Ultimate Star Wars Zero Company Best Classes (Specialization) Ranked Tier List

Latest Update: September 10, 2026 – Categories: Star Wars Zero Company

This Star Wars Zero Company class tier list ranks all eight standard specializations with the pros and cons of each, based on their confirmed abilities and years of XCOM and CRPG experience, and now reflects the August 2026 ability reveals, updated through launch on August 27, 2026.

This guide is updated for Star Wars Zero Company Patch 1.1

Related SWZC

• All Story Characters
• Complete Classes Guide
• Character Creation
• All Focus Trees/Skills
• The Den Facilities & Upgrades
• Weapons & Mods Guide

Quick Summary:

• The best and worst standard classes in Star Wars Zero Company, and why
• A clear tier ranking with the pros and cons of each class (specialization)
• How each class performs as a primary and as a secondary specialization
• Which classes to prioritize before launch, and which to wait on
• Four Exotic Classes (Specializations) are tied to story character, not a part of this ranking

Actively updating: we’re refreshing this page as we progress to later portions of the game and play on higher difficulty.

What Makes a Good Class (Specialization) in SWZC

Before we get to the rankings, we need to answer the question: what makes a class good or bad?  These type of games center on Action Points (AP), which allows you to move, attack, use consumables, etc.  Any class that has an inherent advantage to gain more or use fewer AP has a large advantage.

Weapon range also plays an important factor.  Getting close to targets means you will take more damage most likely.  While this is an obvious statement, it’s worth considering just how close you need to be to make an impactful attack.  Unlike BG3 or other RPGs, your movement costs AP, and it’s not free.  Thus, long-range snipers will likely sit back and nuke targets with much less risk.  Moreover, your party synergy is vital so you can keep those backline snipers shooting rather than fleeing and healing.

TLDR: What makes a class good in Star Wars Zero Company is its AP Economy, range, survivability, and synergy with other party members.

Star Wars Zero Company Class (Specialization) Tier list (TLDR)

This tier list ranks each class on the following criteria:

• Damage: single-target and area output, and how quickly it removes threats.
• Survivability: how well it stays alive, which matters more than usual under permadeath.
• Utility and setup: control, buffs, and how much it enables the rest of the squad.
• Flexibility: value as a primary and as a secondary specialization.
• Ease of play: how forgiving it is for newer players.

What is the best class in Star Wars Zero Company?

The Scoundrel is our single best class in Star Wars Zero Company pre-launch, and the only class in S tier. Identify Weakness turns the next attack on a target into a guaranteed critical hit for just one Action Point.  Additionally, its second ability, using Advantage, Easy Mark, adds an attack assist the following turn.  Thus, you can use both abilities in the same turn and still have two AP free for movement or an attack of your own.

Whether you play this as a primary or secondary specialization, it doesn’t matter; you need burst damage and assist on demand, thus the Scoundrel is the best overall.

Leading the A tier just behind it are the Sharpshooter (a strong assumption on an as-yet-unrevealed kit), the Heavy, and the Soldier. Below we break down all eight classes, our rankings, and the reasoning behind each.

S Tier – Squad-Defining

Scoundrel – S Tier (The Enabler)

The Scoundrel is the best overall specialization in Star Wars Zero Company because its Identify Weakness sets up critical strikes and adds value regardless of build and party composition.

Every party needs damage, even the Medic, and the Scoundrel is the class that makes everyone’s damage higher. Identify Weakness turns the next attack on a target into an automatic critical hit, and the number of combinations that opens is enormous.  Plus, you can have a companion operator select this as a secondary specialization mid-way through the game, and don’t even need to main or pick for a huge damage boost to Hawks.

You can further amplify this combo with other buffs.  Take the Medic, who boosts an ally’s damage with a stim for one Action Point.  Next, set up an automatic critical for a Sharpshooter for one Action Point and you have the ultimate burst combo reliably each turn. If you played a Scoundrel Medic, you could make this happen each turn and still have enough AP to attack. 

