Droideka Unit Guide ( Legion 2.6)

Hey guys I was just looking up some original concept art for this Droideka article and HOLY MOTHER OF

Nooooooo nonononononono

Uh, yeah, so I’d like to thank George Lucas and everyone else who edited things down just a bit, The Phantom Menace was problematic enough without making all the children watching it break down into tears during the first set-piece of the film.

Ok, sorry, let’s start over.

Art by Mossworm

Shew, much better, awww look at that little guy! Still, while Droidekas (Dekas for short going forward, I don’t get paid by the letter anymore) in the fiction have gone from horrifying to cute and a little silly, in our game of Star Wars: Legion some would say they’ve taken the opposite track. Dekas debuted in this game at the now-absurd-sounding price of 100 points. In a match between starter sets that actually felt appropriate: between the fact they got cover from barricades (at the time), their recharging shields, and the relative difficulty of getting big attacks out with my poorly-played Phase 1 Clone Troopers I had a really hard time dealing with them. Once I actually started to really learn how to play, and of course got access to better and better units as more units released, I started to realize they weren’t so bad.

Thus began the extremely slow “roll” downward of the Deka’s cost. Like a lump of parmesan cheese, it was shaved off in small pieces over time. From 100 to 90, 90 to 85, 85 to 70, and yet it still felt like it wasn’t…quite there yet.

Well, it’s here now.

Legion 2.6 has given Dekas new “life.” Not only is it now the low, low price of 60(!) points, but other factors and realities in the current state of the game have given it even more of a boon. While it certainly has at least a couple of important weaknesses, it’s now easy for me to say that it’s a top choice for the support slot in CIS lists.

Pros:

• Cheaper than a date night at Waffle House
• Can be fast when it needs to be
• Suppressive weapons are quite valuable in the current game
• The only unit in the came with shields that regenerate on their own
• Can provide cover and LOS blocking to your trooper units

Cons:

• They go down extremely fast in melee
• They go down only slightly less extremely fast when they’re shot in wheel-mode
• Limited to speed 1 when walking
• Only one comms slot for upgrade options
• No natural attack mods

Overview

Cost: One more time: 60 freakin’ points

Speed 1 with the option to transition to Wheel Mode: Remember that these are still on small notched bases which means that Speed 1 is not nearly as limiting as it is on a standard trooper base, buuuut it’s still sort of limiting. You’ll generally spend most of the game not in wheel mode so it’s definitely important to know your distances. The speed 1 moves it about 5 inches or “Range 0.8,” while a speed 3 move in wheel mode moves it around 8.5 inches or “Range 1.4.”

Also, this is probably a good time to remind folks of the rules of Wheel mode, since it involves several temporary changes to the unit itself.

It’s a bit funny how much space is dedicated to the “what mini to use” part of this…we’ll get to that later. In any case, the important point here is that while you do get Cover 2 you don’t get to shoot or use your shields in Wheel Mode. I sort of wish it got Unhindered as well…sad.

Shielded 4, Generator 1: I will be the first one to tell you that the nomenclature of “Generator” versus the much more common keyword related to Shielded (Recharge) is a bit confusing. Units with Recharge such as BX Commandos with their shield upgrade can get all their shields back whenever IF they take a Recover. Generator, on the other hand, both make bringing back shields a bit harder and a bit easier. It’s true that Dekas can only get one shield back at the end of every turn, but they don’t have to take an action to do it. This sometimes makes shooting at Dekas a bit of a Catch 22: if you only get a couple of hits before the round is over then you’ve done very little to truly build attrition. This makes them especially resilient against low-dice pools: while it doesn’t outright cancel results like armor does, it still makes it a pretty poor target for something like a sniper team.

