--------------------------------- UNOFFICIAL SP.W TIER LIST ---------------------------------

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QAAM –

QAAM Excel at close combat, their turn rate is unmatched and they’re easily capable of picking off players that do not take evasive action. QAAM are also capable of locking onto target not in your view as long as they’re in range of lock-on. The drawback of QAAM is that they have low ammo reserves and a rather long recharge time but their high damage and unmatched accuracy more than makes up for it. Players with QAAM are usually a high threat.

PARTS TO CONSIDER:
Homing 2: - Make your QAAM even more annoying.
SP.W Increase 2: - Allows you to spam QAAM and become a bigger threat
Speed 2: - Makes your QAAM lightning fast.
Missile range2: - Turns your QAAM into an area denier for over 20 seconds, this forces pilots to disengage consistently allowing you or your teammates to secure kills.
Damage 2: Turns QAAM into a one shot powerhouse.


EML –

EML is hands down the strongest SP.W  in the game. It’s capable of shutting someone down from 9k range in a single shot and is a force to be reckoned with. The biggest drawback about EML is that it’s not guided and instead requires manual input. The second drawback is that the shot is a projectile AND NOT hitscan. It’s travel time is extremely fast but you still need to lead shots in order to land them. EML are best used on planes that are extremely mobile. Pitch is more important than Roll, but rolling takes a more prominent role in high speed chases. Generally you want to aim for the NOSE of the enemy craft to secure a kill. For long range kills it’s advised to lead your shots. The best way to counter an EML user is by bringing your own EML, or to have someone firing a QAAM at them and forcing them to disengage. Good EML users are TOP PRIORITY and the most dangerous players that one can encounter.
PARTS TO CONSIDER:

Hitbox+ 2: - A must for any EML build. This makes your shots way more consistent and allows you to get easier flick shots with Post Stall Maneuvers.
Damage+2: - Only used in 2250 and up. Damage+2 ensures your EML will always kill regardless of armor. 2k rooms usually do not have planes with armor.
Superior Mobility 2: - Allows you to keep control over turnfights, essential for EML.

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HCAA –

HCAA are like QAAM’s little brother, except weaker and less accurate. To counter this though, you get a tremendous amount of HCAA and their reload is extremely quick, allowing you to fire them in rapid succession. The easiest way to land your HCAA is by pitching your nose up slightly so that the undercarriage of your plane is angled at about a fifteen degree angle from the opposing craft. The HCAA will have an easier time locking on and securing kills. HCAA are best used in turn fights to either “Scare” the enemy with a missile warning or as a well-timed shot to shutdown flares and take out opposing craft. The Rafale M works especially well with HCAA. A good player will most likely perform better with HCAA than QAAM due to their sheer availability.

PARTS TO CONSIDER:
Damage 2: Turns HCAA into an almost one shot for most craft.
Homing 2: Turns HCAA into QAAM –lites
Speed 2: Makes it far more difficult for people to avoid your HCAA


SASM –
In a 1v1 Situation SASM aren’t very good. What they excel at are chipping off players that are engaged in other turn-fights. The strength of SASM lie in their cluster explosion. This allows you to deal damage to players while not hitting them with your missile in the first place. If the SASM does hit though, it deals extreme damage, most likely instantly killing anything it hits. SASM are also great for jousting battles. The best way to deal with SASM is to keep your speed up and avoid getting tangled up in long lasting turnfights. A SASM player that isn’t engaged in said turn fight can easily shut you down with their rockets.

PARTS TO CONSIDER:
Damage 2: direct hit SASMs instantly kill your opponent.
Speed 2: Allows you to get your SASM faster in the furball, meaning it’ll have a far bigger chance of splashing and hitting.
SP.W Increase 2: Allows you to use SASM full time if desired, replacing your conventional missiles as primary weapon.
Homing 2: Turns their extremely poor homing capabilities into regular missile tier, makes them more viable when you’re in a turn fight yourself.

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PLSL –

PLSL are like EML, except they’re worse. Their travel time is longer and their damage output is lower. To counter this, their RoF is far higher allowing you to spam it. PLSL get shut down completely when used in clouds so be aware of that. The DPS of PLSL is also extremely high, far higher than rockets or the EML. A good pilot will SHRED other aircraft if they are used properly. The best way to counter PLSL is by flying in clouds and in erratic movements, this makes it nearly impossible for the PLSL player to land a hit on you. Just like EML, PLSL are a projectile and not hitscan. If PLSL had a faster projectile speed and didn’t get crippled in clouds they’d be in S tier.

PARTS TO CONSIDER:
Hitbox 2: Makes it easier to land your PLSL shots
Damage 2: Makes your PLSL a 4 shot kill, turning it into a consistent finisher.


SAAM –

SAAM are hands down the best rockets in the game. Their tracking and speed are unrivaled and they will 90% of the time shut down anything that you’ve locked on. The drawback of SAAM is keeping that lock. Unlike any other missile, you need to keep the target in your sights until the rocket actually connects. This is also the SAAM’s biggest drawback. You can be completely shut down out of your kill if you got someone on your tail harassing you. SAAM are best used in a pre-made where the other players function as aggressors.

