Overview
This is the guide on some things that a new player, or maybe an intermediate player would use. (btw i am in my opinion an intermediate player)
Tactics (aka what to spam probably)
This section will be divided into three parts. Part one, the Empire. Part two, the Rebellion. Then part three, the Consortium.
1: The Empire
The way I usually play the Empire, is to first send out my TIE fighters or interceptors to key locations and buildings like the mines where you get your supplies, or any defensive turret position, and once I am done I set them into Hunt for Enemies. Then I prioritize the upgrading of the supply gain and the upgrading of my fighters and station. When my station is upgraded to level 2, I start making a small task force of one Acclamator cruiser and 2-3 Tartan patrol cruisers to advance to the middle of the map and to hold back enemy forces until I can upgrade and get my force of bombers and fighters ready to bombard the enemy station. The only time I ever use the boost weapon power abilities on certain ships is whenever they are incapacitated and cannot be rescued or repaired. The usual strike force of fighters I use to harass the enemy base is 3 fighter squadrons and 2 bomber squads. This unit isn’t designed to destroy the enemy base entirely, but designed to take out the enemy shields and if possible, other weak points. The fighters are to give support to the bombers and protect them from enemy fighters. At this point I would have at least had 5 fighter squadrons out on Hunt for Enemies to keep the enemy busy while I accumulate resources and upgrade my base. If the harassment strike force has been destroyed, try to replace them again and attack the shields if they have not already been taken out. When you have the amount of resources necessary and you are feeling a bit ballsy, you can spam bombers and fighters and take out the enemy right there and then (note that this guide is for Easy and Medium difficulties) and end the game. If you haven’t annihilated your enemy, you can start producing your main attack force, which I use one or two Acclamator cruisers or Victory’s, 3 Tartan patrol cruisers, 5 fighter squads, 4 bomber squads, and anything else that could be of use in the situation. If the base is high enough level, I would start using TIE defenders and large amounts of cruisers and other large ships.
2: Rebel Alliance
The way I actually play each faction is pretty much the same, but with variation in unit types and in certain strategy. So the way to play the Rebel Alliance is the same, but you would put your two X-wing squads near supply points to guard them and to deter any fighters or bombers. The strike force I would use to take control of the center of the map is one Nebulon-B and two to three of the CR90 corvettes. The rest of the strategy is largely the same, but I would use a lot of Nebulon-Bs and CR90s when attacking the enemy station.
3: The Consortium
I like the Consortium, I like it a lot, but I like the Empire better. The plan is the same, but whenever I am dogfighting against a larger force of fighters, I deploy my buzz droids and bring in the Crusader’s. To take control of the center, I use one of those torpedo things, and two Crusader’s. When I steamroll over the enemy I use 3 fighters and 2 bombers, since the Consortium fighters and bombers have high armor (or at least high durability) and versatility, and then the other big ships.
Tips
This will be 10 tips I use to help strategize and adapt to the enemy
1: When you need help against an enemy surrounding your base with better stuff, and a larger force, just simply leave the game or restart.
2: When you are faced with a large amount of fighters and bombers and other assorted small objects, don’t be afraid to invest in some anti-fighter vessels and countermeasures.
3: If you have unlimited pop caps or anything like that, then guard your supply points and high value positions with fighters. You could also just use the garrison fighters you get from time to time.
4: When in doubt, blow them out with any of your self-destruct vessels when they are low.
5: Make sure you try to support your frontline combat units like fighters and corvettes when in a big fight with things like cruisers and stuff.
6: Make sure you know where your enemy is. Intel and firepower are key to winning the game.
7: Use tractor beams or high damage causing abilities on larger and more valuable ships to ensure that for every one Imperial Star Destroyer, you take down 10 heavy cruisers and 21932131923 other ships.
8: Size matters in Empire at War, since how large your ship is could affect the durability of the weakpoints and how good the armor and shielding is, unless it specifically says anything about the ship.
9: Bombers are your best bet at taking out larger enemy ships and stations, as they can easily access the weakpoints through shielding and armor.
10: Always always always keep the money flowing, as in the later stages of space battles you could be spending thousands each minute.
Other tidbits and information
The classes of ships are as follows:
Fighters
Bombers
Pickets (in some mods and stuff)
Corvette
Frigate
Cruiser
Carrier (in some mods and stuff)
Battleship (in mods again)
Capital
Hero Ships (usually fighters or capitals and stuff)
If I missed any of them then don’t shame me because I am not a walking wookiepedia or a walking Empire at War guide.
Other tips
Fighter-Bombers are great multi-purpose units that provide an alternative to fighters and bombers, although at a high price and low amount per unit.
Usually the anti-fighter craft are your best bet at taking out large amounts of fighters and bombers, and the larger ships aren’t as good at taking them out. So use the anti-fighter escort vessels to, well, escort your cruisers and such to the location and support them.
I personally never use the superweapons since they are high cost and from my own experience, not worth it.