1 Red and 2 Black Attack Dice with Suppressive, Immune: Deflect, and zero mods whatsoever: It’s not a bad pool but it’s definitely one that benefits from surge access whenever such a thing is possible. Usually, this is through surges on CIS’ Exemplar units (Tacs and Super-Tacs) as well as the occasional face-up through Aggressive Tactics. Suppressive was once “OK” but is now “really good.” In a game where two shots from Dekas can very easily change a contesting unit into a non-contesting unit, this keyword pulls more weight than simply reducing your opponent’s actions: it can sway the VP race itself in the right circumstances. Immune: Deflect, by comparison, is obviously only relevant when you’re shooting at Jedi, but it’s nice to not have to worry about any business coming back your way when they roll surges on defense.

AI Attack or Move: In my experience, Dekas do actually sometimes trigger their AI in order to contest points on flanks, but when that AI includes Move which is the most common action you’ll take with them, it’s honestly not a very big deal when it does trigger.

Comms Upgrade

Here’s the most common upgrade you’re gonna put on the Dekas:

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Har har, but seriously they really don’t need anything. I can see why Linked Targeting Array may seem attractive but it’s usually a trap. Vehicles that aren’t big tanks (or STAPs) have sort of a funny relationship with the CIS order system. Unless you pay the exorbitant cost (in my opinion) of 10 points for an Onboard Comms Channel (which would mean you wouldn’t have LTA anyway) which gives it Coordinate: Trooper, Dekas are a bit of a dead end when it comes to order tokens. B1’s can’t get orders to them without a Comms Relay and the Super-Tactical Droid or Kalani are the only ways to get them one via direct. Even Roger, Roger is limited to Droid Troopers, so the only faction-specific generic card that can order them is Mechanized Incursion which there’s usually no room for anyway since most CIS lists will prefer to use the cards from their hero characters.

At this point, the only comms upgrade I can see on them in most lists is this:

Even then though, it’s usually basically gonna be 4 points for an aim…which usually isn’t the best match in the world. Therefore, I think I’m back where we started: just take em as-is. But if you’re running a list with a Super Tac who isn’t gonna have better things to use Direct on (unlikely) then be my guest and put a Linked Targeting Array on one of them.

Tactics

General

When it comes to your attack dice, surge tokens are going to be a good friend to have. The most reliable way to achieve this is to have a T-Series or a Super-Tac (with Aggressive Tactics) that can share one with Exemplar. There are other ways of course: the occasional face-up with Aggressive Tactics (which is, again, not an easy feat in droid lists), GG’s 3 Pip, and Force Guidance to name a few, but Exemplar (and bolster, in the case of the T-Series) are the most reliable.

When it comes to defense, there is basically one key thing to remember: Dekas hate getting punched. Melee attacks get around shields and when you don’t have your shields each one of your minis is as hard to kill as a fleet trooper that’s taken a wound…which is to say, not very. So, you do want to keep your distance when you can. If you’re going to contest a POI, do it from as far away from your enemy as possible. Even something that normally wouldn’t scare you much at all such as a naked Clone Squad can suddenly one-punch a Deka mini if all it has to do is move into melee in order to avoid the shields.

Standby

To achieve the above end, and to just know a useful tactic in general, remember that non-speeder vehicles have a particular advantage most others in the game do not: standby tokens that cannot be removed. We established earlier that you often won’t have FULL order control on these, so there may be times you draw them earlier than you’d want them to. If they can get on a point but won’t have a shot yet, or if getting on the point would mean exposing them too much, then a move-standby can be a great way to squeeze efficiency out of this unit. Even if you don’t do any damage, you’ll very likely put two suppression on a trooper unit which may hurt for it next turn and, since it would be after its rally roll, will often put it a second deka-shot away from panicking.

Blocking

Sometimes I see chatter about “modeling for advantage” but as far as I’ve been able to tell, Dekas will be taller than the trooper silhouette as long as you don’t purposefully try to model it low to the ground…as long as we’re talking about using the standing mini. They aren’t great at shielding multi-mini units but since they can now move through anything (and vice versa) they can shield a commander or operative pretty well.

