SWTOR Quick Guide for Building the Sting & Flashfire and the Ocula & Skybolt Scout Ships

SWTOR Galactic Starfighter New Player Guide

This SWTOR quick guide offers the basic information you need to build the Sting & Flashfire and the Ocula & Skybolt Galactic Scout Starfighter ships. We put them all together in one guide because they are all very similar to build and we’ll start with the engine maneuvers, thrusters and systems.

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Engine Maneuvers

There are four types of engine maneuvers to choose from. When activated, all of them require 15 seconds to recharge and they all have the ability to avoid lock-on missiles. These maneuvers will also increase your ability to avoid the enemy’s direct blaster fire up to 30 percent for 3 seconds. The Koiogran Turn is unlocked by default and all other maneuvers require 1,500 ship requisitions to unlock.

The Koiogran Turn allows your ship to make a 180-degree turn vertically, even when you’re in tight spaces so it’s a great choice for new pilots. It’s a good defensive maneuver because you can turn, face the enemy ship pursuing you and return fire without slowing down and it helps you evade missiles.

The Retro Thrusters allows you to accelerate the ship for a short period when in reverse while evading 30 percent of enemy’s blaster fire. This maneuver is great for both defensive and offensive positions but it does require a good amount of room to perform the maneuver.

The Barrel Roll helps your ship move forward far enough to escape the enemy by rolling 360-degrees but be careful not to roll into anything. The Power Dive allows your ship to make a 90-degree turn vertically. You can flip your ship and go into a dive to evade missiles and to get away from the enemy ships pursuing you.

The 3 tier upgrades are almost the same for each maneuver and are as follows:

  • Tier 1 Upgrade– Reduces the power required to activate the maneuver by 15 percent
  • Tier 2 Upgrade– Reduces ability’s cooldown time by 5 seconds
  • Tier 3 Upgrade– Increases engine speed by 10 percent for all maneuvers or the ship’s turning rate for the Barrel Roll, Koiogran Turn and the Power Dive by 10 percent but for the retro thrusters it increases the engine power pool by 20 percent

Thrusters

There are four different types of thrusters available and they give your ship a boost in power that will help give you an advantage during battles. Regeneration Thruster is the default option and it increases your ship’s engine power regen and your recently consumed regeneration rate by 8 percent. Each one of the three tier upgrades increases the engine power pool regen by an extra 4 percent.

If you enjoy dogfighting, then Turning Thruster is a good choice because it increases your turning rate by 4 percent. All upgrades increases the turning rate by an extra 2 percent.

If you like having a boost in speed to help you catch up to or escape the enemy, then you need Speed Thruster, which increase your speed by 4 percent. Each of the upgrades increases the speed of the engine by an extra 2 percent.

To get more power for your engine, choose Power Thruster to give your ship 8 percent more engine power capacity. Each one of the tier upgrades will increase the power pool for the engines by an extra 4 percent.

You’ll need 1,000 ship requisitions to unlock the Turning, Speed and Power Thrusters.

Systems

The Sting & Flashfire default system is the Targeting Telemetry and it has the ability to uncloak the enemy within a 3,000m radius. It takes 45 seconds to recharge and increases your range for the sensors by 5,000m for 10 seconds, weapon accuracy by 10 percent and critical chance by 5 percent.

The default system for the Ocula & Skybolt is Blaster Overcharge, which increases weapon power regeneration by 15 percent for 9 seconds and the ROF by 25 percent. It also recharges in 60 seconds and it gives you more maneuverability, so it’s a great offensive ability.

The Booster Recharge system will regenerate the engine power by 5 percent per second for a total of 6 seconds and the recharge is 60 seconds. It’s great for situations where you need a quick boost in speed.

