Pentastar Alignment Megathread

[Corey]

You've all made a few suggestions/requests for the Pentastar Alignment in other places, so I decided to consolidate it into one place. All of the other factions have some consistency to them, but the PA doesn't really feel that way at the moment. I'm not saying we're doing any sort of massive overhaul, but I'd like to get some feeback on how everyone who plays with or against them feels about them. So, are there any units you always use? Never use? Any roles they're lacking in? Any areas in which they feel too much like the Remnant? Anything else you want to mention about them?

[Lord Xizer]

I love them. They are a great middle ground, or rather a sampling of all factions. They have some of the IR heavy ships, but can be fighter and carrier friendly as the NR and they pack a frightful punch on the ground like the EotH.

Ignoring the Kaine jerec combo as heores, i always use the Praetor as an anchoring flagship, two ISD IIs, two VSDIIs, 2 Enforcers, Two Imp Escort Carriers, and two IPVs fleet wise. It's heavy to thrash anything, versatile enough to handle multiple threats and with enough fighters to provide cover and aid.

On the ground the Gunships, Storm Commandoes backed by Hailfires and Floating Fortress with a few squads of PA Enforcers.

They are a great faction and addition to ICW, I'm a little less convinced they will bring the same to the table in Ascendancy as no ground combat and IR basically can encompass them.

[Vulcanus]

Pentastar has the most enjoyable mix of ground units. Cheap disposable garbage units in abundance to consume enemy rushes, powerful but flawed Hailfires, awesome LAATs and storm commandoes, sensor ping floating fortresses and old-school AT-ATs.

[Lord Xizer]

Indeed

[tlmiller]

I don't use the Escort Carriers or Enforcers for most of my fleets (instead I'll go cheap fighter route and have a Venator) and I have 4 IPV's, but otherwise a similar contingent...Praetor II, 2x ISD-II, 2x VSD-II, Venator, 4 IPV's.  Early on when I can't afford ISD-II's I'll use Acclimators and VSD-II's instead.

[Revanchist]

I really enjoy playing as them and against them. They make life interesting for the early Era IR, which is nice. My fleets are similar to everyone else's, but I generally use only 2 IPVs, and often don't even use ISDs of any type (VSD-2s all the way).

Units I Always Use: Imperial Escort Carrier, Venator/Acclamator, VSD-2 (backbone of any fleet), Praetor (duh), IPV (to guard the Praetor); Hailfire Droid, Floating Fortress, LAAT/i, Storm Commados (to quickly grab LZs/build pads for those pesky IDTs).

Units I don't use: Munificent (just too papery, mostly I bring them in for the Skiprays), AT-AT (I don't need them, everything else has it covered), Pirate Skiffs and AT-APs, AT-PTs (Hailfires do their job, only better).

Roles they are lacking in: None that I can think of; they have a nice mix of weaknesses and strengths.

Ways they feel too much like the IR: Mostly just when I use ISDs; however IMO they are kind of a waste for the PA when I can just field much more effective combat carriers and VSDs instead.

Anything else to mention: The lack of Heroes is always a sad point to me, but I ain't complaining because of how hard it is to find proper heroes that fit with the timeframe. I know I suggested Victor Strang in the past as a means to show how the Storm Commando program made it into the Alignment (retrofitted Venator in space with Hunters, a Storm Commando on the ground). Also <checks to make sure no one is looking> I think the Munificent could be replaced with the Gladiator SD (you all know I really like that ship).

[Thuellai]

My only complaint?  Skiprays only carried by the Munificent, a unit I otherwise wouldn't use.  It's easily the LEAST effective option in its cost/pop range, but Skiprays are one of the better bombers so I end up jumping a couple Munificents in the back just for them.

[Carnivore Jacques]

You've all made a few suggestions/requests for the Pentastar Alignment in other places, so I decided to consolidate it into one place. All of the other factions have some consistency to them, but the PA doesn't really feel that way at the moment. I'm not saying we're doing any sort of massive overhaul, but I'd like to get some feeback on how everyone who plays with or against them feels about them. So, are there any units you always use? Never use? Any roles they're lacking in? Any areas in which they feel too much like the Remnant? Anything else you want to mention about them?