PARTS TO CONSIDER:
Speed 2: The faster your SAAM hits your target, the sooner you can disengage.
Stealth+: Makes you invisible on your map. The harder you are to find, the easier it’s going to be to keep your lock and land your shots.
Lock-On range 2: Allows you to snipe targets from further away.


LAAM –

Serves the same role as SAAM, except these do not require a constant lock. LAAM are excellent at sniping players and are generally best used on craft with a high top speed. LAAM get faster the longer they travel and will absolutely decimate anything that’s flying slow at long ranges. The biggest drawback of LAAM’s are that they are absolutely useless in close range. They stand no chance hitting aircraft that are actively engaging them and are useless in turn fights. LAAM are best used at long-range and fired at furballs.

PARTS TO CONSIDER:
Speed 2: Makes your LAAM’s absolutely insane when it comes to travel speed and makes their kill rate far higher.
Homing 2: Makes the LAAM home in properly on your target
Damage 2: Turns LAAM into an instant kill weapon.


MGP –

The MGP is exclusive to the Mig 21, which is a top tier airframe in the 2k lobbies and a high tier airframe in the 2250 lobbies. The MGP bolsters the highest DPS in the game out of all weapons even surpassing the PLSL. The drawback of the MGP is that the travel time of the bullets is higher than both the PLSL and the EML, making it harder to use. A skilled pilot can shred anyone with them, but a rookie pilot will have a hard time using these.

PARTS TO CONSIDER:
All gun parts. These buff both the MGP and your Normal guns. If you’re running a MGP setup these are essential to have.

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6AAM –

6AAM are great for crowd control. You can get a lock on plenty of opposing targets and make them scatter by firing rockets at them. They will most likely not hit their targets save for a lucky shot, but they’re good at keeping people on their toes. 6AAM are best used against furballs to shut enemy players down in turn fights. Anyone that is aware of a 6AAM coming their way will most likely avoid it though.

PARTS TO CONSIDER:
Homing 2: Makes your 6AAM more dangerous, people that do not react to them WILL get shot down.
Damage 2: Turns your 6AAM into one kill wonders. Theoretically you could get 6 kills in one go in a BR room


HPAA –

HPAA are what you get if you have regular missiles, slap a damage2 on them and call it a day. They are extremely powerful rockets capable of shutting anyone down. Their drawback is their poor homing and very long reload, the issue with HPAA is that any other missile with a damage 2 mod will make them almost as strong as these and most of the time the other weapons will secure instant kills. HPAA require precision shots in order to work. A skilled pilot can make them work, but there’s better alternatives such as QAAM and HPAA out there.

PARTS TO CONSIDER:
Homing 2: This gives your HPAA a chance to actually hit, makes them viable in turnfights.
Reload 2: Gives your HPAA a decent reload speed allowing you to get more consistent shots out.
Speed 2: Makes your HPAA faster, good for securing shots when you’re chasing people.


4AAM/8AAM –

I’m combining these weapons because their roles are fairly similar. Like 6AAM these rockets are best used as crowd control missiles. They’re best used in furballs, sniping people down and securing kills on unsuspecting aircraft. Players that know what you’re doing will easily be able to avoid your weapons. Scare tactics are your best bet with these rockets.

PARTS TO CONSIDER:
Homing 2: Makes your 4/8AAM more dangerous, people that do not react to them WILL get shot down.
Damage 2: Turns your 4/8AAM into one kill wonders. Good for making them an actual threat.


TLS –

The TLS is in a weird spot. It has a long charge rate and does piss poor damage when it hits. It’s strengths however are that it’s the only hitscan weapon in the entire game and has an extremely long range. The TLS is capable of hitting people at 10k+ range allowing you to pick off people that are already crippled, or severely damaging a normal craft. The issue is that EML does what TLS does except it’s way more capable at doing so. The TLS will remain when you switch back to MSL, allowing you to use both TLS and MSL at the same time. TLS is countered by closing the gap and flying erratically.

PARTS TO CONSIDER:
Hitbox 2: Makes your TLS easier to hit, a must for long range encounters
Damage 2: Makes your TLS deal more damage, TLS’s damage output is a joke and thus needs every bit of it.

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HVAA –

HVAA are like LAAM except worse. Their lock-on range is cut in half and they have issues locking on at close range. Their homing also doesn’t work instantly, instead it first flies out and then starts homing after a second. The last part is what really kills HVAA. If it wasn’t for their poor locking they’d be decent at taking people out. HVAA’s do reach their peak speed faster than LAAM though, and are good at taking out people that fly in a straight line, but at that point any other rocket will work.

PARTS TO CONSIDER:
Damage 2: Turns your HVAA into instant kill rockets.
Homing 2: Makes your HVAA  capable of actually hitting your targets.