Star Wars Zero Company Best Squad Composition
The best pre-launch squad is a four-Operator team with four different jobs: finish priority targets, control the board, hold dangerous space, and recover from a bad exchange. That remains more reliable than stacking four damage roles, because Tactical Missions give every Operator three Action Points and the enemy acts after the whole squad has committed.
This is a pre-release recommendation, not a final tier list. Star Wars Zero Company releases on August 27, 2026, so exact ability ranks, mission tuning, and late-game builds still need release-version testing. The role identities and core mission rules below are based on EA's public gameplay information; specific ability interactions from previews are treated as tentative.
Best overall squad composition
| Squad position | Recommended class | Main job | Why it belongs here | | --- | --- | --- | | Damage | Gunslinger or Sharpshooter | Remove a priority target | One brings chained multi-target pressure; the other gives dependable long-range focus. | | Control | Scoundrel or Jedi Padawan | Create an opening | Set up follow-up attacks, displace enemies, or break a defensive position. | | Frontline | Heavy or Soldier | Hold the line | Protect a lane, occupy the objective, and stop the team from being forced out of cover. | | Support | Medic or Scout | Sustain or information | Recover from pressure, improve a key turn, or reveal the safer next angle. |
For a stable all-purpose team, start with Heavy, Medic, Scout, and Gunslinger. Heavy gives the squad a place to anchor. Medic reduces the cost of a bad exchange. Scout helps the team decide where to commit. Gunslinger converts softened targets into a strong finish. If a map has long sightlines and one dangerous elite, swap Gunslinger for Sharpshooter.
Best beginner squad
Heavy + Soldier + Medic + Scout is the most forgiving recommendation for a first campaign. It has two Operators who can work near the objective, one clear recovery plan, and one role focused on reconnaissance and timing.
- Start turns by identifying the enemy that can most easily break your cover.
- Let Heavy or Soldier take the safer forward lane; do not send both ahead without Medic coverage.
- Use Scout to avoid committing the whole squad to an unsafe angle.
- Keep Medic's next action available for the Operator who has to expose themselves to finish the objective.
This team will not always produce the fastest clear, but it is more likely to survive unfamiliar maps and protect a campaign roster.
Fundamentals starter alternative
Assault + Scoundrel + Heavy + Medic is a second beginner-friendly template. Assault supplies direct pressure, Scoundrel prepares a follow-up, Heavy anchors the team, and Medic protects the run when that first exchange becomes messy. Choose this version when you want to learn the four jobs through one deliberate turn sequence: create an opening, finish the target, hold the lane, then preserve the squad.
It is more aggressive than the Heavy + Soldier + Medic + Scout starter. Do not treat it as a replacement: use the stable team on unfamiliar maps, and use this fundamentals team when you want to practice setup-and-burst play from safe cover.
Best offensive squad
Assault + Gunslinger + Scoundrel + Medic is the pre-launch aggressive template. Assault creates short-range pressure and flank opportunities; Scoundrel prepares a target; Gunslinger turns low-health targets into a rapid offensive sequence; Medic makes the risky damage turn less fragile.
Use it when the map has routes to flank and the mission rewards removing several enemies quickly. Do not use it as an excuse to end every turn exposed. Build the attack around cover, then leave at least one safe answer—healing, an Overwatch lane, or a protected retreat—for the enemy phase.
Best defensive squad
Heavy + Sharpshooter + Scout + Medic is the recommended defensive template. Heavy owns the safest forward position while Sharpshooter removes the target that threatens the formation. Scout supplies information and set-up; Medic protects the long campaign value of the squad.
This composition is strongest when you can make enemies cross open lanes or approach an objective on predictable routes. Favor cover, elevation, and Overwatch placement over rushing for another low-value target.
Best squad for permanent-death pressure
On Standard difficulty, EA says three Injuries lead to permanent death. For a cautious run, use Heavy + Medic + Scout + Sharpshooter.
The goal is not to avoid every fight. It is to prevent one mistake from becoming a second Injury:
- Keep the frontline near a route that Medic can reach.
- Let Scout check the next commitment before the entire team advances.
- Use Sharpshooter to remove the enemy most likely to force an exposed rescue.
- Save Advantage for the turn where it prevents a downed Operator, secures an objective, or stops a dangerous advance.
If an Operator is downed, they cannot act until rallied. Treat the next turn as a rescue puzzle: protect the rally space first, then recover the normal damage plan.
Best classes for each squad role
| Role | Primary options | Pick it when… | | --- | --- | --- | | Damage | Assault, Gunslinger, Sharpshooter | You need flanks, chained kills, or long-range priority damage. | | Control | Scoundrel, Jedi Padawan | You need a prepared follow-up, enemy displacement, or a better line of attack. | | Frontline | Heavy, Soldier | The mission needs someone to hold space, absorb pressure, or offer flexible close-range answers. | | Support | Medic, Scout | The team needs recovery, buffs, information, or better timing. |
Jedi Padawan is an exotic, story-linked role in public preview material. Build the standard four-role foundation first, then use it as a replacement for control when the mission and available Operator support it.
