated but with some potential is how I view this mission. It could work OK in a delay fleet but to me the big way this mission would work is with a fighter heavy fleet. A well played fleet would keep it’s carriers on one side of the barrier, protected, while its fighter attacked across it tearing up enemy ships. Still I wounder if a fighter heavy fleet wouldn’t just be better off with Fighter Ambush. A well optimized fleet could take advantage of it.
Assault Objectives
These objectives are for people who like shooting people.
Blockade Run
I love this objective simply for how it changes up the table. In addition to changing up the table this really does alter how you play the game, turning it into more of a survival game. A large part of me does however think this could be a super boring/annoying objective to play with, since it rewards evasiveness and avoiding combat. Another objective that really needs a list built for it, a fleet or Raiders or CR90s would be good, in the right hands, and with the right match ups, it can make or break a match.
Station Assault
Another fun objective that changes up the battlefield, Station Assault is a favorite of mine. A cool objective that adds some risk vs rewards for both players, and gives the “defender” a bit of a healing benefit, this mission just seems fun. It will leave players asking the question: “Do I use my attacks on the station and get points, or try to kill enemy ships.” My big advice is if you are using this objective in your list, build a list that can take some hits, and not one that needs to run away a lot, as you will want to stay near those stations.
Targeting Beacons
A cool little objective, this gives a minor bonus to the 2nd player. While not a bad objective it seems a bit overshadowed by the other options. Good if you have a lot of crit activated upgrades.
Close-Range Intel Scan
This seems like a very good objective for certain fleets. Rebel fleets seem to benefit most for this objective, since Home One make sure of getting accuracy, but a list with the new Imperial Captain Jonus would also rock with this objective. Quad Turbolaser Cannons would also be a great upgrade if you are taking this objective. With the proper list this might be one of the most powerful objectives in the whole game.
Navigation Objectives
Objectives that benefit maneuver and positioning.
Sensor Net
This is basically a modified version of Intel Sweep. While it seems a little more fun, with it’s moving objectives, overall it’s a bit meh to me. Benefits fleets with small, fast moving elements.
Solar Corona
Solar Corona is a cool mission, that adds a bit of extra fun and flavor to a game. This a mission that benefits having a maneuverable fleet and good ship positioning. The advantage it gives is minor but not unimportant and it it’s one to use as an obvious choice for an enemy. If you can’t get them to take something that puts them at a major disadvantage, at least put them at a minor one. Good at shutting down some combos.
Salvage Run
Salvage Run seems at first glance to be similar to Intel Sweep or Sensor Net, however there are a few key differences. First off the objectives in Salvage run are much more densely packed, as they all have to be placed near the station. This means that mission favors a heavy fleet that can take control of the station and grab the objectives. A small ship fleet used to scattering all over won’t do well in this mission. Second, the mission gives free nav tokens to player two’s ships which is pretty useful.
Navigational Hazards
This is a mission for people who like to screw with the other player. This mission is really bad for slow moving non- maneuverable ships as it will throw a stream of obstacles in thier path. Still this mission seems really fun thanks to the chaos that will be unleashed as the obstacles move all around the table, trapping and damaging the enemy.
Final Thoughts
These missions have me very excited for the future of Armada. Though it seems like we are one mission short, I can already see that these are going to have a major effect on the meta. While I don’t think they outshine or invalidate the older missions I do think this was a well balanced release and a number of these missions are valid or better choices the the starting ones. These missions seem to, even more that the base ones, reward a focused fleet build, but thats not bad. Overall these are going to change Star Wars: Armada for the better.
~That’s all for this week BoLS fans, let us know how you think the new objectives will affect the game down in the comments.
