Flying a Starfighter in Star Wars: Squadrons might be a little confusing at first especially during a dog fight, but after a while, it becomes a seamless experience. Enemies during multiplayer and the campaign can be a little persistent so the help of a teammate to shoot em' off might be the safest bet. But when players are fighting solo with no backup, getting a handle on the drifting mechanic can turn a pesky tail into stardust. This guide will break down drifting and the most effective ways to use it.
Starfighters like the X-Wing have the ability to boost beyond set speeds. Boost energy takes some time to recharge after using it, so blasting off every couple of seconds is inefficient. During a boost, players can drift their ship thus making it more effective. Whether it's trying to reach a friend in trouble, or create some distance with an enemy fighter, boosting in a straight line can be dangerous. Drifting can slightly or greatly alter the ship's trajectory to avoid crashing into other obstacles, ships, debris, or quickly spin the ship around and surprise any pursuer.
How to Drift in Star Wars Squadrons
Players can divert the energy within their ships to prioritize different things. There are 3 color-coded meters denoting where the energy is going. The red meter represents energy on weapons, green on shields, and blue on engines. Prioritizing energy on the engine and flying at half speed makes turning a lot easier. Since boosting requires an excessive amount of energy from the engine, maximizing the energy of the engine will make the boost and drift more effective.
Boosting will also last longer if there's more energy focused on the engine. For Xbox and PlayStation players, the boost and drift control are in the exact same place; the left stick. Players might want to adjust this as it might cause some issues. Holding the left stick is for drifting while toggling the left stick is for engaging and disengaging the boost. While attempting to drift, players can't loosen the pressure otherwise the boost might disengage instead of drifting. Enter practice mode and test it out to see if it works. If it doesn't, alter the controller scheme a bit until it fits. For PC players, the default mapping is to boost with Space and drift with Shift. Rolling has no effect on drifting, only Pitching and Yawing so be careful not to move the left stick while holding it down on the console. Yaw left or right for a sudden turn, or Pitch to flip and quickly reverse direction.
Star Wars Squadrons it available on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC.