Overview
This guide will be a quick rundown of the types of total conversion mods, their play styles, their content, and relative difficulty to vanilla EAW and FOC. This is not a guide on how to install or run mods. Of course I am no expert on every single mod, but I will do my best to help players find which mod is right for them(all of them are pretty great so still give em a try).
I. What types of mods are out there and when should I start playing mods?
So, you’ve seen a fancy mod from a youtube showcase or just while browsing the workshop. Heck maybe its the first time you have ever seen Star Wars Empire at War. To this day, a strong community of modders and players have persisted for over 15 years and have continued to push the limits of what this game is capable of, so some mods are almost complete overhauls of the base game. I will assume for this section, that you are a relatively new player and are looking for some sort of guideline. If you are an experienced player, I would skip past this first section and start at section 2.
As a new player I would highly recommend playing through the base game’s Galactic Conquest to familiarize yourself with the relatively basic mechanics of the GC over world and combat. Starting with either classic or Forces of Corruption probably doesn’t matter, but FOC has more mechanics and systems that translate due to it being the modding base for everything. Once you have gotten used to the feel of the base game and have some hours under your belt its time to get into the meat and bones of a wider world
There are four types of mods, with Galactic Conquest total conversions being the focus of this guide, as they are the largest and main attraction to EAW.
-Galactic Conquest total conversion
-Multiplayer mods
-Total conversion sub mods
-quality of life and user interface adjustments
II. Galactic Conquest Total Conversion Mods
In this section we shall cover all major total conversions available(and at their current state on the Steam Workshop). Total Conversion mods are mods that replace/add/enhance/remake the galactic conquest mode to fit respective time periods in the Star Wars universe.
For each mod we will cover:
- Content
- Difficulty
II-I Republic At War
Star Wars: Republic At War(RAW) is a total conversion mod that places the player in command of either the Galactic Republic or the Confederacy of Independent Systems during the titular Clone Wars. The galaxy map has been redone and has expanded to over 70 planets and their placement is now canonical.
*insert link to mod here*
LORE/HERO/UNIT BASIS: Episodes 1-3
One of the shining features of Republic at War is the translation and enhancement of the base game mechanics while retaining the core game play fundamentals, making it an excellent mod and dare I say worthy of being called an expansion pack in its overall quality and design.
Both the Republic and CIS have fully fleshed out rosters of ground and space units. If you are a fan of expanded rosters of every ship you could think of from the Expanded Universe, RAW lacks in that department but makes up for in the quality and balancing of the main campaign.
*insert screenshot of space roster here*
An outstanding feature of this mod is the Fall of The Jedi Campaign which has custom missions and hero progression as the clone wars progresses. These features give a suitable backdrop for player driven story telling and where you are personally in the midst of the great galactic conflict while not adding any confusing side mechanics.
Ground battles are by far the weakest point of the entire mod, seeing as its just re-textured models and new vehicles with the same sluggish and exploitable gameplay of the original.
A single playthrough of the Fall of the Jedi or regular Clone Wars campaign will net you at least 20 hours or more while you conquer the galaxy as your own respective faction. The grand scale of the conflict and the production capabilities lends to a galaxy wide multi front war that will continue to captivate even on multiple playthroughs.
It was well known that before some major updates that the Confederacy ships were extremely overpowered and lead to a constant backfoot fighting as the Republic, at times forcing you to fight battles with increasingly difficult and unfair odds. However the mod is extremely balanced and represents the strengths and weaknesses of both sides. Overall its as difficult as the player makes it, as smart placing of factories and production facilities with good planning will significantly increase your odds of winning.
II-II Battlefront Commander
Star Wars:Battlefront Commander is a total conversion mod that aims to include both the Clone Wars and Galactic Civil War eras with greatly expanded unit rosters/heroes/ and planets to fully capture the ludicrous size of the combined Expanded Universe and NuCannon.
LORE/HERO/UNIT BASIS: MIX OF EU AND NU CANON
Battlefront Commander has a huge amount of content, but do not let that fool you. The current Steam Workshop version is dead and has many unbalanced features and bugs that can ruin your experience. It has many interesting ideas but some features do not work as intended. The Clone Wars and Galactic Civil War GC maps are ripped from Republic at War so that remains the same. The aforementioned biggest changes come to the unit roster and campaign imbalances.
The AI is meh and only serves as a static punching bag to throw stacks of ships at, there is not much movement as the AI just bunkers up and does not strike out on the lower difficulties. On higher difficulties it cheats as always leading to bad balance where you simply cannot keep up with the onslaught. So why play in the first place?
