Usually, when somebody is thinking of playing a fighting game where sweat drips down their faces and onto the controller, they think of games like Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat. But just when it appeared as though these 2D battlers had a monopoly on intensity, Star Wars: Squadrons swooped in and showed the world that sci-fi fantasy games have plenty of room for heart-pounding action.
Unfortunately, for many players, the heart-pounding action always seems to end in disappointment. Dogfights are the epitome of this, as the difference between being the best player on the battlefield and a useless piece of space trash is as simple as utilizing every strategic advice available For those who want to pull off more victories in dogfight mode, check out these tips from the highest-ranked players.
10 Never Fly Straight
Groups of gamers who understand good team fighting tactics and understand the lore of Star Wars: Squadrons both recognize that flying in a straight line is a bad idea. There is a reason the Rebellion lost so many pilots flying straight down the Death Star’s infamous trench.
Players get into the bad habit of flying straight to try and get a lock on an enemy fighter. Even in these situations, it is better to roll and drift while getting a good lock. Even if these movements cause an enemy to escape, at least you’ll be alive.
9 Don’t Rush Ahead
Gamers have a love/hate relationship with how the game functions in VR. There are significant advantages to playing this way for those who can get used to movement not being tied to the direction you are looking.
But you don’t need a headset to avoid making the number one mistake in the game. Players that get caught out in front are easy targets. Opposing squads will naturally target the closest pilot. If all of them have the same target, that spells doom no matter how good your evasive skills are.
8 Target Weaker Pilots
Seeing pilots that are obviously dead come back to life in Star Wars: Squadrons is just one of many things that don’t make sense about the game. But this is how multiplayer works and it’s best to get turn it to your advantage.
This is a race to get the most kills. If you spend all that time trying to kill their best player once, you will lose because you could have killed their worst player twenty times. It’s not nice, but it’s the smart thing to do.
7 Using And Respecting The Ping
There are aspects to this game that players seem to miss, even the veterans to the genre. The most underutilized function of them all is the ping, and it’s probably the most important function in online play.
Pinging an enemy focuses the team and gives them a single target to fire on. This game is won by taking down one ship at a time and any squad firing on two different targets will, more often than not, get neither one.
6 Support Your Teammates
Losing teams tend to “tolerate” a loss or two. These losses pile up until the game is over. Supporting can mean using an ideal U-Wing loadout, but support is the job of every player to help their teammates out.
Great players turn this defense into offense. Enemy ships are at their least mobile when they have one of your allies in sight. Use this to your advantage; your teammates will be grateful and you’ll be racking up free kills.
5 Staying On Offense
Using the power conversion is important, but there is an imbalance that experts shoot for. You should only be utilizing the extra shields if you are under fire. Unless this is the case, maximize lasers and other offensive weapons.
The best defense is a good offense in Star Wars: Squadrons. Killing other pilots will always be superior to weathering the storm from enemy pilots. Nobody’s shields are strong enough to survive the laser fire from all of the enemy’s ships, so it’s best to cut down on their ship total instead.
4 Always Be Fighting
Players that retreat too far and too often put their team in a bad position. They will be fighting shorthanded and it’s likely they will lose a ship or two. Then, by the time these escaped ships rejoin combat, they’ll be shorthanded themselves.
This is a cycle no team can endure. Instead of running off, ask for an ally’s help or execute repair protocols. Winning teams know the value of staying at full strength.
3 Customize Your Controller Settings
Why do players insist on using default settings? Just because it works doesn’t mean that it can’t work better. The difference in victory and defeat in each battle is measured in fractions of seconds.
So make sure your go-to weapons and maneuvers are as easy as possible to pull off. Sluggish controls make for sluggish targets and those are the ones that enemy fighters will be having their eye out for all game long.
2 Don’t Pick Bombers And Y-Wings
Look, this is nothing against Bombers and Y-Wings. Some of them have incredible loadouts and, in the other modes, these ships are overpowered against the objectives. But there are no stationary objectives in dogfight mode.
Yes, you might be thinking about all those extra missiles these classes get to use. And it’s true, they have the largest capacity for firing off ordinance at enemy pilots. But they are too bulky, too slow, and make for easy targets before getting to fire more than a couple of rounds (which are easily countered by most loadouts).
1 Coordinate Your Loadouts
Your team needs a good mix of the non-bomber classes to support and attack in a balanced way. Too often, individuals play like individuals, picking their best loadout instead of the one that the team needs the most.
Make sure the squad has all of their bases covered; loadouts with speed to take advantage of key moments, loadouts with shield support to keep allies alive, and loadouts with the firepower to take down stragglers.
NEXT: Games To Play If You Liked Star Wars Squadrons