What I WILL say is a bit unfortunate is this…for the people who enjoy immersion, replacing the Deka mini with the wheel mode version will make it shorter than a silouhette and thus remove its ability to LOS block your standard trooper minis. How often will this actually come up? Meh, rarely, but just keep in mind that if you don’t want to switch out the mini in wheel mode then all you have to do is put that handy Wheel Mode token out and you’re good to go.

When to “wheel” and when to deal…damage

Speaking of Wheel Mode, we covered the rules for it above but not when to actually use it so here goes: the short version is that you should use Wheel Mode mode when you want to move fast, don’t need to shoot, and (ideally) will take little or no fire after activating. Remember, while you do gain Cover 2…that ain’t what it used to be, losing your shields CAN mean that you could lose a mini to a naked corps shot. Here’s where knowing your distances and threat ranges can be a huge deal though: deploying in Wheel Mode can be extremely good for you WHEN it’s not risky. Obviously, the later the Dekas come out the less risky it is, but given that your chances of shooting anything after a Speed 1 move onto the board are REALLY low, it’s pretty much always a good idea to deploy as a rolly-boy WHEN IT’S SAFE. After Round 1, it’s usually only going to happen when you’re trying to make a mad dash toward a point. Sometimes of course, this is the right call, but you still need to have a good idea of how far you’re going to get before you make that call: remember that two speed 3 moves will get you about 17 inches across the board, or about a trooper-base-width short of Range 3.

By the way, big thanks to AMG for introducing the rule to where non-speeders can pivot before moves, Dekas and other walkers were sometimes a real pain to move around before we got that gem.

Battle Force Shenanigans

Dekas have the privilege of being the only unit other than a B1 that you can take in whatever CIS list you want, including both Battle Forces. When it comes to Separatist Invasion there isn’t a ton that’s special, it’s true that their Battle Force-specific 1-Pip can give a Deka a standby but since that list requires an AAT that’s almost always gonna be the target for that card. So, their contribution in SI is going to “only” be that it’s a super-efficient unit in a list that is already spamming stuff to the point that it gets hard to deal with any one thing.

When it comes to Experimental Droids things get a lot more interesting, mostly because of the special rule that Battle Force can use:

In the legacy days, this was usually being used to pump up BX sniper shots to 4 dice but that tactic has long since past its prime. Running three Dekas in this list is highly advised because this feature allows quite a bit of flexibility. There are times when a Speed 2 move will get you exactly where you need to be WHILE still being able to shoot and use shields, and there will be other times when an aim token (which is pretty much always a better choice than adding dice, since Dekas don’t surge) may push you over the edge to finish off a unit with their attack. The Deka definitely won’t always be the best choice for these special effects, but it can definitely turn a round to your advantage if you use them well.

List Building

Lyla Claire in the UK took this list to 5-0 at the Nottingham GT 2025. Experimental Droids Battle Force, as mentioned above, gives you extra flexibility with a unit that was brimming with that anyway. Something I didn’t mention above is that few units are as appreciative of a repair-bot as a Deka: bringing one back during a B1 activation (which you will pretty much always have control over) can double the efficacy of a Deka unit that lost its first mini earlier in the round, and then if it still survives the whole unit will still get a shield back at the end of the round, making it just that much tougher to take the punch out of the pair again.

This one is mine, I’ve been enjoying it and have had success with it so far. Between the Dekas and the Aquas there is a LOT of LOS blocking you can flex to shield Dooku and the Magnas. Another tip: the Reinforcements you get from divulging the Super Tac 3 can be really useful for getting the Dekas where they need to be at the end of Round 1.

Summary

Dekas feel like they give you way more than 60 points worth of help. If you treat ’em right, they can make your opponent’s day a whole lot tougher than they were counting on! If I missed anything about your favorite little rolly pollies, don’t curl up under Cover 2 and run away, let me know!