PC Gamer Ranked are our ridiculously complete lists of one of the best, worst, and all the things in-between from each nook of PC gaming.
The TIE Fighter: to some, a robust image of the Galactic Empire’s navy would possibly. To others, a reputation that harkens again to the golden age of PC house sims. To me, the supply of 2023’s finest cymbal crash pattern. Practically half a century of Star Wars’ dominance has made this screaming, bow-tie macaroni formed demise lure into an icon of house fascism, a jet powered image of an Empire that views battle in a sickeningly chilly calculus of who can expend essentially the most munitions, extra assets, extra lives.
To that finish, the TIE Fighter is ideal, however throughout the realm of PC Gaming, there’s nonetheless a hierarchy to be honored:
The Standards
Variety of entries: 20
What’s included: TIEs of distinction. These are TIE Fighters that stand out, for higher or for worse.
What’s not included: There are extra redundant variants of the TIE Fighter throughout the behemoth catalog of Star Wars releases than there are stars within the sky. This checklist won’t exhaustively rely the studs on the totally different renders of TIE Interceptors within the LEGO Star Wars video games (Although I am keen on LEGO Star Conflict 2’s).
19. TIE Mauler – Empire At Conflict
The worst of the TIE sequence is not even a spaceship. When you’re ever doing analysis on Star Wars stuff for an article, this is a tip: Go to Wookiepedia and go from “Canon” to “Legends” as a result of that’s the place all of the bullshit is. Yeah, this factor is not a TIE Fighter technically, however holy shit simply have a look at it. The mounted, unmoving quad laser battery on the entrance ought to give it an edge within the subsequent Twisted Steel competitors however I stay skeptical of its navy utility—ditto for the absolutely uncovered ahead cockpit that actually paints a goal over the driving force.
If I used to be ordered to drive this factor down the road, a lot much less into fight, my commanding officer would get punted out the airlock. In Empire at Conflict this factor is alright at harassing gentle infantry, however the ache of getting to order one thing so lame round retains me from utilizing it with any enthusiasm.
18. TIE Oppressor – Star Wars Galaxies
Oh Jesus Christ. The TIE Oppressor actually brings into focus what the issue with numerous these TIE variants finally is—you possibly can’t actually get away with bolting on further stuff to the fuselage with out essentially altering that good capital letter H silhouette. Deviating from that design philosophy in any vital method alerts a misunderstanding of each the enchantment and performance of the TIE platform—they’re barebones for causes of value and ease of mass manufacturing. Blind adherence to the TIE type with out thought to perform finally simply makes the tip outcome look ridiculous. As for the ship itself, it seems to be that method as a result of it has a bunch of rocket pods and a few further armor. No matter.
17. TIE Hunter – Rogue Squadron 3: Insurgent Strike
An try to deliver the TIE Collection according to the Insurgent Alliance’s X-Wing fashions by introducing S-Foils. Once more, needlessly overcomplicated, and solely marginally higher than the TIE Oppressor by advantage of not having a gaudy further wing thrown on.
16. TIE Avenger – TIE Fighter
It seems to be like a nasty brutalist artwork piece, actually simply Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter however with stretched proportions. Not good in any respect.
15. TIE Bomber – Star Wars Battlefront 2 (2005)
That is the unique you by no means pay any thoughts. Gradual, weak, and in stark distinction to the Squadrons model, armed with a few of the worst weapons I’ve ever had the displeasure of firing, the OG Battlefront 2 TIE Bomber throughout sucks. Piddly lasers, clunky proton torpedoes that take ages to lock, and a basic sluggishness to the motion that makes flight persistently disagreeable would already be sufficient to consign the TIE Bomber to the drydock, however a Ford Pinto stage of fragility make it a worst-ever spaceship in my books.
14. TIE Silencer – Battlefront 2 (2005)
Final week I matched with a man on Hinge who claimed to “like to geek out on sci-fi spaceships” earlier than trotting out this Kylo Ren bullshit for instance of his stellar style. The TIE Silencer is mainly a gaudy, red-and-black stretch limo variant of Darth Vader’s TIE from A New Hope. In fashionable Battlefront 2, it performs Darth Vader’s TIE position however with proton torpedoes. It is hardly terrible, however it’s received the sequel trilogy downside of bolting on a bunch of crap to a design that was kind of good. Sorry buddy!
13. TIE Defender – TIE Fighter, Empire at Conflict, Battlefront 2
The TIE Defender’s standing because the apex predator throughout the TIE household is sadly overshadowed by simply how goddamn ridiculous it seems to be. An ideal instance of simply how boxed in Star Wars can really feel at instances, it is a TIE Fighter however extra, the modern dignity of the TIE compromised by this mutant appendage of a wings. Its position varies from sport to sport—TIE Fighter and Empire at Conflict painting it as a multirole fleet defender, however at the very least within the case of the latter that position is made redundant by both massing extra swarms of TIEs or bringing some devoted anti-fighter energy. And truthfully, I do not care how good it’s, I hate it.
