Probe Droid

A cheap and useful Imperial unit, the probe droid can be sent to an enemy occupied planet in order to see what sort of enemy forces are awaiting you. It is a single use unit, but with its stealth ability it can penetrate far into enemy lines and help avoid a nasty surprise catching you off guard.

TIE Fighter

Like in the movies, novels and any other games, the TIE Fighters in EaW are numerous but not particularly threatening. There are plenty of them on capital ships and they’re not very good at anything except keeping enemy fighters busy. This is why they are best used in great numbers in order to be proficient. For example, it would take 2-3 squads of TIE Fighters to handle a squad of X-Wings.

TIE Bomber

TIE Bombers can destroy enemy frigates, cruisers and stations quite easily. Their proton torpedoes inflict damage on enemy hard points directly, bursting through shields. Personally, at the beginning of a battle, I often amass them together and have them sweep from behind my capital ships to destroy shield generators and hangar bays of strong enemy units. They’re a very useful and invaluable unit in any given battle.

TIE Scout

As it names suggests it’s a TIE that scouts. It’s not powerful in combat and gets easily destroyed. One advantage it does have is speed and a sensor ping to reveal any shrouded area of the map of your choosing, to reveal what lies beneath. I don’t personally see much use in those ships, so I never use them.

Tartan Cruiser

Why the game developers decided to invent tartans instead of sticking with lancer frigates for the game — I don’t know. Still, the tartan fills the exact same role: fighter suppression. The Tartan cruiser will make short work of any fighters or bombers that come anywhere close to it. This is why it is indispensable to have Tartans in your fleet, to shield your other starships from bomber attacks and eliminate the hoards of fighters the Rebellion will send at you.

Broadside Cruiser

A cruiser that fires dangerous missile volleys into enemy starships' hardpoints, space stations or fighter formations, while staying a safe distance away from any retribution. To take advantage of its long range availability, sending scouts or an expandable TIE fighter squad to find targets is advisable. It is excellent for destroying enemy hardpoints quickly. However, in close quarters combat, broadside cruisers will not survive for very long.

Acclamator Cruiser

A ship taken from Episode II: Attack of the Clones, 20 odd years before the setting of the game, which is pretty stupid. It’s a baby star destroyer that will serve you well at the beginning of a campaign or conquest. However as you advance further, it will be severely outclassed. It boasts 4 TIE Fighter squadrons and 2 TIE bomber squad. Acclamators have the possibility to boost their canons for a short time, in exchange of lower speed and a stop to shield regeneration.

Interdictor Cruiser

Like in the games and in the novels, this cruiser is used to stop enemy ships from entering hyperspace, but is pretty useless in combat. It’s a pretty expensive unit, but having one in each of your attack fleets is a good idea to end a retreat; just make sure it stays out of harm’s way. This may not be a convincing enough reason to buy one, but personally I love having this ship even if just for eye candy.

Victory Class Star Destroyer

A formidable component of any imperial fleet. It is slightly more expensive than Acclamators and far more effective at taking on enemy capital ships and stations. It boasts six TIE Fighter squadrons and 3 TIE Bomber squadrons. A group of these can take on pretty much any enemy force single handedly, good for both offensive and defensive roles. Personally, I use victory SDs to protect my boarder planets.

Imperial Star Destroyer

It’s very costly to build and takes quite a lot of time too, but as you already know it is a formidable starship and worth every second and penny. Firstly, it’s a very tough ship to eliminate thanks to its strong shields and numerous hardpoints. It also boasts some very strong firepower. It has a large contingent of 10 TIE fighter squads to protect it against bomber threats and its 5 squads of TIE Bombers can assist it in destroying enemy capital ships. Its special ability is the use of a tractor beam, which despite not being destructive, can stop enemy ships from getting out of its firing range and make them easy targets. The ISD can only be built on Kuat, Fondor, Mon Calamari or Sullust.