So, you want to get into (or further into) Legion but don’t know where to start? We have you covered.

If you’re more of a video person, check out the video version by none other than Jay and Kyle themselves!

We’re proud to be the number 1 source for Legion news, tactics, and occasionally absolute nonsense, but it’s been far too long since we wrote something dedicated to newer players as well as players interested in getting in for the very first time but who haven’t bought a thing yet. And to you I say: WELCOME! You’ve made a great choice to invest in a great game that has nothing but growth on the horizon, but as with many minis games there is a plethora of options available to you, which can become really overwhelming. I’ve been seeing a ton of posts on social media from players who are just getting started, and given that we’re on the precipice of Ministravaganza 2024, where many brand new expansions will be announced, this is pretty much the perfect time to share what new players can invest in now so they’re more than ready to get into that brand new stuff, which won’t actually arrive until later this year at the soonest.

I’m going to do my best to balance theme, fun, and efficiency. If a unit or box features all three in droves, I’m going to highlight it as best I can. I’m going to divide it out by faction as well, since I strongly advise new players to buy one faction and stick with that until they’re comfortable with the game. We won’t cover terrain packs or third party accessories which have no inherent gameplay value (which you typically only see in the hands of players who know they want to keep investing in the game anyway) because there is a LOT of product out there and we have to keep things from getting TOTALLY out of control.

Something to keep in mind if you are brand new: Though learning games and a few tournaments are played using “Skirmish” rules (500 points, usually 5-6 units) the “standard” game of legion is 800 points (with 8-11ish units) which should generally be your goal. I’d also like to kindly remind new players they shouldn’t be overwhelmed at all the purchases I’m suggesting, collections are often built over very long periods of time and nothing about this guide is sacred. You also don’t have to go “all-in” to know what the full game is like: you CAN field a complete army at a game night or even a tournament with nothing more than a Battle Force box and an Essentials Kit. You wouldn’t have many options in doing so, but it would at least give you an actual taste of the game if you’re not convinced yet to really “take the plunge.”

Finally, all the links I’m posting are to Asmodee’s store or Google shopping if Asmodee doesn’t have it listed, this is not an endorsement of buying from them but rather for the purpose of standardized product ID, the SKU numbers are there on the page so you can help your LGS find them if needed. Ideally you can buy or order these from your brick and mortar local game store, of it that’s not an option then you should find whatever the best deal is of course.

Enough talk, let’s get to the guide!

Choose Your Faction and Starter Set

Even if you haven’t bought a thing, I’d be willing to bet you know what faction you want to play, but just in case I’ll give a brief summary of each at the top of the sections.

All brand new players will need to get EITHER a core set OR the usually-more economical choice of a “Battle Force” box plus an “Essentials Kit” since the battle force boxes don’t have the basic stuff you need like range rulers, dice, and movement templates. “Core sets” have that stuff but the units in them are half one faction and half another, meaning many players won’t ever build half of the models. We’ll get into each faction’s description and their best bet for a “starter” below.

Confederacy of Independent Systems aka “CIS” aka “Separatists”

Lots and lots of droids. The “strength in numbers” faction. It often allows you total control of “who goes when” (which is usually partially random), and also features Geonosians and a smattering of Dark Jedi.

Machine heads are in luck because this faction really only has one choice that makes sense:

Separatist Invasion Force + Essentials Kit

If you’re getting in with a friend who wants to play clones you can get a core set instead of these two, but for everyone else this is definitely the way to go because you (very importantly) get more damn battle droids this way. Plus you get a tank!

Grand Army of the Republic aka “Republic” aka “Clones”

Clones! The high-five teamwork faction. They are the best individual “troops” and help each other out but have fewer numbers. They’re paired with Jedi Masters, and also Anakin!

Wookiees are technically in this faction and can be used with any Republic list but they can also be used on their own in a Battle Force which we’ll make recommendations for later, you’ll still need to start with something though.

