Star Wars Armada - Wave V News

"Dispatch probe droids to every known location of insurgent activity on Lothal. We will discover the whereabouts of these criminals, and we will make examples of them!"
    –Grand Moff Tarkin

Head to the Outer Rim. Then lead a Rebellion… or crush one.

Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce the fifth wave of expansions for Star Wars™: Armada!

With its criminals, command ship, cruiser, and blast of new squadrons, Wave V draws from the best of Star Wars Rebels to ensure your ongoing Armada battles are every bit as strategic and varied as you desire. Both the burgeoning Rebel Alliance and the imposing Galactic Empire round out their fleets with new small-base ships. The Rebellion gains access to the new Fleet Command upgrade type while the Imperials gain some long-range fire support and a commander whose ships' tactical positioning may allow them to take their enemies by surprise.


Meanwhile, the Ghost and Lambda-class Shuttle lead allied squadrons into battle on both sides. With new abilities that allow these squadrons to assign the Rogue ability to other squadrons or Relay your squadron commands, they allow you to make good use of the wave's new Snipe and Strategic abilities, potentially changing the dynamic of the dogfights taking place along the flanks of your ships.

 

• Phoenix Home Expansion Pack
   
  
• Imperial Light Cruiser Expansion Pack
   
  
• Rebel Fighter Squadrons II Expansion Pack
   
  
• Imperial Fighter Squadrons II Expansion Pack
  

Win the dogfights. Command your fleet. Survive another day in the Outer Rim. The Galactic Civil War continues to escalate with Armada Wave V. Now is the time to lead the Rebellion to victory… or stamp it out once and for all!

Phoenix Home Expansion Pack

Under the command of Jun Sato, the Phoenix Home was the nerve center of the fledgling Rebel fleet. A large Pelta-class frigate, the Phoenix Home typically operated with a crew of 900. Although it was not the largest or more powerful of vessels, it was heavily armored and featured turbolasers and point-defense laser cannons. Moreover, what it lacked in size and firepower, it made up for with its ability to command the fleet and control the battle, playing a crucial role as a coordinator of capital ships and fighter squadrons alike.

As revealed in Star Wars Rebels, the Phoenix Home played a critical part in the formation of the Rebel Alliance, and with the upcoming release of Wave V, you can use the Phoenix Home Expansion Pack and its remarkable vessel to unify and strengthen your Rebel forces.


With its forward battery armament of four dice, the Phoenix Home might appear a natural fit for the sort of direct Rebel strategy enabled by the Liberty Expansion Pack from Wave IV. However, the real strength of this vessel lies not in its forward attack dice but in its new Fleet Command upgrade icon. You can only equip one of these upgrades to your Phoenix Home, and all three of the Fleet Command upgrades that come in this pack are unique. Nonetheless, for a handful of fleet points, each of them allows you to spend command tokens to power advantages across every ship or squadron in your fleet!

The Phoenix Home Expansion Pack comes with one pre-painted, small-base miniature Phoenix Home, two ship cards, ten upgrade cards, and all the dials, bases, pegs, and tokens you need to use this ship to lead your growing Rebellion.

Imperial Light Cruiser Expansion Pack

Also making its way to Armada from the Star Wars Rebels television show, the Imperial light cruiser is a communications and blockade ship used to help the Empire spread its domain throughout the galaxy. Quicker and more maneuverable than a Star Destroyer, the Arquitens-class light cruiser was frequently deployed to the Outer Rim to help strangle isolated rebel cells.

Of course, its speed is only one part of the threat it presents. The light cruiser is also a powerful vessel, armed with quad lasers, turbolasers, and concussion missiles. In numbers, it can menace even the largest enemy warships.


In Armada, the Imperial Light Cruiser Expansion Pack presents this ship as a fast, small-base Imperial vessel that excels at providing long-range fire support from its broadsides. In addition to its pre-painted miniature Arquitens-class light cruiser, the expansion also contains two ship cards, and eight upgrades, including the new commander Moff Jerjerrod, whose ability allows your ships to react more quickly to any asteroid fields or other obstacles they may encounter during battle. You will also find all the command dials, plastic, and tokens necessary to send your light cruiser racing around the Rebels' flanks and into a new era for Imperial tactics.

Rebel Fighter Squadrons II Expansion Pack

Even while the Rebels and Imperials have been hard at work getting their ships ready for battle, the galaxy's shipyards have been fast assembling a wide range of new fighters. Just as the Rogue and Intel keywords added new dimensions to your Wave II squadrons and altered the dynamics of your battles, the new Wave V starfighters promise to add even more tactical wrinkles.

The Rebel Fighter Squadrons II Expansion Pack leads the way with these new tactics, granting you access to two copies each of the  Z-95 Headhunter Squadrons and E-wing Squadrons, as well as two copies each of irregular squadrons featuring the Shadow Caster and the Ghost. Additionally, you will find eight squadron cards, two for each type of squadron, allowing you to field any of these versatile fighters in battle as a unique or non-unique squadron.


In addition to presenting the Rebel Alliance with its first Swarm fighters, these squadrons introduce the new Snipe and Strategic keywords, which are bound to alter the ways that you and your opponents approach your initial fighter engagements. Additionally, in her Ghost, Hera Syndulla serves as another rallying point, behind the Phoenix Home. At the start of the Squadron Phase, she can choose up to two friendly squadrons at distance 1–2 and give those squadrons the Rogue keyword (and the ability to activate themselves) until the end of the round.

With both Hera and the Phoenix Home ready to coordinate your band of rebels, they are bound to prove themselves more than criminals. Odds are, they will prove themselves a force with which to be reckoned.

Imperial Fighter Squadrons II Expansion Pack

Meanwhile, the Empire's response to the continued spread of rebellion is the development of wildly advanced new fighters and the tactics their squadrons permit.

The Imperial Fighter Squadrons II Expansion Pack introduces eight new squadrons, two each of four different types – the highly Strategic Lambda-class Shuttle, the punishing VT-49 Decimator and TIE Defender Squadron, and the elusive TIE Phantom Squadron. Each of these new types of squadrons comes, in turn, with two cards, one unique and one non-unique.


What will you find among these squadrons? New stat lines and abilities that allow you to better tailor your fleet and squadrons to your overall strategy.

The Lambda-class Shuttle comes with the Relay ability, allowing it to communicate your squadron commands to fighters outside of your ship's command range, but within distance 1–3 of the shuttle. With its Rogue keyword, its eight hull, and a battery armament of three blue dice, the VT-49 Decimator is effectively a tiny capital ship that you can use to harass larger foes, and the TIE Phantom Squadron can Cloak in battle, moving up to distance 1, even if it is currently engaged.

Time to Make an Example

"We are fighting a bigger fight."
    –Hera Syndulla

The battles of Star Wars: Armada are about more than blowing up your enemy's ships. They are about more, even, than pursuing the objective before you at the beginning of your engagement. The battles of Star Wars: Armada are about the fate of the galaxy – will it remain firmly under the control of the Galactic Empire, or will you see its citizens liberated from the yoke of oppression?

Now, with all the new ways its ships and squadrons allow you to organize and command your forces, Armada Wave V gives you the opportunity to transform your criminals into real Rebels. Or it allows you to harness new technology and stamp out the spark of rebellion. What example will you make?

The ships and squadrons of Armada Wave V are scheduled to arrive in the fourth quarter of 2016!