Star Wars: Squadrons

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Star Wars: Squadrons

Plot summary[]

Prologue[]

The game's prologue takes place after thedestruction ofAlderaan. Under orders fromDarth Vader,CommodoreRae Sloane deploysHelix Squadron, led by CaptainLindon Javes, from theImperial II-class Star DestroyerVigilance toFostar Haven towipe out a possible Alderaanian refugee convoy. Captain Javes, conflicted about his loyalty to theGalactic Empire after the recent destruction of Alderaan, orders that only standardTIE fighters be used. His second-in-command, friend, and wingmate, LieutenantTerisa Kerrill, still undeniably loyal to the Empire, thinks little of his decision. Arriving at Fostar Haven, Helix Squadron begins scanning ships. The squadron fires at a fleeing ship, prompting theStationmaster to activate the station's defenses. After a brief firefight, the Alderaanian refugee convoy is discovered in a tunnel and a dogfight ensues between Helix Squadron and rebelX-wings. After destroying the X-wings, Lieutenant Kerrill orders the pursuit of the refugee convoy through the tunnel. However, before Helix Squadron could destroy the convoy, Captain Javes disables their TIE fighters withion missiles. Lieutenant Kerrill, shocked by Javes' betrayal, quickly reboots her ship and orders pursuit. After a short chase, Javes destroys the tunnel's exit, blocking Helix Squadron. Javes and the convoy flee the tunnel, but theVigilance exits hyperspace just in front of them, blocking their escape.

Somewhere in the Mid Rim, theRebel Fleet, led by AdmiralGial Ackbar, receives a distress call from Fostar Haven. Ackbar deploysEcho Squadron to answer the call. Reaching Fostar Haven, Echo Squadron finds the refugee convoy under attack from theVigilance. As they move in to assist,Echo Five is shot down and killed. Echo Squadron receives a transmission from Lindon Javes on an Imperial Channel, and they accept his assistance as a defector. After a battle resulting in the death ofEcho Two, Echo Squadron damages theVigilance long enough for the convoy and the Rebels to escape.

Main plot[]

Four years later, after theBattle of Endor,^[9] the game's main plot begins and centers on two fighter squadrons: theNew Republic'sVanguard Squadron, and the Galactic Empire'sTitan Squadron. In the plot, "two pilots shape the balance of power in the galaxy."^[10] Part of the plot deals with the New Republic'sProject Starhawk, which the Empire has gotten wind of, sending spies to deal with it.^[9] The player will play as bothVanguard Five andTitan Three for the New Republic's Vanguard Squadron and the Empire's Titan Squadron respectively.

Vanguard Squadron is comprised of four other pilots, includingKierah "Gunny" Koovah asVanguard Leader orVanguard One, aMimbanese;Gracalia "Grace" Vatara Sienar, a human female;Feresk "Frisk" Tssat, aTrandoshan male; andKeo Venzee, a non-binaryMirialan. Shortly following the Battle of Endor, Lindon Javes is given command of theTemperance and Vanguard Squadron, quickly putting them to work for the benefit of Project Starhawk. Javes, with the help of Fleet Intelligence OfficerArdo Barodai and Chief MechanicZerelda Sage, assigns Vanguard Squadron todisable Imperial jamming ships causing blackouts. Vanguard Squadron splits up for the assignment and regroups atCavas, where after a small battle, the jamming ship is destroyed. Upon returning from their mission, Vanguard Squadron is immediately deployed on another mission where they work withWedge Antilles and Talus Group to capture theImperial II-class Star DestroyerVictorum above the planetYavin Prime. Despite heavy casualties, they succeed, and the Star Destroyer is taken for Project Starhawk. Vanguard returns to theTemperance not too happy about all the secrecy surrounding Project Starhawk. Commander Javes tries to reassure them when he is interrupted by a Code Yellow from theVictorum. Its hyperdrive had malfunctioned behind enemy lines and it was pulled out of hyperspace. Imperial ships are on the way to reclaim the Victorum, so Vanguard Squadron is sent to defend it. Managing to destroy several Imperial shuttles, Vanguard gives the crew of the Victorum enough time to repair the hyperdrive and jump to safety. Vanguard follows theVictorum to just outside theRingali Nebula where they discover Project Starhawk to be the construction of a battleship at theNadiri Dockyards led by GeneralHera Syndulla.

