What this guide confirms
Star Wars Zero Company calls its combat classes Specializations. EA currently lists eight standard Specializations: Assault, Gunslinger, Heavy, Medic, Scoundrel, Scout, Sharpshooter, and Soldier. Each has an Ultimate, a Standard Ability, and a Passive that define its role.
The game and its public materials have been evolving ahead of release. This page treats EA's gameplay overview and official Q&A as the source of truth. Preview-reported skill names, exact ranks, and the still-unannounced fourth exotic Specialization are useful planning context, but are marked as preview information rather than final rules.
How to choose a class
A strong four-Operator team needs jobs, not four copies of the same damage pattern. In a Tactical Mission, each Operator has three Action Points, so a class is valuable when it creates a better next action for the squad: holding a dangerous lane, opening a flank, keeping a teammate alive, or removing a priority enemy.
| Squad need | Standard Specializations to consider | First question to ask | | --- | --- | --- | | Front line and space | Heavy, Assault, Soldier | Who can safely hold the objective or draw pressure? | | Reliable damage | Sharpshooter, Gunslinger, Assault | Which target must disappear this turn? | | Setup and control | Scoundrel, Scout | How can we improve the next ally's attack or angle? | | Sustain | Medic | What happens when the first exchange goes wrong? |
Most Operators can change to another standard Specialization through Personnel at The Den. That makes an early role problem a reason to adjust, not a reason to restart a campaign. Keep a stable core long enough to build Bonds, then change a role only when you can name the gap it fills.
The eight standard Specializations
Assault — mobile close-range pressure
EA describes Assault as a frontline fighter that maneuvers into medium- and close-range kills against enemies in cover. Use Assault when a mission rewards flanks, short routes to an objective, and pressure on exposed targets. The public preview highlights Bull Rush as a displacement tool and Sweeping Salvo as a broad attack; treat their final effects and upgrades as subject to the release build.
Best fit: a player who wants to create openings through movement, with a teammate ready to cover the new angle.
Gunslinger — chained blaster offense
Gunslinger specializes in multi-target blaster attacks and fast strikes. It is strongest after the rest of the squad has softened several enemies or cleared its firing lanes. Preview coverage discusses a kill-driven Action Point refresh and an Open Fire Ultimate, which makes target order more important than raw positioning alone.
Best fit: a player who can plan a turn around reachable, low-health targets rather than firing at the nearest enemy.
Heavy — the defensive anchor
Heavy is the armored frontline Specialist: built to survive pressure and operate where lighter Operators would be unsafe. Use a Heavy to hold space, absorb attention, and make the rest of the squad's cover positions more secure. Preview reporting names Bulwark and retaliation tools; use those details as a build direction, not a promise of final values.
Best fit: a new squad that needs a stable center before it adds more aggressive roles.
Medic — recovery and team amplification
Medic heals, helps prevent Injuries, and boosts teammates. On Standard difficulty, three Injuries cause permanent death, so the Medic's value is not only health recovery—it is preserving a campaign's reliable Operators. Preview coverage calls out Combat Stim as a useful pairing for repeated-shot turns, especially Gunslinger turns.
Best fit: any team whose plan becomes fragile after one Operator is focused or downed.
Scoundrel — setup, disruption, and assists
Scoundrel is the opportunist: it turns an enemy's bad position into a squad opening. Rather than measuring the class only by its own damage, look for how it creates a guaranteed or stronger follow-up. Preview material highlights Identify Weakness and assist-oriented effects, making this a natural partner for a teammate who can immediately exploit a marked target.
Best fit: players who enjoy sequencing two or three Operators around one important enemy.
Scout — information and Advantage generation
Scout is the reconnaissance Specialist. Its value lies in safe information, better timing, and opportunities for the whole squad. Preview material points to Combat Recon and an Ambush Ultimate that spends Advantage; that pairs well with a team that generates Advantage while retaining safe sightlines.
Best fit: unfamiliar maps, complex objectives, and squads that need help deciding where the next turn should happen.
