Tactics: The Resistance

Popular styles: Snipers, Close action brawlers, Massed batteries, Toolbox

General Characteristics: The core of the Resistance fleet, its cruisers and frigates, are heavily customisable and can be adapted to suit your play style. The rest of the fleet usually has Ablative Armour which grants a bonus to the ship's Armour until it becomes crippled. The base Signature and Hull of Resistance ships are average at best, but their Scan is the worst in the game. That said, they do have a few tricks up their sleeve that allow them to focus-fire and snipe at their opponents from range before moving in.

The low Point Defense of Resistance ships means that you will want to include a good amount of launch assets in your fleet. This isn't a problem however, as you have the best fighters in the game - they add +5 to your PD each, greatly helping you to compensate for this weakness. Your bombers aren't as good, since they focus more on making a large quantity of attacks over good lock values, but running plenty of launch assets will help address this concern as well.

A unique launch option to the Resistance fleet are fire ships, which are short ranged but capable of inflicting a lot of damage. They can be launched from either from a carrier or the dedicated Seneca-class ship, and while the carrier might only want to launch these assets while moving into position, the Seneca can be a real threat if it closes with the enemy.

The Resistance has a unique combination of weapon systems with Linked, Low Power, and/or Subsystem Network. allowing you to fire multiple weapons in the same turn without going Weapons Free. Meanwhile other weapon options allow you to utilise Weapons Free to increase the number of attacks with the Fullisade rule, or to increase damage with Overcharge (OC). Vent cannons especially can be devastating at close range thanks to having Scald in addition to its other rules.

All Resistance ships have the Expert Crews special rule, which allows you to remove a major spike while on standard orders. This allows you to lessen the impact of other sources of major spikes including your own Active Scanning. This in turn allows you to be more aggressive with your ships equipped with a sensor dome, as all you'll need to do is plan your activations carefully - activate the scanning battlegroup last and scan your target before activating the same battlegroup early the next turn, removing the spike before moving into range and unleashing your weapons on Standard Orders. Since you won't have a spike afterwards, your target will have to move closer to retaliate.

The customisable nature of the fleet does mean that you need to consider your battlegroup compositions even more than any other faction. Assign a clear goal to each e.g. provide fighter cover for the fleets, scan and finish off targets, or keep the enemy distracted, lest it becomes impossible to issue effective orders to a group.

Advanced Tactics
The Resistance are a bottom heavy faction and the core of the Resistance fleet should be heavy frigates equipped with Ablative Armour (not nearly as viable as of the points increase for heavy frigates). With two main weapons in the form of light vent cannons for strong penetrating shots or hybrid turrets for mass firepower, the heavy frigates can go toe-to-toe with any other faction, often coming out on top even when hunting cruisers and above. They are also great escorts for your grand cruisers and fleet carriers, as they can force your opponent to make hard choices about what to target.

The Triumvir is the best fleet carrier in the Resistance. When teamed up with a group of Heavy frigates, they can cause all sorts of headaches for your opponent. H owever give it a group of disposable frigates, it can shoot at them to destroy them and repair itself or other ships in range for a unique tactical option No longer an option per the Dropfleet Commander FAQ: friendly fire is off, preventing you from killing your own ships. As of 2/14/22, the change to the "Box o' scraps" rule now lets you put a token on ships that gives them d3 hull points and prevents destruction when they lose their final hull point. This is a very powerful rule when used in concert with Troop ships and heavy cruisers, battlecruisers and battleships. Alpha strike based groups will find themselves next to a wounded, but very much alive (and angry) ship ready for retribution.

With access to fast and cheap strike carriers and troopships (the Aldrin most notably), the Resistance player should be able to exceed their opponent's drop capacity fairly easily. This means you can look to take control of the center of the board early, especially by supporting the drop groups with corvettes. The Resistance however are not really set up for bombardment, meaning you'll need the extra bodies to compensate.

The Galileo is a must-take for all Resistance players, as it allows them to focus fire on a crucial ship by not only giving it a major spike, but also by giving one friendly group a +1 to their crit modifier when targeting the spiked ship.