Republic has a couple legitimate options:

You’ll get more actual units and overall value in the “501st Legion” but the Core Set is the only way to get Obi-Wan, at all. To be fair, you get different types of clones in each of these choices as well. If you think you’re eventually going to want all of them, then the “501st Legion” is more for the money (8 units, can be a whole army easily vs the 4 units in the Core set) but if you’re a big Obi-fan then you can consider the Core OR you can wait for his re-release which should be in less than a year.

Galactic Empire

The “efficiency” faction. I don’t think I need to explain what the Empire is made up of, if you’ve seen it in a movie or the Mandalorian it’s probably in this game already. The faction is primarily made up of shooters who can be commanded either by a “normal dude/lady” such as Veers or Krennic or by a big bad Sith like Vader or the Emperor.

Once again we have two recommendations but one is MUCH stronger than the other:

Basically, the upside for Blizzard Force is that you get an extra corps unit, an extra speeder bike unit, and an AT-ST (which isn’t in the core set at all). The only “downside” is that your corps are snowtroopers, which have their place but which generally aren’t a part of most competitive Empire lists. Stormtroopers are found in those lists more often and come in the core set, but you can also just buy stormtrooper units separately over time. Basically, unless you absolutely never think you’re going to want to run a full set of speeder bikes OR an AT-ST, then Blizzard (7 units, nearly a whole army) is a better buy than the Core (4 units, half an army).

Rebel Alliance

The “win by cunning” faction. Similar to the Empire, if the unit or character you can think of was in the original films it’s almost certainly in the game, as well as a couple from the Rebels cartoon like Ahsoka, Sabine, and Mandalorian resistance fighters. This faction by far as the most “trick plays” that can enable you to win games even when most of your army is dead.

Ewoks can be played in Rebel lists or as their own unique force that is basically made up of all the characters and units that showed up in the Endor scene of Return of the Jedi but just like the Wookiees you have to start with a faction starter to have key ingredients anyway.

Like Separatists, Rebels really only have one option that makes sense.

Echo Base Defenders + Essentials Kit

This battle force box is an extremely good deal because you get three hero units, FOUR of the best corps unit Rebels have right now (which actually amounts to up to six corps units you can technically field, you’ll see when you get into it), two hard-charging tauntaun units AND a big-ol’-turret. This box (maybe tied with Shadow Collective) represents the best single deal in Legion and is MORE than enough for a complete army on its own. It’s true that there is one unit, “Commander” Luke Skywalker that only comes in the original Core Set but:

A) The Return of the Jedi Luke (“Operative Luke”) is significantly better most of the time, and is a better model;

B) If you really do want to run the “Empire Strikes Back” version of Luke you can always buy the “Limited Edition” Commander Luke (wearing a flight suit) off ebay for about $50, since they actually made a lot of these back in the day and it never really outpaced demand. It’s a nicer model and has all the same cards as the Core Set one. If you can’t find that one when you’re reading this, you can just wait for a re-release of him that’s coming in the next year. For a cheaper option, you can also find second hand Luke command cards on ebay from people who bought multiple original core sets and are looking to off-load.

Shadow Collective

The “dirty pirate” faction. This is a specific reference to the group that Maul (after his bisection) led in a few episodes of Clone Wars, consisting of evil Mandalorians, Pykes, Swoop Riders, and Black Sun dudes. It can also play a couple bounty hunters: Cad Bane and Bossk.

I do want people to note here that this “faction” (it’s technically a battle force but I promise you shouldn’t worry too much about that right now) can’t take EVERY bounty hunter in the game. I’m making that point because I’ve seen new players make assumptions along these lines only to be disappointed later. You can’t take Boba Fett, IG-88, or IG-11 in this faction, those three will only work for the Empire (IG-11 can work for Rebels too).

This may seem weird compared to the other recommendations but bear with me…TWO Shadow Collective Starter Sets and an Essentials Kit.

Shadow Collective is a little different/convenient because if you KNOW you want to get into it, this one box actually contains one copy each of what is by far the bread and butter of EVERY shadow collective list. Unlike the other boxes, you are never going to see a Shadow Collective list that doesn’t feature at least three (and usually many more) units that come in these boxes. Adding to that, they’re around half the price of the “traditional faction” battle force boxes. Once you have two of each it may worth it in my opinion to finish your collection using individual unit boxes, but the bargain is so good that it’s hard to recommend just doing one starter set and then doing unit boxes after that.

