The combination of Darth Vader's Force Points, additional actions from the Defender's generous action bar, a free evade, and the ship's impressive statline was simply too much. , know how powerful his additional actions can be, and the TIE/D Defender's ship ability, Full Throttle, also granted an additional evade action that matched its unique maneuver dial. The greatest hurdle in designing Darth Vader for the expansion was, of course, his pilot ability.
Even we as developers weren't immune, and when the planning for the Skystrike Academy Squadron Pack began, I had to give it a shot! In designing Darth Vader, I aimed to strike a balance that would capture his terrible power while also allowing for his inclusion in normal gameplay. After Timothy Zahn put the best star-pilot in the galaxy at the helm of the Empire's most potent starfighter in Thrawn: Alliances, the idea both thrilled and terrified X-Wing fans. Darth Vader ĭesigner Brooks Flugaur-Leavitt discusses the TIE/D Defender and the Dark Lord of the Sith:ĭarth Vader in a TIE Defender.
