In the turn-based strategy game Star Wars Zero Company, developed by Bit Reactor and Electronic Arts, players step into the boots of mercenary Tesh Hawks. Set against the backdrop of the Clone Wars, your mission is to lead a diverse band of warriors and former criminals against the Infinite Coil. Success in this galaxy-spanning conflict relies heavily on your ability to manage your squad, recruit the right operatives, and optimize their builds. This guide covers the fundamentals of operator management and the most effective specializations for your crew.
Understanding Operators: Authored vs. Custom
When building your team, you will encounter two distinct types of operators. Understanding their roles is the first step toward victory.
Authored characters are integral to the game's narrative. These individuals are unique, coming with their own specific sets of talents and perks that cannot be found elsewhere. They are often the backbone of your tactical operations.
Custom characters, by contrast, are recruited via the terminal in your Den. This category includes a variety of humanoid options as well as specialized Astromech Droids. While they lack the narrative depth of authored characters, they provide the flexibility needed to fill specific gaps in your squad's capabilities.
Universal Talents and Specializations
For custom characters, your build philosophy should revolve around the default and universal talents available to them. These passive and active abilities define how your units interact with the battlefield:
- A Life of Labor (passive): Increases health, defense, melee damage, and critical hit damage.
- Anticipation (action): Grants a stack of evasion.
- Built-in Comlink (action): Exclusive to Astromech Droids, this allows them to grant action points to allies.
- Cold-Blooded (action): Provides a stack of vicious, ensuring a critical hit.
- Espionage (passive): Increases intel gained upon mission completion.
- Fortitude (passive): Boosts defense when the operative is injured.
- Grit (action): Applies stacks of invulnerability.
- Sabotage (action): Detonates an explosive object on the battlefield.
- Taunt (action): Taunts a target and reduces its incoming damage.
- The Bigger They Are (passive): Deals bonus damage against elite and boss enemies.
- Thievery (passive): Grants bonus credits upon mission completion.
Specializations function as the classes or archetypes of the game. You can choose from eight options: Assault, Gunslinger, Heavy, Medic, Scoundrel, Scout, Sharpshooter, and Soldier. While characters start with a default specialization, you can freely change and refund points, and eventually, you will be able to select a second specialization to further refine your build.
Optimizing Your Main Character: Tesh Hawks
As the protagonist, Tesh Hawks will be present in the vast majority of your missions. Their unique talent, Fearless Leader, increases the assist damage and defense of all other operators. Because Hawks is a constant presence, their build should be tailored to complement the roles of your other teammates.
For those looking to focus on support, the Medic specialization allows Hawks to boost the health and damage of allies while increasing healing output. If you need to trigger ultimate abilities more frequently, the Scout specialization is highly recommended as it generates more advantage points in battle. Alternatively, because the dedicated Sharpshooter character is only recruited late in the campaign, Hawks can effectively fill the sniper role for the earlier portions of the game.
Character Spotlights and Build Suggestions
Trick / CT-3301
A former clone trooper turned mercenary, Trick is a resilient combatant. His unique talent, For My Brothers, allows him to self-revive at full health once per mission if downed. The upgraded version of this perk even prevents an injury on the first knockdown. His default Soldier specialization is excellent for early-game area-of-effect damage, particularly through the Rocket Strike ultimate. For a secondary specialization, pairing him with the Heavy class provides the health and defense needed to survive on the front lines.
Kabbney “Kabb” Uppercut
Kabb is a Felshi who brings raw offensive power to the team. His unique talent, Uppercut, allows him to rush an enemy and knock them backward; if the enemy is defeated, all action points used for the skill are refunded. To maximize Kabb, a hybrid build focusing on Heavy and Soldier is ideal. Use Heavy perks like Conditioning, Unstoppable, and Bulwark for survivability, and Soldier perks like Strength and Brutal Strike to maximize his melee damage.
Jae Mordant
Joining after Cycle 3, the ruthless baroness Jae Mordant specializes in finishing off wounded enemies. Her unique talent, Final Shot, allows her to eliminate low-health targets after an ally has attacked. Her default Assault specialization is potent due to the guaranteed-hit Sweeping Salvo ultimate. We recommend adding the Gunslinger specialization to her build to access the Keen Eye perk, which significantly boosts her critical hit chance.
Tel-Rea Vokoss
Tel-Rea is a unique case because she does not use the standard specialization system. Instead, she progresses from a Padawan to a Wayseeker. Her unique talent, Strong With the Force, provides harmony stacks that improve lightsaber attacks and deflection. As a Padawan, prioritize Padawan Training for critical hit chance and Force Push for crowd control. Once she becomes a Wayseeker, leveling up Force Pull allows you to manipulate enemy positioning, setting them up for massive area-of-effect damage.
Cly Kullervo
This Mandalorian joins your team at the start of Cycle 13. Her unique talent, Combat Jump, allows for high mobility using her jetpack. As a Warrior, she excels with electricity-based abilities. Max out Electroweb Dart to reduce its advantage point cost, then pair her with the Scout specialization. This allows you to use Tactical Timing and Combat Recon to generate advantage points, enabling you to tag multiple enemies with Electroweb Dart before detonating them with Electroweb Surge.
Luco Bronc
Recruited during the Casualties of War missions, the Umbaran sniper Luco Bronc benefits from his unique talent, Combat Gas, which increases ranged damage and hit chance. His default Sharpshooter specialization is strong, but adding the Scoundrel specialization allows you to pick up the Instinct and Never Play Fair passives, which improve armor penetration and assist damage, respectively.
Conclusion
Building your squad in Star Wars Zero Company requires a balance of character-specific talents and versatile specializations. By understanding the roles of each operative—whether it is the crowd-control capabilities of Tel-Rea or the area-of-effect dominance of Trick—you can craft a team capable of overcoming the Infinite Coil. For more information, visit the official guide on the Epic Games Store.
FAQ
Can I change my operator's specialization later?
Yes. You can freely change and refund the points you have allocated to specializations. Later in the game, you will also gain the ability to select a second specialization for your characters.
Are all operators recruited at the start of the game?
No. While some characters like Trick and Kabb join at the start, others like Jae Mordant and Cly Kullervo are recruited throughout the campaign as you complete specific cycles and missions.
Do Astromech Droids have unique specializations?
The published sources confirm that custom characters, which include Astromech Droids, have access to universal talents like Built-in Comlink, but the provided text does not explicitly detail if they are restricted from any of the eight standard specializations. Refer to the in-game terminal for specific recruitment options.