As more characters are added to SWGoH, we cannot ignore how older characters are impacted and how the game continues to evolve. Today I start the Best Mods for BT-1, one of Doctor Aphra’s “Murder Droids” in Star Wars Galaxy of Heroes. During my time with Gaming Fans I started the “best mods” series of articles which turned out to be what put the site on the radar of the community and with EA Capital Games. While my days with Gaming Fans are well behind me, I have been writing mod guides like this one since the early days of mods when they were added to SWGoH in 2018. Fortunately, writing these mod guides continues to be a way for me to continue to enjoy Galaxy of Heroes now that I have been playing this game for over a decade. I will seek to keep the same high quality content going as I continue the “best mods in SWGoH” series today with the Best Mods for BT-1.
Today’s character to review is BT-1, an October 2022 addition to Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes who arrived just ahead of the long-awaited debut of Doctor Aphra, forming one of the game’s most sinister and synergy-driven trios. Alongside his homicidal protocol droid counterpart 0-0-0 (Triple-Zero) and the ever-scheming Doctor Aphra, BT-1 thrives as part of a Dark Side powerhouse squad that is tailor-made for Grand Arena success. In Marvel’s Star Wars: Doctor Aphra comics, the trio’s dynamic is as chaotic as it is deadly—Aphra’s morally flexible archaeology often unleashing the brutal efficiency of her two droids on anyone unfortunate enough to cross their path. In SWGoH, BT-1 is a Dark Side Droid Attacker with the Scoundrel tag, and when paired with Doctor Aphra, 0-0-0, and now IG-90 as a powerful lifter unit for the team, this lineup becomes one of the most explosive offensive threats in the game. Let’s take a closer look at the best mods to equip on BT-1 to maximize his impact within this deadly droid-and-Doctor combination.
Note that I have learned that I get a bit wordy in these Best Mods articles, so as a result the TL;DR on mods for BT-1 is below. Also, I added a new(er) format on the recommendations below which I hope will help make these best mods articles easier to decipher.
Main Mod Stats to focus on…
While BT-1’s base Speed of 176 is certainly respectable and could justify a Speed set in other builds, his role alongside Doctor Aphra, 0-0-0 (Triple-Zero), and IG-90 makes raw damage the clear priority. BT-1 already boasts one of the higher Physical Damage stats in the game, and when you factor in that his basic attack hits three times, the value of stacking Offense becomes obvious. Even more impactful is his Blastomech Prototype unique ability, which grants him +100% Offense at the start of battle — a massive boost that scales incredibly well with an Offense mod set. With Aphra orchestrating the chaos and IG-90 elevating the team’s overall output as a lifter unit, BT-1’s job is simple: delete enemies quickly and efficiently. For that reason, a four-piece Offense set with strong Offense % secondaries is the optimal path.
Speed still matters — it always does in SWGoH — and BT-1 gains 5 Speed for each Scoundrel ally, which naturally synergizes with Doctor Aphra’s leadership. Ideally, Aphra opens the battle, Triple-Zero follows (especially if modded for Speed), and applies Torture to an enemy. That sequencing allows BT-1 to immediately target the Tortured foe, triggering Translation stacks that grant +30% Max Health on the first stack and additional Critical Chance on the second. Potency helps ensure his Damage Over Time and Expose debuffs stick, further fueling the team’s control and damage engine. Given how helpful debuffs are for this team, BT-1 is one of those characters where +4% or higher from a secondary mod stat or two could really be helpful. Finally, Critical Chance and Critical Damage amplify the Offense stacking, while added Health and Protection provides needed survivability for a droid who thrives in extended, chaotic encounters — just as he does in the comics when unleashed by Aphra on an unsuspecting galaxy.
Which Mod Sets to use & Dev Recommendations for BT-1
For BT-1, the devs once again hit the nail on the head with their recommended Offense and Critical Chance sets. I have used BT-1 a lot over the years, especially in the focused Territory Battle combat mission on Dathomir, and the Doctor Aphra team can be a solid tool in your SWGoH toolbox. With all of this in mind, here are my recommendations for BT-1:
- Transmitter (Square) – The Transmitter mod always has a primary focus on offense.
- Recommended Mod Type: Critical Chance
- Recommended Secondary Stats: speed, potency, offense and critical chance
- Receiver (Arrow) – The Receiver mod can have a primary focus on several stats including speed, critical avoidance, accuracy, health, protection, defense and offense.
- Recommended Mod Type: Offense mod, Speed focus
- Recommended Secondary Stats: potency, offense and critical chance
- Processor (Diamond) – The Processor is always going to have a primary focus on defense.
- Recommended Mod Type: Offense
- Recommended Secondary Stats: speed, potency, offense and critical chance
- Holo-Array (Triangle) – The Holo-Array is a very specialized mod that can have a primary focus on critical chance, critical damage, health, protection, offense and defense.
- Recommended Mod Type: Offense mod, Critical Damage focus
- Recommended Secondary Stats: speed, potency, offense and critical chance
- Data-Bus (Circle) – The Data-bus mod always has a primary focus on either health or protection.
- Recommended Mod Type: Offense mod, Protection focus
- Recommended Secondary Stats: speed, potency, offense and critical chance
- Multiplexer (Plus) – The Multiplexer (plus or cross) mod can have a primary focus on potency, tenacity, health, protection, defense or offense.
- Recommended Mod Type: Critical Chance mod, Offense focus
- Recommended Secondary Stats: speed, potency, offense and critical chance
BT-1 Mods TL;DR
- Square – CC mod with speed, potency & offense
- Arrow – Offense mod, Speed focus with potency, CC & offense
- Diamond – Offense mod with speed, potency & offense
- Triangle – Offense mod, CD focus with speed, potency & offense
- Circle – Offense mod, Protection focus with speed, potency & offense
- Plus – CC mod, Offense focus with speed, potency & offense