Petroglyph shipped Empire at War on 16 February 2006 and the Forces of Corruption expansion the following October, and the Gold Pack on Steam bundles both. You run a galactic map of planets, income and fleets, then drop into real time battles in space and on the ground across more than 80 locations. Two decades later Steam sits at 97 percent positive over roughly 26,600 reviews, and the mod scene is most of the reason.
This guide covers everything you need: core mechanics, the best builds, equipment worth investing in, location progression, and the tips that actually make a difference.
Core Mechanics
Galactic map into tactical battles
The galactic layer handles planets, credits, build slots and fleet movement, and any contested move drops you into a real time battle. You fight with exactly what you brought, so the fleet you assembled on the map is the fleet you get.
Capital ship hardpoints
Capital ships carry separate targetable hardpoints for shield generators, engines, turbolasers and hangars. Killing a Star Destroyer's shield generator opens the hull to everything, and killing its engines stops it retreating out of the battle.
Land battle reinforcement points
Ground fights are decided by reinforcement points, which is where new units land once you hold the ground. Build pads scattered around each map take turrets, anti air emplacements and bacta healing stations, so pad control matters as much as killing units.
Zann Consortium corruption
The Consortium corrupts planets it does not own by sending a Defiler, then runs missions including Racketeering, Piracy, Kidnapping, Intimidation, Bribery, Corrupt Militia, Black Market and Slavery. Intimidation strips a planet's special bonus from whoever owns it, and Black Market unlocks upgrades no other route provides.
Planet specific bonuses
Planets carry hard mechanical effects rather than flavour. Holding Kuat cuts Imperial Star Destroyer cost by 25 percent, the Vergesso Asteroids give fighters and bombers a 25 percent damage boost, and capital ship construction is restricted to Kuat, Fondor, Mon Calamari and Sullust.
For a deeper dive into how these systems interact, see our STAR WARS Empire at War - Gold Pack combat guide.
Builds Overview
| Build | Tier | Playstyle | Key Stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Galactic Empire | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Rebel Alliance | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Zann Consortium | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Pirates | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Hutts | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
For full build breakdowns with gear and stat priorities, see our STAR WARS Empire at War - Gold Pack builds guide. For rankings, check the tier list.
Equipment Guide
| Equipment | Why It Matters | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Imperial Star Destroyer | The Empire's line capital ship, carrying heavy turbolasers, a shield generator and hangars that launch TIE Fighters and Bombers continuously. | Holding the centre of a space battle while the hangars supply fighter cover for the whole fleet. |
| Mon Calamari Cruiser | The Rebel heavy attack cruiser, armed with turbolaser and ion cannon batteries. | Standing toe to toe with Star Destroyers when the Rebels cannot avoid a straight fleet fight. |
| AT-AT | The Imperial heavy walker, effectively immune to standard blaster infantry and slow enough that it never surprises anyone. | Leading a ground advance down an open approach where infantry cannot reach anything vital. |
| Tartan Patrol Cruiser | A light Imperial cruiser with four laser cannons built to shred fighters and bombers. | Screening capital ships from the fighter swarms that would otherwise strip their hardpoints. |
| Broadside Cruiser | The Imperial missile cruiser, which bombards a circular area from beyond the range of most ships. | Long range area damage from behind a Star Destroyer or Victory cruiser screen. |
Imperial Star Destroyer: The Empire's line capital ship, carrying heavy turbolasers, a shield generator and hangars that launch TIE Fighters and Bombers continuously. Every one of those systems is a separate hardpoint that can be shot off.
Mon Calamari Cruiser: The Rebel heavy attack cruiser, armed with turbolaser and ion cannon batteries. Its defining feature is that the shield generator cannot simply be shot off the way an Imperial one can.
AT-AT: The Imperial heavy walker, effectively immune to standard blaster infantry and slow enough that it never surprises anyone. Airspeeder tow cables and heavy tanks are the intended counters.
Tartan Patrol Cruiser: A light Imperial cruiser with four laser cannons built to shred fighters and bombers. It can shunt power to weapons for a burst of extra firepower at the cost of shield strength.
Broadside Cruiser: The Imperial missile cruiser, which bombards a circular area from beyond the range of most ships. It is devastating when protected and helpless when it is not.
Full breakdowns in our STAR WARS Empire at War - Gold Pack weapons guide.
Location Progression
| Location | Level Range | Key Rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Kuat | Mid to late galactic conquest | Star Destroyer cost reduction, capital ship construction |
| Mon Calamari | Mid to late galactic conquest | Mon Calamari Cruiser construction, Rebel fleet parity |
| Fresia | Early campaign | X-wing access in the Rebel campaign |
| Hoth | Any stage, signature ground battle | Iconic AT-AT versus Snowspeeder engagement, open terrain |
| Vergesso Asteroids | Any stage of galactic conquest | 25 percent fighter and bomber damage bonus |
Kuat: The Imperial shipyard world and one of only four planets where capital ships can be built. Holding it cuts Imperial Star Destroyer cost by 25 percent, which makes it the single most valuable planet on the Imperial side of the map.
Mon Calamari: The Rebel counterpart to Kuat and the source of Mon Calamari Cruisers. Losing it removes the Rebels' only real answer to Imperial capital ships, so it is the obvious Imperial target once the war reaches the mid game.
