How to win at Force Arena
Every match is a race to break the enemy's defenses while protecting your own. These are the habits that win games, plus the numbers behind era bonuses and leader picks, pulled straight from the game data.
The core habits
- Kill the enemy leader, then push. While their leader waits to respawn, they have their weakest defense. Send everything at a turret right away. Several leaders also get bonuses when an enemy leader dies.
- When your leader dies, defend. Pull back toward your own turret until you respawn. A turret plus a few units holds far better than units alone.
- Defend first, then counter. Units that survive a fight at your turret walk forward as a free push, because your opponent just spent their energy attacking.
- Keep a cheap card in hand. Holding one card that costs 2 or less means you can always answer a surprise push.
- Put a tank in front. High-health or shielded units soak turret fire while your ranged units shoot from behind.
- Aim your support cards. Air strikes and grenades are worth the most on a clump of units or a leader standing still. Don't throw them at one trooper.
1v1 tips
- Your leader is your main defender, so leader health matters more. Tanky leaders like Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker and Anakin Skywalker are the most forgiving.
- No one covers your gaps, so every deck needs a tank, splash damage for swarms and a way to hit turrets.
- Fragile leaders like Cassian Andor, Poe Dameron and Supreme Leader Snoke get run over by melee leaders. Play them in 2v2.
2v2 tips
- Split jobs. One player holds the front with a tanky leader, the other brings ranged damage or support.
- Stack effects. A stun from one partner followed by an air strike from the other wins fights.
- Call your pushes. Two players attacking the same turret at once breaks it far faster than two separate pushes.
Era set bonuses
Each card belongs to an era. Run 4 or more cards from your leader's era (your leader counts) and you get a bonus that grows with each extra matching card, up to all 8. Each extra card adds a small amount, so pick cards for what they do first and use the era to break ties.
| Era | Bonus | 4 cards | 8 cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Galactic Empire | Leader skill cooldown reduced | 11% | 15% |
| Separatists | Energy recovery rate increased | 4% | 8% |
| First Order | Leader respawn time reduced | 6% | 18% |
| Rebel Alliance | Enemy unit damage to your turrets reduced | 6% | 10% |
| Galactic Republic | Squad unit attack increased | 4% | 8% |
| Resistance | Damage your units take reduced | 8% | 12% |
Generic support cards (stun grenades and the like) belong to Light Side or Dark Side, not an era, so they don't count toward the bonus.
Reading a matchup
| If they play | Answer with |
|---|---|
| Swarms (Talz Army, B1 droids, troopers) | Splash damage: grenadiers, Sandtrooper, X-Wing or TIE Fighter strafes, flamethrowers |
| Droids and vehicles (tech units) | Rocket Stormtrooper, Rebel Demolitionist, Chopper, Rex, Ion Mine, Resistance Grenadier |
| Big organic units | High single-target damage (ARC Trooper, snipers) or steal them with Ben Kenobi or Rey's Mind Trick |
| Fast melee leaders diving your back line | A stun grenade, a sturdy unit like Wookiee Warrior beside your shooters, or a taunt Unique if your leader has one (Chewbacca for Han, K-2SO for Cassian, Fifth Brother for Seventh Sister) |
| Turtling at their turret | Units that outrange turrets: Dressellian Sniper, Rocket Stormtrooper, Rebel Demolitionist |
Leader pairs worth knowing
Some leaders get a bonus from one specific card. Build around these and the deck almost plays itself.
| Leader | Paired card | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Luke Skywalker | Ben Kenobi | When Ben falls, Luke deals more damage and takes less |
| Baze Malbus | Chirrut Îmwe | Baze attacks faster while Chirrut lives |
| Hera Syndulla | Chopper | Deploying Chopper boosts energy and skill recharge |
| Grand Admiral Thrawn | Governor Pryce | Pryce follows Thrawn and refunds energy |
| Agent Kallus | Yogar Lyste | Lyste follows Kallus and speeds up nearby organics |
| Padmé Amidala | Captain Typho | Typho follows Padmé and reduces her damage taken |
| General Hux | First Order Officer | Summons riot troopers when Hux uses his skill |
| Cad Bane | Aurra Sing | Aurra targets whoever is attacking Cad Bane |
| Moloch | Rebolt & Syke | Speeds up Moloch's Corellian Hound deployment |
Each Unique card can only be used with its own leader. See Leaders and Uniques.
See what's winning right now. The best counters change as players adapt. The SWFAR Facebook group is where players share the decks and tricks beating them this week.