If you’re starting Star Wars Zero Company for the first time, choosing the right difficulty can make a major difference. The game is built around turn-based tactical combat, cover, positioning, squad abilities, Advantage, and managing injuries, so the higher settings increasingly reward careful decision-making rather than simply making enemies tougher.
The game has Story, Normal, Hard, and Expert difficulties. Developer commentary also makes the intended progression fairly clear: Story is aimed at players who are new to tactics games or primarily interested in the Star Wars story, Normal is the general-purpose option, while Hard and Expert expect considerably more tactical knowledge.
| Difficulty | Best for | Challenge |
|---|---|---|
| Story | Story-focused players and beginners | Low |
| Normal | Most players | Moderate |
| Hard | Experienced tactics players | High |
| Expert | Tactical veterans | Very high |
| Beskar Mode | Players wanting maximum consequences | Separate modifier |
How Story difficulty works
Story is the easiest way to experience the campaign. Bit Reactor specifically designed it for players who may be coming to Zero Company from Star Wars rather than from games such as XCOM.
According to lead designer James Brawley, Story difficulty is deliberately forgiving. You can move through many encounters without worrying excessively about serious consequences, allowing you to concentrate on the characters, story, squad building, and basic tactical systems.
That makes Story a particularly good choice if this is your first turn-based tactics game.
It also doesn’t mean the combat disappears. You still use cover, Action Points, abilities, positioning, and squad synergies, but mistakes are less punishing.
How Normal difficulty works
Normal is intended to be the middle ground and is the difficulty the developers expect many players to choose.
Brawley said he expected most players to play on Normal because it provides enough challenge to keep you engaged with the tactical systems without becoming overwhelming.
For a first playthrough, Normal is probably the safest recommendation if you have some experience with turn-based strategy games. It gives you room to learn Zero Company’s mechanics while still making tactical decisions matter.
Normal is also a good choice if you’re familiar with games such as XCOM but don’t necessarily want every battle to become a puzzle where a single mistake can ruin your entire turn.
How Hard difficulty works
Hard is where Zero Company begins expecting you to understand its tactical systems rather than simply react to enemies.
The game’s developer describes Hard as a setting that leans more heavily into careful decision-making and understanding the mechanics.
A hands-on Xbox Wire preview was played on Hard, described as the third-highest of the four difficulties, and the reviewer found it challenging enough to regularly finish encounters while taking wounds.
Hard is therefore a strong option if you already have experience with tactical games. You’ll get more value from understanding cover, flanking, Overwatch, Advantage abilities, squad composition, and enemy positioning.
How Expert difficulty works
Expert is the highest of the four standard difficulty settings.
This is intended for players who already understand the tactical systems and want the game to demand considerably more from them. The developer specifically groups Hard and Expert together as the settings that emphasize careful decision-making and strong mechanical understanding.
The achievement structure also confirms Expert as the highest standard difficulty: completing the campaign on Expert is required for the game’s highest standard difficulty achievement.
If you’re completely new to tactical games, Expert is probably not the place to start. If you’ve already played several XCOM-style games and enjoy optimizing every turn, it is the natural choice.
How Beskar Mode changes the experience
Beskar Mode is easy to misunderstand because it sounds like another difficulty level, but it is actually a separate modifier.
It functions similarly to an Ironman mode. You cannot simply reload an earlier save after making a disastrous decision. The achievement requirements treat Expert and Beskar Mode separately, with the hardest challenge requiring you to complete the campaign on Expert with Beskar Mode enabled.
That makes Beskar much more consequential than simply selecting a higher difficulty.
A difficult encounter on Expert can normally be retried if things go badly. With Beskar Mode, your mistakes can permanently alter the campaign.
How permadeath affects difficulty
Zero Company also has an injury and permanent-death system that adds another layer of risk.
When an Operator is downed, they can suffer an Injury. On standard difficulty, accumulating three Injuries results in permanent death. The game also allows permadeath to be disabled, giving players another way to adjust how punishing their campaign is.
This is important because difficulty and permadeath are not exactly the same thing. Your selected difficulty determines the overall challenge, while the permadeath option changes how severe the consequences of losing Operators can become.
How to change the difficulty
You don’t necessarily have to lock yourself into your initial choice forever. Xbox Wire’s launch-day tips confirm that Zero Company’s difficulty can be changed between missions through the menu.
- Choose the difficulty that best matches your experience when starting the campaign.
- Play several tactical missions and pay attention to whether you’re struggling because you’re learning the mechanics or because the current difficulty is genuinely too demanding.
- Between missions, open the game menu and adjust the difficulty if you want more or less challenge.
- If you’re enjoying the tactical combat but finding encounters too easy, move from Normal to Hard rather than immediately jumping to Expert.
- If you’re struggling to understand the combat and want to focus on the Star Wars story, dropping to Story is a perfectly valid option.
Star Wars Zero Company difficulty settings: the best starting point
| Player type | Recommended setting |
|---|---|
| Completely new to tactics games | Story |
| New to tactics but wants some challenge | Normal |
| Experienced with XCOM-style games | Hard |
| Tactical-game veteran | Expert |
| Wants Ironman-style consequences | Beskar Mode |
The important thing is that there isn’t a single universally correct difficulty. Zero Company is designed to accommodate both Star Wars fans who are new to tactical games and experienced strategy players. The developers deliberately created Story and Normal as accessible entry points, while Hard and Expert are aimed at players who want the tactical systems to demand much more precision.
For most players, Normal is the best starting difficulty. It lets you learn the combat system without making every mistake devastating.
Choose Story if you primarily want the campaign and characters, Hard if you’re already comfortable with tactical strategy, and Expert if you want the most demanding standard experience. Save Beskar Mode for when you’re comfortable with the game, since its no-reload rules can turn ordinary tactical mistakes into campaign-defining consequences.
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