Star Wars Zero Company Talents Complete List

Latest Update: September 12, 2026 – Categories: Star Wars Zero Company

Discover every Universal Talent available to Custom Operators in Star Wars Zero Company, what each one does, and how they upgrade, plus review all Story Character (Authored Operator) Talents.

This guide is updated for Star Wars Zero Company Patch 1.1

Related SWZC

Talents are one of the main building blocks of every operator in Star Wars Zero Company, alongside your class, weapon type, and secondary specialization. Unlike your class, which determines your combat abilities, a Talent is an always-active bonus that stays with your operator regardless of which specialization they hold. For Custom Operators, you choose your Talent from a pool of ten Universal options at creation. Authored Operators (Story characters AKA Companions) also have their own unique Talents.

Quick Summary: There are 10 Universal Talents available to Custom Operators in Star Wars Zero Company, with an 11th exclusive to Astromech droids. Universal Talents are chosen at operator creation and upgrade via Focus Points throughout the campaign. Authored Operators also have unique Talents which are exclusive to them.

Star Wars Zero Company Talents Summary

Every operator in Zero Company carries exactly one Talent, which functions as a fixed ability layer that is completely independent from their class. Authored operators like Trick and Cly Kullervo have unique fixed Talents tied to their identity. Hawks carries Fearless Leader, a talent that boosts assist damage, defense, and chance-to-hit for every operator on the field while Hawks is present. Custom Operators, by contrast, pick from the Universal Talent pool at creation.

Talents upgrade through the Focus Tree in the Den’s Personnel facility, the same place you handle class respecs and secondary specializations. Upgrade paths are not all the same: some Talents simply improve their raw numbers at higher tiers, while others change what the Talent does entirely, extending personal bonuses to allies or adding usage stacks for example.

All Universal Talents in Star Wars Zero Company

Talent	Effect	Tier Upgrades
A Life of Labor	The Operator gains bonus Health and Defense as well as Melee Damage and Critical Hit Damage at higher tiers.	Tier 1: +5 Health; +1 Defense Tier 2: +5 Health; +1 Defense; +2 Melee Damage Tier 3: +5 Health; +1 Defense; +2 Melee Damage; +2 Critical Hit Damage Tier 4: +7 Health; +2 Defense; +4 Melee Damage; +4 Critical Hit Damage
Anticipation	This Operator gains a stack of Evasion. Costs 1 AP per use.	Tier 1: 1 use per turn Tier 2: 2 uses per turn Tier 3: 3 uses per turn Tier 4: 3 uses per turn, can also target an ally
Cold Blooded	Applies a stack of Vicious to this Operator. Costs 1 AP per use.	Tier 1: 1 stack; 1 per combat Tier 2: 1 stack; 2 per combat Tier 3: 1 stack; 3 per combat Tier 4: 2 stacks; 3 per combat
Espionage	Earn additional rewards when this Operator completes a combat mission. Does not stack.	Tier 1: +5 Intel Rewards Tier 2: +7 Intel Rewards Tier 3: +9 Intel Rewards Tier 4: +12 Intel Rewards
Fortitude	Increases Defense while this Operator is injured.	Tier 1: +2 Defense Tier 2: +3 Defense Tier 3: +4 Defense Tier 4: +6 Defense; ignore the chance-to-hit penalty for injury
Grit	Applies stacks of Invulnerable to this Operator and increases their Max Health. Costs 1 AP per use.	Tier 1: 1 stack per 1 turn, +2 Max Health Tier 2: 1 stack per 1 turn, +4 Max Health Tier 3: 1 stack per 1 turn, +8 Max Health Tier 4: 2 stacks per 1 turn, +12 Max Health
Sabotage	Trigger an explosive object on the battlefield to detonate, immediately affecting any nearby units. Costs 2 Advantage per use.	Tier 1: 1 per combat Tier 2: 2 per combat Tier 2: 3 per combat Tier 4: Unlimited
Taunt	Taunts the selected enemy and reduces its Damage for the rest of the turn at higher tiers. Costs 1 AP per use.	Tier 1: 1 Taunt per turn Tier 2: 1 Taunt per turn; reduces Damage by 2 Tier 3: 1 Taunt per turn; reduces Damage by 4 Tier 4: 1 Taunt per turn; reduces Damage by 6
The Bigger They Are…	This Operator’s Ranged and Melee Attacks deal bonus damage against Elite and Boss enemies.	Tier 1: +2 Damage Tier 2: +3 Damage Tier 3: +4 Damage Tier 4: +6 Damage
Thievery	Earn additional credits when this Operator completes a combat mission. Does not stack.	Tier 1: +150 Credits Tier 2: +200 Credits Tier 3: +250 Credits Tier 4: +300 Credits
Built-In Comlink (Astromech Only)	Grant an ally AP. Costs 1 AP to use.	Tier 1: +1 AP; 1 per turn Tier 2: +1 AP; 2 per turn Tier 3: +1 AP; Unlimited