Sharpshooter — priority-target precision
Sharpshooter is the long-range marksman, focused on identifying and eliminating a chosen high-value target. Build a lane, protect the firing position, and use this role to remove the enemy that would otherwise break your formation. Preview coverage lists Zero In, Overwatch support, and a high-reliability Precision Shot as the class's identity.
Best fit: maps with long sightlines and teams that can reveal, mark, or hold targets in place.
Soldier — flexible close-to-medium offense
Soldier is the adaptable offensive Specialist, able to contribute with blaster fire, melee, grenades, and powerful area damage at close to medium range. It is a useful answer when a squad needs an all-rounder rather than another narrow specialist. Preview information associates the role with Brutal Strike and a Rocket Strike Ultimate.
Best fit: a first roster or mission plan that needs damage, utility, and a backup answer in one slot.
Exotic Specializations: treat public details carefully
Exotic roles are tied to particular story characters or droid types rather than serving as standard recruit choices. EA's official material introduces Tel-Rea Vokoss as a Jedi Padawan and Cly Kullervo as a Mandalorian warrior; the following restrictions and ability names come from public preview coverage.
| Exotic role | Publicly associated Operator | Planning use | | --- | --- | --- | | Jedi Padawan | Tel-Rea Vokoss | Force-based control, displacement, and lightsaber pressure; preview reports this as a locked role. | | Mandalorian Warrior | Cly Kullervo | Mobility and skirmishing built around Mandalorian gear; preview reports the role is character-exclusive. | | Astromech | Custom droids | Support-focused droid role with utility and potential Action Point support in preview materials. | | Fourth exotic | Not announced | Do not build a roster plan around it until EA publishes its identity and availability. |
The useful rule is not to reserve a whole squad slot for an unknown exotic. Give the current team front-line safety, damage, setup, and recovery first; then let an exotic role replace the job it genuinely improves.
Synergies worth planning around
These are tactical recommendations, not mandatory recipes. Test them against the final ability text and your current equipment.
- Scoundrel + Sharpshooter: use setup or a marked target to make a precision follow-up more reliable.
- Medic + Gunslinger: apply a teammate buff before a multi-shot or chained offensive turn.
- Heavy + Scout: let the Heavy secure a safe line while the Scout gathers information or creates the next angle.
- Assault or Jedi control + Overwatch: use movement or displacement to force enemies through a protected lane rather than chasing every target.
- Soldier + flexible support: use Soldier when the mission needs both area pressure and a fallback close-range answer.
Four starter squad patterns
| Pattern | Suggested roles | Why it works | | --- | --- | --- | | Stable first team | Heavy, Medic, Scout, Gunslinger or Soldier | Safety, information, recovery, and flexible damage. | | Priority-target team | Heavy or Assault, Scoundrel, Sharpshooter, Medic | Setup enables a protected precision finish. | | Aggressive flank team | Assault, Gunslinger, Scout, Medic | Multiple angles and burst damage, with healing to cover a risky exchange. | | Flexible mission team | Soldier, Heavy, Scout, Medic | Forgiving when the objective, map, or enemy group is unfamiliar. |
If Hawks is required for a story mission, as EA's Q&A explains, make the other three slots answer the mission's immediate problem. Do not force a favorite class into every map if it leaves the team without recovery, a safe objective holder, or a way to hit priority targets.
Build and roster priorities
- Keep a consistent core together to grow Bonds and earn Focus Points.
- Use Cross Training after you understand the pair's job; it should fix a clear weakness, not erase role differences.
- The official roster begins with room for seven Operators and can grow to 20, so recruit to cover actual availability or Injury pressure.
- Choose weapon and Utility changes around the role you need. EA lists Longarm, Repeater, Rifle, and Pistol as the four weapon types.
- Recheck any preview-only rank, AP, Advantage, or damage claim in the release version before spending scarce upgrades.
Sources and status
The standard Specialization names, their high-level roles, three-Ability structure, The Den, roster, Bonds, Cross Training, weapons, four-Operator squad limit, Advantage, cover, and Injury rules are based on EA's Lead Zero Company to Victory and Answering the Internet’s Biggest Questions. Preview ability names, exotic constraints, and example combinations are cross-referenced with Hack the Minotaur's class guide and the supplied Every Class Explained video. Treat preview-only details as subject to change.