Titan Squadron is comprised of four other pilots, includingVarko Grey, a human;Rella Sol, a human;Shen, a cybernetic-supported human male; andHavina Vonreg, a human female. In theTalcene system, the ImperialStar DestroyerOverseer, led by Captain Terisa Kerrill with the help of Imperial Intelligence OfficerLT-514 and Chief MechanicWillard Waylin, receives orders from Admiral Rae Sloane to find and eliminate Lindon Javes and Project Starhawk. Kerrill enlists Titan Squadron for the task. Their first mission is to extract an Imperial spy,Agent Thorn, from aHosnian Prime orbital outpost. They succeed with minimal casualties. After receiving Thorn's intel, Titan Squadron is sent to track a New Republic engineer convoy's trajectory from Hosnian Prime nearDesevro to uncover the location of Project Starhawk. A local Imperial force led by CaptainAmos and the damaged Imperial Star DestroyerTormentor is instructed not to interfere with this discreet mission, but Amos' arrogance leads him to attack the convoy. In the ensuing battle, Titan Squadron is forced out of hiding to protect the convoy from Amos. Imperial shuttles manage to board the convoy ships and retrieve the data, but Amos is killed and theTormentor is destroyed. Only the sector is found from the mostly wiped data. Kerrill orders the destruction of the convoy to send a message to Lindon Javes that they're coming for him.

In order to keep Terisa Kerrill off the scent of Project Starhawk, Lindon Javes sends a message to be intentionally intercepted by an Imperiallistening outpost nearEsseles. Javes deploys Vanguard Squadron to destroy the outpost to make Kerrill think they were hiding something about Project Starhawk and throw her off the trail. Vanguard successfully destroys the outpost, and Kerrill takes the bait. The false intel states that Vanguard Squadron is protecting a shipment of magnite crystals essential to completing the Starhawk. This false intel is used to draw Kerrill and theOverseer deep into the Zavian Abyss. The trap is a success, but not before Titan Squadron is able to scan the convoy's navicomputer for the precise location of Nadiri Dockyards. The Starhawk emerges and activates a powerful tractor beam on theOverseer, ripping it apart and slamming it into the surrounding asteroids. Kerrill manages to jump away, the ship badly damaged.

TheOverseer exits hyperspace in theRemitik system where they quickly send a distress call to a nearby Imperialmunitions depot led byColonelGralm. With Gralm unwilling to provide aid for theOverseer due to his problem with rebel guerrillas, Terisa Kerrill sends Titan Squadron to retrievebaradium from the outpost while it is under attack from rebels. LT-514 is able to remotely retrieve the baradium, and theOverseer leaves, repairs nearly complete. In order to lure the New Republic Fleet away from the Nadiri Dockyards, Admiral Sloane orders simultaneous attacks on New Republic targets across the galaxy. TheOverseer and Titan Squadron are sent to destroy the fuel pods and medical frigates overMon Cala. Sloane also sends Imperial battle groups to strikeOnderon andGorse to disrupt New Republic supply lines. At Mon Cala, Titan Squadron meets heavy resistance fromAnvil Squadron, a New Republic squadron that Shen had previously encountered and lost too. During the battle, Titan manages to destroy theSilver Coronet and deal a heavy blow to Anvil Squadron. The diversion is a success and Vanguard Squadron rushes to aid the forces at Mon Cala. With Vanguard out of the way, theOverseer travels to the Nadiri Dockyards and attacks the Starhawk, severely damaging its hyperdrive with the baradium missiles. Just as Kerrill fires the killing missile barrage, Lindon Javes and theTemperance exit hyperspace in front of theStarhawk, taking the missiles and damaging the hyperdrive. TheTemperance manages to scramble theOverseer's missile targeting system, causing Kerrill to fall back. As the Nadari fleet flees, the Titan Squadron is sent to trap them enroute toChandrila with the reactor cores leftover from the dismantledVictorum. Titan manages to destroy the fleet save for theStarhawk, which diverts toward the Ringali Nebula.

Wounded and nearly defenseless, Lindon Javes sends Vanguard Squadron and Zerelda Sage to reboot a nearbybroadcast hub that once orbitedGalitan. They manage to repair the hub and send out a distress call to the New Republic. Despite the mission's success, theStarhawk has suffered too much damage and is ordered to be evacuated to theTemperance by General Syndulla. In order to help theTemperance escape, Javes pilots an X-wing to buy them time to fix the hyperdrive. Thanks to the distress call, Anvil Squadron arrives just in time to assist Javes take on theOverseer while theTemperance breaks off from the fleet. General Syndulla sends Meteor and Hail Squadrons to secure the Nadiri Dockyards from the Empire.