The Resistance lacks any sort of burnthrough weapon but compensate with broad access to lock 2+ guns. From the XN-31 turrets on Light cruisers, Cruisers and Heavy Cruisers, to the 9k and 10k guns found on larger ships, these weapons crit easily, getting damage no matter the targets armor. Heavy and Mega Vent cannons exchange easy criticals for more damage (at a minor risk of damaging yourself, but embrace your inner Reaver and rip out that useless radiation shielding for more power)

Pathfinder Interstellar Raft - Dreadnought
Role: 110 points base, with 4 hardpoints. Can take 10K mass driver turrets or heavy vent cannons for some serious firepower, or can max out on smaller shots with suped-up versions of the gun/missile batteries that Resistance cruisers can take. Can buy 2 torpedoes for a hardpoint slot as well. Relatively squishy when compared to battlecruisers, as it lacks the Ablative Armour rule. Hilariously, even though this ship is built out of the Resistance Dreadnought box, it doesn't have the Dreadnought keyword, and so has all of the advantages and disadvantages that confers. 10k Mass drivers are good when spammed, but not so great when not using weapons free. Pathfinders then work comparatively to the other Resistance Battle Cruisers when given two Mega vent turrets and then either launch, drop, or torpedoes. In that role they put out reliable damage (4d3 lock 3, 2 damage, which averages 10 damage on a target) plus whatever your fleet needs. In general the CAW and broadside options are not worth it compared to the other options.

Matchups


 * UCM: UCM relies on solid, long range firepower combined with toughness. The Pathfinder compares favorably against any of the UCM BCs and BBs, but watch out for UCM torpedo spam.
 * Scourge: Scourge need to get in close, which is good and bad. It's good since you won't be firing too much at range, but bad because the Pathfinder's 3+ save goes to 4 in most cases and has poor point defense against the major close combat faction.
 * PHR: The PHR are a good matchup. They tend to not have many forward firing weapons, letting you get shots off early and then maneuver to pick off their heavier Orpheus and Belaraphons.
 * Shaltari: Another long range faction, the shaltari can outshoot and out fly the Resistance in general, but can easily nerf themselves when dealing with the more primitive and lower stat Resistance ships. Particle and Mauler don't work as well when you already have low armor, and impel weapons are ineffective when used on ships with all turret armaments.
 * Resistance: A classic mirror match.

Synergies: The Resistance is highly customizable, but some common groupings are to take two mega vents, a scanner, and then a torpedo option. Pair the ship with a Galileo or two strike carriers with sensor domes. This ship then can drop 10 damage on targets over 28 inches away on standard orders. If you are feeling brave, three 10ks drop 18 2+ locks, easily enough to oneshot most cruisers and heavy cruisers at the cost of a major spike. Try to position your Pathfinder to avoid any retaliatory fire or keep a Triumvir nearby.

Explorer Interstellar Ark - Dreadnought
Role: 170 points nets you additional Hull, Point Defense, and Scan range over the Pathfinder, at the cost of a bit of Thrust. Also comes with 6 hardpoints, letting you take even more firepower than the Pathfinder can muster. Hilariously, even though this ship is built out of the Resistance Dreadnought box, it doesn't have the Dreadnought keyword, and so has all of the advantages and disadvantages that confers. Intended to be a Battleship equivalent, at this level you can pack some serious firepower. Consider going with all 10k batteries so you can oneshot everything your tonnage or lower.

Matchups


 * UCM: the ship against UCM
 * Scourge: the ship against Scourge
 * PHR: the ship against PHR
 * Shaltari: the ship against Shaltari
 * Resistance: the ship against Resistance

Synergies: ships that work well with this ship, typical battlegroups

Coloniser Interstellar Dreadnought - Dreadnought
Role: The only true dreadnought in the Resistance's arsenal. 230 points base, but comes with a kingly 8 hardpoints for you to load up on weapons with. Can take up to eight (!) torpedoes over four hardpoints, making for a potentially deadly alpha strike against a target you absolutely need dead. However, at this level you should be taking two Megavents a scanner and the rest 10ks. This Death Blossom will oneshot any enemy ship in the game, including other dreadnoughts. Consider keeping a Triumvir nearby to try and heal the inevitable counterattack. Your opponent will be spiking and focusing this ship with everything they have because it will kill everything if they don't.

Matchups


 * UCM: Silent run until you are in range. WF to destroy the largest enemy ship in range.  then repeat.
 * Scourge: Scourge dreads have stealth and cloak, and will try to get the first shot in. Use scan to knock them out of stealth when within 28 inches then blow them out of the sky.  Worse comes to worse you can probably tank that Furnace Triad to do so, and it forces them to come closer...
 * PHR: The Romulus hypernova laser is arguably powerful, but the down side is that it won't oneshot your Colonizer and it will leave the Romulus with a major spike, which you can augment via a Galileo marker to crit on 3+ from your 10k barrage and eliminate those filthy abandonists.
 * Shaltari: Beware the Shaltari BB's crippling attacks, as well as their shield boosters. Their Dreads are far less of an issue.  The Uranium has to get close, and that equals death.  The Plutonium can fire from range, but will lose the damage race against you, just don't let them get a firing solution early enough to whittle you down before the hammer drops.
 * Resistance: The best response to a dreadnaught is another dreadnought. Whomever fires first wins.

