EA has dropped some more details on the customisation options we’ll have in Star Wars: Squadrons. Many options will be available for the starfighters in the space game, and players will have the power to save up to eight different craft as loadouts.
In a blog post, EA goes through the way components and cosmetics work. Components for your Star Wars Squadrons ships will be unlockable through in-game requisition points, for up to seven slots – primary weapons, two auxiliary, countermeasures, hull, shields, and engines. Some ships come without shields, so will only have six. Three of these are active: primary weapons, auxiliary, and countermeasures. Those first two are for what kind of damage and abilities your ship has, from a shield-shredding ion cannon, to tractor beams, or mines and torpedoes. Countermeasures, then, are how you avoid conflict, or narrowly escape defeat, using tools like sensor jammers.
The rest – hull, shields, and engines – are passive, and mostly work through moving stats up and down. Sometimes you’ll be sacrificing speed for maneuverability, or getting stronger shields that regenerate slower. Some ships will have items and categories specific to them. Experimentation is key, building an array of starfighters and loadouts that serve whatever scenario you’re faced with. “You can learn the ropes quickly, yet you can look forward to discovering new techniques and tactics for months to come,” James Clement, lead gameplay designer, says. “On top of that, there’s a wealth of customizable components to choose from. There’s a healthy selection to start with and more to unlock through gameplay as you progress.”
Cosmetics are bought using glory points, and both your pilots and ships can be given makeovers. Heads, voices, and uniforms are inter-changeable for the pilots, and you can give your x-wings, b-wings, and tie-fighters any number of paint jobs. The working cockpit instrument panels can be decorated by collectible bits and pieces, too, making your squadron all your own.
For the braver Star Wars Squadron pilot, a “hardcore mode” will be selectable, so you can fly using just the cockpit monitors. The Star Wars game won’t have any microtransactions, and it’ll cost $40 when it launches October 2.