STAR WARS: SQUADRONS

PLATINUM ACE MEDAL TIP GUIDE

Written by Nairb

Introduction Over the span of about three weeks in March 2021, I completed a playthrough of Star Wars: Squadrons' story on Ace difficulty and earned all the Platinum Ace medals. Most of the game's major updates occurred prior to March, however there was some modest ship tuning for multiplayer in the weeks that followed.

About the Guide The audience for these tips is those trying to earn the Platinum Ace medals for the first time. There is nothing here explicitly for speedrunning the game, although some of the strategies could be repurposed for a speedrun on any difficulty.

Not every medal needs a detailed explanation, and I will focus on the less obvious and more challenging areas of the campaign. I will suffix some medals as [HARD] if I personally found them to be more difficult, or as [EXCEPTION] if there is something special to take note of.

General Tips When trying for my Plats, I separated most missions into two distinct runs: one run to complete the mission specific medals and optional objectives along with any applicable achievements/trophies, and one run emphasizing not dying or failing and achieving a fast completion time. Earning all five Platinum medals in a single run is not probable on some missions and is not worth the additional effort on others. There are some exceptions, but the best mindset is that each mission will take at least two successful playthroughs.

My overarching Ace strategies:

• Ships and loadouts: I gravitate towards the fighter class whenever it is an option and I dislike the interceptor class on Ace because it is too fragile. My preferred loadouts often center around survivability and ranged weapons.
• Power management: I like to put the ship's energy into either maximum lasers or maximum shields with nothing into engines. For the most part during normal gameplay, I only add power into engines during long straightaways, such as between mission segments. I do not drift often and that would be the best reason to keep engines at maximum energy. Maintaining equally balanced power at all times is not a good idea on Ace as your ship will not have any overcharged bonuses.
• Wingmen: Your wingmen are quite effective so always keep them busy. For me, they are better at attacking targets than they are at defending friendlies. Do not forget about resupplies from your team's support ship.
• Flagship docking: A tactic I take full advantage of, when available, is docking with flagships to redeploy with full health and restocked secondaries, or to change ships for different objectives.
• Playthrough order: There is more ship customization towards the end of the campaign and starting at the final mission and working backwards may be easier than beginning from the prologue.

Prologue I: Lord Vader's Command No medals to earn, nothing significant to explain.

Prologue II: A Call to Rebellion No medals to earn, nothing significant to explain.

Mission 1: Form the Vanguard Mission Complete Medal / Enduring Service (lives lost) Medal / Efficiency (completion time) Medal [HARD] Try to get a feel for where the nav points are. That way when they appear you are only a few hundred meters away instead of 1,000+ meters. With the way I played, flying towards the planet after defeating the last enemy in a sector put me in a good position to advance through the nav points.

During the first encounter, come to a stop as the enemies come out of hyperspace with your shields already overcharged and facing front. Have your lasers overcharged as well with your power set to maximum lasers and the remaining balance in shields. Shoot as many of the TIE Fighters as you can during their first pass. Fire missiles at TIEs that are off your crosshairs. If the TIEs survive this joust and you need to chase many down, it will be hard to earn the Efficiency medal. For me this was the make-or-break section especially since staying alive is easier here than in the later stages.

I took the next phase slower since there are two jamming ships in front of you along with missile threats. A lower initial speed allows the TIE Fighters to get farther away from the jammers and should lessen the amount incoming fire. I died here often and not having countermeasures or any ship customization makes things tougher.

In the next section with three larger enemy ships, prioritize the jamming ships. I attacked whichever jammer was closer to me at that moment and it would also preferably be the one farther away from the light cruiser. Do not spend any time on the cruiser until the jammers are defeated. Once the jammers are gone, a corvette will appear, and everyone will make short work of the light cruiser.

Loyal Recruit Medal As I noted in the Mission Complete medal walkthrough, taking out the jammers calls in a corvette that will aid in destroying the light cruiser. Be sure to do this every time, even after you have earned the medal.