Systems 5 Tier Upgrades

Blaster Overcharge tier upgrade options:

    • Tier 1 Upgrade– Reduces the cooldown time by 20 seconds
    • Tier 2 Upgrade- While active, increases the chances to Crit by 8 percent
  • Tier 3 Upgrade– Blaster duration time increased by 3 seconds
  • Tier 4 Upgrade– While active, it regenerates weapon power 14 percent quicker or increases ROF by 8 percent
  • Tier 5 Upgrade– While active, it improves blaster range by 10 percent or increases the amount of damage caused by blasters by 10 percent

Booster Recharge tier upgrade options:

  • Tier 1 Upgrade– Cooldown time reduced by 5 seconds
  • Tier 2 Upgrade– While active, it restores 50 percent of the power
  • Tier 3 Upgrade– Duration time increased by 2 seconds
  • Tier 4 Upgrade– Increases power regeneration or power capacity for the engines by 10 percent permanently
  • Tier 5 Upgrade– While active, the shield and weapon power will slowly regenerate or it will instantly refill the engine power pool by 20 percent

Targeting Telemetry tier upgrade options:

  • Tier 1 Upgrade– Cooldown time reduced by 15 percent
  • Tier 2 Upgrade– Cloaking dispel radius of the enemy increased by 2,000m and the sensor radius by 5,000m
  • Tier 3 Upgrade– Duration time increased by 5 seconds
  • Tier 4 Upgrade– Throughout the duration of the ability, evasion is increased by 8 percent or the evasion of the targets within the dispel radius is reduced by 5 percent
  • Tier 5 Upgrade– Throughout the duration of the ability, the primary weapon range is increased by 15 percent or the critical hit chances are increased by an extra 10 percent and critical magnitude by 25 percent

Shield, Reactor and Armor

When choosing the shields for your scout ship, you have three options, each of which is discussed below. Think about your gaming style and it will help you choose the best one for your ship.

Distortion Field Shield

This shield is unlocked by default and it will decrease your shield capacity by 30 percent and increases your evasion rate by 15 percent. The active ability increases your evasion rate by 65 percent for 3 seconds with a 30-second cooldown.

Quick-Charge Shield

This is a great option for new pilots and it increases the power regen rate by 45 percent but it reduces the shield capacity by 30 percent. It also has a 45 percent recently consumed engine power regen rate. Upon activation, the active ability will recharge 30 percent of the shield’s power with a 30-second cooldown. It does have limited strength but regenerates quickly.

Directional Shield

This shield is great for one-on-one fighting because it allows you to switch the shields from the front to the back of the ship and it doesn’t reduce the overall shield capacity. You’ll need 1,500 ship requisitions to unlock the Directional and Quick-Charge Shields.

Shields 3 Tier Upgrades

Distortion Field tier upgrade options:

    • Tier 1 Upgrade- While in effect, it will increase the chances of you missing enemy fire by 10 percent
  • Tier 2 Upgrade– Cooldown time for the ability reduced by 10 seconds
  • Tier 3 Upgrade– Ability’s duration time increased by 3 seconds or the distortion field will disable the enemy’s missile lock on you

Quick-Charge tier upgrade options:

  • Tier 1 Upgrade– Shield power pool regeneration increased by 6 percent
  • Tier 2 Upgrade– Shield power pool regeneration increased by 15 percent
  • Tier 3 Upgrade– When taking damage, shields will regen at 60 percent or you can reduce the cooldown time by 10 seconds

Directional Shield tier upgrade options:

  • Tier 1 Upgrade-Removes the power cost of using the shield ability
  • Tier 2 Upgrade– Shield power pool increased by 10 percent
  • Tier 3 Upgrade– Regeneration rate of the shield power pool increased by 10 percent or the regeneration delay is decreased by 3 seconds

Reactors

You have three reactors to choose from that include the Turbo, Large and Regeneration Reactor. The Turbo Reactor is the default option and it has the smallest delays between the shields regen. Each of the 3 upgrade tiers decreases the shield regeneration delay by an extra 12 percent.