Synergies: The colonizer has a huge signature, weak save (3+) and is super slow at thrust 4. In several deployment modes it will come on the table by turn 3, meaning it won't be firing until turn 4 most of the time. It's tempting to go WF at the start and target everything you can, but your opponent needs two turns of firing from their dread, or focused fire from their fleet to take it out. Be careful not to expose your ship too early to that level of return fire. Triumvirs and Galileos are your friends to mitigate crippling damage and to spike enemy ships.

Phalanx Battlecruiser - Combat Ship of the Line
Role: This ship can sit back and snipe with its mass drivers thanks to the extra punch it gains from Fusillade (4). However that can be done far more inexpensively via a custom heavy cruiser. It can also be utilized to hold the center of the board due to the Linked broadsides it's equipped with. This is a bigger Centurion, and works best in the center of the map where it can bring its broadsides and railgun turrets to bear all at once. It sits somewhere between the battlecruisers and battleships of other factions, both in firepower and hull. It's solid and dependable, but not very exceptional.

Matchups


 * UCM: Good forward firepower, armor and hull means this ship can take some fire. Use it as a spearhead but know that the UCM will give as good as they get.
 * Scourge: Scourge ships will attempt to attack from stealth and avoid fire, or rush with close combat specialists. Don't leave this ship to face the barrage alone.  Good fighter support for PD is a must.
 * PHR: The good forward firepower will give you an edge as you close, and your broadsides and toughness are equal to the PHR's contenders. But you will lack range and speed. Watch out for the PHR bombers and their Electra Destroyers.
 * Shaltari: Shaltari will go with their Mauler, beam and Particle weapons to ignore your armor. You need to use debris fields to protect yourself until you can reach the center of the table and bring your firepower to bear.
 * Resistance: Lead from the front. Drive this into the heart of their formation with all guns blazing.

Synergies: This ship benefits from the usual spike and snipe with its railguns, but there are cheaper ways to get that firepower. It's used best as a battering ram to take your opponent's attention off other, weaker ships and lead your fleet to the central objectives. Dare your opponent to ignore it. Supported by a Triumvir and heavy frigates it can be a slow, but mighty glacier.

Tribune Battlecruiser - Fleet Carrier
Role: The Tribune holds a small squadron of fighters/bombers and bulk landers/fire ships, but unlike the Triumvir it carries some offensive weapons too. Used on a flank, this ship can cause all sorts of problems against the right targets. Combining bombers with its Low-Powered weapons and highly accurate mass driver turret, the Tribune can cut through cruisers and take on frigate squadrons. As a swiss army knife of ships, the Tribune can drop, provide fighter cover, and put out some close range firepower. Like the Phalanx it sits between most battlecruisers and battleships, but it's lack of focus on weapons means that it isn't a combat powerhouse. As a general utility ship it works well, and it doesn't appear as threatening as other options, which can be a benefit.

Matchups


 * UCM: the ship against UCM
 * Scourge: the ship against Scourge
 * PHR: the ship against PHR
 * Shaltari: the ship against Shaltari
 * Resistance: the ship against Resistance

Synergies: ships that work well with this ship, typical battlegroups

Elysium/Trident Grand Battleship - Mass Driver Battleship
Role: Bigger than the battleships of other factions while staying cheaper than a dreadnought, the grand battleships of the Resistance are tough as nails and hit hard. Properly supported, these ships can hunt down your opponent's biggest threat and dispose of it with ease, even if said threat is a dreadnought. The Elysium/Trident favor massed firepower over high damage shots, letting you drown opponents in Lock 4+ shots. Going Weapons Free also unlocks the 9K mass driver turrets to really take a piece out of your opponent's heavies, but it's not required as the broadsides are both Low Power. Don't forget your torpedoes - you have four of them to distribute as you please but can only launch one a turn. Start launching them on turn 2, lest the game end before you've had a chance to use them all. The artillery barrage is really a bonus, the 9ks are your bread and butter. Drop torpedoes on pesky stealth ships and carriers trying to hide from you, and light up anything else with your 9ks. Most battleships will crumple under a single salvo plus a torpedo, and even dreadnoughts can't take fire from that for long. 9ks benefit greatly from the crit bonus a Galileo adds, so use it to buff your salvo appropriately.