Mission 2: The Skies of Yavin Intelligence Operative Medal The breach point is on the back of the Star Destroyer. There is nothing special about this medal, or mission, on Ace.

Mission 3: Through Enemy Lines My Recommended Loadout: Standard Laser Cannon Repair Kit Rockets Seeker Warheads Standard Hull Standard Deflector Standard Engine

Efficiency (completion time) Medal / Not Even Close Medal [HARD] You want to destroy the enemies as fast as you can and escape as fast as you can. The longer it takes, the more damage the Victorum will absorb. The Rockets pack decent firepower against TIE Bombers and the Raiders.

During the final stage, have your wingmen help with the TIE Bombers. A pivotal point is when the first Raider appears. Fire everything you have at the Raider and assign your wingmen to it. Then be near the nav point when it appears.

Raider Wrecker Medal The mission specific medals on this level directly conflict with each other. Do not try to earn them both on the same playthrough.

Mission 4: Secrets and Spies My Recommended Loadout: Standard Laser Cannon Repair System Rockets Seeker Warheads Reinforced Hull Twin Ion Engine

Mission Complete Medal If you are not trying to earn the Enduring Service medal, you can let the shuttle be destroyed. When you restart from the last checkpoint, it will have full health and the mission will be easier to complete.

Enduring Service (lives lost) Medal A mission failure from the shuttle exploding has the same consequence as a death. Use Rockets on the fighters that attack the shuttle and keep your wingmen close.

Mission 5: The Trail from Desevro Mission Complete Medal / Efficiency (completion time) Medal If the Lambda Shuttles get destroyed after docking with the disabled GR-75 transports, they will respawn with full health from the checkpoint making the mission less difficult. If you do not think any will make it back to the Overseer, you can crash on purpose at this time.

Enduring Service (lives lost) Medal [HARD] [EXCEPTION] In my opinion, this is the hardest Plat Ace medal to earn. The TIE Reaper and its loadout are not great, the Lambda Shuttles can be taken out by the New Republic quickly, and there is a possible glitch that causes the shuttles to spontaneously explode after undocking with the disabled GR-75s. A mission failure is considered a death.

I shielded all four wingmen in the beginning while flying through the debris. I doubt it makes a difference, but there is no reason not to.

The real mission starts as the Star Destroyer comes out of lightspeed. Stop at its nose and face the three transports. Adjust your speed to around 10 - 15. The Star Destroyer will slowly be going forward, and you do not want to fall too far behind its nose. At this speed you will also be moving closer to the GR-75 transports, and by the time the last missile launches you will be within firing range of the transports. You do not have to destroy all the missiles and if one hits near the end, that should be fine if you shot down the others.

With lasers already maxed out, and shields maxed out and facing forward, shoot about 25% of your laser meter at each GR-75. You can get a jump on this section and doing so will help keep you alive when the X-Wings appear. But do not fully disable any transport until the objective shows up on the screen. I believe disabling the GR-75s too early may cause the Lambda Shuttles to explode later in the mission, but I do not know for sure. As soon as the objective appears, finish shooting all three transports until they are disabled. With the damage already done to the ships, it should not take much to disable all three. The X-Wings will leave shortly after the final transport is ionized.

Switch all your power to engines and fly towards the dispatched Lambda Shuttles. Shield the left shuttle (from their perspective) first as soon as it is within range. Move power back into maximum lasers and maximum shields. Once the X-Wings appear, use Squadron Mask, and shield another shuttle as it becomes available. I try to get a few shots onto each X-Wing until it is partially or fully disabled and then move to another one. Do not spend time killing X-Wings with your Ion Cannon, it does not pack enough hull damage. Your wingmen do a good job cleaning up disabled fighters and keep targeting powerless X-Wings or fighters attacking the shuttles for your squadron. Do not allow your wingmen to drift away and battle X-Wings that are out of the main fight. I strongly recommend having all three shuttles make it to the GR-75 transports. It will give you a better chance of having one make it back to your Star Destroyer.