12. TIE/fo – Star Wars Battlefront 2 (2017)
An upgraded TIE Fighter for EA’s Battlefront 2. Functionally similar to its predecessor mannequin save for some gentle shielding, afterburners, and a complement of proton torpedoes. In The Power Awakens, these additionally boast a rear gun, utilized by Finn and Poe to flee the First Order, however that performance is absent in-game. A bit embarrassing for such a contemporary launch to be proven up by 2004’s Star Wars Galaxies: Leap to Lightspeed increased on this checklist.
11. TIE Fighter – Star Wars Battlefront 2 (2017)
Up up to now, we have been slumming it with EU bullshit and phenomenally ugly TIE variants. That is the edge on which the barest competency lies. Fashionable Battlefront 2’s TIE Fighter is okay, however solely one of the best ship for the job if it is the one one in entrance of you.
10. TIE Fighter – Star Wars Battlefront 2 (2005)
Ditto for the TIE within the unique Battlefront 2. It is a competent portrayal of the TIE Fighter, however the shortcomings it faces (outclassed by the TIE interceptor, oversensitive flight mannequin, and intensely awkward to land contained in the provider hangar bays) are kind of excused by the then-mammoth scope of Star Wars Battlefront 2’s fight sandbox.
9. TIE Scout – Empire at Conflict
Sturdy, quick, and a rarity among the many TIE sequence for being geared up with defend turbines, the TIE Scout is nice in Empire At Conflict’s early sport, the place house battles are thought-about drag-out uphill fights for the Empire. They’ve a spot in an Imperial doctrine that does not prioritize absolute materials domination of the battlefield, and thus really feel characteristically un-Imperial. That is actually the difficulty with numerous these entries—why construct a particular class of TIE for the job when you possibly can simply throw just a few squadrons on the downside and never care if they do not come again?
Additionally, it seems to be like a ’70s van with TIE fighter wings, which undoubtedly hurts the cool issue.
8. TIE Interceptor – Empire At Conflict
Empire At Conflict is a sport about constructing one trillion TIE Fighters, till you unlock the TIE Interceptor, at which level it turns into a sport about constructing one trillion TIE Interceptors. Whereas undoubtedly simpler, the individuality of the Interceptor is misplaced when fielding them in droves. It additionally feels dangerous mindlessly junking these state-of-the-art ships in limitless wave assaults.
7. TIE Fighter – Empire At Conflict
There’s an outdated edit to the Power Awakens trailer that remakes it within the type of the garish CG-addled Star Wars Particular Editions. It is all hysterical, however one of the best half is the ending, with so many extra added TIE fighters that the audio begins peaking and triggers my tinnitus. Empire At Conflict is a sport about constructing this quantity of TIE Fighters and extra, after which proper clicking on one thing you need gone. Much less efficient than the Interceptor, however there’s one thing so characteristically Imperial about sending this many pilots to their doom whereas my Star Destroyers do all the actual work.
6. TIE Aggressor – Star Wars Galaxies
Principally only a TIE Fighter with a rear gunner, which makes it barely extra survivable by advantage of constructing it marginally harder for a chasing ship to shut behind you. Since Star Wars Galaxies: Leap to Lightspeed has lengthy been shuttered (outdoors diehard fan servers), so the TIE Aggressor’s legacy is generally restricted to archived discussion board posts complaining {that a} rear gun on a fighter is annoying. It is a wise design addition to a ship that basically solely ever will get iced from behind, and is the one TIE on this checklist with a ball turret that truly works.
The Prime 5
5. TIE Reaper – Star Wars Squadrons
The TIE Reaper is a uniquely Imperial answer to the issue of “the TIE Fighters preserve getting killed en masse;” simply babysit the necessary ones with a command and management craft that coordinates restore & resupply droids. I dig the silhouette, too—it is sharp, modern, and feels prefer it’s meant to cruise in and across the space of operation, slicing in to ship essential help earlier than dipping out to put mines / jam communications. Actually, I simply dig the TIE Reaper for being a power multiplication craft that augments the TIE sequence so dramatically, turning them from cherry blossom-esque suicide buckets into lethally harmful strike craft.
4. TIE Superior X1 – Battlefront 2 (2017)
Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter is solely top-of-the-line. It is in too many video games to checklist, however I particularly love the trendy Battlefront 2 implementation.