Rounding Out Your Army (“High Value Buys”)

Once you’ve considered the core set, you’re going to want to consider how you’ll get yourself to a “playable list” (in the standard 800 point format). I can’t necessarily predict what all of you will value in the units that you buy but I’m going to take multiple things into consideration at once here:

• Is it good?
• Is it fun?
• Does it look good?
• Does having this unit provide you options when you need to get to a “complete” 800 point list?

The lists below contain the units that I consider the highest “value” for the combination of items above. I’d encourage all players to look at Legion HQ to consider the lists below a little to get what they really want at the end of the day and BEFORE making any purchases. Also, it’s good to keep in mind that the “Personnel/Specialist” boxes for the main 4 factions each contain three unique command cards for those factions, some of which are very good and some of which are kinda meh.

In any case, let’s get started with what I consider the best overall picks to round out an army in any list.

Separatists

• Super Tactical Droid – Actually gives you three units, very useful and very fun
• Maul and Probe Droids – Maul “cheats” in very fun ways and is very thematic
• Cad Bane – CIS can’t have Boba, but Cad is easily the second best buy for a bounty hunter
• B1 Battle Droids x2 – Bread and butter, you’ll thank me later for just telling you to have six units on hand
• Geonosian Warriors x1 – Flies around and harasses or completes objectives, if you like them you can explore getting more and their hero units as well
• B1 Battle Droid Upgrade Expansion x2 – Will give you a couple copies of a very good and often essential weapon for battle droids (the E5-S sniper rifle)
• Separatist Specialists Personnel x1 – Allows you to field a medic, repair bot, or generic commander
• BX Droid Commandos x 2 – Outstanding models, lots of options of how to run them, are a part of one of the best lists in the game

Separatists are the only faction where I’m essentially saying “just get the full possible complement of the basic corps unit” because the B1 really has been that important to the faction historically.

Republic

• Anakin Skywalker – ONLY if you bought the Core Set because he’s included in 501st box. He’s my favorite hero unit in the game, be sure to note the errata to him after you open his pack – that errata turned him from a joke into a monster overnight and that has held to this day
• Yoda – Cheats in fun ways, very thematic, multiple model options
• Padme Amidala – An outstanding support unit for nearly any list
• The Bad Batch – Not even out yet at the time of this writing but I PROMISE you’ll want it
• Phase 1 Clone Troopers x2 if you bought the 501st box – Has access to the rocket launcher and is cheap enough to top off armies
• Phase 2 Clone Troopers x2 if you bought the core set – More reliable dice and courage than Phase 1’s but fewer weapon options, a Republic player should have a few of both to give them options
• Phase 1 Clone Trooper Upgrade Expansion x1 – Gives you two excellent minis (the captain and rocket launcher) and one fun but janky mini (the shotgun)
• Republic Specialists Personnel Expansion x1 – The generic commander and medic are must-haves
• ARC Troopers x1 if you bought the core set – Everyone at least needs to have Echo in a strike team, but you’ll get him if you buy the 501st box so you’re probably fine
• Republic Commandos x2 – A recent release that has great models, is fun, and is REALLY strong, if you played the video game and liked it just get a third

Wookiees

• Yoda – Comes with Chewbacca’s Republic card and can also fight alongside the Wooks himself, he and Chewie have a very fun card to play together
• Chewbacca – The box will say Rebel but you’re just doing this to get the model
• Wookiee Warriors [2021] (be sure it’s the one that has both Rebel and Republic Faction Symbols on the box) x 4 – See below, it’s a GREAT value
• Raddaugh Gnasp Fluttercraft x2 – My favorite unit in the game overall, it takes a little practice and is fragile but it’s a rush to play, if you’re going down this road PLEASE take a look at my guide and the assembly tips at the bottom.

It’s worth noting that the Wookiee Warriors box gives you a total of six minis which you can mix and match to make what you want, I recommend just dumping all the blisters onto the table and planning ahead to figure out how you want to built them, because there are actually three different types of units you can make from the models. The eight “A1” models you get can be used to make one generic commander, two bowcaster heavies, and five unit leaders (I would do three Warriors and two Defenders) which actually gets you SIX units for the price of 4. If you want a list with a bunch of heavies you may need one more box but this will be a great foundation.

