How many Action Points does each Operator get in STAR WARS Zero Company combat?
Three AP per Operator per turn. Move, shoot, ability, utility, and Overwatch all spend that same three.
At A Glance
Searching star wars zero company combat? STAR WARS Zero Company fights are isometric turn-based tactics from Bit Reactor, published by Electronic Arts. Your four Operators act first, then the enemy. Each Operator gets 3 Action Points per turn; Advantage is a shared pool (cap 10) that does not cost AP. Cover, flanking, High Ground, destructible cover, and Overwatch decide hit chance. Verified August 28, 2026. Steam.
This STAR WARS Zero Company combat page is the turn-budget reference — not a class tier list. Pair it with weapons for AP-per-shot and the den for the Medbay that cleans up a bad fight.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Focus keyword | star wars zero company combat |
| Turn order | Player squad first, then enemies |
| Action Points | 3 AP per Operator per turn |
| Fast / slow | Typical weapon Fast = 1 AP · Slow = 2 AP |
| Advantage | Shared pool, cap 10, no AP cost |
| Cover | Partial and Full — lower incoming hit chance |
| Flank / High Ground | Raise your hit chance; High Ground can ignore same-level cover |
| Destructible cover | Some cover breaks — Repeater is the public opener |
| Overwatch | Cone; remaining AP = shots vs enemies that enter or act |
| Squad | Up to 4 Operators per mission |
| Mode | Single-player only |
| Platform | Steam · Epic · PS5 · Xbox Series X|S |
| Related | Weapons · The Den · Beginner |
| Verified | August 28, 2026 |
How should I spend Action Points in STAR WARS Zero Company?
STAR WARS Zero Company combat is not “move then shoot.” Every Operator starts the turn with 3 AP. Move, attack, ability, utility (medkits, grenades), and Overwatch all draw from that same three. The HUD shows the cost when you highlight an action — Fast weapon actions are typically 1 AP, Slow actions 2 AP.
| Spend | Typical cost | When it is worth it |
|---|---|---|
| First move of the turn | 1 AP, longer distance | Close into Partial/Full Cover or a flank tile |
| Second / third move | 1 AP, shorter distance | Only if the first move left you orange / exposed |
| Pistol shot | 1 AP each | Delete low-HP droids; stack status mods |
| Rifle first shot | 1 AP | Decent damage without emptying the turn |
| Rifle follow-up | 2 AP | Only if the first shot still leaves a legal Slow |
| Longarm shot | 2 AP | Targets nobody else can reach |
| Repeater burst | All remaining AP | Break destructible cover or dump into a bunker |
| Overwatch | All remaining AP | Last action — leftover AP become reaction shots |
The first move is longer
Movement looks simple and hides a trap. The first movement of a turn covers more ground than the second or third. Community captures use Hawks as an example (about 9 m first move, then about 5 m later moves of the same turn — unverified exact meters). Passives and equipped abilities can change the gap, but the rule of thumb holds: do the long reposition first, then shoot, then take a short hop — not the other way around.
Do not gift a dead AP
Hawks’ confirmed unique talent is Fearless Leader (aura while standing). Some community videos also show a Pico-5 Advantage spend that gifts an ally +1 AP — treat Pico-5 as unverified until you see it on Hawks’ kit, and do not confuse it with Fearless Leader. If Pico-5 exists in your build, the gift is useless on an Operator who already has 3 AP, and it does not add an extra Overwatch shot because Overwatch spends AP at activation.
Once the 3 AP are gone, the only confirmed way to keep acting is Advantage. That is the next section.
Next: Return to The Den
Matched by build plan, shared topics, and guide progression — not random related links.
What is Advantage and when should I spend it?