The primary TIE variant within the historical past of Star Wars and the progenitor of the TIE Bomber and TIE Interceptor, it is a easy, tanky, and surprisingly agile hero ship, with supercharged twin lasers that mulch no matter is in entrance of you. Being one of many oldest TIE variants, it is also received an extremely storied (learn: extremely silly) service life. Do you know that it is known as the X1 as a result of it is named after a power delicate clone trooper (???) who turned a Sith Lord? Did you additionally know that three of them have been rebuilt and piloted by Darth Vader’s grandchildren? The Superior X1 is basically only a higher TIE, however its age and the context of its single look place it within the hilarious middle of the Star Wars Expanded Universe derangement nexus.
3. TIE Bomber – Star Wars: Squadrons
I liken the TIE Bomber to the A-trak remix of “Heads Will Roll,” in that the remix goes so onerous that you just by no means pay the unique any thoughts in any respect. My favourite new addition is definitely the forward-mounted rotary laser cannon. It takes a second to spin up, however the ruthless depth of the barrage, coupled with this chugging cannonfire sound that seems like an Earthquaker units results pedal render it simply my favourite craft in Star Wars: Squadrons. The heavy armor and defend programs make it an actual tugboat in terms of dogfighting insurgent fighters, however half the enjoyable is within the problem of lining up that A-10 warthog gatling cannon from a distance and shredding lighter craft that cross into your killzone.
The immense physicality of Star Wars Squadrons peaks when descending on Insurgent frigates and capital ships—it is like carving up a beached whale with a lightsaber.
2. TIE Interceptor – Star Wars: Squadrons
Take a look at this factor. While you see it scream by the bridge of the Insurgent flagship in Return of the Jedi, you understand shit is getting actual. The ahead angled wing profile and fang-like quad lasers make the TIE Interceptor seem like a rocket powered vampire bat. It shines particularly vibrant in Star Wars: Squadrons, the place throwing all of your craft’s energy into thrusters, punching the throttle to hit sub-light speeds, then chopping out and drifting into an X-Wing’s blindspot is a thrill journey, and key to utilizing the Interceptor successfully.
The TIE Interceptor’s reliance on the enhance/drift/fireplace loop means you are continuously flying on this winding, serpentine sample earlier than biting down in your prey with high-powered lasers. Its auxiliary rocket programs make it surprisingly efficient at hit and run assaults on capital ships, good for skimming low in opposition to the hull earlier than boosting up and raining down sizzling demise.
1. The TIE Fighter – Star Wars: TIE Fighter (tied)
The TIE Fighter as realized within the 1994 LucasArts house sim is an achievement in house sim design leagues past others on this checklist. The TIE right here is an expertise, an aluminum foil coffin bolted between two rocket boosters with solely the barest complement of auxiliary programs. Sure, the dearth of frivolous additions like “shields” or “life help” are primarily the results of an Imperial tactical philosophy that locations minimal worth on particular person human life, however when you begin dogfighting Insurgent pilots, it clicks that you just’re taking part in totally different video games totally. These further programs the rebels depend on have added a lot tonnage to their craft weight that you will simply match pace and shut on the traitor’s blindspot.
Furthermore, TIE Fighter (the sport)’s dedication to authentically portraying the bumbling, incompetent, perpetually-on-the-verge-of-political-crisis Galactic Empire and the position of an ascending ace pilot inside its corroded forms. Stellar mid-’90s vibes with chiptune renditions of John Williams and that candy candy distinction between the pixelated HUD and low-poly renditions of well-known Star Wars craft preserve TIE Fighter (the sport, once more) simple on the eyes and ears, too. If there’s just one iteration of the long-lasting twin-ion-engined craft you can also make time to get behind the stick of, it is this one, aside from…
1. The TIE Fighter Remastered – TIE Fighter Complete Conversion (X-Wing Alliance Mod) (tied)
A complete conversion mod for the stellar X-Wing Alliance, the TIE Fighter Complete Conversion achieves close to complete house superiority with a full assault wing of the Emperor’s best fighters. As charming because the pixelated DOS heads-up show is, TIE Fighter Complete Conversion’s dynamic lighting is gorgeous, particularly for a mod. The way in which the shiny black plastic of the cockpit is illuminated by the emerald bursts of your ahead laser, the distinct chirps and blips of the focusing on system as you slice up Insurgent cruisers, it is essentially the most “practical” spin on a fighter that does not exist.
Each main variant of TIE is right here, together with all of the interactive menus, each rendered with applicable early aughts space-sim ranges of constancy. Together with this feels a bit like dishonest, however the crew behind TIE Fighter Complete Conversion have proven that they love these suicide buckets greater than anyone, and the ensuing work is TIE’d for first place with its lauded inspiration.