If you get the glitch I mentioned earlier, you will know a few seconds after the shuttles take off from retrieving the data. They will all explode at the same time without taking any fire. Again, my best theory is that it has to do with disabling the transports too early. My next best theory is if the combination of three shuttles and three transports do not align somehow, the game will fail you. If all three GR-75s are disabled at the correct time and all three Lambda Shuttles dock with the transports, this possible second issue should be eliminated.

When the shuttles depart, shield the left one (from their perspective) first if it does not have full health. Keep all the shuttles alive for as long as you can. If one is low on health, do not sacrifice it and force the X-Wings to work for their kills. Employ the same strategies on the retreat as you did during the transport approach. Only one shuttle needs to make it back to the Star Destroyer and chances are at least one will be shot down.

Marksman Medal [EXCEPTION] This medal needs some important clarifying. You need to destroy all the missiles. If your wingmen shoot any down, you will not earn the Marksman medal. You can tell if you got every missile because the meter showing the missile count will be completely filled by the end of the salvo.

Park at the nose of the Star Destroyer after it comes out of lightspeed and face the transports. Move forward with a speed of about 5 until the Tormentor stops just so you do not fall back too far. Once the Star Destroyer stops, you can also stop if you are above the front of it. Constantly press the switch enemy button to track when a missile launches and identify where it is going. If you do not preemptively target the missiles and you wait until you see them, one could be out of range after only a few seconds on Ace. Countermeasures are effective at destroying the missiles if you are in front of both the Tormentor and the missiles. Listen for the sound of the missiles being fired and then deploy countermeasures (credit to TheMaruMari on YouTube for being the first person I saw to do this).

Ionizer Medal [EXCEPTION] My Enduring Service walkthrough above makes this medal easier. Shoot a little at each GR-75 transport and then disable them only after the objective shows on screen. You will not take nearly as much X-Wing fire if the transports are ionized quickly.

Mission 6: Signal to Noise My Recommended Loadout: Standard Laser Cannon or Rotary Cannon Goliath Missile Proton Bomb Particle Burst Reinforced Hull Ray Shield Standard Engine

Corvette Protector Medal [HARD] Take out the communication array, the Reinforcements Denied medal, before the backup can be called so there are fewer enemies to contend with. After the first bombing run against the receivers, when you are instructed to destroy the thermal regulators, shoot every single external laser turret on the station first. That way when the CR90 Corvette is being attacked, neither you nor the CR90 will take any unnecessary damage. Once the turrets are gone, follow the corvette around the perimeter and take out the thermal regulators that are closest to it. When the TIEs fly in after the sixth regulator is blown, you will be in close proximity to aid the corvette. Use Goliath Missiles against the TIE packs as a hit will likely take out a couple more within the blast radius. I usually have better luck with my wingmen attacking a specific TIE than ordering them to defend the CR90.

Mission 7: Into the Abyss My Recommended Loadout: X-Wing Standard Laser Cannon Repair Droid Concussion Missile or Assault Shield or Rockets Seeker Warheads or Particle Burst Reinforced Hull Ray Shield or Fortified Deflector Standard Engine or Microthrust Engine

Enduring Service (lives lost) Medal The end of this mission can get intense while you are waiting for the Starhawk to power up. If you get low on shields or hull, you can fly around the rock formations near the Starhawk. The TIEs are not as aggressive in this area.

I prefer Seeker Warheads on most levels, which may be the less popular option, however this is one mission where Particle Burst might be better since they have a faster cooldown.

Abyssal Protector Medal The description for this medal reads, "Shot down three missiles fired by the Overseer". I earned this medal without actively trying for it. I did go head on against some TIE squadrons and it is feasible I inadvertently shot missiles. It is possible countermeasures also count towards the medal. Since the description says "Shot" and not "Destroyed", maybe the Seeker Warhead countermeasures qualify. Try them out if you prefer the Particle Burst countermeasures and have not earned this medal.

With that said, once the Overseer starts its pursuit, you can face it to pick off missiles. Turnaround a few times and you should be able to intercept three missiles without any problems.