Universal Talents Explained

A Life of Labor

A Life of Labor is the most universally applicable Talent in the pool because every number it provides is useful regardless of class or weapon type. The Defense bonus means incoming attacks deal less damage permanently, and the late-rank additions of Melee Damage and Critical Hit Damage give aggressive builds more payoff without requiring any additional investment. Assaults, Heavies, and Soldiers get the most from the full stat spread, but there is no class where this Talent is a bad pick. If you are unsure what you want to build toward on an operator, this is the safest starting choice in the entire pool.

Anticipation

Anticipation starts as a straightforward personal survivability tool, letting the user evade the next attack once per turn at base rank, and becomes one of the strongest defensive Talents in the game once fully upgraded. The shift from self-only to ally-applicable at rank 3 makes it a great option on a support operator like a Medic, and it also pairs well with Espionage or Thievery for utility-focused builds, letting you protect a high-value damage dealer in the same turn they are about to draw fire.

Anticipation costs AP to activate while Grit is reactive, so Anticipation favors operators who typically have AP to spare after their main actions. Scouts and Medics who often have leftover AP after using abilities are natural fits, while Scoundrel also uses it well if you want defense instead of Cold-Blooded for a more aggressive setup, and at rank 3 the multi-target addition turns this into a squad-wide safety net rather than a personal one. Gunslinger can also use it effectively alongside Grit or A Life of Labor in survivability-focused builds.

With Evasion, the next incoming attack on your unit is automatically “evaded” and misses. One stack of Evasion gets consumed on each use.

Cold Blooded

Cold Blooded is the highest damage Talent and one of the few ways to access guaranteed Critical Hits outside of class abilities. Vicious does not appear on any standard class ability, which makes this the only reliable route to automatic crits for a custom operator.

The most straightforward pairing is Sharpshooter: their Precision Shot ultimate already grants a never-miss shot, and at max rank Precision Shot also provides 50% bonus Critical Damage, meaning a Cold Blooded crit fed into a fully upgraded Precision Shot hits for huge damage. At rank 3 with two stacks available, a Gunslinger running Cold Blooded can enter a chain of quick draws already knowing the first two shots are crits, which dramatically increases their burst damage.

Each stack of Vicious guarantees that your Operator’s next Ranged Attack or Melee Attack is a Critical Hit. One stack is lost when a Critical Hit is scored.

Espionage

Intel is spent on Operations at the Galaxy Map between missions, and Operations expire if left too long, meaning a steady Intel supply directly increases how many you can complete before they disappear. Operatives also manage a base of operations and deploy informants across locations, which makes extra Intel and similar bonus intel effects more valuable over a full campaign. Espionage is a strategy-layer Talent with no in-combat effect, so the tradeoff is straightforward: you are trading a combat bonus for campaign resource generation.

In early testing, an Espionage operator in a squad did not meaningfully reduce combat effectiveness, and the extra Intel became noticeably useful within a few cycles. It is most effective on a consistent mission participant rather than a bench player, and Medic is a strong non-combat carrier for Espionage, especially if your roster also uses Anticipation or Thievery elsewhere. Do not bring two Espionage operators since the bonus does not stack.

Fortitude

Fortitude is situational at rank 1 but becomes one of the most practically valuable Talents in the pool at rank 3. Injuries in Zero Company happen when an operator is downed and carry a chance-to-hit penalty into the next mission, which means an injured operator is both more fragile and less accurate for the rest of the campaign until healed.

At rank 3, Fortitude removes that penalty entirely and adds 6 Defense on top. This is a high-risk strategy but mechanically valid on a well-protected Heavy or Assault. At minimum, Fortitude is worth equipping on any operator you expect to be downed regularly, since it converts their worst-case scenario into something survivable.

Injured Operators cannot fight effectively and suffer a -10% Chance-to-hit penalty for each injury.

