The Republic's Y-Wing is essential in Fleet Battles, as it's the best way to deal lots of damage to the Star Destroyer. However, it is much slower than other starfighters, making it very hard to master. Now that Star Wars: Squadrons is available on Xbox Game Pass, it's time to look at the best Y-Wing loadouts for the Dogfight and Fleet Battles modes in 2021.

Best Y-Wing Dogfight Loadout:

Best Y-Wing Dogfight Loadout
Best Y-Wing Dogfight Loadout
  • Primary Weapon: Heavy Rotary Cannon
  • Left Auxiliary: Goliath Missile
  • Right Auxiliary: Multi-Lock Missile
  • Countermeasures: Particle Burst
  • Hull: Reinforced Hull
  • Shields: Ray Shield
  • Engine: Standard Engine

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Strengths of This Build:

The Rebel ships in Star Wars Squadrons

The reinforced hull gives the Y-Wing much more health, so it can soak up more hits. Any Imperial ship will be faster than you. This makes the extra health necessary to take more damage if they focus their sights on your ship. Ray shields decrease the damage you take from lasers by 25%, which will also help you last longer in a fight.

The rotary cannon has a much higher damage output than the Y-Wing's standard lasers. It also has a higher recharge and fire rate, meaning you can damage your enemy much quicker.

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Multi-Lock missiles fire at multiple targets at once, which is perfect for confusing the enemy team. Combining these with the rotary cannon helps spread out a lot of damage across all your opponents, lowering their shields and making them panic.

The Goliath missile deals huge damage and results in a huge explosion, regardless of whether it is countered or not. It is an extremely effective way of damaging your opponent, so it is best used defensively to protect you from oncoming fighters.

Weaknesses of This Build:

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

The ray shield makes you much weaker against missiles, which means you need to rely on your countermeasures to evade enemy fire. You will be too slow for evasive maneuvers to be effective, so you will also need to shift power to shields more often than usual.

The rotary cannon has to be spun up before firing. This creates a slight delay when firing at enemies. This means you need to keep them in your sights or spin it up before you're in position to fire.

If you're struggling to afford the components for these loadouts, make sure you know how to get more requisition in Squadrons.

How To Use This Loadout Effectively:

Since the Y-Wing is so much slower than Imperial ships, it is hard to make it effective in Dogfight. However, if you want to use it then there are ways to make the Y-Wing work.

The main priority when using the Y-Wing is to assist your teammates from a distance. If you fly into the center of the map, you will be much slower than other ships around you, which will make you an easy target.

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Stick to the outskirts, just getting close enough for your missiles to lock on to enemies. The multi-lock missiles will chase multiple opponents, so use that to fire at enemies pursuing your teammates.

The goliath is mainly a defensive weapon in Dogfight. If you see an enemy TIE coming towards you, the goliath should help you win a joust. If they manage to get behind you, shift your shields to the back of your ship and try to get near a teammate who could help.

Best Y-Wing Fleet Battles Loadout:

Best Y-Wing Fleet Battles Loadout
Best Y-Wing Fleet Battles Loadout
  • Primary Weapon: Heavy Rotary Cannon
  • Left Auxiliary: Piercing Torpedo
  • Right Auxiliary: Multi-Lock Missile
  • Countermeasures: Particle Burst
  • Hull: Deflector Hull
  • Shields: Conversion Shield
  • Engine: SLAM Engine

Strengths of This Build:

Y-Wing Destroying Imperial Ships Star Wars Squadrons
Y-Wing Destroying Imperial Ships Star Wars Squadrons

Automatically generates boost without shifting power to engines. When you are attacked, boost should be fully charged so you can use that to get out of enemy range.

Emergency shield activates when enemies break through your normal shield. You have to exchange ammo in order to activate it, but the emergency shield is nearly invincible so it gives you a lot of protection in an otherwise dangerous situation.

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Capital ships and enemy cruisers have strong shields, but the piercing torpedo helps combat this. Use the piercing torpedo early when attacking capital ships to penetrate the shields and deal some critical hull damage early in the game.

Shields are crucial for attacking capital ships, as they help you soak up more shots before ending your bombing run. The deflector hull increases the health of your shields by 30%, allowing you to get closer.

Weaknesses of This Build:

Y-Wing Approaching Star Destroyer Star Wars Squadrons
Y-Wing Approaching Star Destroyer Star Wars Squadrons

Your shields go up, but the Y-Wing's max health goes down when using the deflector hull. Fortunately, the Y-Wing's emergency shield should give you extra time to get out of the Star Destroyer's range if you're under fire.

Slam engine decreases the max speed, which was already low, by 20%. This makes you a very easy target for fighters, so coordinate with your team to ensure your X-Wings are protecting you when performing bombing runs.

How To Use This Loadout Effectively:

In the early phases, focus on cruisers rather than starfighters. The Imperial Raider will be on the battlefield, so locate it and use your powerful arsenal to whittle it down quickly.

Then move your attention to the capital ship. Check your missile supplies and stock up if they are low. Then, fly towards the Star Destroyer and unleash everything you've got. Focus on the turrets first, followed by the subsystems on the capital ship.

Of course, the key to Fleet Battles is coordination. That will never matter more than when you are the bomber, as you will need protection from the faster ships in your Squadron. Teamwork is the best way to ensure a victory for the Republic. Make sure you know how to get more glory so you can win in style.

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