Star Wars Zero Company Beginner’s Guide: AP, Cover, Advantage and Squad Basics

Updated: August 24, 2026

Status: Pre-release

If Star Wars Zero Company is your first turn-based tactics game, do not worry about building a perfect squad immediately. Your first goal is simpler: keep your Operators safe, spend AP carefully, and make your team’s actions support one another.

The short version

Every Operator normally has 3 Action Points (AP) per turn. You can use AP to move, attack, activate abilities, or set up a better position.

For most early battles, use this order:

Check enemy positions and cover.
Decide which enemy matters most.
Move only as far as you need to.
Attack or use an ability.
Spend the remaining AP on safety, positioning, or Overwatch.

Do not move every Operator forward just because movement is available. In a tactics game, an unused AP is often less costly than ending the turn in the open.

How Action Points work

AP is the basic limit on what each Operator can do during a turn. A move, attack, or ability may use part or all of your available AP depending on the action.

Before confirming an action, ask three questions:

Will this action put the Operator in a safer position?
Does it help finish or disable an important enemy?
What will this Operator do if the enemy survives?

A useful early-game pattern is attack, move, then prepare. For example, an Operator can fire first, move behind better cover, and use a remaining action to prepare for the enemy’s advance.

Do not assume that every turn must end with an attack. Sometimes the correct turn is to move into cover, protect a wounded teammate, or create a reaction zone for the next enemy turn.

Cover is usually more important than one extra shot

Partial and full cover make Operators harder to hit. Cover also affects the chance that your own attacks will connect.

When choosing between two attacks, compare the position you will end in—not just the damage shown on the screen.

A simple cover rule

If you can take a shot from full cover, that is usually safer than taking a slightly better shot while exposed.
If an enemy is protected by cover, look for a way to flank, destroy the protection, push the enemy out, or combine attacks.
If an Operator is already injured, prioritize survival over a low-probability attack.

The exact chance to hit can change with range, cover, weapon, abilities, and other battlefield factors. Treat the number shown by the game as a decision aid, not a promise.

What to do on your first turn

Your first turn should usually be about creating a good second turn.

Step 1: Identify the dangerous enemy

Look for enemies that can deal heavy damage, rush your position, disable a teammate, or remove your cover. You do not always need to attack the enemy with the lowest health.

Step 2: Avoid splitting the squad

Keep your Operators close enough to support one another, but do not place everyone in the same blast or melee range. A squad that is spread too far apart may lose access to Backup or other support options.

Step 3: Move to useful cover

Do not run to the closest cover automatically. Choose cover that gives you a line of sight, protects you from multiple directions, and leaves room for your next move.

Step 4: Focus fire when possible

Removing one enemy is often safer than damaging three enemies and leaving all three able to act. Focus fire also makes your team’s AP more efficient.

Step 5: Finish with a defensive plan

If an enemy is likely to move into your range, use Overwatch. If not, preserve cover and avoid exposing a second Operator just to spend the final AP.

When should you use Overwatch?

Overwatch allows an Operator to fire when an enemy moves through or takes an action inside a selected area. The reaction zone is placed as a cone, and the number of possible shots depends on the AP invested.

Overwatch ends that Operator’s turn, so it is normally best used as the final action.

Good Overwatch situations

An enemy must cross an open area to reach you.
Several enemies are likely to move through the same approach.
You have already used the Operator’s important actions.
You are protecting a wounded teammate or a vulnerable flank.
Another Operator can push an enemy into the reaction zone.

Weak Overwatch situations

The cone covers an area enemies can easily avoid.
Your Operator still needs to move to cover.
The enemy is already in a strong position and will not need to advance.
You are using Overwatch simply because you have AP left.

A shorter cone can offer a better chance to hit, while a wider or longer cone can cover more space. Choose based on what the enemy is likely to do next.

How Advantage works

Advantage is a shared squad resource that builds as your team fights effectively. It can power some of the game’s strongest abilities.

