There isn't a single kid who grew up with Star Wars that didn't dream of piloting an X-Wing or Tie Fighter. While various games have offered this freedom, none have done it with the level of fidelity and depth found in Star Wars: Squadrons. And, unlike the aerial gameplay found in 2017's Star Wars: Battlefront II, the combat in Squadrons isn't arcade-y. To the contrary, it's a nuanced flight sim, so here are some tips to you get started.
Start With Story Mode
As soon Star Wars: Squadrons begins, the game thrusts the player into the cockpit of a Tie Fighter, shortly after the destruction of Alderaan. After this first mission, you have the choice to continue the campaign or hop right into multiplayer matches. While tantalizing, the mechanical depth in Squadrons means that heading directly to multiplayer is an exercise in disaster.
By playing through at least a few story mode missions before heading online, you'll become better acquainted with the ins and outs of your fighter. This mode will feed you mechanics and ideas at a good pace that will familiarize you with subsystems that are essential for success online.
Learn to Divert Power and Keep a Cool Head
One of the most intensive aspects of Squadrons' moment-to-moment gameplay is the power system. Pilots can divert power to various parts of their ship, including the engines, the weapons systems and the shields, depending on which ship is being flown. The uses of this are situational, and allocating power to one facet leaves another weakened. It can be incredibly overwhelming, as the frantic pace of gameplay necessitates that power is always being directed and redirected at a moment's notice.
Story mode will help develop a sense of what situation necessitates power being allocated to where, but in the heat of a dogfight, sometimes that isn't enough. The trick is to stay calm and focus on the immediate surroundings. Successfully diverting power can get you out of a lot of tricky spots. On the most basic level, when pursuing an enemy fighter, divert to the weapons. In most maneuver-based cases, divert to the engines. Considering that some ships don't even have the option to divert to shields, this is more situational. However, mastering the weapons and engine power redirection is a fundamental part of gameplay.
Stay With Your Squadron
Flying solo is not a good idea; teamwork is absolutely essential. One-on-one dogfights are often long, intense engagements. This makes them rather fun, but also leads to enemy pilots just banding together to vaporize ships more efficiently.
As such, stay near your teammate's wing. If a teammate is gunning for a fighter, join them and make short work of the opposition. If a teammate is being pursued, barrage the pursuer. Considering that both of the game's multiplayer modes hinge on efficiently maximizing kills while minimizing casualties, learning to fly together is a must. Utilizing the game's lock-on system smartly make flying together much easier.
Practice Evasive Maneuvers
Considering that Squadrons is more of a simulator than an arcade experience, there is no dedicated button for a maneuver like the barrel roll or U-turn -- this isn't Star Fox. Any tricks have to be performed manually. This requires learning to do things such as throttling down to make sharp turns and combining boosts with rolls to navigate around hazards not only to avoid crashing but to shake enemy tails.
This is fundamental to defensive play, but offensive play as well. A core element of dogfighting is locking onto enemy ships to deploy missiles. However, this requires keeping the ship in your sights for a prolonged period of time, which mandates precise handling and sharp maneuvering. An excellent tip for missiles is to outmaneuver the opponent and get in front of them before firing the missiles, as avoiding forward attacks is much harder, allowing you to apply more pressure. Squadrons' practice mode is an excellent place to polish up your flying, as it has a timed obstacle course set in the rubble of a Star Destroyer. Mastery over evasive maneuvers is an essential part of Star Wars: Squadrons.