Following closely behind the New Republic Fleet, Terisa Kerrill ignores theTemperance and pursues theStarhawk. In one final strike, Titan Squadron attacks theStarhawk. Titan Three manages to blast a hole in the hull and travel down the shaft to the tractor beam core. Destroying the reactors, Titan Three is shot out of the shaft, leaving theStarhawk a ticking time bomb. In one final attempt to fend off the Empire, Lindon Javes attacks Titan Squadron, only to have his X-wing shot down and crash into the side of the burning battleship. Assuming his death, Kerrill calls back Titan Squadron to theOverseer. As it leaves, the remaining Imperial forces pursue the burningStarhawk. Titan Three is promoted toFlight Baron for his service.

Aboard theTemperance, General Syndulla sends Vanguard Squadron to save Anvil Squadron from the remaining Imperial forces. Vanguard manages to destroy the nearest Star Destroyer, allowing Anvil to escape. As Vanguard is clearing a path, they receive a transmission from Lindon Javes, who survived the crash. SeveralCR90 corvettes pull in front of theStarhawk which is firing periodic tractor beams. The Corvettes tow theStarhawk into a straight shot of the unstable moon of Galitan, which is surrounded by Imperial forces as Javes pilots an X-wing off theStarhawk. The Corvettes pull back and Vanguard protects theStarhawk as it makes its way to the moon. It crashes, and theStarhawk explodes, causing the moon to go with it. The explosion engulfs all remaining Imperial forces, and Vanguard Squadron narrowly escapes. They regroup with the Temperance and head to Chandrilla, engineers safe and ready to rebuild theStarhawk and more.

Gameplay[]

The entire game is playable in VR.^[10] The PC version fully supports joystick use as well as hands-on-throttle-and-stick rigs. Crossplay is available. The game takes place entirely during a first-person perspective. The game features a singleplayer campaign and various multiplayer modes. The campaign alternates between the perspective of New Republic and Imperial pilots.

There are four types of starfighters available in the game: fighters, which are balanced in firepower and defense, interceptors, which have superior speed and are useful against fighters, support, which are heavily armored and can support other craft, and bombers, which are slower with better firepower and armor and are best for taking down enemy capital ships. The New Republic has access to these classes via theX-Wing,A-Wing,U-Wing,B-wing, andY-Wing respectively. Similarly, the Empire has access to the TIE Fighter,TIE Interceptor,TIE Reaper,TIE Defender, andTIE Bomber.

Multiplayer modes[]

• Dogfight: 5v5 battle with respawns and weapon loadouts. The winning side is determined by whichever side reaches 30 kills first.
• Fleet Battles: Designed as multistage conflicts, Fleet Battles begins in a social hub that is used to devise strategies. After settling on a strategy and launching from the hanger, players are tasked to push a front line toward the enemy's side. Depending on which way the line is moving, players must attack or defend two medium-sized capital ships. If a player succeeds on the offensive end, the final goal is to take out a flagship, beginning with its subsystems: shield generators, power systems, and targeting systems. When the flagship falls, the destroying side wins. This mode can be played as a lone player against AI, or as part of a two-player online coop experience. It can also be played as a ranked mode with two teams of five players fighting against each other. When played against AI, there are anumber of generated names used.

As one plays through single player and multiplayer, one unlocks the ability to customize their craft, including exterior paint colors and interior cosmetics. Over 50 loadout options are available, allowing players to customize their fighter. There are two types of currency, both of which can be used to purchase items.^[9]

Training[]

Star Wars: Squadrons also features a "training" mode for players to practice and experiment with different load-outs as well as a Fleet Battles tutorial.

• InPractice, players are able to add in as many starfighters, cruisers, and capital ships as they like to sharpen their skills. They can also experiment with different starfighter load-outs to find the optimal setup of their choice.
• TheFleet Battles tutorial gives players an understanding of the mechanics of the game and gives a unique reward once completed.

Development[]

Pre-release[]

OnSeptember 10,2020, the game completed development and went gold.^[11]

The game was released onOctober 2, 2020 forXbox One,PPlayStation 4, andPC.^[1] Two companion stories were released on EA's website shortly after launch: the short story "The Light You Bring" onOctober 8,^[12] and "Count to Three" onOctober 13.^[13]

Post-launch[]

OnDecember 11, 2020, the B-wing was added as an alternative bomber class starfighter for the New Republic while the TIE Defender was added as an alternative fighter class starfighter for the Empire.^[14]

Media[]

Cover gallery[]

Main cover art

Coloured logo

Black logo

Credits[]

Appearances[]

This Appearances list is incomplete. You can help Wookieepedia byexpanding it.

Sources[]

Notes and references[]

External links[]

• STAR WARS: Squadrons – Two New Pilots Helmets onAmazon.com(backup link)
• Star Wars: Squadrons onWikipedia
• Holiday Supply Drops onElectronic Arts'official website(backup link)