Star Wars Zero Company Hawks Build and Specialization Guide
Status: Pre-release
Quick answer
Hawks is the player character and leader of Zero Company. Hawks can be customised, including species, name, appearance, clothing, and Specialization.
Hawks is not a replaceable squad slot. If Hawks dies in combat, the mission fails and you must restart that mission.
The safest way to choose Hawks’ role is to ask what your squad is missing:
- Choose a frontline Specialization if the squad lacks pressure at close range.
- Choose Sharpshooter if the squad needs a reliable long-range threat.
- Choose Medic if survival and injury prevention are the main concern.
- Choose Scout or Scoundrel if you want setup, flexibility, or tactical openings.
- Choose Soldier or Gunslinger if you want a more direct offensive role.
There is no responsible “best Hawks build” before the retail ability values and mission balance are fully tested. Exact build strength is Retail verification required.
Who is Hawks?
Hawks is a former Republic officer who leads the unconventional Zero Company during the final period of the Clone Wars.
Hawks is both a story protagonist and a customisable combat Operator. The developers have described Hawks as a character players should be able to identify with, so the game lets you choose important identity options as well as combat direction.
The result is not a blank character with no story. Hawks remains the leader of the campaign, but you decide how that leader looks, sounds, and fights.
What can you customise?
Official information confirms that Hawks can be customised in areas including:
- Species
- First name
- Appearance
- Clothing
- Voice options
- Specialization
- Other identity and combat choices
The full limits of the creator, starting equipment, talent availability, and progression options are Retail verification required.
Can you change Hawks’ Specialization?
Hawks’ combat direction can be customised, and official information states that most Operators can change Specializations through the Personnel Facility.
This means your first choice should not be treated as permanent until the retail rules prove otherwise.
Still, choose an initial role that helps you learn the game. Constantly changing Hawks without understanding why can make the rest of the squad harder to evaluate.
Exact respec costs, refund rules, timing, and restrictions are Retail verification required.
Does Hawks have to be in the squad?
Hawks is the main playable character and leader of Zero Company. Treat Hawks as a required part of the story and plan the other squad slots around the chosen Hawks role.
The standard squad can include up to four Operators, but Hawks is not simply one interchangeable recruit among many. Hawks’ survival is tied to mission success.
What happens if Hawks dies?
If Hawks dies in combat, it causes an automatic mission failure and you must restart the mission.
This differs from another Operator suffering Permadeath. The campaign may continue without a lost Custom or Authored Operator, but Hawks’ death stops the current mission.
The exact restart point, save behaviour, and difficulty-specific rules are Retail verification required.
Hawks as a frontline Operator
Choose a frontline direction if your roster lacks a character who can pressure enemies at close or medium range.
What this role should accomplish
- Reach dangerous targets safely
- Create pressure around cover
- Give enemies another threat to respect
- Open space for long-range teammates
What to watch for
Hawks cannot afford reckless positioning. Because Hawks’ death fails the mission, a frontline build needs a reliable exit plan, cover, support, and a reason to enter danger.
Do not assume a high-health or close-range setup makes open ground safe. Exact frontline abilities and defensive values are Retail verification required.
Hawks as a long-range damage Operator
Choose Sharpshooter or another ranged direction if the rest of the squad already has frontline pressure but lacks a safe way to remove priority targets.
What this role should accomplish
- Target dangerous enemies before they reach the squad
- Punish enemies exposed by a teammate
- Use cover and range to reduce risk to Hawks
- Convert Scout, Force, or displacement setups into damage
What to watch for
A ranged Hawks still needs line of sight and safe positioning. Do not leave Hawks exposed just to take a slightly better shot.
Exact weapon, Mod, accuracy, and ability interactions are Retail verification required.
Hawks as a support Operator
Choose Medic or another support direction if your squad already has enough damage but struggles to stay healthy and organised.
What this role should accomplish
- Keep key Operators active
- Reduce the cost of mistakes
- Support a frontline or rescue plan
- Help the squad survive missions with multiple phases
What to watch for
Support does not mean Hawks should remain disconnected from the fight. Hawks still needs line of sight, safe positioning, and enough AP to respond when the squad is threatened.
The exact healing, prevention, and support kit is Retail verification required.
Hawks as a setup and flexibility Operator
Scout, Scoundrel, Gunslinger, or Soldier can give Hawks a more flexible role depending on the final kit and equipment.
Choose this direction if you want Hawks to:
- Create opportunities for another Operator
- Adapt to different mission objectives
- Support Backup and focus-fire plans
- Contribute without occupying the squad’s only frontline or support role
The danger is choosing “flexible” without assigning Hawks a real job for the current mission. Before deployment, write down what Hawks should do on the first turn and what Hawks should do if that plan fails.
