Mechanic
Zero Company what to do at the den explained
Between missions you return to the Den and explore it in third person. Talk to every squad member first — conversations unlock side missions and leads that never appear otherwise. Then check the Medbay, spend Focus Points, read what is expiring at the holotable, and pick your next mission last.
- Confidence
- Strongly supported
- Verified
- 11 August 2026
- Version
- pre-release preview build (August 2026)
Talk to everyone, first
Three previewers independently report that conversations at the Den unlock optional leads which then appear at the holotable as missions, and that some missions are tied to particular squad members. One warns plainly that you can miss content by skipping this.
Do it before you look at the mission board rather than after, because it can add options to the list you are about to choose from.
Dialogue choices also move Bonds, and Bonds feed Focus Points, combat bonuses and Operation rewards. The conversation layer is progression, not flavour.
Check the Medbay before planning anything
Injuries persist between missions and accumulate towards permanent death. A standard bed costs a cycle; a Bacta Tank costs Credits. You cannot treat everyone at once.
This is usually the constraint that determines the rest of the plan, which is why it comes before mission selection rather than after it.
Spend Focus Points
Focus Points are earned from missions and from Bond levels — and every Bond level grants them to both Operators in the pair. They are spent before missions, on class abilities and on each Operator's personal Talent.
There is a genuine opportunity cost between deepening a class role and deepening a Talent, and nobody has established which pays better. No Focus node has been named by anyone, so this site has no node recommendations and will not invent any.
Read what is expiring, then choose
Operations and missions are time-limited, and Intel is finite. Two warnings from previewers are worth carrying: ignoring certain Operations hands enemies upgrades that last the whole campaign, and Operations can injure the Operators you send. One previewer reports that on normal difficulty, every Injury he took came from Operations rather than from combat.
When choosing who to send, send Operators who get on. Operation success and rewards reportedly depend heavily on the Bonds between them.
Shop and upgrade last
Credits are contested by facilities, black-market equipment, Utilities, Medbay treatment and recruitment all at once — and the company begins the campaign deep in debt to the Hutts.
The Droid Bay is among the earliest facilities available and unlocks astromechs, which are the most mechanically distinctive squad option available early. Black market access and a droid repair station are also named upgrades. Recruitment refreshes each cycle, so an Operator you want will not necessarily still be there next time.
Confirmed
The rules as officially stated
- The Den is explored in third person between missions.
- Conversations with squad members unlock side missions and leads.
- Some missions are tied to specific squad members.
- Dialogue choices move Bonds.
- Focus Points are spent before missions on class abilities and personal Talents.
- Operations can injure the Operators sent on them.
- Operation rewards depend on the Bonds between the Operators sent.
- Recruitment offers a new selection each cycle, bought with Credits.
- Ignoring certain Operations grants enemies lasting upgrades.
Planning
What this means for squad building
- Do the full conversation round before selecting a mission, not after.
- Let the Medbay's state drive squad selection rather than the other way round.
- Send bonded pairs on Operations together.
- Budget Credits against the Medbay, not just against equipment — healing competes with gear.
What we don't know yet
The game has not been released. These are open questions we have chosen not to guess at.
- Whether conversations expire or wait for you.
- What a Bacta Tank costs, and how that compares with the value of a cycle.
- Which Focus purchases are strongest — no node has been named.
- Whether Bond damage from a disapproved decision can be repaired.
- The full facility list and upgrade costs.
Questions
Common questions
The way these come up in search, answered directly.
- When and where is Star Wars Zero Company set?
- During the Clone Wars, with the squad operating out of the Den — a defunct bulk freighter on the Ring of Kafrene.
- What are cycles in Zero Company?
- The campaign clock. Completing a tactical mission advances the cycle, and missions and Operations expire after a limited number of them.
- What are Operations in Zero Company?
- The non-combat half of the campaign — intelligence work and political manoeuvring, run from the HoloTable at the Den between missions.
- What is the Den in Zero Company?
- Zero Company's base — a defunct bulk freighter on the Ring of Kafrene, explored in third person between missions.
- Who are the non-combat characters at the Den?
- Bennic Halloren, Neesh Renark, Runa Blask and M-3VO — none of them deployable.
- How do you recruit new Operators?
- The recruitment pool refreshes with a new selection every cycle, and recruits are bought with Credits.
Related mechanics
Sources
- Lead Zero Company To Victory on August 27
Electronic Arts · Tier 1 — Official · accessed 6 August 2026
Supports: Operator introductions; 3 Action Points per turn; Advantage caps at 10; the eight Specializations; Bonds in the Personnel Facility; Hawks' species options
- Star Wars Zero Company preview — after 15 hours
Arekkz Gaming · Tier 3 — Hands-on preview · accessed 11 August 2026
Supports: 3:15–9:43 — conversations at the Den unlocking side missions; late companions forcing a rethink of squad composition; missions carrying a limited window; fighting alongside Anakin Skywalker late in the preview; fifteen hours without a crash
- I played Star Wars Zero Company — my honest thoughts
EckhartsLadder · Tier 3 — Hands-on preview · accessed 11 August 2026
Supports: 3:18–12:36 — no hunker-down action, so a spare AP goes to Overwatch; astromechs carrying three utilities and extra uses of each; Trick able to negate some injuries along an upgrade path; twelve galaxy zones; super battle droids telegraphing a rocket one turn ahead; many of the 150+ planets being text-only
- Star Wars Zero Company: turn-based tactics that aren't just for XCOM experts
IGN · Tier 3 — Hands-on preview · accessed 11 August 2026
Supports: 2:15–12:39 — Advantage earned from successful attacks; four difficulty settings; ringing a droideka with Overwatch cones; Bonds granting health and critical damage; changing Hawks' species at the Den; the Bespin guest mission; preview-build defects including shots passing through solid cover
- I played 54 hours of Star Wars Zero Company
Dantics · Tier 3 — Hands-on preview · accessed 11 August 2026
Supports: 5:26–11:55 — an injury is taken only on being reduced to zero health; normal, hard and expert named, plus an Ironman-style toggle; crisis operations; weapon mods slotted freely before missions; a second Specialization after cycle 18; every Bond level granting Focus Points and one of three joint training bonuses; the Sharpshooter's unmissable shot and the Soldier's rocket barrage
- I played Star Wars Zero Company early — new gameplay and details
Star Wars HQ · Tier 3 — Hands-on preview · accessed 11 August 2026
Supports: 5:01–12:48 — one full combat mission per cycle; Hawks alone cannot permanently die; the exotic classes restricted to Cly, Tel-Rea and astromechs; recruitment refreshing each cycle with a name, Talent, Specialization and weapon type; Medbay bed and Bacta Tank costs; ignoring Operations granting enemies lasting upgrades
- Star Wars Zero Company hands-on impressions — story and gameplay
Star Wars Explained · Tier 3 — Hands-on preview · accessed 11 August 2026
Supports: 0:00–7:39 — the company opening 80,000 credits in debt to the Hutts; dialogue choices moving Bonds; Operations forcing a choice between squadmates; rescue and escort objectives; reaching cycle 7 in roughly eight hours