I always use:

- Venator
- IPV
- Lucrehulk in place of the above two
- Praetor
- Probe Droids

- Hailfire
- A9
- AT-AA
- LAAT/i and Enforcers/Heavy Enforcers

I never use:

- ISD/II
- Imperial Escort Carrier. The Torpedo Immunity helps a little but there are much better carriers. Often the fog of war reveals itself so fast I don't need the Hunters to scout anything.
- Vindicator Cruiser. I use Enforcers and VSDs in its place.
- Munificient. It's nice that their bombers are victory relevant, but 3 pop for two squadrons?

- Jerec on the ground. My hailfires autoshoot any corrupted units, rendering Force Corrupt less useful than I'd like. It's not worth losing half my SSDs.
- Dark Jedi. They live fast and die in vain. Making sure they use their heal ability one at a time requires some pausing on my part. Bastion's income is worth too much to me at the start.
- Skiffs/AT-AP. Pirate vehicles were useless in vanilla. I never went near these.
- TX-130. These guys are able to go super fast. They don't do this enough.
- AT-AT. Slow hailfires that can't turn around and die when they get too far from their support vehicles.

I think the faction has a good deal of redundancy, and the shock trooper role was filled recently. I'd say there are no roles missing.
Their ground to space weapon feels the exact same as the Remnant's. Maybe it is.
I think they're the most fun faction to play as - the heroes are powerful and the economy is strong. I like how challenging they are for EotH and NR campaigns. I like the 'capture these planets, unlock these ships' thing that the Lucrehulk has and I wouldn't mind seeing it on other units. Jerec's ship also forgets that it's an SSD sometimes (you can deploy it very close to other things).

This faction is good.

[Corey]

Also <checks to make sure no one is looking> I think the Munificent could be replaced with the Gladiator SD (you all know I really like that ship).

*Ahem*

[tlmiller]

As useless as the Munificent is, I'd rather have them than the Gladiator...

[jordanthejq12]

I am a huge Sabertank + LAAT user. It's my favorite combo in RAW, and to my absolute and pleasant surprise it works just as well here. The Clone Wars-era units are frighteningly effective (the aforementioned, and then add Halifires). For infantry, Storm Commandos all the way (though a few Enforcer squads should be kept in the reinforcement pool, just in case).

In space, I probably use most of the units available. I usually don't build ISDs because Venators and Victories usually carry enough firepower, but I try, as a matter of principle, to build a diverse army and fleet, which usually includes a couple of almost everything. The one complaint I had (which is now fixed) was the lack of Plex troopers. Now it feels like a real faction.

[Revanchist]

Oh yes I forgot about the Dark Jedi: the most useless unit in the game (tied with the Jedi). However, they are really good healer units, so there's that.

[tlmiller]

Oh yes I forgot about the Dark Jedi: the most useless unit in the game (tied with the Jedi). However, they are really good healer units, so there's that.

I use them on some of the planets that are difficult to capture and only start you off with 3 reinforcements.  You simply run forward with them, their speed allows you to capture AT LEAST 1 additional reinforcement point to bring down enough troops to easily conquer the planet.  Other than that, yeah, definitely useless.

[Thuellai]

In my own games I brought their deflection cone up to what the hero Jedi have.  It didn't make them that much more powerful (only applies to blasters, for one, so they still bite it against artillery or rocket tanks) but it meant they were slightly more likely to close in on infantry or light tanks and go to work.

[Lord Xizer]

To be fair with a very few exceptions most Dark Jedi were taught scraps and were on average little more gifted than agricorps workers.

[tlmiller]

And those that were powerful were attacked en-masse by plot bunnies on a regular basis.

[Lord Xizer]

And those that were powerful were attacked en-masse by plot bunnies on a regular basis.

Ah yes the God of Dues ex machina favors the heroes it seems

[jordanthejq12]

I like Thuellai's idea, and perhaps adding a couple more projectile types to what can be deflected. This is not an infantryman's game, but come on. They're Jedi. Jedi should not be useless (or useful only as healers). That's just my opinion, of course.

[Lord Xizer]

Well i do find it odd that Dark jedi have heal and not a more evil power...

[SpartaCommand]

I would honestly like to see something more unique to them. Like maybe more of the slapdash ships they had and say if they survive the 3rd era that they pick up alot of the IR units like say the TIE Drones. as the one thing with teh alignment they never let anything go on the scrapheap, and maybe introduceing Pellaeon?