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November 22, 2024
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In this article I will rank all units in the Imperial faction in the game Star Wars Legion.
The recent points update has shaken up the meta. While receiving some nerfs, the Empire as a faction is still one of the strongest (if not the strongest faction) in the game. I am going to discuss how the update affected the faction and which units I think are the most promising going forward. I know most people are familiar with tier lists, but I am going to give a quick summary to make sure we are all on the same page. The tiers go from best units (S tier) to worst units (F tier). Units in the same tier are not always the same power level but are roughly equal. I am only going to give a brief description of each unit in this article. If you want to read more about any particular unit I will link the full unit guides in each section. As always this is just my opinion so sound off in the comments if you would rank the units differently! You can create your own Empire tier list at this link: Tier list.
Units in the S tier are the best in faction. They provide unique effects and can fit in almost any army. The units in S tier are the units I believe will find the most competitive success this next year.
Agent Kallus is a unit that always felt slightly too expensive for what he does. He is not particularly strong at any one thing but is highly flexible and brings some great utility. The new update gave him a 15-point reduction. Before the update he had roughly a ~50% win rate and I believe that this large point reduction makes him highly competitive. An important feature which differentiates Kallus from Iden is his Command Upgrade slot and Contingencies 2. These two support abilities together pair nicely with Double Bounty armies. I think Kallus is going to be the new go-to commander for Double Bounty and Villain Hammer armies. Overall, I think he is one of the best commanders in Empire at his new lower cost.
Despite receiving a 10-point increase Boba is still the best bounty hunter in the game. Boba is great in combat, flexible for objective play, and has powerful command cards. Boba is the best focus piece in the faction now that the Empire’s force users are less effective due to the Force Choke nerfs. Boba can fit in almost any list since he does not require much support to be viable. I believe that even with the nerf Boba is still one of the Empires best options.
Both Blizzard Force and Dark Troopers were nerfed while Iden remained untouched leaving a void for her to fill. Iden has always been a powerful unit and she fits well in the new meta. Force users are expected to become less popular which helps Iden. She is one of the best ranged commanders but is vulnerable to enemy force users in particular. Tactical Strike is one of the best command cards in the game giving armies a devastating alpha strike. As a commander Iden dominates the range game and I believe the meta is shifting to benefit her.
Units in the A tier are still highly competitive but are more situational than S tier units. That being said, most competitive Empire armies will have multiple units from the A tier in them.
Don’t listen to what any of the haters say, Bossk is still the range 4 king. He is one of my favorite units since he is so good at ranged zoning. Because he is a glass cannon Bossk must be played very carefully. If you leave him in the open he is very vulnerable to focus fire. Despite this if you take the time to learn Bossk I believe he is well worth the investment!
The Heavy Response Unit (HRU) used to be the most broken unit in the game. Now it is 10 points more expensive (a 25% increase in cost) which makes it more balanced but still competitive. The HRU is currently a must have in any Blizzard Force army and for that reason I placed it in the A tier.
IG-88 is an amazing unit; he is just a pure efficiency monster. IG-88 is deadly at range 3 and does not rely on command cards to be effective. This makes him pair nicely with other Commanders and Operatives. IG-88 also has the added benefit of being a Droid Trooper making it possible to repair him.
Imperial Dark Troopers (IDT) were and continue to be a gatekeeping unit. The points increase does not change this. If you do not have any answer to armor, you will struggle against Dark Troopers. The points increase does make them more vulnerable to counter play. You can no longer make lists like double Dark Troopers + double Bounty. You must invest more in the Dark Troopers as your main threat now that they are more expensive. Despite this IDT are still highly competitive, you just now need to be more careful with how you spend points in this army.
The Imperial Officer before the changes had the highest win rate in the game. This update increased her cost by 5 points making her less cost efficient but still viable. Previously she was without a doubt the best commander in Empire. At her new cost she is no longer an auto-include and must compete with other commanders like Kallus and Veers.
Inferno Squad is a must have alongside Iden. I put them in A tier instead of S because they are only effective when supported by Iden. When played without Tactical Strike and Retinue Inferno Squad is lackluster. Outside of raw combat stats the unit brings utility abilities. Del Meeko provides repair 2 and Gideon Hask has Coordinate Corps. These two abilities combined with the unit’s great firepower makes Inferno Squad a must have when playing Iden.
The Scout Troopers Strike Team is still a great unit. Snipers are timing neutral, inexpensive, and ignore dodges. Since their release, Strike Team Snipers have made up the backbone of most gunlines. If you need a unit to help you fill your activation count Snipers are still one of the best options.
Units in the B tier fill a more specific role but are still competitively viable. They are less ubiquitous than A tier units but often form the backbone of an army. Essentially you will rarely see competitive lists only comprised of units in the B tier. The one exception is battle forces. For example Blizzard Force is still competitive despite having primarily units in B tier or lower. The new force organization chart and extra command cards helps make these weaker units competitive .
They are speeders, they are cheap, and they have solid fire power. Nothing much to say about Speeder Bikes. If you want to have extra objective play bring Speeders. They are a great option alongside Iden and/or bounty hunters. Speeders are best when played in multiples. Armies that play speeders typically bring the maximum number possible.
The AT-ST is mainly in the B teir because it can be run in Blizzard Force which is still highly competitive. The AT-ST is a solid ranged platform that is both hard to kill and deadly at range. Support the AT-ST with 4 Speeder Bikes in Blizzard Force and you have a winning formula.