The best part of this mod is the tremendous amounts of units alongside large scale battles with lots of variety. Both ground and space units have been greatly expanded across both eras of the mod with a highlight being the introduction of the Mandalorians in place of the Zann Consortium. However the balance and the way the AI operates makes playing the 1v1v1 GC a slog.
Battlefront Commander is not hard in the sense that you need quick wits,luck, great game experience, and overall knowledge to beat. Its hard in the sense that it is broken and imbalanced. Almost every type of building can be built everywhere so there is not need for smart planning or strategic defence of hyperspace lanes or planets. If you are looking for a challenge of your game knowledge this mod is not for you.
II-III EAW Expanded: Thrawns Revenge and Fall of The Republic
Thrawns Revenge and its little brother Fall of the Republic can be described as more of sequels than mods. The amount of overworld map mechanics, space reworks, technology and era progression, ship types and models can cement this mod with enough content and innovation to be lauded as one of the best. In development for 14 years, the Thrawns Revenge team has been dedicated to their craft and it really shows. I would highly recommend delving into this mod after getting an extremely solid understanding of vanilla game mechanics and even other mods.
LORE/HERO/UNIT BASIS: Prequel Trilogy +EU, Post Endor EU
Thrawns Revenge is bursting with content from the original Expanded Universe of Star Wars. Literally brimming to the seams with new mechanics it pushes EAW engine to its limits, so if you have an older computer it could really chug, even on the overworld. Covering Post-Endor to right before the Vong invasion, Thrawns revenge gives the player an incredible amount of challenge. I would really recommend this mod for veteran players, of not only base game but of other mods as well.
Fall of the Republic is a very polished mod taking place in the Clone Wars with future plans to cover the Naboo Crisis and immediatley after Order 66. It is still in its beta phases but it is shaping up to cover the vast political and physical giant that is the Clone Wars.
An amazing feature of both is the simplicity and holdover of the vanilla building system, being no extra trouble to manage the production and supply routes of your faction.
Thrawns Revenge is not difficult in the sense of unfair mechanics or un balanced factions. It is difficult in the huge scope at which the player must maintain planetary front lines against the myriad of warring factions. Whether managing the defense of the New Republic or the campaigns of Thrawn, pausing will be frequent and quest markers must be followed. Fall of the Republic, being in its beta stage, has that holdover in difficulty but at the same time is a bit easier as the player is given ability to really wage war.
II-IV Awakening of The Rebellion
Awakening of the Rebellion(AOTR), is another legendary and longform total conversion mod for EAW. Set during the titular “Awakening” of the Rebel Alliance, this mod recounts the brutal and valiant struggle between the Alliance and the Empire. Taking the “less is more” aspects of the Original Trilogy and translating it into the game makes it extremely difficult and extremely rewarding. There will be no recurring huge fleet battles or dozens of ships on the screen, instead expect to face nail biting engagements hinging off your small attack fleet trying to take out a small crystal transport, or the getaway from destroying shipyards. This mod perfectly translates the desperate fight and rise of the Alliance, and it puts it all in your hands to do so.
LORE/HERO/UNIT BASIS: OT+NuCannon
AOTR is bristling with a highly detailed and canon galactic over world. The units are all incredibly detailed, the new voice acting great, and space battles replicating the feel of the OT incredibly. The gameplay is incredibly asymmetric, with the Empire and Rebel campaigns being completely different in style and substance. As the Empire, expect to face a rising threat, scrambling to respond to powerful(and well thought out) Alliance raids across the Galactic Map. Also expect to always be short of credits to build the next Star Destroyer and always be darting across planets to check for Rebel activity. The Alliance, faces off against increasing odds, moving heroes from one planet to another, performing raid missions(with rewards), and preparing daring defenses of your core worlds. Your ships, under powered, heroes, outnumbered and outgunned.
Land battles in this mod, are perhaps the best out of any total conversion, they are difficult, visually stunning, and mechanically sound. A total rework of previous versions and the base game. They are finally more complex than space battles and will require you to re adjust your preconceptions about EAW as a whole.
Space battles are incredible as well, watching rag tag fleets of civilian and military fighters face off against the might of the Empire has you on the edge of your seat, rapidly redeploying fighters and ship battle lines. The AI work is superb, allowing for the back and forth that finally tips in your favor through careful planning and tactics.
This mod is perhaps one of the most difficult mods/strategy games I have ever played. If you are seeking a casual back and forth between you and the AI, or just looking at spectacle, this mod is not for you. To perform well, you must do play through after play through to breach the huge difficulty curve, but once you figure it out its truly incredible. This mod is recommended for experienced players only, or those looking to test their game knowledge and skill.