The attack phase is where you deliver warheads against a target or commence execution of your strafing run. There is a slight difference between the long-range and the close-in variants of this phase.
In the long-range warhead delivery, you should not have to move in azimuth and elevation. When delivering your warheads, you need to have a stable shooting platform. If your joystick is stable, does not deviate from "center", and you find it difficult to keep yourself on target, you may find it easier to line up, and then fire using the keyboard command of [ALT]+[2]. Against capital ships and stationary facilities such as stations, you may commence delivery of warheads at a range of six (6.00) klicks. Almost all capital ships and many facilities have defensive emplacements that are capable of shooting down warheads targeted by a computer. Because of this, it is best to "dumb-fire" your warheads. This is done by firing without the assistance of the targeting computer. Generally, it is best to launch warheads with the best possible speed. For this, it is advised that you send all laser and beam power to the engines and keep shields steady at two-hundred percent (200%). When the warheads are delivered, you may charge your lasers for the close-in strafing run.
The close-in strafing run will require the most attention on the part of the pilot as this is where the situation can quickly deteriorate. Ideally, close-in strafing should be identical to the long-range warhead delivery run where the pilot need not adjust in azimuth or elevation. There is one element that will help you in evading incoming fire – velocity. It is ideal to have your velocity over one-hundred (100) megalights. It is possible to attack with a velocity as low as ninety (90) megalights, but this is not advised as it forces more concentration on the pilot's part. The purpose of the attack is to inflict as much damage as possible over the duration of the run. For this, it is ideal to have lasers set to single-fire. This allows for more damage to be dealt over time.
An example is the quad-cannon system of the TIE Advanced. Firing four single-fire shots is the same as firing a quad-linked burst. The only difference is that in one instance, it is fragmented into separate sections over time whereas in the latter, it is invested in a single blast. For attacking capital ships, the pilot need not concern himself with the target moving out of his line of fire often. Therefore he need not invest his damage into occasional single blasts. If a craft can fire a single shot per second, it can fire a quad-linked burst every four seconds. Over a duration of fifteen (15) seconds, a craft firing single-fire can fire fifteen (15) shots. That same craft, using quad-linked shots, can only fire a total of twelve (12) shots. The single-fire setting inflicted twenty-five percent (25%) more damage than the quad-link setting.
The attack needs to be initiated just outside the extreme range of the laser/ion cannons. This will allow you to inflict damage as soon as the target enters firing range. By this point, most capital ships will have already begun to open fire on you. As you approach, it is critical that you pay attention to which defensive emplacements are firing at you. As you approach, some craft, such as the Mon Calamari cruisers will switch to different defensive emplacements during your approach. This will change whether or not the lasers fire above or below your plane of approach. You may want to reposition yourself when this happens. To do so, simply perform a squared bracket to either the right or the left. This is drawing a 'half-box' around the "aisle" which the lasers are firing. Once again, you may need to roll your craft to reorient it such that you are most comfortable with your approach. The attack phase ends as you approach the target's hull and transition into the break.