The downside is, not everyone is going to want to play a support class or style.  Moreover, you have to be very intentional with when you use this, and turn order.  But the upsides are tremendous and if you don’t know what else to pick, worried about range, Scoundrel is a safe bet.

Scoundrel Pros

• Identify Weakness makes a target Vulnerable so the next attack crits, for just 1 Action Point
• Easy Mark adds a second setup: the Scoundrel assists whoever strikes the marked target
• Enormous combo potential as either a primary or a secondary spec
• Lifts every damage dealer in the squad

Scoundrel Cons

• Low personal damage on its own
• Needs hard-hitting finishers to convert the openings it creates
• Comp-dependent; underwhelming without a payoff target

Full build: Ultimate Scoundrel Build Guide

A Tier – Solid Choice

Sharpshooter – A Tier (Range Is King)

The Sharpshooter is the one standard class with no abilities revealed yet, but long-range single-target damage is so consistently strong in tactics games that we are comfortable ranking it A tier on the archetype alone.

Almost every RPG and tactics game rewards range, burst damage, and single-target elimination, and the Sharpshooter is built for exactly that.  Max range keeps you from spending AP on movement, and classes like Scoundrel and Medic buff your damage.  Meanwhile, the Heavy spec keeps targets away from you with Taunt.  The game is set up for a marksman who deletes single-target bosses and ends operations and encounters on turn one. 

Currently, the Sharpshooter is the only standard class with zero information.  This is a prediction and we will update in real time as more information is revealed.  However, it’s to be expected, just like the classic Skyrim bow archer, that this game too will feature range sniper cheese of some sort.

We are placing it in A tier as a strong, safe assumption; if its abilities live up to the archetype, do not be surprised to see it climb back into S tier at launch.

Sharpshooter Pros

• Long-range single-target elimination, a playstyle every tactics game rewards
• Pairs with the Scoundrel’s Identify Weakness to crit on demand
• Survivability through distance, kills targets before they close
• Strong upside to rise into S tier once its kit is shown

Sharpshooter Cons

• The only standard class with no abilities revealed yet
• This ranking is a genre-based prediction, not a confirmed read
• Fragile and setup-dependent like any long-range specialist

Full build: Ultimate Sharpshooter Build Guide

Heavy – A Tier (Free Damage Tank)

The Heavy is one of the best classes in the game to run as a primary or a secondary, because Unstoppable returns fire with no AP and Conditioning makes you much harder to take down.

If you ever played a tactics game, then you know counterattacking is essentially free damage without wasting AP or your turn.  This is what the Heavy does through Unstoppable.  While the main draw for players might be the taunt, the true strength of the spec is, pushing up close, forcing targets to damage you, then watching counterattack annihilate them. 

Another advantage is the passive granting more HP for free.  This one-two skill combo means you can use heavy on literally any character as a secondary spec.  Primarily because more health and counterattacking are so strong in these types of games.  Consider having one primary base character running this as a “tank” and moving them to the front of the action to force counterattack.

Heavy Pros

• Unstoppable returns fire for free damage, huge in a tactics game
• Conditioning passively boosts health; very hard to take down
• Excellent as a primary or a secondary specialization
• Bulwark controls where enemies are forced to attack

Heavy Cons

• Lower proactive damage than a dedicated DPS
• Wants enemies attacking it to get value from counters
• Can feel slow if you prefer aggressive, mobile play

Full build: Ultimate Heavy Build Guide

Soldier – A Tier (The Safe Pick)

If you do not know what to pick, take the Soldier: an offensive, flexible all-rounder with the widest weapon options in the game.

The Soldier is an offensive, medium-to-close-range class with a huge range of weapon options, including a rocket launcher, grenades, and even melee. This is your all-around choice and the natural home for traditional run-and-gun players who want that feel inside a tactical RPG frame.

It will not beat a true specialist at the extremes; a Sharpshooter still out-ranges it and a Heavy still out-tanks it, but its flexibility means it always has an answer and covers whatever role your squad is missing. The August reveal added a confirmed melee option, Brutal Strike, which rushes a target for damage and applies Dazed, underlining just how many tools this class carries. Reliable and forgiving, it earns a comfortable A-tier spot.

