Republic Pelta
While being pretty similar to the rebel one, the Republic Pelta is a unique and fun ship. I have enjoyed running it since its release in many different roles, so let's talk about what is good and what is not so good.
Here I'm going to take a bit from my first impressions article because I already covered some key points there:
At first glance, these(Rebel Pelta and Republic Pelta) seem nearly identical, which is almost true. They have the same hull, shields, token suite, flak dice (Assault: Transport; Command: Medical)*, and nav chart.
*(A: T; C: M)
There are a couple of differences. Let's start with the A vs. T. The A is 56 points, and the T is 45 points. So what are we losing with those 11 points? The first thing it loses is one black die in the front arc. Next is the switch up from officer, support team, fleet command, and ordnance(A) to an officer, support team, fleet support, and defensive retrofit(T). This makes it seem as if the T makes the shift from offensive/support to defensive/support. Personally, I feel even if the Transport was 46-49 points, I would still prefer it to the Assault.
Now let's take a look at the C vs. M. The C costs 60 vs. the M's 49, which comes out to a difference of 11 again. So what do we lose for this 11? First, we lose a blue die in the front arc, once again removing some offensive power. Unlike the previous comparison in this one, we also lose -1 in squad commanding power, which feels like a pretty hefty hit to Fighter Coordination Team (FCT) play for Republic. Other changes include the removal of Fleet Command in favor of Fleet support. I have enjoyed using out of the C as a B-wing squad pusher with FCT, Expanded Hangar Bay, and officer to taste added on. Still, it feels like now the M doesn't want to be pushing many squads anymore (especially with the Venator around). With that said, I still prefer the M to the C because, for 49 points, it can be an excellent support ship or even a lifeboat.
The largest part of why you're bringing this is for support, so that means we're mainly looking to fill the support team and fleet support slots. It is hard to beat the price of Radiant VII for the fleet support role. It has arguably worse dice than the Consular and is more expensive, making it hard to justify bringing. What the Pelta can offer that the Consular cannot is its ability to bring fleet support without wasting the title slot, durability, and +1 squadron value(which isn't much). It can help out marginally in a fight and last longer under sustained fire than a Consular will.
A huge downside to the Pelta from the Consular is that its speed and maneuverability are just not that good. At speed 1, it gets 2 clicks, while at speed 2, it gets 1 at each, so yes, while the Pelta is more durable, it is a lot harder to steer away from a fight. I'd consider using it as a finisher that stays back a bit or maybe a lifeboat that can try to avoid the fight altogether.
Let's take a look at some specifics to see what really brings the Pelta together.
Transport basics first:
- 45 Points (Really Cheap)
- 5 Hull
- 3/2/1 Shields
- 2 Command, 1 Squadron, and 4 Engineering (Cheapest engineering 4 in the game)
- Evade, Brace, and Redirect
What does all this amount to? It is a very durable little ship for its price, making it a decent place for important parts of your fleet, i.e., admiral, BCC, lynchpin officer, etc. It has a pretty unremarkable set of dice, which is probably okay since it mostly doesn't want to be out there fighting too much anyway.
- Officer
- CNO, Hondo, and maybe Adi Galla.
- Support Team
- Med teams, ET, Projection experts, and maybe AST
- Fleet Support
- It can literally be any of them.
- Defensive Retrofit
- Cluster bombs, Reactive gunnery, RBD can all work IF you need them, but theyre not 100% necessary
Medical Frigate now:
What changes from the Transport?
- 49 Points
- Gains +1 Squadron Value
- Trades black dice for blue
- Trades defensive retrofit for an offensive retrofit
What makes this one unique from its counterpart is longer range dice and a little more geared towards being a squad pusher, though it's still not super good at that.
Slots:
- Offcier
- Same as the Transport, but also consider Ashoka, Wolffe, and Flight Commander
- Support Team
- FCT
- Fleet Support
- Could be any of them, but mainly BCC if squad related
- Offensive Retrofit
- This has a lot of good options. I particularly like Reserve Hangar Decks, Expanded Hangar Bay, Advanced Transponder Net, or Boosted Comms.
Okay, so the Medical is a little more geared towards squads than the Transport, and there's not really any reason to take it unless you're doing just that. I could see an argument for it if you just need an extra RHD in your fleet and you were taking a Pelta anyway.
Another HUGE plus about the Pelta is the Titles:
Let's start with the cheaper of the two. FB-88(FB) is the title I have used less. I find it's pretty useful for Clone Nav Officer builds or comms net builds, so you get more flexibility on what command you pass on. It makes it an effective command one, but with the added benefit of giving you essentially two options for what command you get every turn.
TB-73(TB) is, in my opinion, the better of the two titles. TB adds a whole heck of a lot of durabilities to the Pelta. One additional evade can make a huge difference, especially in 1.5. This has been my go-to title for lifeboat Peltas.
Potential Builds:
Heal-Bot
Pelta Transport Frigate (45)
• Clone Navigation Officer (4)
• Projection Experts (6)
• Parts Resupply (3)
= 58 Points
This can also be run as just projection experts alone, and it'll do its job nicely.
Life Boat
Pelta Transport Frigate (45)
• Commander of your choosing (X)
• Engine Techs (8)
• Cluster Bombs (5)
• TB-73 (5)
= 87-93 Points
Throughout this article, I've mentioned the Pelta being a lifeboat. Now I've been having this discussion with some people about what they think. It seems the general consensus is that it is simply too slow to be an effective lifeboat. I, however, think it could be okay since, in comparison to the consular, it is durable enough to last quite a few shots at a distance, especially with TB-73.
TBD (literally the name is To Be Determined)
Pelta Medical Frigate (49)• Flight Commander (3)
• Fighter Coordination Team (3)
• Bomber Command Center (8)
• Expanded Hangar Bay (5)
= 68 Points
Uhhh.. yeah.. so this is a build. I haven't tested it or even thought that much about it at all. I think this could help scoot around some ARCs. It won't be as good as the rebels are at pushing around B-Wings, so keep that in mind, but I think it's possibly good.
I think the Pelta can be an outstanding ship in the proper space but keep in mind what you're bringing it to do. This ship is not a brawler and should not be flown like one. Instead, keep it back and let the support flow out of it like rays of sunshine.