Choosing the right squad members in Star Wars Zero Company depends entirely on understanding operator specializations and passive abilities. Seven specific characters unlock through story progression, divided into three performance tiers based on their combat utility.

S-Tier Operators

These characters possess the strongest passive abilities and combat advantages available:

  • Tel-Rea: Accesses the Padawan/Wayseeker specialization for crowd control and round tempo management. Her Strong with the Force passive starts her with two Harmony stacks affecting Deflection and Lightsaber attacks.
  • Jae: Features a powerful passive allowing her to immediately fire her blaster when an enemy has 4 health or less remaining after an allied attack, regardless of remaining Action Points (AP).
  • Kabb: An early unlock whose Uppercut ability restores all used AP if it successfully defeats an enemy, allowing a complete turn reset upon a kill.

A-Tier Operators

These operators rely on specific team compositions or versatile customization:

  • Luco: Excels in ranged-focused teams. Combat Gas grants three stacks of Sharpened Senses, increasing hit chance by 5% and ranged damage by +1 per stack. Luco drops to B-tier if not paired with a ranged lineup.
  • Hawks: Features the Fearless Leader passive to increase assist damage for all operators, with upgradable defense and damage bonuses. Hawks can gain Advantage to grant +1 AP to an ally and features fully customizable specializations and weapons.

B-Tier Operators

These characters offer situational passives that are less mandatory during standard encounters:

  • Cly: Uses Combat Jump to close gaps, push enemies away, and bypass Overwatch and Retaliation, though its direct impact is limited.
  • Trick: Automatically revives with half health on the next turn if downed for the first time in combat, though this is largely unnecessary on lower difficulty settings.

General operators and Hawks also utilize eight distinct specializations, requiring careful team composition choices to maximize efficiency across missions.