Galactic Empire

• Agent Kallus – There are a few options for non-Jedi commanders but this one has the most value in my opinion
• Darth Vader Operative – Gives you three NECESSARY command cards to succeed with Vader and a pretty good unit too
• Boba Fett – Fun to play and one of the strongest units in the game, note that if you love him you’ll eventually want to get the Rebel/Daimyo (old man) Boba Fett box as well since it has three command cards as well as an upgrade you’ll only find there
• Imperial Shoretroopers – You get two units that are both very solid corps choices (troopers and two mortars, both very good) so great value here for building an army
• Imperial Personnel Expansion x1 – The medic droid and generic commander both give you good options
• Stormtroopers x2 if you bought the Blizzard Force set – The “standard-fare” corps that is flexible and can be strong enough for the cost to be useful
• Stormtrooper Upgrade Expansion x2 – Only get this if you are planning to run stormtroopers because they can’t be used on anything else, but it gives them a very good weapon option and a useful “specialist” mini
• 74-Z Speeder Bikes x1 – When you run speeders you’ll usually want to run three at once
• Scout Troopers x 2 – This will give you two “sniper strike teams” which while less popular than the past is still a very cheap unit to help complete a list
• Range Troopers – They move slow but shoot a long ways and pile on suppression as well
• Imperial Dark Troopers x2 – May be controversial to suggest 2 off the bat but they tend to work best in pairs, is very strong, is fun to play, and the models are really cool

Empire has the biggest pool of available minis in the game so if the above seems overwhelming I apologize, remember that you can do this as quick or as slow as you want and I’d recommend something like starting with Vader Operative, Boba, Personnel, the Shores, the Bikes, and the Range Troopers and then expanding out from there.

Rebel Alliance

• Cassian Andor and K-2SO – Arguably the best value for a “hero” pack in the game because you get two great units
• Han Solo – One of the most fun heroes just in all respects and can be very decent on the field
• Luke Skywalker Operative – Gives you a mini that will make your opponent sweat, you will still need to but the limited edition “Commander” Luke figure or just find the original command cards cheap on ebay to have the “full set.”
• The Bad Batch – I promise, you won’t be disappointed
• Rebel Personnel Expansion – This may be the lowest value out of all the personnel expansions but it’s still worth having one to give your corps units some extra options
• Rebel Commandos x2 – Both the full unit and the strike team are great value with flexible points
• 1.4D FD Laser Cannon x1 – Since you’re getting one in the Echo Base box it makes sense to have at least one more, a solid unit that is cheap points-wise
• A-A5 Speeder Truck x1 – One of the best models in the game and one that allows you to really express yourself: will it be a grungy used minivan or a party bus that’s actually a “trojan horse” with a Jedi inside?

If you’ve been reading this whole thing you may notice this is the one time I’m not recommending newer players buy ANY corps boxes. This is a testament to the outstanding value of the Echo Base box; it’s true that other options are out there but I promise you aren’t missing much with the current rules set.

Bright Tree Village (Ewoks)

• Logray and Wicket – Two of the “hero” units that are specific to the Ewok faction, the other is a card for C-3PO which you’ll already have the model for since you’ll have started with the Echo Base box
• Han Solo – Fun commands, works well with Chewie
• AT-ST Expansion [2023] (be sure it has Chewie on the back side of the box) – Yes you can in fact run an AT-ST in this faction, piloted by the one and only Chewbacca, and it’s great
• Ewok Warriors x6 – Just like Wookiees, the bread and butter. You can make two different types of units from these boxes (but not both, you’ll have to choose), and you may even want more down the road, but this will definitely allow you to run the list.

