Experimental Retrofits exist solely for the Interdictor — (almost) the only reason to take one, frankly — and the Interdictor’s viability scales directly with how many of these you can pack in. Two is better than one, which is why the Suppression Refit is almost always preferred over the Combat Refit.
Superweapons are similarly rare, limited to the Onager and the Starhawk.
Thematically, both slots belong in the same bucket: big, flashy, rules-bending upgrades that can warp the game around them.
Experimental Retrofits
G-8 Experimental Projector
Great card, absolutely worth the points in the right build. Manipulating your opponent’s movement is incredibly strong, especially combined with other control tools like Konstantine, Slicers, or Phylon Tractors.
That said, if I’m only running one Suppression Interdictor, I almost never find room for it — Grav Shift + Scrambler usually win out. In a double-Interdictor fleet, it finds a home, but it’s still niche.
Verdict: Good design, but overpriced for how often it actually makes the cut.
G7-X Grav Well Projector
Great stuff, and even better if you’ve got two. Two well-placed wells can really dictate deployment in ways few other upgrades can. At 2 points, the cost is perfect.
Fun tweak idea: Allow two copies on the same Interdictor. You normally can’t, but wouldn’t it be fun?
Another idea: Allow the token to move at the end of each round, offering counterplay to stuff like Hyperspace Assault and Raddus.
Verdict: Leave as is.
Grav Shift Reroute
Possibly the most fun upgrade in the game. Who doesn’t enjoy moving the battlefield around like a set of toys? It’s interactive, dramatic, and occasionally game-winning.
Verdict: Worth every bit of its current cost, but should realistically be 4 points.
Targeting Scrambler
Perfectly balanced design: exhaust to use, tied to the Interdictor, and powerful but not infinite. It feels like what Point Defense Ion Cannons should have been — strong but limited.
Verdict: Great card, leave it as is.
Superweapons
Orbital Bombardment Particle Cannon (“Red Beam”)
This card is the problem — not the Onager itself. Ignition (Long) is game-breaking by nature, since it undermines one of Armada’s core design pillars: range bands. It’s the same level of distortion as Demo’s old shoot-after-move.
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| Classic T1 Ozzel/Cataclysm shot |
The fact it was cheap, non-unique, and stapled to every Onager just amplified the issue. AMG’s reaction — nerfing the hulls into the ground — was a wild overcorrection. The real fix should have been here.
Verdict: Either make it Ignition (Medium) or jack the cost up to at least 10, ideally 12. That change would then allow the Onager frames to be brought down in cost again.
Superheavy Composite Beam Turbolasers (“Blue Beam”)
Where the fun begins. Potent, scary, and everything you want a “superlaser” to be. The difference is that Ignition (Medium) keeps it grounded.
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| Pretty significant difference |
Verdict: Very good design. At 8 points (+1), it would be fair; it’s strong but not game-breaking.
Magnite Crystal Tractor Beam Array
The opposite of the Onager beams — looks amazing, rarely worth it. Once upon a time, speed-0 shenanigans with Bail made it frightening. Now? Mostly a paperweight.
Verdict: If Blue Beam is 8, this isn’t more than 6. As it stands, not worth taking.
Category Verdict:
Experimental Retrofits are a highlight of Armada’s design: unique, flavorful, and powerful without being busted. They give the Interdictor its reason to exist.
Superweapons are more uneven. The Starhawk’s Magnites ended up overpriced and underwhelming, while the Onager beams went in the opposite direction: mechanically fine in a vacuum, but completely disruptive once bolted to a hull. They show just how dangerous it is to meddle with Armada’s range rules — a little goes a very long way.
Next Up:
Ordnance upgrades — the kingdom of black dice. From External Racks to ACMs to APTs, we’ll see which explosive toys still matter in the age of PDIC and evade 1.5.
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