Grit

Grit is a reactive defensive Talent that blocks damage after it would have landed rather than requiring prediction before an attack. At rank 3, two stacks of Invulnerable mean the operator can absorb two separate hits for zero damage in a single encounter, which combined with 12 bonus Max Health makes them significantly harder to down.

This is the stronger pick for frontline operators in unpredictable high-damage situations where you cannot always predict which operator will draw fire. Heavies and Assaults who regularly take hits benefit the most, and the Max Health bonus has permanent value even in fights where the Invulnerable stacks are not consumed.

The Invulnerable effect prevents all incoming damage from the next incoming attack. One stack is lost after the attack’s damage is blocked.

Sabotage

Sabotage is the most tactically creative Talent in the pool, turning the battlefield’s environmental hazards into free damage on demand. Because it costs Advantage rather than AP, using it does not reduce the operator’s ability to attack, move, or use abilities in the same turn.

The EA Q&A confirmed that drawing enemies near explosive cover and triggering Sabotage to send them flying is one of the development team’s favorite strategies, and it pairs directly with the Assault’s Bull Rush, which can push enemies into position next to those objects before the detonation. It also works with a Soldier’s Rocket Strike chain: scatter enemies into a cluster, trigger Sabotage on a nearby explosive, then clean up with a grenade.

At tier 4 with unlimited uses, Sabotage becomes a source of free Advantage-costing damage every turn as long as explosive objects are present, which in practice they almost always are.

Taunt

Taunt is a tank-focused Talent that significantly expands the Heavy’s already strong crowd control toolkit. Without Taunt, the Heavy’s base class already applies a taunt on primary blaster attacks, but that requires hitting targets with your weapon.

Taunt as a Talent lets you redirect dangerous enemies to your tank without needing line of sight or a weapon attack, and the 6 damage reduction at rank 3 means those redirected attacks hit your heavy for substantially less. On non-Heavy classes, Taunt is significantly riskier: without heavy armor and strong Defense, taunting enemies toward a fragile operator will get them downed quickly. This Talent only belongs on a build specifically designed around absorbing hits.

A taunted enemy must target the source of the taunt.

The Bigger They Are…

Elite and boss enemies are the targets that most frequently end missions early, and The Bigger They Are converts your operator into a dedicated answer for those threats without requiring any class-specific setup. The 6 bonus damage applies to every hit, meaning it compounds across multiple attacks in a Gunslinger’s rapid-fire turn or a Sharpshooter’s Precision Shot.

It pairs best with classes that already deal high single-target damage: a Sharpshooter with this Talent turns every boss fight into an easy win, and a Gunslinger chains its per-shot damage bonus with Onslaught stacks for escalating burst as the turn progresses.

Thievery

Credits fund Den upgrades, gear purchases, and recruitment, making Thievery a genuine long-term investment that pays out every mission the operator deploys on. The 300-Credit ceiling at tier 4 is a huge bonus across a 30 to 40 hour campaign, particularly in early and mid-game phases where the Den upgrade economy is most constrained.

Like Espionage, the tradeoff is a combat bonus for campaign resources, and in early testing the combat impact of carrying Thievery instead of a damage or survival Talent was not dramatically noticeable at lower difficulties. The value compounds with mission frequency: put this on an operator you send on nearly every Tactical Mission and the total payout over the campaign is going to be massive.

Do not bring two Thievery operators since the bonus does not stack, and pair this with an Espionage operator elsewhere in the squad to cover both resource types simultaneously.

Built-In Comlink (Astromech Only)

Authored operators carry fixed Talents tied to their identity in Zero Company, the squad led by former Republic officer Hawks during the Clone Wars. These cannot be selected for Custom Operators, and the roster also includes custom characters, clone trooper specialists, and Jedi operatives alongside each named character. Like Universal Talents, they upgrade via Focus Points and become more powerful across the campaign as you invest points and raise their Tier level.

Authored Operator Talents in Star Wars Zero Company

Authored operators carry fixed Talents tied to their identity rather than choosing from the Universal pool. These cannot be selected for Custom Operators and are unique to each named character. Like Universal Talents, they upgrade via Focus Points and become more powerful across the campaign as you invest points and raise their Tier level.