Matchups


 * UCM: New Yorks and Tokyos lack the firepower to go toe to toe with a Trident. Bejings can, if they can bring their cobra lasers to bear along with their mass drivers.
 * Scourge: Scourge BBs rely on Furnace Fangs, a F(N) weapon, so they will be closing most of the time. One salvo from the 9ks on weapons free will cripple them.  Pick them off before they get too close, but don't be afraid to be aggressive.  They are unlikely to cripple a Trident in one salvo.
 * PHR: Heavy Caliber rail guns on Electras are dangerous, less so on Achillies. Darkmattter cannons on Herculies can snipe the Trident down due to constant cripple rolls, so prioritize avoiding fire until you can close within range.
 * Shaltari: Hemetities are broken, and the bane of the Trident's existence. Diamond Particle Lances are similar to the PHR Darkmatter in that they will stack crippling rolls on your Trident. Particle lance ships will also ignore your armor, and in general expect to take hits from the longer range, faster Shaltari ships.
 * Resistance: A mirror matchup. Try not to simply trade volleys but direct your firepower to make decisive kills.

Synergies: A pair of strike carriers with sensor domes work well and can provide some late game drop.

Eden/Olympus Grand Battleship - Mass Driver Battleship
Role: The Eden/Olympus keeps the 9K mass drivers from the Elysium/Trident, but swaps out the artillery cannons for mega vent cannon broadsides. Though this makes an Eden's firepower potentially stronger than the Elyisum's (especially against heavier targets), it's also more risky - especially if Overcharged. As with the Eden, make sure you use your Torpedoes starting from turn 2 or 3. It's almost never worth it to overcharge. You want the fire from the 9ks, sacrificing them to OC a single broadside won't do more damage then a 9k + a normal broadside. You are going to take damage from the Vents, but you have enough hull to soak it up. The broadsides will drop 5-6 damage on a single target, but prioritize the 9ks for larger enemy ships. As of the 2/14/22 experimental OC rules, the Eden can no OC the broadsides without going WF. They do marginally more damage then the 9ks in this situation, so you may want to use them instead if you have two targets in side arcs and you DON'T want to WF.

Matchups


 * UCM: the ship against UCM
 * Scourge: the ship against Scourge
 * PHR: the ship against PHR
 * Shaltari: the ship against Shaltari
 * Resistance: the ship against Resistance

Synergies: Same as the Trident, you want something to help spike your target ships.

Heavy Cruiser - Versatile
Role: As with all non-named Resistance ships, the Heavy Cruiser is what you make of it. Want a sniping ship? Slap on a scanner array and vent cannon turrets. How about lots of dakka? Double NC-16 Missile banks or Artillery Cannon banks let you potentially put out 16 or more shots a turn. If you have a preferred playstyle, you can find a way to enable it with this ship, especially thanks to its 5 hardpoints. These are also your only way to get Bombardment weapons into the fleet (besides for taking them on lighter cruiser classes). The one knock against the heavy cruiser is that the Resistance has a ton of good options that compete for your limited heavy choices. Common builds are 4 XN-31s and a scanner, for an inexpensive sniper with the same forward firepower as the Phalanx and a longer scan, or ablative armor, dual vent turrets, and dual artillery turrets/artillery broadsides. This build is durable, doesn't require weapons free, and can focus all its firepower on any facing. Generally, the Gladiator does better focused fire and is tougher, while the Centurion does more damage when there are multiple targets. It can be a good place for other build combinations such as a troop carrier with bombardment or psudo-UCM Seattle. Late game an all turret, non-weapons free armament can be an advantage, but the cost is the higher SR for a weapons complement that is comparable to opposing forces line cruisers.

Matchups


 * UCM: Generally the sniper variant is your best bet. Other combinations are not as point efficient as their UCM counterparts.
 * Scourge: Assign each scourge ship their own personal turret :)
 * PHR: The PHR lacks good frontal firepower, so this ship can be very useful early on, then can turn and avoid some of the broadsides.
 * Shaltari: Don't bother with armor and laugh when the particle, beam and mauler weapons become far less effective or points efficient. Your advanced weapons are no match for our primitive hull points!
 * Resistance: the ship against Resistance

Synergies: ships that work well with this ship, typical battlegroups

Centurion Grand Cruiser - Broadside brawler
Role: The Centurion packs Ablative Armour by default and has better Hull and Thrust than its generic heavy cruiser counterpart, but sadly has a weaker Scan. Fortunately, this is less of an issue for the Centurion than for the Gladiator due to the difference in weaponry - the Centurion packs linked hybrid gun broadsides that let it mix it up with enemy ships at close range, provided it can maneuver straight through the enemy fleet. This is only more points efficient then the Gladiator when dealing with a target for each broadside. Otherwise the Gladiator is better, even though it costs more. In smaller games this is a good choice for admirals to hang out in as it doesn't have to joust like a burnthorugh ship.