Official examples include abilities that can:

Give an ally an additional AP for the turn
Call in a powerful strike
Improve the squad’s chance to hit
Encourage nearby enemies to target one Operator

You do not need to spend Advantage the moment you receive it. Save it when a stronger ability can change the shape of the battle.

Spend Advantage when it solves a real problem

Good reasons to spend it include:

Finishing a dangerous enemy before the enemy turn
Saving an Operator who would otherwise be exposed
Creating a decisive attack against a protected target
Giving a teammate the extra action needed to complete an objective

Avoid spending a powerful resource for small damage when the same enemy can be handled safely with ordinary attacks.

Backup makes the squad feel like a squad

Backup lets one Operator call on another Operator to fire at the same target. The supporting Operator must be able to see the target, and the shot can still be affected by cover and other combat factors.

Use Backup when:

The first attack can remove cover or soften the target.
The second Operator has a better line of sight.
A teammate has already spent their AP but can still contribute through the support action.
You need to finish a dangerous enemy during the current turn.

Do not use Backup automatically. Check whether the supporting Operator can actually see the target and whether the extra attack is more useful than keeping that Operator available for defense.

Build your team around jobs, not just damage

The game’s eight standard Specializations each bring a different battlefield role:

Assault: frontline pressure
Gunslinger: fast multi-target offense
Heavy: durability and threat absorption
Medic: healing and injury prevention
Scoundrel: flexible opportunistic play
Scout: reconnaissance and setup
Sharpshooter: long-range precision
Soldier: versatile offensive tools

For a beginner squad, try to cover several jobs rather than selecting four Operators who all want the same position. A team with damage, support, a safe long-range option, and someone who can operate near the front is easier to learn.

The best combination may change depending on the mission, terrain, enemy types, and the Operators available in your campaign. This is why a universal “best team” is not reliable before the full release build has been tested.

What to do when someone is injured

An injured Operator is not just a character with lower health. They may be more vulnerable during the next battle and may limit the team’s options if you keep deploying them carelessly.

After a difficult mission:

Check the injured Operator before starting another mission.
Treat injuries through the appropriate base facilities when possible.
Consider using a different Operator while the injured character recovers.
Rebuild the squad around the available roles instead of forcing the same lineup.

Higher difficulties can include harsher consequences, including limited saves and permanent death rules. Confirm the exact settings in the release build before relying on a specific injury strategy.

Five common beginner mistakes

1. Moving everyone before checking the battlefield

You may walk into enemy sight lines or leave no safe position for the rest of the turn.

2. Chasing the highest damage number

A large attack is not useful if it leaves the Operator exposed to the entire enemy squad.

3. Spending every AP on movement

You do not need to use all available space. A safe position is often more valuable than one extra tile—or, in this case, one extra stretch of movement.

4. Using Overwatch without a plan

Overwatch is strongest when you can predict where the enemy must go.

5. Ignoring relationships and support systems

Combat is only one part of Zero Company. Bonds, Cross Training, equipment, and The Den can improve how your Operators work together between missions.

A safe beginner turn routine

When unsure, use this checklist:

Who can hurt my squad the most?
Which enemy can I realistically remove this turn?
Which Operator has the safest angle?
Can I attack without losing cover?
Can Backup or an ability make the attack more reliable?
If the target survives, where will the enemy attack from?
Should my final action be Overwatch or a defensive reposition?

This routine will not solve every mission, but it prevents many avoidable mistakes while you learn the game.

Bottom line

The most important Star Wars Zero Company beginner lesson is simple: plan the enemy’s turn, not just your own.

Use AP to create safe angles, treat cover as part of your attack plan, focus fire on dangerous targets, and spend Advantage when it changes the outcome. Once those habits become natural, the deeper systems—Specializations, Bonds, Cross Training, equipment, and The Den—will be much easier to understand.