Exact hybrid and secondary Specialization rules are Retail verification required.
How should Hawks fit into a four-Operator squad?
Use Hawks as the anchor, then choose three Operators that cover the remaining needs.
If Hawks is frontline
Add:
- A long-range damage option
- A support or recovery option
- A flexible setup or objective option
If Hawks is long-range
Add:
- A frontline or durable Operator
- A support option
- A Scout, Assault, Soldier, or flexible role that can expose targets
If Hawks is support
Add:
- At least one reliable damage role
- One character who can handle close pressure
- One flexible or objective-focused Operator
If Hawks is flexible
Choose the other three roles based on the mission rather than copying the same squad every time.
These are composition frameworks, not confirmed best teams. Mission-specific performance is Retail verification required.
How should Hawks work with Authored and Custom Operators?
Hawks can lead a squad containing Authored Operators, Custom Operators, or a mixture of both.
Use Authored Operators when:
- You want their personal story and dialogue.
- Their role complements Hawks.
- You want to develop a specific Bond.
- Their unique identity adds something your custom roster lacks.
Use Custom Operators when:
- Hawks’ chosen role leaves a gap.
- You need a specific Specialization or weapon direction.
- An authored character is injured or unavailable.
- You want a backup for a high-risk mission.
The exact strengths and unique abilities of each authored character are Retail verification required.
Hawks and Bond planning
Hawks can participate in the squad’s relationship system. Deploying Operators together, using Calling for Backup, and completing Operations can improve Bonds.
If Hawks repeatedly works with a specific Operator, that relationship may become useful through Cross Training. But do not force the same partner into every mission if the objective needs a different role.
The exact Hawks Bond bonuses, pair thresholds, and Cross Training effects are Retail verification required.
Hawks and equipment
Choose Hawks’ weapon and Utilities to support the role you actually selected.
- Frontline Hawks needs equipment that helps reach, survive, or exit pressure.
- Ranged Hawks needs a reliable sight line and a weapon profile that rewards target selection.
- Support Hawks needs enough safety and flexibility to remain active while helping others.
- Setup Hawks benefits from tools that create openings rather than only increasing damage.
Weapon Modifications can change stats and apply effects, while Utilities add separate combat options. Do not spend every Credit on Hawks if the rest of the squad lacks healing, recruitment, or a required tool.
Exact Hawks equipment priorities are Retail verification required.
How should you protect Hawks?
Use this pre-mission checklist:
- Confirm Hawks’ role for the objective.
- Make sure at least one teammate can support Hawks’ weak point.
- Check whether the next mission requires movement, defence, rescue, or extraction.
- Give Hawks a safe first-turn position.
- Avoid ending a turn in the open unless the risk is necessary.
- Keep a defensive ability, Backup option, or escape route available.
- Do not spend all Advantage before the enemy has taken its turn.
- Frontline if the team lacks pressure.
- Ranged if the team lacks safe priority damage.
- Support if injuries and survival are the main problem.
- Flexible or setup-focused if the team needs better options across mission types.
- Hawks is the player character and leader of Zero Company.
- Hawks can be customised, including species, name, appearance, clothing, voice, and Specialization.
- Hawks can lead a squad containing Authored and Custom Operators.
- The standard squad limit is up to four Operators.
- Hawks’ death causes an automatic mission failure and restart.
- Most Operators can change Specializations through the Personnel Facility.
- Hawks’ complete ability and talent tree
- Starting weapon and exact equipment options
- Respec costs and refund rules
- Hawks-specific Bonds and Cross Training
- Best Specialization by difficulty and mission type
- Exact defensive, healing, and damage values
- Save and restart behaviour across difficulties
Hawks’ death is a mission failure, so the leader should not be treated as a disposable damage source.
Common Hawks mistakes
Choosing the role that sounds strongest
Choose the role that solves the squad’s current problem. A theoretically powerful Hawks build can still be wrong for the mission.
Making Hawks do everything
Hawks is flexible, but a squad works better when the other three Operators have clear jobs too.
Taking unnecessary frontline risks
Hawks can be a frontline fighter, but Hawks’ death has a larger immediate cost than losing an ordinary Operator.
Never changing Specialization
If the game allows a respec, use it to solve a real roster problem rather than treating the opening choice as permanent.
Ignoring the mission objective
A Hawks build that works while defending a point may be less useful when the squad must sabotage a target and evacuate.
Bottom line
Hawks should be built as the role your squad needs most, not as a fixed “best” character:
Hawks can be customised, Hawks’ Specialization can be adjusted within the game’s rules, and Hawks can lead Authored and Custom Operators together. The one constant is survival: if Hawks dies, the mission fails.