Mission 8: Fractured Alliance My Recommended Loadout: Standard Laser Cannon Rockets Repair System Seeker Warheads Standard Hull Twin Ion Engine

Enduring Service (lives lost) Medal / Depot Defender Medal Once you play on Ace for a while, you get a sense of how much health ships and objectives have on this difficulty. Fortunately, on this mission the towers were more durable than I was expecting and was able to let them take more damage than I would otherwise want. This allows you to focus on the more immediate threats to yourself, which are the X-Wings. Take the X-Wings out first and have your wingmen do the same. Once you are mostly clear, go after the Y-Wings, the corvette, or the frigate.

Mission 9: Chaos at Mon Cala My Recommended Loadouts: TIE Fighter Standard Laser Cannon Repair System Rockets Seeker Warheads Reinforced Hull Twin Ion Engine

TIE Reaper Standard Laser Cannon Ion Missile Ion Torpedo Seeker Warheads Agile Hull Fortified Deflector Twin Ion Engine or Microthrust Engine

Enduring Service (lives lost) Medal / Efficiency (completion time) Medal I start with the TIE Fighter equipped with Rockets since they are a good all-around choice against fighters, transports, the frigate, and the flagship.

The TIE Reaper has top tier capital ship killing options available. Most of the components do not really matter but load it with Ion Missiles and Ion Torpedoes. Before engaging the Mon Cala flagship, dock your TIE Fighter in the Star Destroyer and select the TIE Reaper. Target the Silver Coronet and fire an Ion Missile and an Ion Torpedo at it. Dock with the Overseer, relaunch with the TIE Reaper, and fire a second volley of ion weapons at the capital ship. Redocking is faster than waiting for the weapons to cooldown. After the second ion barrage has launched, take out the TIE Fighter once again. The Mon Calamari ship's shields should be down or close to going down by now. Destroy the shield generator that is facing you with lasers and Rockets and send your wingmen to destroy the shield generator on the far side of the flagship. If your Repair System and resupply are on cooldown and you get low on health, redock in the Star Destroyer. Once the shield generators have been destroyed, attack the targeting system followed by the power system.

The Imperial brain trust will direct you to fly under the Silver Coronet's shields to destroy the shield generators. If you are trying for the Enduring Service or Efficiency medal, do not follow these orders…

No Mercy Medal Defeating the Nebulon-B Frigate is more challenging than many comparable objectives in the game. Anvil Squadron is a more formidable opponent, and its fighters may be infinite in number. Take long passes at the frigate with lasers and Rockets and then fall back near the boundary to resupply. Have your wingmen attack the Nebulon-B as you continue with the strafing runs. The frigate will not escape so you can take your time. Instantly converting all power to lasers or engines throughout the battle is helpful.

Mission 10: Terisa's Vengeance My Recommended Loadout: Standard Laser Cannon Multi-Lock Missile Beam Cannon Seeker Warheads Reinforced Hull Twin Ion Engine

The TIE Bomber needs a lot of help on this mission, and this loadout is what worked for me. You could swap out what I listed for something different, and I tried the Rotary Cannon, Assault Shield, Proton Bomb, and Goliath Missile before settling on my components.

Mission Complete Medal / Efficiency (completion time) Medal [HARD] Disclaimer: The time to beat on this mission is stated to be 13:00. I timed myself and from the moment I spawned in until the medal screen appeared, my time was over 14:00. I skipped the cutscenes when I could, had many docks in the Star Destroyer, and took intentional deaths. I do not exactly know how the timer works in this game, but I was surprised when I earned this medal.

After completing the first section of the mission with the X-Wings and the missile launchers, I crashed into an asteroid on purpose. Going into the dockyards with full health and a resupply standing by are very important. Taking a death immediately after completing an objective will not be too detrimental to your time.