Matchups


 * UCM: The UCM tends to prefer Cobra lasers, which have a F(N) requirement. So they will always be approaching (jousting).  Try to time your WF order to catch cruisers in the side arc so you can combine your railguns and broadsides on a single target.
 * Scourge: Keep the Scourge CAW ships at arms length.
 * PHR: The Centurion has an advantage in that it's equally tough, and can focus much if it's firepower in the forward arc. Look out for heavy caliber PHR guns and bombers.
 * Shaltari: Particle and Microwave weapons are the bane of the centurion's existence.
 * Resistance: the ship against Resistance

Synergies: ships that work well with this ship, typical battlegroups

Gladiator Grand Cruiser - Forward Bruiser
Role: The Gladiator packs powerful guns, both the forward heavy vent and the vent turret. On weapons free it can cripple an opposing heavy cruiser in one salvo and supported by the Galileo's bonus it will often destroy them. Its weapons tend to need the target in the front arc, so it does need to joust and get close to an opponent, but the heavy armor and large number of hull points will keep it in the game against all but the most severe firepower. It does need fighter cover since it tends to be a bomber magnet. Don't be afraid to Overcharge the turret to get ships in the side arc but be aware that destroyers and frigates will attempt to circle this ship to keep out of its fire arcs and there isn't much it can do about it. Support it with heavy frigates to keep things off its tail.

Matchups


 * UCM: UCM will try to spike and snipe this ship. Run silent early to get in close.
 * Scourge: Focus fire, don't let it get overwhelmed by smaller CAW ships nor bombers. Prioritize blowing holes in cruisers and above.  A single volley on WF will end most Scourge cruisers and heavy cruisers.  Even the battleships will take notice.
 * PHR: Watch out for heavy caliber guns and bombers. Your approach is a bit easier, but the PHR are equally tough.
 * Shaltari: the ship against Shaltari
 * Resistance: the ship against Resistance

Synergies: ships that work well with this ship, typical battlegroups

Triumvir Repair Cruiser - Fleet Carrier/Repair Ship
Role: The Triumvir has the hull of a battlecruiser and a useful special rule that lets it repair a nearby ship each time another friendly ship is destroyed, meaning it can keep both itself and a squadron of frigates alive at the same time. The Triumvir can sit on a backfield objective with Galileos, providing support to the rest of the fleet with its respectable launch capacity of 6 while shrugging off incoming fire. That tends to be a misuse of its armor, hull and repair ability. The resistance needs fighter support to make up for lackluster point defense, and the Trimvir has the hull to safeguard it's launch on the front lines. This is also where bombers start doing damage in the same activation, which can be equally dangerous to your opponent. Recently the repair rule has changed, so now the Triumvir hands out "you will not die" tokens. These can be invaluable on larger ships to ensure they survive a round of fire from enemy dreads or battleships. Now it fulfills its duty as an escort ship far better and doesn't need to wait for your ships to start exploding. As a plus, the +2 to repair rolls make corruptor ships of the scourge and shaltari far less dangerous.

Matchups


 * UCM: the ship against UCM
 * Scourge: the ship against Scourge
 * PHR: the ship against PHR
 * Shaltari: the ship against Shaltari
 * Resistance: the ship against Resistance

Synergies: ships that work well with this ship, typical battlegroups

Senator Battlecruiser - Bombardment Cruiser
Role: Who says the Resistance has bad Bombardment? The Senator's powerful - but limited - VX Bombs can wipe entire sectors off the map, while simultaneously removing ALL Ground Assets in the Cluster at the same time (friendlies too). Like its sister ship, the Triumvir, the Senator boasts a 2+ save after Ablative Armour and 17 Hull, letting you keep it in reserve until it swoops in to deprive an opponent of a key cluster on turns 4 and 6. If you've run out of VX bombs early, the Senator also has the Detector rule, letting it Active Scan for the rest of the fleet (a waste, as it could do that anyway and it is likely to be solo). However there are less expensive and better choices for detector, and generally you don't need detector unless you are in a group that wants to weapons free and detect at the same time, which is a rarity for the Senator. Recently is got both a price break and a scan buff, elevating it from garbage tier to a solid B+ ship. It still has some issues, but now it can bring some fight and reliably threaten two clusters in a game. Your opponent then must deal with it, and with a 2+ save and hefty amount of hull, they will have to direct significant fire to do so.