Shadow Collective

• Cad Bane – So fun, so good, just *MWAH*
• Bossk – A nasty lizard man who shoots people from very far away, everyone hates playing against him, but Bossk cares not for their sorrow
• Additional box of “Shadow Collective” or individual Black Sun/Pyke Syndicate boxes if you KNOW you’ll play one vs the other – See below
• Swoop Bikes x3 – Trust me, it’s just so fun to play the biker gang. Also a list with three of these is the most recent World Champion in case you had doubts
• A-A5 Speeder Truck x1 – If you’re really all-in you can buy 2, but one allows you to transport an angry squad of Black Suns…or an even angrier robo-legged Maul

You’ll eventually likely want at least 4 of EITHER Pykes or Black Suns (or both of course but they typically work best in different kinds of lists) but the above will put you in a place where you can really see all that this Battle Force has to offer.

Generic Card Packs and Mission Sets

There are a few “generic” products that every new player should consider, and the upgrade packs are nearly essential (luckily they’re cheap). I’ll give a brief description of each as well as a relative priority.

• Upgrade Card Pack 1: HIGH PRIORITY
• Upgrade Card Pack 2: HIGH PRIORITY (this also contains the Shadow Collective A-A5 card and all the newest unit cards for the bounty hunters)

These are cheap (less than $15) and contain ALL of the “generic” upgrades in the game right now. There are other upgrades that are more specific to certain units, which will come with those units in their own boxes, but if you buy one of each of the above you’ll be set for the generic stuff until they ever release another one (which isn’t on the horizon as of now).

• Vital Assets: MODERATE PRIORITY
• Priority Supplies: MODERATE-ish PRIORITY

I appreciate the irony in the names above given the fact that they aren’t truly required but this game is built around “battle cards” and most armies will want to use one or more cards that come in the above packs. These also come with nice plastic minis to represent certain objectives. Vital Assets is slightly more expensive but it also contains NINE battle cards where “Priority Supplies” only has three, but each set is unique from the other so you’ll find that most competitive players will have eventually bought both of them.

• Essentials Kit: MODERATE Priority
• Dice Pack: LOW Priority

You do get extra dice in the essentials kit, along with an extra set of templates which can be QUITE handy believe me. The amount of dice you get in a single core set or essentials kit (3 each) isn’t enough for MOST games of legion but you’ll usually do fine with a total of 6 of each dice, and will almost always be fine with 9 of each dice. So, to the average player, I’d say that you’ll want to get an extra essentials kit right off the bat and consider augmenting that with another one or the slightly cheaper option of a dice pack. Again, the starter choices above will give you three of each die, but aim for six and eventually nine to be comfortable.

Everything Else (and I mean everything, with value grades)

I wanted to be comprehensive because I hate for new players to feel like they have to take completely wild guesses or spend time scrolling through Reddit or Discord to find their answers.

As you read the list below please keep the following in mind:

1. I’m not going to repeat heroes that come in the recommended starters OR expansions that I’ve already listed above as being “high-value,” I listed them there BECAUSE I think they’re a better value generally than any of the expansions below
2. You shouldn’t think twice about buying a character, unit, or vehicle that you love in the fiction, you’re rarely going to actually be disappointed if that’s the case. I wrote these grades from the perspective of someone who is just sort of “generally” a Star Wars fan.
3. Readers who are already into the game may have very different opinions, feel free to leave them but please remember there is a certain amount of subjectivity here. That said, I have played with or against all of these units many times over the years, so if nothing else these opinions are definitely based on experience.
4. I will highlight mercenaries by putting (Merc) after the name, this mainly matters for the non-unique units since you can only ever run two of those in a given list (three for corps with a certain upgrade but no one ever does this).
5. I’ll rank from A down to F, if it was “S” it already would have been listed above