When approaching the shield generators, I have my wingmen attack my attacker if it is a fighter. I did not find my squadron to be particularly good at shooting the shield generators. You will want to learn where the generators are so you will not have to double back at any point. My path is to go along the left side of the dockyards first, then take out the two generators in the middle, then the generator along the right side of the dockyards last. Using where you spawn in from as a reference point, my path is in the shape of a capital "M" starting with the bottom left. I avoid getting too close to the Starhawk, which is why I go from the middle of the dockyard towards the back right. After all the generators have been destroyed, I would typically be low on health and without a resupply, and I would crash again. I then spawned in and regrouped.

Shoot the CR90 Corvettes and have your wingmen go after the corvette that is farthest away from the Star Destroyer's hangar. I was aggressive against the corvettes and tried to stay in the fight for as long as I could before redocking or resupplying. Do not forget about the TIE Bomber's power converter to overcharge lasers or engines on this mission as they are both particularly valuable here.

Firing the Baradium Torpedoes at the Starhawk feels inconsistent to me. It seems like launching them before the objective appears on screen decreases the damage dealt, and you may need to fire an extra warhead at the Starhawk in these situations. Regardless of how the game handles this, be sure to spread around the torpedo locations. Much like flagships, the Starhawk will not take damage to hull areas that are blown out. Aim for the corners along one side and the back of it and that should do the trick.

Enduring Service (lives lost) Medal [HARD] This mission is one where it will be easier to separate the Efficiency and Enduring Service medals into two runs. I only have simple advice for this medal. Be very passive, resupply and redock frequently, and always have your wingmen attack objectives and your attacker. Do not try for either of the mission specific medals on this playthrough either.

Mission 11: Nowhere to Stand My Recommended Loadouts: TIE Bomber Standard Laser Cannon Proton Bomb Beam Cannon or Multi-Lock Missile Seeker Warheads Reinforced Hull Twin Ion Engine

TIE Reaper Standard Laser Cannon Turret Mine Targeting Beacons Seeker Warheads Reinforced Hull Fortified Deflector Twin Ion Engine

Mission Complete Medal / Enduring Service (lives lost) Medal This mission can be made easier by splitting up the lives lost medal and the completion time medal. If any CR90 Corvettes escape and you fail, it is considered a death and you will need to restart from the beginning.

If you are low on anything, resupply just before finishing your current objectives to enter the next phase with more health and secondaries. Holding even longer until the next resupply is almost fully recharged before advancing is also a good option.

I found staying alive to be much easier with the TIE Reaper as the TIE Bomber does not have shields and cannot repair, making you completely dependent on resupplies. With the TIE Reaper, I usually keep my shields overcharged with the energy difference in lasers.

When going against fighter groups, create a cluster of Turret Mines and fly between them while using your Targeting Beacons on the X-Wings and having your wingmen engage. The TIE Reaper with my loadout is very sluggish and the turrets and beacons will assist with those kills.

Once the corvettes come in, target all of them with your beacons before shooting the cores. Set up Turret Mines toward the end of the core field so they shoot CR90s that nearly escape, and not ones that will inevitably get blown up by the cores. If any New Republic ships make it past 75% of the cores, I will transfer all my power into lasers with the balance into shields. You should be able to finish off one or maybe two unshielded corvettes in each stage with wingmen support.

During the last part of the mission, while waiting on the Nebulon-B Frigate, set up a wall of Turret Mines to protect yourself. I just sit back to the side of the core cluster 1,200+ meters away and move in once the frigate is in range.

Efficiency (completion time) Medal Much like mission 10, if you finished up a segment and are low on health without a resupply standing by, you can crash into the debris to respawn with full health.

Depending on your playstyle, the TIE Bomber might be the better choice for this medal. Proton Bombing unshielded corvettes at the end of the core line is an effective way to finish them off.

Capital Destruction Medal The key to this medal, and the goal every time you play this mission, is to shoot cores with as many corvettes in their range as possible. Firing lasers and secondaries at CR90s should be the backup plan when the ships make it out of the debris.

Core Knowledge Medal Even after earning this medal the first time, scanning all the optional cores during every playthrough is worth it to give yourself more opportunities to take out the New Republic vessels.