Advantage is a STAR WARS Zero Company combat resource the whole squad earns together and spends individually. Cap is 10. It does not cost AP, so it is how you fire a special after an Operator has already dumped their three points.
| Rule | What to do |
|---|---|
| Shared, not personal | Any Operator can spend what the squad banked |
| Cap 10 | Overflow is wasted — spend before you sit at 10 |
| Earned in combat | Hits and combat actions bank Advantage — exact per-hit amounts vary; confirm on HUD |
| Scout tools | Scout kits are built to generate Advantage for the shared pool |
| No AP cost | Spend after the 3 AP turn is empty, or to unlock a special mid-turn |
| Plan at turn start | Count current Advantage vs the next special you actually need |
Bank it, then spend it on a named special
Public specials that eat Advantage include Soldier Rocket Strike, Sharpshooter Precision Shot, Heavy Bulwark-style control, and Scout Ambush. Community videos also mention Hawks Pico-5 (+1 AP gift) — unverified vs the confirmed Fearless Leader talent. Exact costs stay client-side — highlight the ability and read the Advantage number before you commit. Sitting at 10 while a Soldier ultimate is ready is the classic leak.
Scout plus a grenade is the public opener
A Scout mark/radius plus a grenade that tags several bodies can fill the pool on turn one. That is the intended burst, not a glitch. The risk is spending the whole 10 on the first pack and walking into the named commander with an empty meter.
Advantage wins turns. Cover decides whether you get to take the next one.
How do Partial Cover, Full Cover, and flanking work?
Official STAR WARS Zero Company combat copy puts Cover → Flanking → High Ground → Line of Sight in that order. Cover is Partial or Full. Both lower incoming hit chance. Flanking from the side or rear strips a lot of that safety. Line of sight still has to exist — a Full Cover crate you cannot see around is not a firing lane.
| Tell | Meaning | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Blue silhouette | Using nearby cover | End the move here |
| Orange silhouette | Exposed — even B1s will connect | Spend another AP or accept the hit |
| Partial Cover | Lowers incoming hit chance | Fine for a mid-range Rifle; still flank if the % is ugly |
| Full Cover | Stronger incoming cut | Do not peek the same tile the enemy is aiming |
| Flank tile | Removes much of the cover bonus | Walk it before you dump a Longarm Slow shot |
End every move on blue
The interface will happily let you stop one pixel short. At the far edge of a move range the path can nudge and dump you orange in the open. When a reposition is pivotal, confirm the silhouette before you release.
Flank instead of trading %
If a target is bunkered, walking the flank often beats stacking another Slow shot into Partial Cover. Backup (next but one) can force a hit through bad %, but it still wants line of sight — it is not a substitute for a legal flank tile.
Cover you can break is a different tool. High Ground is the other.
When do High Ground and destructible cover matter?
High Ground raises your hit chance and can shoot over same-level cover that would otherwise eat the shot. It also pulls you out of many melee ranges. Put a Sharpshooter or Scout up there; do not park a pistol Gunslinger on a perch they cannot climb down from in one Fast move.
Not all cover breaks
Some pieces are destructible. A Repeater burst is the public opener against a bunkered target: it has no fixed AP cost, it spends remaining AP, and where cover can break it usually does. That leaves an open target for the rest of the squad. Confirm the piece actually chips before you commit a whole turn to it.
Push, pull, and ledges
Force Push / Pull (Jedi Padawan) and knockback grenades can throw an enemy off a ledge for an instant kill, or into an Overwatch cone. High Ground plus a knockback is a turn you spend on positioning, not on a Slow Longarm into Full Cover.
Once you can read tiles, leftover AP belong in a cone. That is Overwatch.
How do I set Overwatch without wasting AP?
Overwatch is the last action on a STAR WARS Zero Company combat turn for a reason. It spends all remaining AP, locks the Operator in place, and fires a cone — not a 360° circle — when enemies enter or act inside it. Remaining AP equal the number of different enemies you can shoot. Two leftover AP means two enemies, not two shots on the same body.
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Cost | All remaining AP — even 1 AP still places a cone |
| Shots | Leftover AP become reaction shots (community: often one per AP vs different targets — confirm in client) |
| Shape | Adjustable cone, not omnidirectional |
| Accuracy | Read the % on the cone before you lock |
| Force movement | Push, pull, and knockback can trigger Overwatch |
| Backup | Community captures say Backup does not stack cleanly with Overwatch — verify |
| AP gifts | Unverified Pico-5-style +1 AP after Overwatch is placed usually does nothing |
Place the cone, then nudge it
The accuracy number does not improve as the enemy walks closer. If the cone reads 75%, it is 75% everywhere inside. Nudge placement for an extra 5–10% before you lock. A missed Overwatch shot is a wasted leftover AP.