Separatists

Commanders Count Dooku: A – Expensive in-game but lots of fun Poggle the Lesser: C – A slow old man with a couple tricks with B2’s but not much pizzazz, buy if you want a full Geonosian army though	Operatives Asajj Ventress: B – A glass cannon in every sense, has a cool command with Dooku Bossk (Merc): A – A great unit in pretty much any faction he can play in Sun Fac: D – Just OK, is worth it if you want to run lots of Geonosians but no other synergies
Corps B2 Super Battle Droids: A – Good to have around 2 units around for certain armies, but often messes up your need for order control, cool models though! Pykes/Black Suns (Merc): C – Can fill out the very end of a list sometimes but not very often	Special Forces MagnaGuards: A – Great models and very efficient units, the only reason I didn’t suggest getting more above is because you get one unit in the Separatist Invasion box which will give you a feel for wanting more. Most Separatist players will have at least two units of these lying around
Support Droidekas: C – You get two units with the Invasion Force box so you could get third eventually if you ever want to really “roll out” but its unfortunately a bit weak right now Dwarf Spider Droid: B – Sluggish and awkward but can be fun once you’ve gotten a feel for them, the long range version is seeing some play against other droid lists STAP Riders: B – Great speed and control with a good attack but quite fragile, also you really need 3 units to get the actual value	Heavy AAT: C – You’ll already have one from the Battle Force box, running two was more common in the past when it was easier to get open shots but in current rules that’s more rare Persuader-Class Tank aka “Snail Tank”: A – This is a funky unit but a GREAT model and having one opens up quite a few lists including more options in the powerful “Experimental Droids” Battle Force that Separatists can run

Republic

Commanders Captain Rex: B – He’ll give you more options assuming you bought the 501st box, he’s a little squishy. Ask veteran players about how “fun” he used to be some time Commander Cody: A – The unit is better than his commands but he’s the better of the two unique non-Jedi commanders	Operatives Crashed Escape Pod: B – This gives you R2 and 3PO who unfortunately don’t fit well into the faction right now BUT it also gives you some cool terrain This section may seem empty because the other two operatives were already listed, they’re just that good
Corps Pykes (Merc): A – Don’t worry too much about figuring out why fish gangsters would work for the cops of the galaxy, they synergize REALLY well with Anakin and Padme and at least one is well worth it to have on-hand, eventually two but would stop there.	Special Forces Wookiee Warriors: B – One box is worth it if you’re at least curious about running the full Wookiee Force, especially because it gives you the generic Wookiee commander AND an option to build one of two different units.
Support Republic AT-RT: D – I’d rate this higher if you didn’t already get one in the 501st box which is probably all you’ll ever need or want BARC Speeder: D – The model IS pretty cool but you either get a very fast speeder that hits like a pillow or a slow “speeder” that hits a bit harder and then promptly dies Raddaugh Gnasp Fluttercraft: B – Buy one to have a cool model/to try out and consider whether running a bunch of ’em in a Wook force would be fun to you Swoop Bike Riders (Merc): D – Since you can only ever run two in a list you’ll just end up annoyed that you can’t execute an actual strategy the way Shadow Collective does BUT if you’re a madman you could run two with a “bomber” Fluttercraft and impress your friends	Heavy Infantry Support Platform: C – A very cool model with decent guns and fun potential but is frustrating to move around on a battlefield LAAT/LE Patrol Transport: C – Another great model but spending the points on a transport for one unit doesn’t mesh well with most lists, as a pure gunship it’s garbage Saber Tank: B – Sweet model, fun to play with due to its speed, but very pricey in-game. I’d say most Republic players should get one eventually AND you can use it with the Wookiee Force (most don’t, but it helps the value of the buy)