Talent	Effect	Tier Upgrades
Fearless Leader (Hawks)	When Hawks is present, increases Assist Damage and Defense for all Operators.	Tier 1: +1 Assist Damage Tier 2: +1 Assist Damage, +1 Defense Tier 3: +2 Assist Damage, +1 Defense Tier 4: +2 Assist Damage, +2 Defense Tier 5: +3 Assist Damage, +2Defense Tier 6: +4 Assist Damage, +3 Defense
For My Brothers (Trick)	Once per mission, when Trick is downed, he automatically revives at the beginning of the next turn.	Tier 1: Trick revives at Half Health Tier 2: Trick revives at Full Health Tier 3: Trick revives at Full Health; Does not receive an Injury on first down Tier 4: Trick revives at Full Health on the same turn; Does not receive an Injury on first down; restores 1 AP
Strong with the Force (Tel-Rea Vokoss)	Tel-Rea begins each turn with stacks of Harmony. Harmony affects Deflection and Lightsaber Attacks.	Tier 1: 2 stacks of Harmony Tier 2: 3 stacks of Harmony Tier 3: 4 stacks of Harmony Tier 4: 5 stacks of Harmony Tier 5: 6 stacks of Harmony
Combat Jump (Cly Kullervo)	Jump to a nearby location, Pushing nearby enemies out of position.	Tier 1: Jump up to 14m Tier 2: Jump up to 17m Tier 3: Jump up to 20m Tier 4: Jump up to 23m; inflicts 4 stacks of Burning
Combat Gas (Luco Bronc)	Gain stacks of Sharpened Senses. Each stack increases Chance-to-hit and Ranged Attack Damage. One stack expires after each Ranged Attack.	Tier 1: TBD Tier 2: TBD Tier 3: TBD Tier 4: TBD
Final Shot (Jae Mordant)	Once per turn, Jae immediately fires her blaster and eliminates any enemy left with low Health after an allied Operator’s attack.	Tier 1: Eliminates enemies with 4 health or less Tier 2: Eliminates enemies with 6 health or less Tier 2: Eliminates enemies with 8 health or less Tier 4: Eliminates enemies with 10 health or less
Uppercut (Kabb Uppercut)	Rush an enemy and strike it, dealing Melee Damage and Pushing it backwards. Defeating the target restores all AP used. +4 impact damage for each enemy struck. Costs 1 AP	Tier 1: 10 base damage Tier 2: 11 base damage Tier 2: 12 base damage Tier 4: 14 base damage Tier 5: 16 base damage Tier 6: 18 base damage

Fearless Leader (Hawks)

While Hawks is present on the field, all operators gain increased assist damage and defense. Upgrading Fearless Leader improves both bonuses.

Fearless Leader is the only Talent in the game that buffs the entire squad passively just by having that operator in the field. Because Hawks is required on all story missions, this Talent is active in the majority of your campaign encounters without any input from you. The practical implication is that your other operators are measurably more accurate and more durable simply because Hawks is there, which improves with every Focus upgrade you invest into it.

For My Brothers (Trick)

Trick can withstand being Downed and automatically revives during the next turn. Upgrading improves the health recovered on revival and Trick’s resistance to injuries.

For My Brothers is a permadeath safety net on your most reliable early companion. In a game where losing an operator is permanent, the ability to survive a Downed state and stand back up without a teammate spending AP on a revive is a significant tactical advantage. Fully upgraded, with improved health recovery and injury resistance built in, Trick becomes one of the most durable operators in the squad even when he takes a hit that would end most others. This makes Trick the ultimate Tank authored operator in Star Wars Zero Company.

Strong with the Force (Tel-Rea Vokoss)

Gains stacks of Harmony each turn, raising Lightsaber Deflection and attack damage. Upgrading increases the number of stacks gained per turn.

Harmony is a unique stacking buff that does not appear on any other ability or class in the game. It means Tel-Rea becomes more dangerous and harder to hit through lightsaber deflection the longer a fight goes on, rewarding compositions that can keep her alive into the later rounds of an encounter. Upgrading accelerates how quickly those stacks build, pushing her peak performance earlier in each combat and making her an even bigger threat.

Combat Jump (Cly Kullervo)

Cly uses her jetpack to jump to a target location, pushing enemies out of position and inflicting the Burn effect at Tier 4. Upgrading increases the range of the jump.

Combat Jump is the most mobility-focused authored Talent in the game, combining repositioning with immediate area disruption in a single action. Pushing enemies out of cover and inflicting Burn in one move gives Cly a unique opening play that no other operator can do. Her jetpack persists even if she is respecced into a standard class, confirmed by Bit Reactor, making Combat Jump a permanent part of her kit regardless of how you build her.

