Star Wars Zero Company Devs Answer the Biggest Questions From the Community

A few months ago, after releasing the Star Wars Zero Company Gameplay trailer on June 5, Bit Reactor answered a bunch of questions from the community about what we can expect from the upcoming turn-based tactics game. The developer hosted a Q&A through the official EA Star Wars Discord, answering questions about everything from the campaign length and squad customization to permadeath, Clone Troopers, Jedi, New Game+, and even the ability to recruit Separatist droids.

There are quite a few interesting details in there, so we made a quick recap of some of the biggest ones, in case you missed it. And we also recommend you take a look at the last trailer that came out a few days ago!

Star Wars Zero Company Has a 30-40 Hour Campaign

According to lead producer Caydence Funk, the average player should expect the main story campaign to take around 30 to 40 hours, although your difficulty level and experience with strategy games will obviously have an impact. That is a pretty substantial campaign for a turn-based tactics game, especially considering the different ways you can build and customize your squad.

As always, this of course depends on how long you take to complete things. You might be slightly faster, but you can also take your time with things.

Yes, You Can Build a Full Clone Trooper Squad

One of the more interesting answers concerns Clone Troopers. Operators will have access to Clone Trooper armor cosmetics, including customizable armor from the beginning. Clone Trooper helmets will even add voice modulation to characters. You can also eventually unlock actual Clone Troopers as Operators, meaning you can put together a full squad of Clone Troopers if that is how you want to play.

The customization apparently goes pretty deep too, with different paint jobs, patterns, helmets, and armor options available.

You Can Also Make a Full Astromech Team

If Clone Troopers are not your thing, there is another wonderful option. You will be happy to know that Astromechs are unlocked relatively early, and once you can recruit them, you can fill your squad entirely with astromechs.

Hawks is required for story missions, but the remaining slots can be filled with astromechs, so yes, you can apparently make an entire team of little droids. Unfortunately, the same is not true for Separatist battle droids. Bit Reactor confirmed that Separatist droids cannot be recruited as Operators.

Only One Jedi Padawan Can Join Zero Company

There is also a little bad news for anyone hoping to build a Jedi-only squad.

Tel-Rea is the only Jedi Padawan class Operator in the game.

So if you are wondering if you will be able to recruit multiple Jedi Padawans, the answer is no. And considering the developer’s warning to “be careful that nothing unfortunate happens to her,” it sounds like keeping Tel-Rea alive might be worth prioritizing.

Hawks Has to Survive

Speaking of staying alive, Hawks is treated differently from the rest of your squad. Because Hawks is the main playable character, his death automatically causes a mission failure, meaning you will have to restart the mission. So no fooling around and killing Hawks during one of your main missions, or you will have to start it over!

Hawks is also required for every story mission, but you have much more freedom during skirmish missions, where you can bring whichever Operators you want.

Permadeath Is Available

For players who want the full XCOM-style experience, permadeath is enabled by default, but you can turn it off in the settings. This means that losing Operators can have permanent consequences during a campaign, making squad management and tactical decisions even more important.

Bit Reactor says the system is intended to reinforce one of the themes of Star Wars Zero Company: dealing with loss and pushing forward despite it. So we would recommend you keep it on, but it is understandable that not everyone wants to lose their squad members.

No New Game+ at Launch

Unfortunately, there will not be a New Game+ mode at launch.

There is still a reason to replay the campaign, though. You can unlock certain customization options during subsequent playthroughs, giving you another reason to return after finishing the story. The game’s different squad combinations, difficulty settings, and character Bonds should also make different playthroughs play out somewhat differently.

So even if there is no New Game+, so to speak, you can still redo your campaign and make different choices.

You Can Have Up to 20 Operators

Your headquarters, known as The Den, will eventually support up to 20 Operators. You will not have access to all of those slots immediately. Players start with a maximum of seven Operators, with the limit increasing through upgrades at The Den, story progression, and new Authored Operators joining the squad.

Your standard tactical squad can contain up to four Operators, and certain missions will allow you to control additional characters as well.

No Mod Support Is Planned

Unfortunately for PC players, official mod support is not planned for Star Wars Zero Company. Bit Reactor says it has a lot of respect for the modding community, but there are currently no plans to officially support mods. So if you were planning mods for the game, you can sadly trash these ideas.

They did not specify if they plan on adding any in the future, so for now, I would not count on it. But if the game does well and a big part of the community asks for it, you never know what could happen. But for now, no mods.

No Romance, But Squad Composition Can Affect the Story

If you are hoping for a more RPG-like relationship system, there is some good and bad news.

There are no romance systems or huge branching story paths in Star Wars Zero Company. The overall story is linear from beginning to end, and you cannot romance Hawks with other characters. However, who you bring into your squad can affect certain story moments. You do have a Bond system that allows Operators to develop relationships and unlock additional abilities.

So your choices will not completely change the ending, but they can still affect parts of the journey.

No DLC or Microtransactions Announced

Bit Reactor also addressed post-launch content. For now, the team says it is focused on making the best possible game for launch and has nothing to announce regarding DLC or post-launch content. There are also no plans for additional monetization or microtransactions at this time.

That does not necessarily tell us that DLC will ever happen, but for now, there is nothing officially announced.

There Are Over 150 Planets on the Galaxy Map

One of the bigger numbers revealed in the Q&A is the game’s Galaxy Map. There are more than 150 planets where strategic Operations can potentially take place throughout the campaign. However, do not expect 150 fully explorable worlds. Many of these locations are used for the strategic side and “choose-your-own-adventure-style” decisions.

For the actual Tactical Missions, Bit Reactor says there are more than a dozen unique planets featuring detailed environments.

Weather Will Not Affect Combat

If you were wondering how the weather would have an impact on your tactical decisions, unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you like that or not), it will not.

Weather effects during combat are purely cosmetic and will not change visibility or squad efficiency.

It is a small detail, but it does mean you do not suddenly need to rethink your entire strategy because a sandstorm rolled in.

So, What Else Did We Learn?

There is a lot more in the full Q&A, including details about the game’s four weapon classes, the Advantage system, Operations and Tactical Missions, enemy factions, and different tactical strategies. We also learned that there will not be specialized battlefield call-ins, outfits are purely cosmetic, species and factions do not have different weapon proficiencies, and there are no alternate endings based on your choices.

We also got a few of the devs’ favorite standout abilities and strategies:

• Force pulling or pushing an enemy into a squad member’s overwatch zone.
• Bull-rushing an enemy into the void for an instant kill (think turbo lift shafts, water, cliffs, etc.)
• Creating multiple overwatch zones in reinforcement areas.
• Creating an extended turn with a Gunslinger who gains action points on a kill.
• Calling for backup and gaining multiple bonded units to fire on a single target in one action move.
• Clearing enemy cover with a rocket launcher or explosive.
• Turning an astromech into a weapon-packed with firebombs, thermal detonators, and droid poppers.
• Drawing enemies near explosive cover and using the sabotage ability to send them flying.
• Scanning map with a droid to reveal a cloaked target.
• Having the high ground!

And finally, if you were wondering if the game will be available on Switch or Steam Deck, the answer is sadly no for now. But if they have any news on this front to share in the future, they will!

As a reminder, Star Wars Zero Company launches August 27, 2026, on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S!

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