Mission 12: Rally the New Republic My Recommended Loadout: Standard Laser Cannon Tactical Shield Turret Mine Seeker Warheads Reinforced Hull Fortified Deflector Standard Engine

Comsat Savior Medal Shield and drop Turret Mines as soon as they become available. Resupply if you run out of either, even if your health is still high. Focus on the TIE Bombers first and have your wingmen do the same. I deployed the Turret Mines halfway between the first and second comsat and halfway between the second and third comsat. If a comsat becomes extremely damaged, I placed more Turret Mines closer to that one until I was able to re-shield it. Then I would revert to evenly spreading out the turrets.

Mission 13: Fire in the Heart My Recommended Loadouts: TIE Fighter Standard Laser Cannon Repair System Assault Shield Seeker Warheads Reinforced Hull Twin Ion Engine

TIE Bomber Standard Laser Cannon or Rotary Cannon Beam Cannon or Goliath Missile Proton Torpedo Seeker Warheads Reinforced Hull Twin Ion Engine

TIE Interceptor Standard Laser Cannon Repair System Rockets Seeker Warheads Standard Hull Twin Ion Engine

Mission Complete Medal / Enduring Service (lives lost) Medal / Efficiency (completion time) Medal The first half of this mission can be split into two basic plans: fly the TIE Fighter whenever going against enemy fighters and fly the TIE Bomber whenever going against capital ships. As always, dock frequently in the Star Destroyer to change ships, repair, and reload if you do not have a resupply ready.

When in the TIE Fighter, I did not prioritize attacking a specific ship type and instead went after whoever was in my sightline. I did, however, toggle between enemies and had my wingmen finish off any enemies that were partially damaged. Use the Assault Shield as you start to joust and go head-to-head against an enemy fighter. You will come out virtually unharmed and can stay engaged longer without much fear of getting shot down. You do need to be cognizant of possible collisions though. Then alternate between repairing, resupplying, and docking and you should be able to get through the fighter segments without much trouble.

When in the TIE Bomber, focus your wingmen on the fastest remaining capital ships while you engage the slowest moving capital ships, likely the frigates. I went back 1,500 meters from my target, fired a Proton Torpedo, then fired the other secondary when within its range. I then fell back and repeated. I did not use lasers and stayed as far away from the capital ships as I could. Just like with the TIE Fighter, resupply and dock when you are low on health or need to rearm your weapons.

Switch back to the TIE Fighter for the second half of the level. I usually take a lot of damage when approaching the back of the Starhawk and make two passes at the Baradium warhead to avoid a bad death. If you are using my TIE Fighter class, it is not the best for flying into the core, so do not rush through it trying for the Thread the Needle medal. I will discuss that medal and the final stage of this mission below.

Vengeance Medal This medal with the TIE Fighter, Repair System, and Assault Shield is not hard. Approach it like the early fighter sections and you will earn the medal. Do not use a repair until you are below 80% health. You can safely take a few shots before getting near the 50% health requirement, especially with the Assault Shield. Before pursuing Lindon at all, take out the four A-Wings first. They will kill you if you ignore them while solely fighting Javes.

Thread the Needle Medal [HARD] On Ace difficulty there is more resistance inside the Starhawk, and you must boost to get to the core in less than 40 seconds. I recommend timing yourself when doing this challenge and if you are getting close to 38 seconds, it might be better to restart from the last checkpoint, which is the right at the breach point, and try again. Otherwise, you will need to replay the entire mission if you were too slow.

For this medal only, I use the TIE Interceptor. You will need to complete the mission with the TIE Interceptor so select what loadout works best for you to go against Lindon.

I accelerate to full speed and boost whenever there is a long corridor with no obstructions while always keeping my power at maximum engines and low lasers. I needed two fairly long and sustained boosts to get to the core in 40 seconds as well as another quick boost at the end. Even with solid boosts and control, my time was still over 35 seconds so there is not much room for error on Ace. I did not find any ways to exploit this medal, it just took practice.