Matchups


 * UCM: the ship against UCM
 * Scourge: the ship against Scourge
 * PHR: the ship against PHR
 * Shaltari: the ship against Shaltari
 * Resistance: the ship against Resistance

Synergies: ships that work well with this ship, typical battlegroups

Light Cruiser - Versatile
Role: 3 hardpoints means these are less customizable than the bigger variants, but the light cruisers are still able to fill a variety of roles depending on what you want. Escort carrier, backfield sniper, troopship - the light cruiser can fufill all these roles and more. That said, a 5+ Armour save and 8 Hull means these should avoid direct contact with the enemy unless they've been outfitted with Ablative Armour. These are also one of your only options for Bombardment, alongside their heavier variants. Dual drop with a drive refit are a poor man's Odysseus, able to double thrust to threaten back line objectives. Likewise the dual vent and thrust version can support a frigate swarm with heavier guns. A pair with all XN-31s can be a risky, but rewarding option for crippling light cruisers.

Matchups


 * UCM: the ship against UCM
 * Scourge: the ship against Scourge
 * PHR: the ship against PHR
 * Shaltari: the ship against Shaltari
 * Resistance: the ship against Resistance

Synergies: ships that work well with this ship, typical battlegroups

Cruiser - Versatile
Role: Resistance medium cruisers have better Hull than their lighter counterparts, but come with increased Signature and decreased Thrust for the privilege, all for ten points more per boat. That said, these babies have an extra hardpoint, making Ablative Armour less of a hard decision if you value survivability. As with all customizable Resistance ships, you should kit these based on the role you intend for them to play. That said, the higher Hull means these are likely better for roles that involve direct contact with the enemy. These are also one of your only options for Bombardment, alongside the light and heavy cruisers. Common options are: 4x XN-31 snipers for lots of criticals on weapons free, dual vent/dual artillery nor consistent fire without weapons free, dual vent/dual launch (or drop), or bombardment/artillery.

Matchups


 * UCM: the ship against UCM
 * Scourge: the ship against Scourge
 * PHR: the ship against PHR
 * Shaltari: the ship against Shaltari
 * Resistance: the ship against Resistance

Synergies: ships that work well with this ship, typical battlegroups

Munifex Corvette - Atmospheric Interceptor
Role: They may be slow for a corvette, but Munifexes are relatively cheap and can hit enemy strike carriers fairly hard. If you don't plan on maxing out your Munifex groups, make sure to at least take 3 to enable the Squadon rule on their weapons.

Matchups


 * UCM: the ship against UCM
 * Scourge: the ship against Scourge
 * PHR: the ship against PHR
 * Shaltari: the ship against Shaltari
 * Resistance: the ship against Resistance

Synergies: ships that work well with this ship, typical battlegroups

Armstrong Destroyer - Anti-Armour Frigate
Role: The Armstrong's mauler weapon makes it deadly against heavily armored targets, especially when taken in groups; that said, depending on your opponent it can end up being dead weight. If your local metagame includes lots of PHR and Resistance players, the Armstrong will find plenty of targets; otherwise they'll likely be dead weight.

Matchups


 * UCM: the ship against UCM
 * Scourge: the ship against Scourge
 * PHR: the ship against PHR
 * Shaltari: the ship against Shaltari
 * Resistance: the ship against Resistance

Synergies: ships that work well with this ship, typical battlegroups

Collins Support Carrier - Fighter Support
Role: The Collins lets you keep your fighters on the board after they've been used to grant additional PD, which seems good on paper. In practice however, the short range of the ability (4" and only affects ships in the same orbital layer), alongside the Collins' lack of firepower and high group cost, makes it hard to justify taking it outside of a Battle-sized game.

Matchups


 * UCM: the ship against UCM
 * Scourge: the ship against Scourge
 * PHR: the ship against PHR
 * Shaltari: the ship against Shaltari
 * Resistance: the ship against Resistance

Synergies: ships that work well with this ship, typical battlegroups

Aldrin Colony Ship - Troopship
Role: The Aldrin is a more expensive troopship than the Scourge Lamassu and Shaltari Selenium. Compared to the competition however, the Aldrin has significantly higher Thrust and better drop potential per ship thanks to having two bulk landers instead of only one. With a few groups of these, you should be able to out-drop your opponent while paying a similar price. They are unarmed and fragile, so don't treat them like a PHR Orpheus.

Matchups


 * UCM: the ship against UCM
 * Scourge: the ship against Scourge
 * PHR: the ship against PHR
 * Shaltari: the ship against Shaltari
 * Resistance: the ship against Resistance

Synergies: ships that work well with this ship, typical battlegroups

Strike Carrier - Strike Carrier
Role: Taking these a la carte saves you roughly 6 points per model versus the strike carriers of other factions, making these potentially more efficient if you don't mind the lack of offense. In comparison however, Resistance strike carriers don't have the Outlier rule, forcing you to keep them in coherency. Max out your group sizes with these, or make sure they're being placed in battlegroups alongside other boats that want to play the objectives. These also work well as backup scanners for groups if you have run out of slots for Galileos, better than frigates with the same options.

