Open Aurelio’s radial menu, select Brutal Strike (1 AP), lock onto an enemy, pick the position around it to strike from, then confirm — Aurelio rushes in and lands the melee hit.
Brutal Strike is Aurelio’s close-quarters option on the Soldier kit in Star Wars Zero Company, and it changes how he fights: instead of trading blaster fire from cover, he sprints in and hits an enemy directly. It costs almost nothing to run, which is exactly why it earns its place in your turn order.
What Brutal Strike does in combat
Combat in Star Wars Zero Company is turn-based, with your whole squad acting before the enemy and each operator carrying three Action Points to spend per turn. Because Brutal Strike is a melee action, it only works against enemies Aurelio can physically reach on his move — there’s no ranged version of it.
Key At just 1 AP and with a real shot at a critical, it slots in best as a cheap finisher: you soften a target with your heavier hitters, then send Aurelio in to close the kill without draining the rest of the squad’s turn.
Select Aurelio on his turn
With your squad up in the turn order, click Aurelio on the tactical grid so his action options open.
Open the radial menu and choose Brutal Strike
Bring up his radial menu and pick Brutal Strike, which shows its 1 AP cost.
Highlight the target
Point at the enemy you want to hit — a Separatist Enforcer, for example — so the attack locks onto it.
Choose the position to strike from
Pick the exact spot around the enemy where Aurelio will stand; the approach angle you choose can influence his crit chance, so favor the flank.
Confirm the rush-in
Confirm the action and Aurelio sprints to that spot and delivers the hit, with the damage number popping over the target on impact.
Since the strike only spends 1 AP, Aurelio still has points left afterward — enough to move again, take another attack, or hunker down for the enemy phase.
Brutal Strike cost, damage, and status
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Action type | Melee attack |
| AP cost | 1 AP |
| Base damage | 10 early, up to 18 at higher ranks |
| Critical damage | 16 (prologue example) |
| Per-turn limit | Once |
| Status applied | Dazed at low rank, Stun at top rank |
In the prologue, a clean Brutal Strike lands for 10 damage, climbing to 16 when it crits against a Separatist Enforcer. Those are the numbers you’ll see early; as Aurelio’s Soldier kit ranks up, the base hit scales higher, toward 18 at the top rank. It also carries a status on hit — Dazed at lower ranks, upgrading to a Stun once the ability is fully promoted.
Using Brutal Strike as a finisher
The strike is at its best cleaning up wounded droids that your team has already chipped down. Its low AP cost and crit potential let Aurelio secure the kill while the rest of the squad keeps their points for repositioning or overwatch, so you’re spending one point to close a fight instead of a full turn.
The opening of The Serolonis Job shows the shape of it: keep Trick and his heavy weapon near the front, push Aurelio up the left alongside him to flank, and slide Hawks down the right lane in cover. That lets Aurelio dart in with Brutal Strike on softened targets while the heavier units hold the line.
Two mistakes cost you here. Don’t open with it into open ground — used as an opener rather than a finisher, it leaves Aurelio exposed in the prologue firefights. And don’t line it up on enemies he can’t actually reach in one move; blocked pathing wastes your planning and can strand him out of cover. Remember too that Brutal Strike is once per turn, so spare AP won’t let you chain it.
Save Brutal Strike for a target another operator has already wounded — one AP closes the kill and the crit chance from a good flank angle does the rest, leaving the rest of your squad’s turn intact.
Related Star Wars Zero Company guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Can using Brutal Strike well keep Aurelio alive?
No. Aurelio is scripted to die during the intro no matter how you play, and that holds even with permadeath turned off. Brutal Strike is worth learning for how it works in your hands, but no amount of clever positioning or clean crits changes his fate in that opening.
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