Mission 14: Last Flight of the Starhawk My Recommended Loadouts: X-Wing Standard Laser Cannon Repair Droid Concussion Missile or Ion Missile or Rockets Seeker Warheads Reinforced Hull Ray Shield or Fortified Deflector Standard Engine

Y-Wing Standard Laser Cannon or Rotary Cannon Beam Cannon or Goliath Missile Proton Torpedo Seeker Warheads Reinforced Hull Ray Shield Standard Engine

A-Wing Standard Laser Cannon Repair Kit Rockets Seeker Warheads Standard Hull Standard Deflector Standard Engine

U-Wing Standard Laser Cannon or Ion Cannon Ion Missile Targeting Beacons Seeker Warheads Reinforced Hull Fortified Deflector Standard Engine

Mission Complete Medal / Enduring Service (lives lost) Medal / Efficiency (completion time) Medal / Piece by Piece Medal Start with the Y-Wing and go for the Star Destroyer's shield generators. You can have your wingmen assist or have them start whittling away at the power system on the bottom of the ship. Once the shield generators and power system are down, attack the targeting system. I assaulted the Star Destroyer from far above and far behind it. Once within 1,500 meters I fired a Proton Torpedo, and once within 1,000 meters I fired my other weapons. Make as many return passes as you need. The Star Destroyer will be low on health by the time all the subsystems are destroyed so finish it off however you like.

Switch over to the X-Wing after Lindon emerges from the Starhawk for the TIE Bomber portion of the level for its balance of health and weaponry.

There are many ways to go about the next phase with the two light cruisers. The X-Wing build I use is perfectly suitable. Keep lasers and shields maxed out and point the shields facing the direction of the threats. Continually recharge, repair, and resupply between passes at the cruisers. The Starhawk is not too vulnerable so be careful with your own health.

You can get creative with the remainder of the mission, but it is not necessary. You can choose to dock with the Temperance, which is well outside of the fight, and select the U-Wing with at least one ion weapon and Targeting Beacons. Mark the light cruiser and drop its shields with your ion weapons. The U-Wing is not an offensive fighter, especially with the loadout I equipped, but by the time you fly back to the flagship to change craft and return, the cruiser will be nearly taken out by your allies. You can either aid your forces by shooting the light cruiser with standard lasers, or safely hang back and only use Targeting Beacons. When the second cruiser comes in, do the same thing.

When the second light cruiser has no shields and is marked, head back to the Temperance in your U-Wing for the A-Wing. If you opted to stay with the X-Wing vs the cruisers, changing to the A-Wing is less important, but will still make the escape easier. If I am far away from the Starhawk, I do not fight off the final TIEs and the objective completes itself.

Scorching Escape Medal The walkthrough for this medal is the same whether you kept the X-Wing from the second half of the mission or if you swapped to the A-Wing at the tail end of the cruiser battles. With the loadouts I use, the A-Wing is going to be the easier ship to work with here.

Put all your power into engines and get to top speed. The escape is more linear than it may seem, and there is no need for fancy acrobatics. You must boost to escape, and I boost in two places: the first is from behind the Star Destroyer to the cave entrance, and the second is once the cave exit comes into view until the mission ends.

Conclusion I hope these tips help you with Squadrons' Platinum Ace medals. There are many ways to solve for the missions' objectives, so find a ship, loadout, and strategy that works for you. I encourage you to experiment with ships and components you are less familiar with, they might just surprise you.

Unfortunately, there is no achievement/trophy for earning all Plat Ace medals. There is one for beating the game on Ace and there is one for earning all the medals, however the medals can be attained on any difficulty. From what I saw, there are also no customization unlocks nor campaign unlocks.

If you have any questions, you can ask them on either the Squadrons forum or on the Rogue Squadron speedrunning Discord (there is a channel for Squadrons within it). Both can be found on speedrun.com's Squadrons page along the side panel. You can find me on YouTube by my channel name of Plat Hunter Nairb. The channel was created to showcase Battle for Naboo and has expanded with some Rogue Squadron series videos. As of this writing I have not posted any Squadrons content to YouTube, but I may in the future.

Good luck!