SPENDING XP

Players can spend Experience Points on five different areas. Of the possibilities below, only Upgrades and Modifications may be purchased with a player’s starting experience points. Unspent points are banked for later.
• Upgrades & Modifications
• Change Ships
• Increase Pilot Skill
• Elite Pilot Talent
• Rebel Pilot Abilities

Upgrades & Modifications

XP Cost = Squad Point Cost
When you spend XP to buy an upgrade or modification, you are securing access to that equipment. All upgrades you have unlocked are available to you when preparing your ship for a mission.You can own more upgrades/abilities than the slots on your player scoresheet and choose which to equip for each mission.
If you want to field multiple copies of a card (such as Proton Torpedoes, or Hull Upgrade), you must buy multiple copies. Upgrades and Elite abilities with “discard this card” effects are reloaded/refreshed for each mission and do not need to be re-purchased with XP after each use.

Changing Ships

XP Cost = 5 XP
Initially, you can only choose between the X-wing and Y-wing. Once you reach Pilot Skill 4, you may also choose between the A-wing, B-wing or HWK-290.
When changing ships, take the scoresheet for the new ship and record all your unlocked upgrades that the new ship can take, along with your kills and missions flown. Any upgrades that cannot be equipped to the new ship can be written on the back, in case you change ships again.
If you wish to change ships again (even back to a ship you had before), you must spend another 5XP.

Increase Pilot Skill

XP Cost = New Pilot Skill Level x2
Must be purchased one level at a time.
XP Cost examples:
PS2 to PS3 will cost (3x2) = 6XP.
PS3 to PS4 will cost (4x2) = 8XP.

Each increase in pilot skill comes with an additional benefit: You gain an additional Elite Pilot Talent icon at Pilot Skill levels 3,5,7, and 9, and an additional ship modification icon at Pilot Skill 4, 6, and 8.
Note that Veteran Instincts does not increase your Pilot Skill for this purpose.

Elite Pilot Talents

XP Cost = Squad Point Cost x2
When you reach Pilot Skill 3, your ship gains an Elite Pilot Talent slot. They are generally better than other upgrades, and you cannot lose Elite Pilot Talents when suffering Eject penalties.
The pilot abilities of existing Rebel pilots may be purchased and equipped as if they were Elite Pilot Talents. These abilities have been renamed for the campaign, for example the Han Solo pilot ability is renamed to Scoundrel's Luck. These pilot abilities are all considered Unique and have a minimum Pilot Skill requirement. Most of them cannot be purchased until your pilot is very experienced.
Unlike upgrades and modifications, you may not own more Elite Pilot Talents than you have slots available and you may not exchange Elite Pilot Talents between missions. Elite Pilot Talents are locked into a slot when they are purchased. The exemption to this rule is when equipping a 0XP Elite Pilot Talent. A pilot is free to replace the 0XP Elite Pilot Talent by buying a new Elite Pilot Talent to fill that slot.

The Elite Pilot Talent Squad Leader may not be purchased; it has a special function in the campaign.