Fresia: The Incom world where the Rebel campaign stages the theft of four X-wing prototypes from an Imperial depot. It is an early campaign objective rather than a late war prize.
Hoth: The ice world, and the ground battle everyone loads the game for. Snowspeeder tow cables are the intended way to bring down AT-ATs here, and the open snow gives walkers a long uninterrupted approach.
Vergesso Asteroids: An asteroid field rather than a planet, and one of the more valuable space holdings because it grants a 25 percent damage boost to fighters and bombers. Carrier heavy fleets get noticeably stronger from one map tile.
See our maps & locations guide for detailed area breakdowns and our walkthrough for the optimal progression path.
Tips That Actually Matter
- Shoot hardpoints, not hulls. Every capital ship carries separate shield generators, engines, turbolasers and hangars, and taking out the shield generator first turns a twenty minute slog into a short fight.
- Kill engines when you want a kill rather than a retreat. An enemy commander who is losing will pull ships out of the battle, and a Star Destroyer with dead engines cannot leave the map with its hull intact.
- Corvettes and Gunships in pairs are the correct answer to an unescorted Broadside Cruiser. They arrive faster than the Broadside can reposition and put out more damage than its shields absorb.
- Tartan Patrol Cruisers exist for one job. If your fleet is losing hardpoints to fighter swarms, you did not bring enough anti fighter escort, and no number of extra Star Destroyers fixes that.
- The Nebulon-B is a support ship, not a warship. It repairs and screens, and sending it to the front line as a second line of hull is one of the most common Rebel mistakes.
- On the ground, reinforcement points decide the battle. Units land where you hold ground, so capturing points near the enemy base is worth more than a favourable trade in the open field.
- Build pads are free strength. Turrets, anti air and bacta stations all come from pads scattered around the map, and a player who claims them fights every subsequent engagement with healing and covering fire the enemy lacks.
- AT-ATs need anti air cover. Airspeeder tow cables bring them down in a way blaster infantry never will, so an Imperial column without AT-AA is one Snowspeeder squadron from losing its heaviest units.
- Playing as the Consortium, corruption is the whole strategy. Defilers spread corruption to planets you do not own, Intimidation strips the owner's bonus, and Black Market upgrades give you equipment your economy alone would never support.
- The mod scene is the main reason the game still holds 97 percent positive reviews after twenty years. Thrawn's Revenge, Awakening of the Rebellion and Empire at War Remake all rebuild the unit rosters and the galactic map, and they install through the Steam Workshop.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Attacking a capital ship's hull instead of its shield generator, which turns every space battle into a much longer fight than it needs to be.
- Leaving Broadside Cruisers unescorted. They outrange most of the fleet and die to the first pair of corvettes that reaches them.
- Sending Rebel infantry against AT-ATs. Standard blaster troops do almost nothing, and the intended counter is airspeeder tow cables or heavy tanks.
- Ignoring build pads in ground battles and then wondering why the defender has turrets, anti air and a bacta station and you have none.
- Playing the Consortium like a conventional faction. Ignoring Defilers and corruption throws away the entire reason the expansion added them.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Empire at War Gold Pack include?
The 2006 base game and the Forces of Corruption expansion in one purchase. Forces of Corruption adds the Zann Consortium, corruption missions, and units such as the Executor Super Star Destroyer, the Eclipse, B-wings, Dark Troopers and TIE Interceptors.
How many factions can you play?
Three: the Galactic Empire, the Rebel Alliance, and the Zann Consortium from Forces of Corruption. Pirates and the Hutts exist on the galactic map as non playable presences rather than sides you can command.
How do you beat AT-ATs?
Airspeeder tow cables, which trip them, or heavy tanks. Standard infantry blaster fire barely scratches them, which is why an Imperial column without anti air support is far more fragile than it looks.
What is corruption in Forces of Corruption?
The Zann Consortium's alternative to conquest. A Defiler corrupts a planet you do not own, after which you can run Racketeering, Piracy, Kidnapping, Intimidation, Bribery, Corrupt Militia, Black Market or Slavery missions on it for credits, upgrades or to strip the owner's planet bonus.
Is Empire at War still worth playing in 2026?
Yes, largely because of mods. Steam reviews sit at 97 percent positive across roughly 26,600 ratings, and projects such as Thrawn's Revenge, Awakening of the Rebellion and Empire at War Remake rebuild the rosters and galactic map through the Workshop.
More STAR WARS Empire at War - Gold Pack Guides
- STAR WARS Empire at War - Gold Pack Best Builds
- STAR WARS Empire at War - Gold Pack Tier List
- STAR WARS Empire at War - Gold Pack Walkthrough
- STAR WARS Empire at War - Gold Pack Beginner's Guide
- STAR WARS Empire at War - Gold Pack Tips & Tricks
- STAR WARS Empire at War - Gold Pack Weapons Guide
- STAR WARS Empire at War - Gold Pack Combat Guide
- STAR WARS Empire at War - Gold Pack Boss Guide
- STAR WARS Empire at War - Gold Pack Maps & Locations
- STAR WARS Empire at War - Gold Pack Crafting Guide
- STAR WARS Empire at War - Gold Pack Classes & Characters
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