STAR WARS Zero Company Beginner Guide: Your First Mission Cycle
Understand what your first Zero Company mission cycle is, what the Holotable offers, and how to spend Action Points, use cover, and manage injuries.
What is the first mission? Official launch material does not name one universal opening mission. Instead, your first mission is the available Tactical Mission or Operation shown on the Holotable in your first Cycle. Critical missions advance the story; other choices can change rewards, influence, and Bonds. This page explains that first-cycle decision and the combat habits that keep a new squad alive.
What happens in the first Cycle
The Den is your home base on a decommissioned cargo freighter at the Ring of Kafrene. At the Holotable, Hawks chooses from the missions and Operations available for the current Cycle. Tactical Missions use turn-based ground combat; Operations are non-combat assignments that spend Intel. You cannot take everything, and missions advance the campaign to the next Cycle, so finish recruitment, treatment, equipment, and conversations before deploying.
Why the first decisions matter
Each operator has three Action Points (AP) per turn. Moving, attacking, using an item, or activating a skill consumes the listed amount. Cover changes your chance of being hit, while Overwatch spends remaining AP on a reaction attack during the enemy turn. A fallen operator gains an injury when rallied; with Permadeath enabled, three injuries can mean death. Deploying the same teammates also develops Bonds and can unlock Cross Training, so an injured specialist is not always the right choice for the next fight.
How to play the opening mission
- Read the objective in the top-left of the mission screen. You do not need to defeat every enemy unless the objective says so.
- At The Den, treat injuries, check each operator’s specialization and gear, and keep at least one safe firing position in mind.
- Use movement and cover first, then attack from a good line of sight. Save AP for a protected position or Overwatch when the enemy can still act.
- Use Rally on a downed teammate and spend Advantage points on special actions when ordinary AP is not enough.
- After the objective is complete, return to The Den, review rewards and Bonds, and resolve any available Operation before the next Cycle.
The official guide confirms the combat loop, objectives, The Den, Cycles, Bonds, and optional Permadeath. It does not publish a fixed first-mission name, universal squad build, or complete route, so this page deliberately does not invent one. Sources: StarWars.com’s official guide and EA’s gameplay overview, checked 2026-08-29.