The Long Game: 4 Tactics to Master Early in Star Wars Zero Company

Star Wars Zero Company drops players into the twilight of the Clone Wars, and it asks a lot of them early on. The turn-based tactics game from Bit Reactor packs a lot of systems into its tutorial missions, and some of the basics get buried under the rush of new information. That’s where The Long Game comes in: four things you can master from the opening chapters that pay off all the way to the end of the game.

Overwatch Isn’t Just a Button

Overwatch is the first thing to understand, and it’s available to almost every member of your team except the Padawan and Astromech droids. You pick a cone-shaped area on the battlefield, and that character fires at any enemy that moves or takes an action inside it. It’s a clutch tool when every enemy hides behind cover and you don’t have enough AP to flank them.

The cone’s colors matter. Blue sections mark where you’ll shoot, while grayed-out zones are blind spots blocked by cover. Extending the cone too far drops your accuracy by 5% per step, so you want a balance: enough space to catch an enemy, but not so much that your shots miss.

Overwatch also handles reinforcements. The game shows you where incoming enemies are coming from, so you can set up firing squads before they ever get close. Just note that Overwatch uses all of a character’s remaining AP, and the number of enemies you can fire at matches how much AP they spent. One character can attack up to three enemies at once if you position it right.

Backup Builds the Bonds Between Characters

The Call for Backup system appears in the tutorial, but the tutorial understates how central it becomes. Each turn, a random team member gets the ability to request backup, pairing them with any other teammate for a back-to-back attack. The requesting character is marked by an icon on their portrait in the bottom left corner of the screen.

This is a free attack that costs no AP, and the backup character’s strike is guaranteed to hit. The catch is line of sight: both characters need to see the same enemy to land the combo. You can check the top right corner of the screen while lining up the first attacker’s shot to confirm whether the backup character is assisting.

Backup shots pile up damage, especially against enemies who can counterattack. Finish them fast to avoid getting hit back. You can also use the guaranteed hit to finish off a low-health enemy hiding behind cover. The bigger payoff is bond points: every backup attack gains bond levels between the two characters, which opens cross-training options and stat boosts. Reach max bond as early as possible to unlock build-defining boosts.

Advantage Starts Combat With Momentum

Advantage is a shared squad resource that powers some of your best abilities. You earn it whenever you damage an enemy, whether with a regular shot or a utility item. Hit three enemies with a grenade, and you get three Advantage all at once. The total is shown in the bottom left corner of the screen, and it caps at 10.

Some upgrades in the Den let you start battles with Advantage already banked, which helps if you’re a fan of Cly the Mandalorian. Starting combat with momentum can change how a mission plays out, especially when you’re low on resources.

What This Means for Players

Zero Company is a deep game with a steep learning curve. The tutorial throws a lot at you, and it can be hard to keep track of everything. These four systems — Overwatch, backup builds, and Advantage — are the foundation. Master them early, and the rest of the game runs smoother.

The game’s progression depends on bond levels between characters, so every turn is a chance to build toward stronger builds.

Key Facts Box
– Overwatch cones extend over a significant distance but lose 5% accuracy per step extended
– Advantage caps at 10 per squad
– Backup requests are marked by an icon on the requesting character’s portrait
– Overwatch is notably unavailable to Padawans and Astromech droids
– Bond levels unlock build-defining boosts and cross-training options

Bit Reactor · game guide · Star Wars · tactics · Zero Company