Cad Bane is in the B tier instead of the A tier simply because he requires more intention in list building than Boba, Bossk or IG-88. Cad Bane is great in the right army but cannot be as easily included in lists. Cad Bane has the issue in Empire of being compared to Boba. Boba does many of the same things as Cad but is more flexible and does not require being built around.
Commander Vader used to be A tier in my book but dropped due to the Force Choke nerf. He is still great in Blizzard Force but cannot single handedly carry as many objectives as before. Losing Force Choke makes Commander Vader less consistent.
Operative Vader was S tier before the points update. Operative Vader was removed from Blizzard Force and suffered the Force Choke nerf. While Operative Vader is a better unit than his commander counterpart, he cannot be run in Blizzard force and has a much harder time finding a place during army building.
The DF-90 Mortar Trooper is the cheapest unit in the Empire, its main drawback is Detachment: Shoretroopers. At this low price it has ok defense with red saves and most importantly can fire at range 4. It is a great timing neutral activation for the Empire.
Pykes are still a unit if you have the space for them in your army. They are now more expensive which gives them fewer builds where they can be played. Despite this they still pack a punch and are difficult to kill.
The Capo’s main use is supporting Pykes. The Capo is now the cheapest commander in the Empire making a new choice for activation fodder.
Shoretroopers have one of the best Heavy Weapons in the game: the T-21b. This Heavy Weapon comes with a steep price tag of 32 points. To help offset this cost the Shoretroopers can be played alongside the inexpensive DF-90 Mortar Trooper. Overall, the Shoretrooper and Mortar Trooper combo is great for filling activations in a ranged focused list.
Stormtroopers are the backbone of the Imperial faction. They can be built in a variety of ways depending on your army. While not overly flashy the Stormtroopers are great core units landing them in B tier.
C tier units are typically units that can still be played in competitive lists but require significant effort. They are not as flexible competitively as any of the higher tiers.
Black Sun Enforcers (BSE) are deadly at close range but do not have access to as many good transport options in the Empire as opposed to other factions. You can still make them work alongside other threats, but they are currently outcompeted by other units in the faction.
Emperor Palpatine has some amazing abilities, but he is only really used in the 6 activation Vader Palp bomb army and with Imperial Dark Troopers (IDT). Because the IDT lost access to guardian and went up in costs it is harder to run them with Palpatine. Pull the Strings is still an amazing ability and can be viable in the right army.
General Veers got a small points reduction in the last update making him a more interesting option. I think Veers is a potential option alongside the AT-ST in Blizzard Force and also could be used in a double bounty army for his two command upgrade slots.
Imperial Royal Guards (IRG) are one of the few units in the game with full Guardian. This effect is great in the right army saving important units from harm. IRG are also an ok melee deterrent and can be used to slow enemy force users.
Moff Gideon is not the best commander on his own but is quite powerful when supporting Imperial Dark Troopers. In Dark Trooper armies he is a competitively viable option.
Units in the D tier are not especially competitive but still have some uses. Typically, you can get away with playing a few D tier units competitively but you are using them in place of a better more effective unit.
The Vigo is primarily played to support Black Sun Enforcers (BSE). Most armies play only one or two BSE in Empire which makes the Vigo less valuable as a unit.
Din Djarin when fully upgraded is the same cost as Boba Fett. Boba brings so much more utility and combat efficiency than Din Djarin. Din is simply too expensive for what he does and needs some points reductions to land at a similar level as the other bounty hunters.
Director Orson Krennic is outclassed by many other commanders in the game. Veers is less expensive, and Kallus is a better Cunning commander. He has one place where he shines and that is alongside Imperial Dark Troopers. His 2 pip gives out standby’s which cannot be stripped off Imperial Dark Troopers since they cannot be suppressed.
IG-11’s main issue is AI. He requires order control and support while IG-88 can fit in nearly any army. For this reason, IG-11 is relegated to watching IG-88 from the side lines.
Imperial Death Troopers are simply too expensive what they bring and are too vulnerable to pierce attacks. Bounty hunters and snipers eat Death Troopers alive. The one place they shine currently is in the Imperial Remnant Battle Force where they can take cheaper heavy weapons.
Imperial Special Forces (ISF) are only good in a full Iden Tactical Strike army. While this army may be competitive you the ISF are only playable in this one army. Outside of a full Iden Tactical Strike army they are not competitively playable.
The Occupier Tank has one real use and that is to drop off Vader in the middle of the enemy army. This unit’s only competitive use is to catch opponents off guard with a Sith. Now that Force Choke is nerfed this trick is less impressive.
Snowtroopers are only played in Blizzard Force because you are required to. If you could play Blizzard Force without them, you would. They only place they have outside of Blizzard force is as a cheap core unit with no upgrades for scoring objectives.
While the E-Web lost some points it is still only range 3. The E-Web’s only real use is as activation fodder in some armies.
Units in the F tier are severely behind the curve and have some major issues.
Dewback Riders were hurt badly by the climbing change. Now that everything can hop onto buildings Dewbacks have no real chance of engaging in melee. Dewbacks also got worse due to the overhang rules with terrain. Troopers cannot overhang terrain pieces which prevents the Dewback’s large base from going on many terrain features.
The LAAT suffered both the transport nerfs and the Force Choke nerfs. The LAAT is too expensive for how fragile it is and does not pack enough firepower to be justified as a gunboat.
Scout Troopers mainly suffer from being white save units with only a range 2 gun. The unit does not have any heavy weapons that help it with this issue. The only place Scout Troopers see any play is in Imperial Remnant as a naked unit.
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