Minefields are frequently left by the ever-thrifty Rebels to guard supply depots, while valuable ships are engaged elsewhere. On occasion, it will be necessary to have access to what the mines are guarding. When this is the case, you will be required to destroy all of the mines, usually no small task.
Mines only fire at you if you are too close. Therefore, stay as far away as possible. However, you must clear the mines to get to your primary goals. First, you need to know the specifications and limitations of the ship you are flying. Is it maneuverable or sluggish? Do you have dual lasers or quads? Do you have warheads to spare? All of these things must be taken into account before you attack any mines. Mine clearing tactics will change depending on the type of craft you are flying. Mineracing in a shielded craft is far easier than flying an unshielded craft, so I will deal with it first. With a shielded craft, you can afford to charge straight ahead and take out quite a few mines in one pass. You should still keep in mind that you need to keep moving and weaving; shields DO wear down... Keep your eye on the readout and recharge whenever it's required. Make sure shields and lasers are charged to the maximum. Charge straight into the minefield at top speed, taking out as many as possible. Be sure to recharge your shields using laser energy when needed. This technique should is very effective. If you have time and are a bit more cautious, you may want to park yourself at 1.5 klicks (maximum laser ranger) away from the nearest mine and take them out incrementally, one by one. Doing so is often ponderous, and takes an extremely long time, but is often the safest way. This is also the preferred strategy for dealing with certain types of mines, such as ones that fire missiles at you once they're destroyed.
Mine clearing in an unshielded ship is possibly the hardest mission you will ever have to complete for the Imperial Navy. Fly into a minefield in an unshielded nearly a certain death. To survive, first make sure your lasers are fully charged. Next, in order to maximize maneuverability, I suggest setting the laser recharge to normal. Thirdly, select the nearest mine and begin your attack run. You must never fly in a straight line through a minefield while unshielded. You will NOT survive! You need to constantly jink and weave on your way to and away from the field. Be sure to set your lasers to dual or quad. This will give you the widest area of fire. Stay as far from your target as possible, get your target box to go green, and fire. Don't take the time to watch the mine blow up. Keep flying and pick another mine. Two or three mines are all you will get in one pass. Turn and weave away from the minefield, resetting your recharge rates to maximum. It is slow, but you should be able to survive.
This is a change from the previous course notes. I'm of the school that you should never expect enemy mines to actually inflict damage upon your enemies. That relies too much on luck, and "TIE Fighter Luck" is not what I'm teaching here. Stay clear of the mines if you're engaged by other starfighters. After all, would you like to only have 4 lasers firing at you or 20 firing at you, especially in an unshielded craft? I rest my case.