Whether you are destroying Republic cruisers or blowing up X-Wings, the TIE Bomber has a lot to offer. However, it isn't a killing machine straight away, especially when compared to other fighters.

If you want to optimize the Bomber, you'll need to spend some time customizing your loadout. Now that Star Wars: Squadrons has joined Xbox Game Pass, it's time to look at the best TIE Bomber loadouts for the Dogfight and Fleet Battles modes.

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Best TIE Bomber Dogfight Loadout:

Best Tie Bomber Dogfight Loadout
Best Tie Bomber Dogfight Loadout
  • Primary Weapon: Standard Laser Cannon
  • Left Auxiliary: Seeker Mine
  • Right Auxiliary: Multi-Lock Missiles
  • Countermeasures: Chaff Particles
  • Hull: Agile Hull
  • Engine: Unstable Engine

Strengths of This Build:

Tie Bomber Firing at a Capital Ship Star Wars Squadrons
Tie Bomber Firing at a Capital Ship Star Wars Squadrons

The agile hull and unstable engine are the most important components for the TIE Bomber in Dogfight, as they increase the speed, acceleration, and maneuverability drastically. This will help with chasing enemy fighters, as well as with keeping them off your tail.

Chaff particles are important for the TIE Bomber. Although maneuverability has been increased thanks to the hull, you are still much more sluggish than most other starfighters. Chaff particles are the most effective countermeasure when flying straight, which is ideal for the TIE Bomber.

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Seeker mines help distract enemy fighters on your tail. They will have to either fly around the mine, giving you time to escape, or the enemy will sustain a lot of damage. This makes pursuing ships much easier to deal with, making them an ideal defensive auxiliary weapon.

Weaknesses of This Build:

A promotional image for Star Wars Squadrons, featuring a TIE interceptor and an X-wing

Both the unstable engine and the agile hull decrease the TIE Bomber's max health by a total of 40%. Although your Bomber will still be formidable, it is a significant change that essentially halves the time it takes enemies to kill you.

This is worsened by the lack of a defensive shield. The two auxiliaries used in this loadout are for dealing damage. This means that you won't be able to use the assault shield, which can be the difference between life and death when jousting with an enemy.

How To Use This Loadout Effectively:

When approaching enemy fighters, wait for your multi-lock missiles so you can fire them all at once. Then, choose the nearest target and use your cannons to whittle away the rest of their health.

If an enemy is on your tail, deploy your seeker mine to shake them off. However, the seeker mine could also be deployed as you fly through the center of the map. Leave it as a trap that could catch fighters off guard as they weave through debris and wreckage.

The TIE Bomber would usually be best suited to the edges of the map due to its lackluster speed and other related stats. However, this build is much more suited to being in the heat of the battle, so it's perfect for netting you plenty of kills in a Dogfight match.

Best TIE Bomber Fleet Battles Loadout:

Best Tie Bomber Fleet Battles Loadout
Best Tie Bomber Fleet Battles Loadout
  • Primary Weapon: Ion Cannon
  • Left Auxiliary: Proton Bomb
  • Right Auxiliary: Multi-Lock Missile
  • Countermeasures: Chaff Particles
  • Hull: Reinforced Hull
  • Engine: Unstable Engine

Strengths of This Build:

Tie Bomber Approaching Republic Cruiser
Tie Bomber Approaching Republic Cruiser

The ion cannon rips through enemy shields, which means your team can quickly start damaging the flagship's hull. This will give you a significant advantage in the attack phase of Fleet Battles, and could even be the key to making a comeback if you are losing.

Once the shields are down, the proton bombs and multi-lock missiles are the perfect way to deal massive damage to the capital ship.

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The reinforced hull and unstable engine are important together in this loadout. The hull provides a great 50% boost to max health, which offsets the 20% decrease from the unstable engine. This still leaves you with a good amount of extra health, whilst also providing the unusual benefit of the unstable engine. When you are killed, you will erupt in a huge explosion, dealing damage to those around you.

Weaknesses of This Build:

This loadout does have some drawbacks. The most significant is the overall 25% decrease in acceleration and maneuverability. These two statistics are crucial for evading enemy fire, so it certainly makes it more difficult when there is a fighter on your tail.

The ion cannon is rather ineffective against starfighters, which makes combat a bit more troublesome. They do disable fighters after a few hits, which is decent. However, don't expect to be getting many kills.

Proton bombs do pack a significant punch, but they can be very hard to aim. If you've never used them before, you'll probably miss a few shots before you get it right. However, it's well worth learning how to use them, as there aren't many weapons that can deal such high damage.

How To Use This Loadout Effectively:

Imperials in the war room Star Wars Squadrons
Imperials in the war room Star Wars Squadrons

This loadout works best when used to attack the Republic's larger ships, like the Corvette or their flagship. First, use the ion cannons to disable their shield.

Then, bombard them with multi-lock missiles on the approach. Don't just fire one as soon as it locks on. Allow it to lock on to multiple parts of the ship, and then fire many missiles at once to deal plenty of damage.

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When you are close, fly above the enemy ship and drop the proton bombs from above. You'll have to line these up, which can be hard to do. These proton bombs will do devastating damage if you hit though, which could give your team an impressive lead.

If you are struggling to afford all the parts for these builds, make sure you know how to get more requisition in Star Wars: Squadrons.

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