Star Wars Legion: Speeder Bike Tactics

The 74-Z Speeder Bike is an iconic Imperial unit, lets take a look at how the get the most out of them in Star Wars Legion.

Last week we discussed the basic building block of any Imperial Army, the Stormtroopers. This week we are going to take a look at more specialized, but still powerful unit the fast 74-Z Speeders Bikes. Lets dig in.

The Basics

Speeder Bikes are currently the only Imperial Support slot option you can take. They come in units of 2 models and you can take up to 3 units in an army. AT 90 points they are a little more than twice the cost of a base Stormtrooper unit, and roughly the same price as a tricked out one. Though they are Repulsor vehicles the do not have the armor rule, coupled with only having a white defense dice they are little fragile. A defense surge does help with that, as does having the Cover 1 rule, meaning they always count as being in cover. 3 hit points each means they can take a bit of damage before dying.

Offence is where the unit really shines. With two ranged weapons they can split fire as needed. the Ax-20 Blaster Cannon, is a powerful mid ranged weapon, a unit of two speeders can pretty easily out shoot a Stormtrooper squad, with the Impact Key word helping with armor.  While the Ax-20 has a fixed:front limited field of fire, their EC-17 Hold-out Blasters can fire in any direction, and with 2 black dice each are no joke. An offensive surge helps both guns be more effective.

Lastly Move 3 and Speeder 1 means the unit is fast and mobile. They able to ignore a lot of terrain and get where it needs to be. This make them a great unit for flanking and interference.

Upgrades

Currently Speeder Bikes have only two possible upgrade options:

Comms Jammer is an upgrade that allows you to get in and mess with enemy plans. It blocks the enemy from issuing orders to units within range 1 of you. While this isn’t a bad upgrade it is costly and also requires you to have your speeders in the middle of the enemy to get much use for it. Personally I haven’t used them much, but I can see possible builds that make good use of the upgrade.

Long-Range Comlink is an upgrade much more up my alley. This upgrade allows your bikes to be given orders anywhere on the table. As bikes are a very fast unit, that often benefits from flanking the enemy, this upgrade lets them roam freely.

Basic Biker Tactics

Speeder bikes are a really powerful, but risky, Imperial unit. Outside of an AT-ST they are going to be your best bet for dishing out long range firepower. Their mix of speed and high firepower makes them deadly. However they must be used carefully, since they can’t take big hits. To get the most out of the unit you really need to use their speed to your advantage. They are significantly faster than other Imperial units and this makes them great flankers. Don’t run them up the middle and expect them to live long.

As flankers your Bikers want to live on the edge of the battlefield, moving from cover to cover and running up the side of the table. Avoid being shot at if possible, or get cover, which with your natural cover can offer great protection. Making use of the free Speeder 1 move is going to be key for bikes. One classic move is to move from behind cover using the compulsory move, shoot up an enemy unit with your first action and then use your second to move out of line of sight of the enemy.

Speed Demons

Taking advantage of your free move is key to making this unit work. It’s very temping to see the free move as meaning you don’t have to spend an action to move. And this can be great, freeing you up to move, aim shoot, or move shoot dodge. These are good options. Don’t let this blind you to the moving more than once with your unit however. As I mentioned above Move-Shoot-Move is classic tactic, and moving twice will often get you good results. Using your ability to move twice and shoot will often pay off better than taking another action. Moving twice and getting into cover is better than one move and a dodge. Moving twice so that you can ignore your targets cover is also generally going to be better than taking an aim action. Keep this in mind.

Finial Thoughts

When I got to interview Alex Davy, the designer of  Legion, he stated that the 74-Z Speeders where his favorite unit from the initial launch (you can watch him use them against me here). They are a high risk, high reward unit that requires some finesse to use. Their mix of speed and firepower is unique among Imperial forces. Used right they are powerful tool in the Empire’s mission to pacify the galaxy. Used poorly they are simply rubble strewn across a forest floor. Master the use of the Speeders and you will be well on your way to victory in Star Wars Legion.

Let us know how you use your Speeder Bikes, down in the comments! 

Author: Abe Apfel

Abe is that rare thing, an Austin local born and raised here. Though he keeps on moving around, DC, Japan, ETC., he always seems to find his way back eventually. Abe has decades of experience with a wide range of tabletop and RPG games, from historicals, to Star Wars to D&D and 40K. He has been contributing to BOLS since almost the start, back when he worked at and then owned a local gaming store. He used to be big into the competitive Warhammer tournament scene but age has mellowed him and he now appreciates a good casual match. He currently covers 40K tactics and lore, as well as all things Star Wars, with occasional dabbling in other topics. Abe remains in mourning over the loss of WFB to this day.