Soldier Pros

• The most flexible and forgiving class; the ideal first pick
• Huge weapon variety: rocket launcher, grenades, even melee
• Deals massive AOE damage via rockets and grenades
• Covers whatever role your squad is missing

Soldier Cons

• Jack of all trades; a specialist beats it at the extremes
• Named abilities still unconfirmed pre-launch
• Less flashy than a dedicated DPS or controller

Full build: Ultimate Soldier Build Guide

B Tier – Strong in the Right Role

Medic – B Tier (Anti-Permadeath Insurance)

The Medic looks unglamorous, but with permadeath in play, a dedicated healer that also buffs damage is a strong, safe choice.

Every RPG wants the holy trinity of DPS, healer, and tank, and the Medic is your unglamorous healer.  You can boost stats, damage and to heal more effectively than anyone else. It can look weak on paper, but this game has permadeath, and keeping your operators alive is worth a great deal.

Combat Stim also makes it a real force multiplier, turning your best damage dealer up for two turns, and the confirmed pairing is buffing a Gunslinger before Open Fire. It sits in B tier mainly because it deals little damage itself and can feel reactive, but it climbs fast if permadeath proves as punishing as it sounds.

Medic Pros

• The only true dedicated healer; huge value against permadeath
• Combat Stim boosts an ally’s damage for two turns
• Lifesaving Measures makes your healing go further
• A safe, stabilizing pick for almost any squad

Medic Cons

• Low personal damage; can feel reactive
• Must be protected behind a frontline
• Less impactful in easy fights where nobody is dying

Full build: Ultimate Medic Build Guide

Gunslinger – B Tier (Crit Passive Carry)

The Gunslinger earns its spot mostly on Keen Eye, a flat 6% critical chance on all ranged attacks that is worth considering even as a secondary spec.

The passive is the draw here: a 6% boost to critical chance on every ranged attack is valuable on almost any shooter.  Even when the Gunslinger is taken purely as a secondary specialization, it still has value. The spec can also gain Action Points on a kill, which makes it a great partner for a range-focused Sharpshooter.

What holds it back is its reliance on Pistols.  For instance, Quick Draw, its Standard ability, which is a sidearm pistol shot that may suit only specific builds and ranges rather than every situation. The multi-target Open Fire ultimate is strong, now confirmed at 7 Advantage for 17 damage across three chained shots, each with a +10% bonus to hit.  However, the class has limited survivability options and shines when supporting the party, not leading it.  

Gunslinger Pros

• Keen Eye gives 6% ranged crit chance, valuable even as a secondary
• Can gain Action Points on kills to extend turns
• Strong multi-target output with Open Fire
• A great partner in a range-focused squad

Gunslinger Cons

• Quick Draw is a sidearm shot that suits only some builds and ranges
• Lightly armored and exposed up close
• Wants a specific supporting party to reach its ceiling

Full build: Ultimate Gunslinger Build Guide

Scout – B Tier (Situational)

The Scout Class is the squad enabler that generates Advantage used for ultimates and other abilities.

Two revealed abilities change the picture completely. Combat Recon, a 1 Action Point Fast Action, generates +1 Advantage for every enemy in the assessment area and reveals hidden enemies, making it the first confirmed ability that produces Advantage rather than spending it, as well as the counter to cloaked units. Because Advantage powers every ultimate in the game, a class that banks it for the whole squad is a real force multiplier.

Ambush, also 1 Action Point, then pays that Advantage back as a ranged attack whose damage scales with however much you pour in, on top the base damage. The Scout sits in B tier for now, held there only because it is not a primary damage or tank class and its full Ultimate, Standard, and Passive set is still unconfirmed. If the rest of the kit delivers, this is a strong candidate to climb into A.