Matchups


 * UCM: the ship against UCM
 * Scourge: the ship against Scourge
 * PHR: the ship against PHR
 * Shaltari: the ship against Shaltari
 * Resistance: the ship against Resistance

Synergies: ships that work well with this ship, typical battlegroups

Frigate - Versatile
Role: Cheap as chips at 25 points base. Minimum groups of these armed with a hybrid gun turret apiece can be used to harass the opponent's flank, chipping in for incidental damage while attempting to draw aggro. With a minimum of three taken per group, these sadly can't be used to fill out a list that's short on points, but taking some maxed-out groups to use as a suicide swarm can be quite effective. You can also give them a sensor dome for a little extra utility, but this raises their per-ship cost by a substantial margin - for every three you take with a sensor dome, you could have instead taken an extra frigate. These are only 1 point less than a strike carrier with the same stats and armament. Generally, you would want to take strike carriers instead as those can score; however, frigates can be taken in groups of 6, which means they are capable of true swarm tactics. Swarms will have a higher SR, so they tend to work better as a screen against faster ships that have to focus firepower. A Caesium or Taipei will kill one per turn, but they can't kill more than that and if they skip them to go for another target the volley fire from the unit can add up.

Matchups


 * UCM: the ship against UCM
 * Scourge: the ship against Scourge
 * PHR: the ship against PHR
 * Shaltari: the ship against Shaltari
 * Resistance: the ship against Resistance

Synergies: ships that work well with this ship, typical battlegroups

Heavy Frigate - Versatile
Role: These are the most important ship in the Resistance, as they sit in the sweet spot of available hardpoints, statlines, and point costs, on top of having Ablative Armour by default. As with other customizable Resistance ships, make sure you have a role in mind for these when building them. Double vent cannons can make for strong antiarmour shots, or you can double up on N-31 hybrid gun turrets for squishier targets. Either way, these punch far above their weight. The last update bumped their price by 10 points, and removed Scald from light vent turrets, making these less of a no-brainer. However, free hybrid gun turrets means that the gunship versions are the same cost, and against lighter ships just as good.

Matchups


 * UCM: the ship against UCM
 * Scourge: the ship against Scourge
 * PHR: the ship against PHR
 * Shaltari: the ship against Shaltari
 * Resistance: the ship against Resistance

Synergies: ships that work well with this ship, typical battlegroups

Newton Kill-Sat - Anti-Frigate Monitor
Role: These monitors can sit safely in high orbit while sniping advancing frigates with their Godray mass drivers. Since these weapons are 3 damage apiece with the Particle rule, a minimum group of these can pop a frigate a turn, slowly whittling down your opponent's numbers. Active Scan enemy ships (potentially with the Newton's counterpart, the Galileo) to add a few more inches of extra range on top of the Newton's impressive Scan of 8". Generally, too slow to be very effective, the change to dreadnoughts and the additions of cutters means that Newtons will have more opportunities to shoot, and with particle do damage. A group within 10 inches of your frigates or other light ships will exact revenge on any Caesiums that go in for a first strike, especially if they raise their shields. Likewise, dreadnoughts going WF become prime targets, but that is what your 9k and 10k guns are for. You did bring some right?

Matchups


 * UCM: the ship against UCM
 * Scourge: the ship against Scourge
 * PHR: the ship against PHR
 * Shaltari: the ship against Shaltari
 * Resistance: the ship against Resistance

Synergies: ships that work well with this ship, typical battlegroups

Galileo Orbital Telescope - Active Scan Monitor
Role: The Galileo is completely unarmed, making it an odd choice off the cuff. That's before you read its Space Telescope rule - the Galileo adds major spikes when Active Scanning instead of minor, on top of applying a Telescope token to each target it scans. The next friendly group to target a Telescoped enemy crits when exceeding their Lock value by 1, rather than the normal 2. It should go without saying that both of these are powerful effects, making the Galileo one of the standout stars amongst the Resistance's bag of tricks. One of these is mandatory for any of your big hitters. Critting on a 3+ with railguns is cruel and unusual treatment for anyone on the wrong end of a 9k/10k battery.