Do not stack four identical cones
When several cones overlap, resolution order can waste shots. Offset fields on a chokepoint instead of cloning the same arc four times (exact 50/50 spacing is community advice, not a hard rule).
Overwatch wins enemy turns. Call for Backup wins yours for free.
How does Call for Backup change a turn?
Call for Backup is the assist the official kit actually explains poorly. Each round a random ally gets the Backup command. It costs no AP and no Advantage. The user links to a partner; on the user’s next basic weapon attack, that partner fires an assisted shot. Jedi Padawan can substitute a Force interaction (Push) instead of a blaster assist.
- Do01Use Backup every round — it is free and still feeds Bonds even if nobody shoots
- Do02Give the assist to the Operator with the strongest weapon, crit, or status mod
- Do03Community captures claim the assisted shot cannot miss with LOS — treat as unverified; still prefer high-% peeks
- Do04Do not assume Backup fires during Overwatch; community captures say the systems conflict
- Do05Hawks backing Trick (or the reverse) is a legal story-mission habit — story fights still want Hawks in the four
Bonds are why you never skip it
Each Backup use feeds the pair’s Bond (community reports cite about +10 per use with a per-mission cap — unverified exact numbers). Max Bond passives are the long-run reason to click it even on a turn with no shot. Full Bond and Cross Training live on bonds.
Status mods ride the assist
If a status mod rides the Backup shooter, community captures say it can still apply on the assist — confirm on the tooltip. That is how you tag a marching B2 you could not legally reach with a 1 AP pistol walk.
Lock the habits, then stop improvising the same three mistakes.
Which STAR WARS Zero Company combat habits should I lock?
A legal four-Operator deploy still loses if the turn order is sloppy. Work this list on the next tactical mission before you theorycraft Focus trees.
| Situation | Do this |
|---|---|
| Opening pack of B1s | Pistol Operator clears soft bodies; bank Advantage from hits |
| Enemy in Full Cover | Flank, High Ground, or Repeater the piece — do not Slow-shot the crate |
| Named commander about to act | Focus fire before they take a turn; Advantage specials are legal here |
| 1 AP left, bad hit % | Overwatch the cone they must enter, or Backup an assist |
| Fight over, Advantage left | Spend on a named special or bank for the next pack — do not gift into a full 3 AP Operator |
| Someone dropped to 0 HP | Rally if you can; then Medbay in The Den before the next Cycle |
Ion vs Force-empowered
Separatist droids take Ion-oriented kit. Infinite Coil shock troops do not — they are the Force-empowered problem on enemies. Swapping a pistol mod in the Armory between those mission types is faster than rewriting a class.
Read this after the fight, not during it
If Injuries stacked, stop deploying and open The Den. The next page is the base loop that decides whether this STAR WARS Zero Company combat page still has a squad to command.
FAQ
Is Advantage per character?
No. Advantage is a shared pool capped at 10. The squad earns it together (usually per hit) and any Operator can spend it. It does not cost AP.
Does cover always save you?
Partial and Full Cover lower incoming hit chance. Flanks and High Ground raise yours. Some cover is destructible. An orange silhouette means you are not in cover at all.
How many Overwatch shots do I get?
As many as the AP you had left when you placed the cone. Community captures say each shot targets a different enemy in the cone — confirm in client.
Does Call for Backup cost AP?
No. It costs neither AP nor Advantage. Use it every round. Community captures claim the assist cannot miss with LOS — treat that as unverified and still prefer high-% peeks.
What is Pico-5?
A community-captured Hawks Advantage spend that may gift +1 AP. Confirmed Hawks talent is Fearless Leader. Do not treat Pico-5 as official until you see it on your kit.
Where should I go after this combat page?
Match weapon AP on weapons, then treat injuries in The Den. First-loop habits: beginner guide.
Related pages
Matched by build plan, shared topics, and guide progression — not random related links.