Scout Pros

• Combat Recon generates Advantage for the entire squad, fueling ultimates
• Reveals hidden and cloaked enemies, the counter to stealth units
• Ambush scales into a large nuke off the Advantage you bank
• A true enabler in a game where Advantage is the key resource

Scout Cons

• Full Ultimate, Standard, and Passive set still unconfirmed
• Not a primary damage or tank class on its own
• Wants a squad that can spend the Advantage and openings it banks

Full build: Ultimate Scout Build Guide

Assault – B Tier (Mobility Dip)

The Assault Class is good for mobility and for hitting grouped enemies with its large cone ultimate, and it is a strong secondary dip for movement speed, but charging in carries real risk.

This is a strong class to dip into as a secondary specialization purely for the movement speed from Fleet of Foot and Bull Rush. Plus, its large cone ultimate is great against grouped enemies. It is now confirmed as Sweeping Salvo: a 7 Advantage cone that deals damage and applies Disoriented, which is a debuff rather than a hard stun. As a primary spec, players run the risk of charging into combat without the extra health buff of Heavy and facing certain death.

However, combining Assault and Heavy makes a strong, durable option.  This tactical RPG game rewards distance because you have to spend Action Points to move. A class or spec that can sit at range and nuke targets with full Action Points will often just work better, which is why the Assault sits in B tier rather than higher.

Assault Pros

• Excellent mobility with Bull Rush and Fleet of Foot
• Large cone ultimate for hitting grouped enemies
• A strong secondary dip purely for movement speed

Assault Cons

• Charging in is risky without the Heavy’s extra health
• The game rewards range, since moving costs Action Points
• A class that nukes from max range often just works better

Full build: Ultimate Assault Build Guide

C Tier – Currently Empty

No standard class sits in C tier right now. The Scout was our only C-tier pick, and the August 2026 reveal of its Combat Recon and Ambush abilities moved it up to B. If the Sharpshooter’s unrevealed kit disappoints, this is where it could land, but for now every standard class is at least B tier.

Class roles and party composition

Tier placement is only half the story; a balanced squad matters as much as raw class power, especially with permadeath punishing sloppy play. Aim to cover four jobs across your four operators: a frontline to hold aggro (Heavy or Soldier), a damage dealer to remove threats (Sharpshooter or Gunslinger), a setup or control operator to enable the rest (Scoundrel above all), and sustain to keep everyone alive (Medic).

This is why the Scoundrel ranks so high and the Medic holds its own despite low personal damage: both make the operators around them better. A squad of four pure damage dealers looks strong on paper but folds the moment permadeath and enemy focus fire come into play. Build for synergy, not just individual tier.

When in doubt, assemble your team like a traditional RPG. Tank (Heavy), Healer (Medic), and DPS Soldier. Use the fourth slot to fill in more DPS, support, or whatever you feel is missing from your squad.

Star Wars Zero Company Best Class Tier List FAQ

1. What is the best class in Star Wars Zero Company?

Pre-launch, the Scoundrel is our pick for the best class, and the only one in S tier, because Identify Weakness sets up guaranteed critical hits for the rest of your squad and its Easy Mark ability adds another assist on top. The Sharpshooter, Heavy, and Soldier lead the A tier just behind it.

2. What is the best class for beginners?

The Soldier. It is the most flexible and forgiving class, comfortable at close to medium range with grenades, a rocket launcher, and blaster fire, so it is hard to go wrong with it on a first playthrough.

3. Is this tier list final?

No. This is a pre-launch ranking based on confirmed abilities and genre experience, and it already moves as we learn more: the Scout jumped from C to B the moment its abilities were shown, and the Sharpshooter sits at A only until its kit is revealed. Expect further changes once the game releases on August 27, 2026, and we can test everything.

4. Does this tier list include the exotic classes?

Not yet. This list covers the eight standard classes. The exotic classes (Jedi Padawan, Mandalorian Warrior, Astromech, and the unrevealed fourth) will be added once we have tested them.

Change log and updates

• v1.3 – September 10, 2026 – updated for Zero Company Patch 1.1
• v1.2 – August 27, 2026 – Updated post launch and playtesting.
• v1.0 – August 7, 2026 – Initial pre-launch tier list published.

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