Matchups


 * UCM: the ship against UCM
 * Scourge: the ship against Scourge
 * PHR: the ship against PHR
 * Shaltari: the ship against Shaltari
 * Resistance: the ship against Resistance

Synergies: ships that work well with this ship, typical battlegroups

Sagittarii - Fast Strike Cutter
Role: Cutters are fast, and the Sagittarii is no exception. With 16" of thrust, this ship is the fastest in the Resistance fleet. Its weapons are mediocre - four shots at lock 4+ - and it doesn't have Vectored like most of its direct competitors in other fleets, but it has Outlier and arc (F) artillery cannons so it doesn't need as careful positioning compared to things like the Caesium with its F(N) gun. At 30 points, the Sagittarii is also comparatively inexpensive - its only 5 points more than a frigate and you get an arguably better ship, but only being takeable in groups of 1-3 makes it tougher to spam these cby comparison. Obvious targets for these are enemy frigates and corvettes, as their nominal 20+ Sig threat range means you can often get off a first strike without having to spike opposing ships.

Matchups


 * UCM: A dangerous strategy is to boost 32 inches first turn, then target an opponent's Limas on turn 2, cutting down on the UCM's desire for long-range laser sniping.
 * Scourge: Scourge are generally trying to get close, but they like keeping steathed ships in the back line. Those are your best targets, as forcing them to turn and engage the Sagittarii means they are not shooting your cruisers.
 * PHR: The PHR doesn't tend to backline snipe as much, and their tougher ships tend to shrug off the fire from a few artillery cannons. However, things like the Jason and corvettes are much more fragile, and even getting first turn shots on strike carriers (via Active Scan orders) can be beneficial.
 * Shaltari: Caesiums will generally outmaneuver the Sagittarii, but Sagittarii can pressure other frigates, destroyers, and monitors and force them to raise shields, inflating their signatures. Even the heavier Shaltari ships tend to have lower armour values that make them more vulnerable to hits from your relatively primitive weapons. Make that Hematite pay for hiding alone in the backfield.
 * Resistance: Much like the UCM, try to take out enemy Galileos and hinder your opponent's ability to direct fire.

Synergies: Pairs well with Galileos or Active Scan-ing strike carriers/frigates that can boost your range further. Its hull buddy the Baleares also gets special mention for providing some bomber/fighter cover at the same speed.

Baleares - Fast Carrier
Role: Like it's gun-toting friend, the Baleares is a fast hull that sports two fighters or bomber launches per turn. Since it can bring defensive cover to any ship in your fleet or bombers to unexpected areas of the map, the Baleares is a very useful ship. That utility comes at a downside however - your launch is capped, and each lost Baleares will be felt. That being said, the Baleares excels at bringing bombers into the 12" same-turn resolution range, meaning many ships won't have time to respond by coming to a new heading or trying to flee into debris fields to shake them off (looking at you, Agrippa). Against smaller ships, like frigates or destroyers with lower PD, this can be very effective. With 28" of effective threat, you should be combat-effective by turn 2. Just be careful, as these ships are decently spendy and fragile, so they will be high priority targets for Ajaxes, Caesiums, Toulons, etc.

Matchups


 * UCM: Use these to retaliate against enemy cutters and to blunt Taipei rushes. In later turns, try to get in the opponent's backfield so they are less likely to be targeted. Watch out for Havana torpedo attacks.
 * Scourge: Target stealth ships or use fighters to help blunt the very deadly Scourge CAW.
 * PHR: PHR bombers are very dangerous, so getting fighter support to friendly ships is a must. Very good against Ourania Swiftlinks to blind the PHR as well.
 * Shaltari: Caesiums will generally outmaneuver the Baleares, but in combination with Sagittarii cutters they can pressure other frigates, destroyers and monitors. If the Shaltari raise shields they lose all their PD, and if they don't they will take more damage from the Sagittarii.
 * Resistance: Pinpoint fighter or bomber support can turn the tide easily.

Synergies: Pairs well with Sagittarii.

Seneca Detonator - Suicide Bomber
Role: Cheap and extremely fragile, this lighter is a glass cannon that you want to shatter at the right time. Though these can be used as a cheap source of fire ships, the Seneca also goes up with a bang when it finally dies, making it a dangerous threat when deployed against clumped enemy ships. You can always take a couple of these to fill out points, but a dedicated squadron of Senecas makes for a potent threat whose loss is pretty negligible if they do get shot at. Very high damage per point, but with some obvious downsides in fragility, and being limited to launch phase as opposed to when it activates. Fireships are deadly against corvettes, cutters, frigates and destroyers. Taken en mass, even larger ships can be threatened.

Matchups


 * UCM: the ship against UCM
 * Scourge: the ship against Scourge
 * PHR: the ship against PHR
 * Shaltari: the ship against Shaltari
 * Resistance: the ship against Resistance

Synergies: ships that work well with this ship, typical battlegroups