Galactic Empire

Commanders Director Krennic: C – If you like Death Troopers then just get him too because they have synergy and he has cool commands but you’ll often spend his activation tumb-twiddling in-game General Veers: B – I think of him as a super-charged generic commander, he is efficient but not exactly thrilling Emperor Palpatine: A – I was really close to just putting him on the high-value list but you really should buy Royal Guards with him and it was just a little too much to suggest, he’s sooo fun and scary to your opponents though! Iden Versio and ID10: A – Fun to play and effective either on her own or with her beloved “Inferno Squad.” Buy at least one unit of “Imperial Special Forces” if you’re gonna pick her up Moff Gideon: C – Sort of exists purely to super-charge Dark Troopers at the moment but he sure does that, he has some other cool tricks too	Operatives Bossk (Merc): A – Unlike with CIS the bad boy Lizard blends in perfectly with Imperial lists Cad Bane (Merc): A – Dude this guy just rocks in any faction that can play him, as is appropriate for a great character Din Djarin aka “The Mandalorian” (Merc): B – A fantastic model that’s a little too pricey in-game to recommend to everyone Fifth Brother/Seventh Sister: B – Both come in one box and give you a nice array of options since you can play either one or both in a list IG-Series Assassin Droids (Merc): A – You get both IG-11 and IG-88 in one box, but as an Empire player you’re really getting this for 88
Corps Snowtroopers: F – Because if you’re even considering running one you should have bought the Blizzard Force box which gives you THREE….which is exactly as many as any sane person would run. They aren’t an amazing unit but they do have a play where they move in close to hit REALLY HARD with flamethrowers and grenades Black Suns (Merc): D – Poor synergy, most imperial lists don’t want to rush your face and these guys have no other option Pykes (Merc): C – Some shoot-y lists will opt for these because they’re more efficient at range 3 than most other corps units but Shores are usually just better	Special Forces Imperial Special Forces: A – Buy one box with Iden, then if you like the feel you can get two more in order to give the you option for a BIG turn one play with Iden Imperial Royal Guards: A – You’ll probably only ever need one box but since Palpatine is so great it’s definitely worth it to have one of these, it has some utility in non-Palp lists as well to shield your shooters Imperial Death Troopers: B – Strong guns, good if you have about a hundred points left and want more ranged “punch”
Support Dewback Rider: D – One of only two creature troopers in the game and is fun to paint but ends up being disappointed because in the current meta they just quickly get scared and then die, I wish I could rate this higher I really do E-Web Heavy Blaster Team: C – Wait until you feel like you have a handle on the game, it’s not for novices and even in the hands of an expert is still mediocre, I wouldn’t advise buying more than two	Heavy AT-ST: B – You’ll get a version of the old model in the Blizzard Force box but the newer 2023 model (with Chewie on the back) is nicer. Most Imperial players try double AT-ST list at least a couple times, and there is even an option to run THREE in the “Tempest Force” Battle Force LAAT/LE: C – As I said above in the Republic section, you’ll usually regret trying to use it as a transport and instantly regret trying to use it as a gunship but it IS a great model Tx-225 GAVw Occupier Tank: D – Some Imperial players will tell you this is a nuanced vehicle that requires expert play, which is true…but that expert play will earn you much less firepower than an AT-ST that is barely more expensive, with the added “benefit” of being a crappy transport