The Regeneration Reactor has 8 percent shield power regen rate and recently consumed shield power. Each of the 3 upgrade tiers increases the regeneration rate of the ship’s power pool for the shields by an extra 4 percent.

The Large Reactor offers the most shield protection and it has 8 percent shield power capacity. Each of the 3 upgrade tiers increases the shield power pool by an extra 4 percent. Both the Large and the Regeneration reactors require 1,000 ship requisitions to unlock.

Armor

The Reinforced Armor increases the ship’s hull HP by 8 percent Max Health and it’s the default option. Each of 3 the upgrade tiers increases the amount of damage the hull can withstand by an extra 4 percent. The Lightweight Armor increases evasion by 4 percent and each of the 3 upgrade tiers raise the chance of the enemy’s attacks missing you by an extra 2 percent.

Damage reduction is increased by 8 percent with the Deflection Armor and each of the 3 upgrade tiers reduces hull damage by an extra 4 percent. You’ll need 1,000 ship requisitions to unlock the Lightweight and Deflection Armor.

Primary and Secondary Weapons

All ships are equipped with both primary and secondary weapons.

Primary Weapons

The Rapid-fire Laser Cannon is the default option and it fires 240 RPMs while drawing 16 rounds per second. It has a range of 4,000m and generates approximately 100 to 200 dmg per hits. It doesn’t consume a lot of power and it generates an unspecified number of constant bolts per second. It’s a great choice for new pilots despite its poor accuracy at long distances and damage fall-off.

The Light Laser Cannon fires 180 RPMs, fires between 200 to 300 dmg per hits and has a range of 4,000m. It’s a good option for close range fighting but the further away you are, the less damage they’ll do.

The Burst Laser cannons have a power draw of 20 per second and fires approximately 80 RPMs. It shoots clusters that cover a wide area and they can do a lot of damage at close range. However, they do consume a lot of power and the further away you are, the less damage they’ll do.

The Quad Laser Cannon alternates the bolts it fires between 4 barrels at 150 RPMs. It has a 5,000m maximum range and draws 24 rounds per second. At close range, it can do considerable amount of damage but it does consume a lot of power. You’ll need 2,000 ship requisitions when unlocking the Light, Burst and Quad Laser Cannons.

Primary Weapons 5 Tier Upgrades

Rapid Fire Cannon tier upgrade options:

  • Tier 1 Upgrade– Blaster damage increased by 5 percent
  • Tier 2 Upgrade– Cost of using blasters reduced by 10 percent
  • Tier 3 Upgrade– Blaster ROF increased by 8 percent
  • Tier 4 Upgrade– Critical hit chances increased by 8 percent or the penalty for weapon tracking reduced by 5 percent and the firing arc reduced by 2 deg
  • Tier 5 Upgrade– Blaster damage to the hull of the enemy’s ship increased by 16 percent or blaster damage to the shield of the enemy’s ship increased by 18 percent

Light Laser Cannon tier upgrade options:

  • Tier 1 Upgrade– Blaster damage increased by 5 percent
  • Tier 2 Upgrade– Cost of using blasters reduces by 10 percent
  • Tier 3 Upgrade– Blaster ROF increased by 8 percent
  • Tier 4 Upgrade– Critical hit chances increased by 8 percent or the penalty for weapon tracking reduced by 5 percent and firing arc by 2 deg
  • Tier 5 Upgrade– Blaster damage to the hull of the enemy’s ship increased by 16 percent or blaster damage to the shield of the enemy’s ship increased by 18 percent

Burst Laser Cannon tier upgrade options:

  • Tier 1 Upgrade– Blaster damage increased by 5 percent
  • Tier 2 Upgrade– Critical hit chances increased by 5 percent and accuracy by 2 percent
  • Tier 3 Upgrade– Penalty for weapon tracking reduced by 5 percent and increases firing arc by 2 deg
  • Tier 4 Upgrade– Shield piercing increased by 9 percent or the blaster damage will ignore 100 percent of enemy armor
  • Tier 5 Upgrade– Blaster damage to the hull of the enemy’s ship increased by 16 percent or blaster damage to the shield of the enemy’s ship increased by 18 percent