Operator and class synergies
- Scoundrel + Sharpshooter: prepare or mark a priority target, then convert that opening into a protected precision attack.
- Medic + Gunslinger: apply a support effect before a turn that is intended to deliver several shots or chained eliminations.
- Heavy + Scout: secure a safe lane before the Scout asks the team to commit to a new angle.
- Heavy + Assault: let Heavy secure the forward lane while Assault takes the flank only when the team can still protect the new position.
- Scout + Sharpshooter: use Scout to improve the next commitment and target choice, then let Sharpshooter work from the safest available firing lane.
- Assault or Jedi control + Overwatch: force movement through a protected firing lane instead of chasing each enemy separately.
- Soldier + Medic: a flexible forward Operator becomes safer when the team can immediately recover a difficult exchange.
Preview skills and exact values can change. The durable principle is sequence: setup happens before the damage Operator spends their limited Actions.
Bonds and squad composition
EA confirms that Operators build Bonds through activities such as Operations, Tactical Missions, and Calling for Backup. Increasing a Bond gives both Operators access to Cross Training for permanent combat-stat bonuses, while Focus Points support Operator upgrades.
Keep a consistent core long enough to learn its turn order and develop those relationships. Rotate a substitute when a mission needs a distinct answer, but do not rotate the whole roster every deployment unless Injuries or availability force you to. A reliable pair—such as a frontline Operator and Medic, or Scoundrel and Sharpshooter—usually gains more from repetition than from constant rearranging.
How Hawks affects your team
Hawks is required in story missions, according to EA's official Q&A. In skirmish missions, you can choose any combination of Operators. That makes Hawks a planning constraint rather than an automatic team role: choose the other three members to cover what Hawks does not provide for the current mission.
If Hawks is built for forward pressure, add recovery and safe ranged damage. If Hawks is built for support or control, bring a frontline and a dependable finisher. Never assume every favorite Operator can be fielded in a story mission.
Mission-specific recommendations
| Mission problem | Adjust the squad toward | Reason | | --- | --- | --- | | Long sightlines and a dangerous elite | Sharpshooter + Scout | Safer target selection and dependable range. | | Tight objectives with many routes | Heavy + Medic | A stable objective holder and a recovery plan. | | Several weak enemies | Gunslinger + setup support | A chained turn becomes more valuable when targets can be softened. | | Unknown map or unclear enemy mix | Scout + Soldier | Information plus a flexible answer to close- and medium-range pressure. | | Injured roster | Heavy + Medic + safe damage | Reduce exposure until the Medbay and roster recover. |
Operations and Tactical Missions have limited windows on the Holotable. Before deploying, check the objective, available Operators, and whether the reward solves an actual roster need rather than simply choosing the class you use most often.
Squad composition mistakes
- Bringing four damage roles with no recovery or control plan.
- Sending the frontline beyond rally or Medic range.
- Treating Scout as optional on an unfamiliar, high-risk mission.
- Spending all Advantage on damage before an exposed teammate is safe.
- Ignoring Bond pairs that already work well together.
- Keeping the same team for a mission that clearly demands a different answer.
Best squad FAQ
What is the best overall team?
For a pre-release all-purpose recommendation: Heavy, Medic, Scout, and Gunslinger. Replace Gunslinger with Sharpshooter when a mission is about one high-value enemy at long range.
How many Operators can I bring?
The standard squad can have up to four Operators, although EA says some missions can include additional controlled characters.
Is a Medic required?
No class is universally mandatory, but Medic is the safest support choice when Injuries, unfamiliar maps, or permanent-death pressure make a bad exchange costly.
Can I use story and custom Operators together?
Yes. EA describes both Authored and Custom Operators in the same company. Use the available character's role and current mission need, not whether they were recruited or joined through the story.
Can I bring a custom-only squad in Skirmish?
Yes. EA says Skirmish missions can use any combination of Operators, while story missions require Hawks. A four-Custom-Operator team is therefore a mode-specific experiment, not a replacement for a story-mission squad. Multiple Astromechs are also a specialist variant to test after release rather than a default best-team recommendation.
Will these teams change after launch?
Yes. Revisit this guide once the final ability text, difficulty tuning, weapon mods, and late-game combinations can be tested on the released build.
Sources and release status
Core squad limit, Hawks deployment, authored/custom Operators, Bonds, Cross Training, Advantage, cover, Injuries, and mission systems are based on EA's Lead Zero Company to Victory and Answering the Internet’s Biggest Questions. Class-pairing examples are informed by the supplied class-guide material and preview coverage; they should be validated again after the August 27, 2026 release.