Combat Gas (Luco Bronc)

Luco gains stacks of Sharpened Senses each turn, increasing his percentage chance to hit. Upgrading increases the number of stacks he can build.

Sharpened Senses is a stacking accuracy buff that makes Luco an incredibly reliable sharpshooter. Like Harmony on Tel-Rea, it is a status that exists nowhere else in the game’s ability set. Upgrading increases how many stacks he can carry, pushing that hit chance higher in extended engagements and making him significantly more consistent against high-defense targets late in the campaign.

Final Shot (Jae Mordant)

Immediately assists and eliminates any low-health targets. Upgrading raises the health threshold that triggers the assist and increases the number of Final Shots available per turn.

Final Shot is the closest thing Zero Company has to a passive execution ability, functioning similarly to Fallout’s Mysterious Stranger in that it fires automatically when the conditions are met rather than requiring a manual activation. At base it watches for low-health enemies and finishes them off, freeing your other operators to focus on different targets. Upgrading raises the health threshold, which means Jae can clean up targets that are less damaged, and adds more triggers per turn, making her a genuine force multiplier in fights with multiple weakened enemies.

What makes this Talent especially strong is that its a passive ability rather than an active skill that requires consuming AP or advantage.

Uppercut (Kabb Uppercut)

A knockback melee attack against enemies that refunds the Action Point cost if it defeats the target. Upgrading improves the damage.

Uppercut is the only Talent in the game built around AP refunding, which makes Kabb uniquely efficient in melee-range fights where he can chain eliminations. The knockback component also adds some utility on top of the damage, letting him push enemies off ledges or out of cover in the same action. Fully upgraded with improved damage, Uppercut becomes a devastating attack option for your squad.

Which Talent Should You Pick?

The right Talent depends entirely on the role you are building your operator around, but the best talents are easier to pick when you map them to class and ultimate abilities.

Assault gets the most consistent value from A Life of Labor and Grit.

Gunslinger excels with Anticipation, Grit, and A Life of Labor.

Heavy should prioritize Taunt, Grit, and Anticipation.

Medic is strongest with Anticipation, Espionage, and Thievery.

Scoundrel benefits most from Anticipation and Cold-Blooded.

Sharpshooter should run Cold-Blooded and The Bigger They Are… for the highest payoff.

If you spend significant time on side operations and resource management, keeping one operator with Thievery and another with Espionage in your regular lineup still pays off across a 30 to 40 hour campaign. The Credits and Intel they generate can meaningfully improve your Den upgrades and give you better tactical positioning before major fights.

The Final Word

Talents are a core part of every Custom Operator’s identity in Zero Company, and the ten Universal options cover every major playstyle from raw damage and survivability to environmental control and resource generation. Matching the right Talent to the right operator role from the start is what separates a squad that grows stronger over a full campaign from one that stalls out. Take the time to read each option before confirming. For more help building the rest of your operator kit from the ground up, see our Star Wars Zero Company Character Creation Guide.

Star Wars Zero Company Talents FAQ

1. What is the difference between a Talent and a class in Zero Company?

Your class determines your combat abilities, while your Talent is a separate bonus layer that is always active regardless of which class your operator is using. Every operator carries one of each, and the two systems are fully independent of each other.

2. Can you change a Custom Operator’s Talent after creation?

This has not been fully confirmed ahead of launch. The respec system in the Den’s Personnel facility handles both classes and Talents, but exactly how Talent changes work for Custom Operators post-creation is not yet detailed in official sources. We will update this guide once the full game is available.

3. What is Hawks’ Talent and can Custom Operators use it?

Hawks carries Fearless Leader, a unique Talent that boosts assist damage, defense, and chance-to-hit for all operators while Hawks is present. It is exclusive to Hawks and cannot be assigned to Custom Operators.

4. Are Thievery and Espionage worth taking over combat Talents?

Yes, on the right operators. Both generate resources at the strategy layer every time that operator participates in a Tactical Mission, and their value compounds across a full campaign. Putting one of each on operators you deploy regularly on side operations is a strong long-term investment.

5. Which Talent is best for a beginner?

A Life of Labor is the safest starting pick for most builds, giving you additional Health and Defense that apply universally without requiring a specific class or playstyle to get value from it.

6. Is Built-In Comlink available to non-Astromech operators?

No. Built-In Comlink is exclusive to Astromech droids built through the Den’s droid builder and cannot be selected for any other operator type.