Quad laser cannon tier upgrade options:

  • Tier 1 Upgrade– Blaster ROF increased by 8 percent
  • Tier 2 Upgrade– Blaster range increased by 5 percent
  • Tier 3 Upgrade– Blaster damage increased by 5 percent
  • Tier 4 Upgrade– Critical hit chances increased by 8 percent or cost of using the blaster reduced by 10 percent
  • Tier 5 Upgrade– Blaster damage to the hull of the enemy’s ship increased by 16 percent or blaster damage to the shield of the enemy’s ship increased by 18 percent

Secondary Weapons

The default secondary weapons are the Cluster Missiles and they have a short lock-on time with a default of 1.5 seconds and a limited range of 5,000m. These missiles are great for dogfights and they’re small enough to carry a lot of them on the ship.

The Rocket Pods don’t lock onto targets and the ammunition is limited but they’re easy to maneuver. They also have a shield piercing capability of 20 percent, limited speed of 90 RPMs, no cooldown time and 6,000m range but you need to face your enemy when firing.

The Sabotage Probe locks onto the target making them susceptible to your blaster fire and missiles by disabling their systems. When locked on, the shield piercing is 100 percent but they do the least amount of hull damage of all the secondary weapons. It requires 3.0 seconds to get a target lock and 14 seconds to reload. While the ship targeted cannot turn when the probe is locked, it can boost away by using its afterburners.

You’ll need 2,000 ship requisitions to unlock the Rocket Pods and Sabotage Probe.

Secondary Weapons 5 Tier Upgrades

Cluster Missiles tier upgrade options:

  • Tier 1 Upgrade– Lock-on time reduced by 14 percent
  • Tier 2 Upgrade– Shield piercing increased by 10 percent
  • Tier 3 Upgrade– Missile damage increased by 5 percent
  • Tier 4 Upgrade– Missile range increased by 5 percent or ammunition capacity by 4 percent
  • Tier 5 Upgrade– Missile damage increased by an extra 15 percent over a 5 second period or increases damage by 30 percent by simultaneously firing two volleys of cluster missiles and reduces the ammo capacity by 50 percent

Rockets Pods tier upgrade options:

  • Tier 1 Upgrade– Missiles damage disregards enemy armor
  • Tier 2 Upgrade– Missile ROF increased by 8 percent
  • Tier 3 Upgrade– Shield piecing capabilities increased by 10 percent
  • Tier 4 Upgrade– Firing arc increased by 4 degrees or the ammunition capacity is increased by 8 percent
  • Tier 5 Upgrade– Rocket range increased by 10 percent or the rocket pods do extra damage to the target for 5 seconds

Sabotage Probe tier upgrade options:

    • Tier 1 Upgrade– Lock-on time reduced by 0.3 seconds
    • Tier 2 Upgrade– Duration of probe increased for one second
    • Tier 3 Upgrade– Cooldown ability reduced by 5 seconds
    • Tier 4 Upgrade- Probes range increased by 500m or while active, the target’s engine component ability is not usable
  • Tier 5 Upgrade– While active, the probe reduces the target’s engine speed by 35 percent or the power regeneration rate is reduced by 30 percent

This guide gives you a quick overview of your options to help you decide how to build the Sting & Flashfire and the Ocula & Skybolt Scout Ships. Use it to help you make the best decisions based on your specific type of gameplay.

Don’t forget to check out constantly growing list of guides for Star Wars: The old republic

Lisa Clark

Lisa has been an avid gamer since she was old enough to hold her first controller and a game writer for more than a decade. A child of the Nintendo generation, she believes they just don’t make games like they used to but sometimes, they make them even better! While consoles will always be her first love, Lisa spends most of her gaming time on the PC these days- on MMOs and first-person shooters in particular.