Star Wars Zero Company: Beginner Tips & Tricks Guide

Star Wars Zero Company places the player in the role of Hawks, a commander who leads a team of four operatives throughout different turn-based combat missions. However. there are also many different options and mechanics you will need to get to know to optimize your combat strategy.

If you're looking for some tips and tricks to get you started in Star Wars Zero Company, then this guide has all of the must-know information about combat and turn-based tactics for the game, as well as some handy bonus tips to keep in mind for your general progression.

How Does Combat Work in Star Wars Zero Company?

In Star Wars Zero Company, you lead a squad of four Operators including yourself, each of which you control. There are a number of different class and weapon combinations that you can run, each of which has different skills and attacks that they'll be able to use in combat.

Combat operates on a turn-based structure with every character getting 3 Ability Points (AP) to spend each turn. AP can be used to move, attack, or select a few other combat options, and can be spent in whichever way you'd like. Some attacks and extra-long movements may spend more than one AP at a time, but there are no restrictions on how you use them other than being limited to 3 per turn.

As you complete successful attacks, your squad will gain Advantage, which opens up new powerful special attacks for every operative on your team. There are also important mechanics to remember, such as high ground and flanking, which both increase the chance of you hitting your target. You will also need to keep cover in mind, which can help prevent enemy attacks from hitting you.

Lastly, the injuries mechanic is a crucial part of combat. If a squad member falls to 0 HP in combat, they will receive an injury. Once a squad member has three injuries, they will die permanently - but it is worth mentioning that this setting can be turned on/off at will. However, if you're planning to play with this enabled, tracking damage and preventing injuries is a major priority for running your squad.

Beginner Tips & Tricks For Combat in Star Wars Zero Company

Combat makes up the majority of Star Wars Zero Company, so knowing how to make the most of every encounter can make all of the difference when it comes to progression and preserving the lives of your squadmates. Here's a series of beginner tips and tricks to help you gain an understanding of what to look out for in combat.

Learn How Advantage Works

Advantage is a resource shared between your entire squad. Every time a squad member damages an enemy, you will earn 1 advantage point, which maxes out at 10. Advantage can be used to cast powerful abilities without expending AP, meaning you can also utilize the rest of your actions on your turn as per normal.

If your squad's ultimate costs are low enough, you may be able to fill your advantage pool and then use every character's ultimate on the same turn for a massive wave of damage, cleaning out the remainder of a fight. However, once all points have been consumed, you'll need to deal more regular damage to fill the advantage pool back up. This can be completely clutch, so getting used to tracking advantage points and implementing ultimate abilities into your strategy can go a long way.

Implement Overwatch into Your Strategy

Overwatch is an action that forfeits the rest of your turn to cast a cone-shaped area of effect within your line of sight. On following turns, if an enemy moves or attacks within that cone, you then cast all of your leftover AP to attack them.

This can be hugely powerful when positioning your team around the map and setting up flanks. You can even get really creative with Overwatch and have two cones overlapping into one another, guaranteeing an attack on the enemy's next turn. Or you can use weapons and abilities that provide knockback or displacement to forcibly move an enemy into the Overwatch of one of your allies, setting them up for an attack.

Call For Backup Should Be a Priority Every Time

Call For Backup is an action available to both Hawks and all of their squad members. It costs no AP to use and will initiate assistance from an ally in range on your next attack, enabling a combo. Call for Backup has no effect on your AP usage, plus it increases Bond between the two characters who team up, so it should absolutely be a priority for you to select every time it becomes available.

Run a Squad of Mixed Classes & Weapon Types to Enable More Combat Versatility

There are 8 Standard Classes available to use on your squad characters, as well as 4 Exotic Classes restricted to specific characters. As you have a squad of four including Hawks, you should aim to create a versatile team where each member can specialize in a certain approach, from sniping enemies from afar to flanking for high damage or controlling map space and shutting down the enemy.

Hawks is your player character and is a prerequisite for all missions, so you will need to build the rest of your team around them. I'd recommend a classic 1-2-1 lineup with at least one tanky class, two primary damage dealers (usually a close range or flanker plus a long ranged DPS or sniper), and one support/utility/healing character such as a Medic or Scout.

Each class will have access to a range of different weapons including Blasters, Melee Weapons/Lightsabers, Snipers/Ranged Weapons, and Grenades/Explosives. Each weapon type will cost a different amount of AP depending on how they work.

For example, your Blaster Pistol costs 1 AP per shot, for a maximum of 3 shots per turn at a lower damage and crit rate, whilst the Longarm sniper costs 2 AP per shot but has a much higher damage output in exchange. Keep in mind your personal preferences when it comes to class playstyle and how your weapon may influence this and use it to strategically build your team of 4.

Bonus Tips For General Progression in Star Wars Zero Company

Other than combat, there are also a few tips that you'll want to get the hang of for general mechanics, non-combat

Bonds Are Important for Making Your Characters Stronger

Bond is a mechanic for Hawks' squad that affects character relationships, and therefore, their synergy in combat. Bonds help across lots of things, such as attack synergy, unlocking Focus Points to upgrade the Talents of your squad.

A Bond is held specifically between any two characters on Hawks' squad, rather than the squad as a whole. Once two characters reach a new Bond level, you'll gain the option to use Cross Training. Cross Training enables you to choose from a list of exercise options to enhance mechanics for these Operators such as Overwatch damage, Ability Points, or critical hit chance. At maximum Bond level, Cross Training offers the chance to gain a powerful Passive Ability instead.

However, if your Bond gets too low with an ally, then they can leave your squad/organization. This makes even general decision-making moments between your squad very important, as siding with one character and disagreeing with another too much may just result in them walking away for good.

The Den Acts as Your Main Hub Between Missions

The Den is where you return after every mission, offering facilities that let you further customize your character, try on new clothing/armors, and upgrade your weapons. You can chat with various characters and squad mates around the Den to unlock new intel and side missions. And then of course, you can heal your squad injuries at the Medbay - a key to avoiding permadeath.

between your tactical combat missions, you can also run Operations from the HoloTable in the Denn. These cost Intel to begin (obtained via your combat missions will provide some handy resources upon completion such as Weapon Mods and, as well as potential story developments and outcomes.

The Clock is Always Ticking - Prioritize Your Missions!

In Star Wars Zero Company, everything takes time, and time continues moving. Completing a mission advances the 'cycle', with a limit on one mission per cycle. Both Missions and Operations expire after a certain number of cycles have passed, meaning you will lose access to those progressions and rewards.

Healing injuries also consumes cycle time, so you will need to keep a close eye on things and evaluate which missions are worth doing and when. Furthermore, if you need to badly heal a squad member but you have a mission expiring, you'll need to weigh up which is more crucial, or adjust your team accordingly.

It is very unlikely that you will have enough intel to complete everything that the HoloTable offers, so missions are always going to be a matter of personal preference, or the dependencies they rely on. Some need to be unlocked via chatting to your comrades, while others also require a certain Operator to be assigned in order to be eligible for completion.

That's everything you need to know about Star Wars Zero Company in order to get started! Good luck on your missions out there in the galaxy, commander!