Rebel Alliance

Commanders Commander Luke: C – This one is weird because you can only get this mini on his own in the Limited Edition “Hoth Flight Suit” version or as a Core Set hand-me-down but as of this writing there are plenty on ebay. There is going to be a new hard plastic version coming out within a year of this writing so you may want to wait, if you want to use “Operative/Jedi” Luke to his full potential though you’ll at least want Commander Luke’s command cards. Lando Calrissian: B – A sweet model with fun rules that hasn’t yet found its place but everything else is in its favor Jyn Erso: D – The ultimate pick for anyone who wants to expend incredible effort to squeeze a bit of value out of a lackluster miniature, but if you really want to run a Rogue One themed list then you should of course pick her up	Operatives Ahsoka Tano: A – She does a lot that Opeative Luke does at a lower points cost, an efficient Force user Boba Fett Daimyo (Merc): B – Has some pretty sweet tricks honestly, even though this is the version from the Book of Boba who is a little slower. If you want all the command cards you’ll also need the Imperial Boba Fett expansion. Din Djarin aka “The Mandalorian” (Merc): B – Same as in Empire it costs a bit too much in-game but the Rebel version of Grogu can be attached to IG-11 which is fun IG-Series Assassin Droids (Merc): C – Only IG-11 for Rebels sorry boys. Can be used in clever lists but has a high skill threshold, as above can do Grogu shenanigans if you want to be squirrelly Sabine Wren: A – A fairly unique unit who has a lot of sweet tricks and also synergizes with “Clan Wren” which comes in the Mandalorian Special Forces box as well as Ahsoka
Corps Rebel Troopers/Rebel Troopers Upgrade Expansion: F – They have one decent heavy gun out of four available that you’d need to buy both of these boxes to have access to. In the future they’ll probably get buffed, but they also have a hard plastic re-release within the next year, so if you really want them just wait for that. Fleet Troopers: D – They have a role in one competitive list, which is one that takes more skill and practice than most people would want to invest in (double A-A5), and are otherwise unfortunately a “meme” at the moment Pykes (Merc): F – A REALLY rare choice for a “pure shooting” rebel list which is barely something that exists Ewok Skirmishers (Merc): D – The corps really doesn’t work outside of the Battle Force since it does not fulfill your minimum requirements	Special Forces Ewok Slingers (Merc): C – This comes in the same box as the “corps” option but is more versatile and is also very cheap so it’s decent for a “filler” activation Mandalorian Resistance: C – This will get buffed in the future but for now I’d only consider one because you can make “Clan Wren” out of that, a unique unit that is still solid especially with Sabine Rebel Pathfinders: D – A frustrating unit because I like the idea of it more than the execution, there are two so-so unique heavy weapons and zero generic heavy weapons meaning that running three Pathfinders is nearly pointless. Much like Clan Wren I’d really only consider getting one to put “Bistan” in because he’s a monkey with a machine gun and the dice are alright. Wookiee Warriors/Kashyyk Defenders: C for the newer box just because they aren’t in a great place right now for Rebels but FFFFF if you’re considering buying an old one that JUST has the Rebel symbol on the front. If you’re going to buy them then the newer 2021 box with both Rebel and Republic symbols on the front (this one) is the only choice that makes any sense outside of a MAJOR fire sale, it was a strict upgrade in terms of value when it was released.
Support AT-RT: C – It’s alright to get one to try out, a lower-middle of the road unit and one that I’d wait for a re-release on personally Tauntaun Riders: B – You get two with the Echo Base box and you can run one more in any Rebel list or TWO more in an Echo Base Battle Force. It mainly does shine in that Battle Force, luckily that box will obviously set you up well for trying exactly that! Swoop Bikes (Merc): C – It’s the only cheap speeder option at all for Rebels but there haven’t been a ton of lists that really take advantage of that so far	Heavy T-47 Airspeeder aka “Snowspeeder”: B – This gets big bonus points for fun-factor and it can SOMETIMES be exactly what you need but unfortunately theres a LOT of units out there that tear these to shreds which will make you extra sad because then you don’t get to fly around anymore X-34 Landspeeder: D – In the rightest of hands these can cause some mischief but the AA-5 Speeder Truck (which was in the “High-Value” section) does a whole lot of the same stuff but in a package that protects its user and also doesn’t go down against a single lucky shot

Other Battle Forces

Relatively little hasn’t already been mentioned for these Battle Forces which have fewer eligible units than the main factions but this will complete our journey through what’s out there.

Shadow Collective	Wookiees	Bright Tree Village (Ewoks)
Gar Saxon: B – He exists to be the commander of a list with 3 or 4 Mandalorian Super Commandos but is proficient enough at that and is competent on his own as a fighter Mandalorian Super Commandos: D – The unit is pretty good but this is a reflection of the value of ever buying the box that JUST has these instead of just buying another Shadow Collective box…which has these and also two other splash-able units. I would only recommend it to someone who knows they want to Mando it up and cares nothing for having other options in Shadow Collective lists	You can consider buying Phase 2 Clone Troopers or ARC Troopers IF AND ONLY IF you bought the Core set and not the 501st box (which I would have advised against if you wanted to go in the Wook direction as your main squeeze). You can also use a Saber Tank with this force, but to be honest none of these “non-Wookiee” options work well here…it makes the army look cool but that’s it	More reason why the Rebel faction is the lucky one when it comes to value: all the unique units available to you were already covered in the guide above! For the remaining units that can be splashed in the Rebel Commandos are a decent consideration (Limit: 2) and Rebel Troopers are a pretty sub-par consideration (Limit: 2)

Wrap-Up

I certainly hope this guide is helpful, we will make an effort to maintain it as big changes happen to the game. Please do leave a comment here or Facebook or Reddit to let us know what you think and ESPECIALLY if you have questions for us, which we’ll answer as much as possible. Thanks for reading!