Star Wars Zero Company The Den Upgrade Guide: Base Progression and Resource Planning
Quick answer
Treat The Den as a progression decision point, not a pre-release puzzle with one confirmed best upgrade order. Its confirmed roster benefit is important: upgrades at The Den can help increase the Operator limit.
Players start with a maximum of seven Operators at HQ, while the current limit is 20. The Den is only one path that can increase that limit; story progression and new Authored Operators also matter.
Before spending resources, ask which bottleneck is stopping the roster from doing its job. The exact upgrade names, costs, prerequisites, and best order are Retail verification required.
What The Den is confirmed to do
EA says the Operator limit can be increased through different upgrades at The Den, story progression, and as new Authored Operators join the squad. That makes The Den relevant to recruitment and squad composition, even before the full upgrade tree is known.
The confirmed takeaway is not “rush one specific room.” It is to connect base progression to an actual roster problem: too few available Operators, too little role coverage, or too little reserve capacity.
The complete Den layout and all upgrade effects are Retail verification required.
A safe way to prioritize upgrades
First priority: solve the current bottleneck
If the roster is too small to cover different mission objectives, an upgrade that increases capacity may be more valuable than a theoretical combat improvement. If capacity is not limiting deployment, another progression option may have a better immediate payoff.
This is a decision rule, not a confirmed upgrade ranking. The actual value of every Den upgrade is Retail verification required.
Second priority: preserve mission flexibility
The game includes different mission approaches, and a four-Operator tactical squad does not mean four Operators are enough for every roster decision. A broader reserve can help you adapt to objective types, story requirements, and characters you want to keep available.
Do not spend every resource on a narrow benefit if it leaves the roster unable to cover movement-heavy, defensive, or enemy-specific missions.
Third priority: compare upgrades with Operations
The Den does not exist in isolation. Between missions, players can spend Intel on Operations at the Galaxy Map. If a base upgrade competes with an Operation for a limited resource, compare the immediate mission benefit with the long-term roster benefit before committing.
Exact resource costs, income, and rewards are Retail verification required.
Roster capacity and The Den
The confirmed capacity rules are:
- You start with a maximum of seven Operators at HQ.
- The current HQ limit is 20.
- The limit can increase through The Den upgrades, story progression, and new Authored Operators.
- Standard tactical squads can reach four Operators.
- Certain missions may let you control additional characters.
This creates two separate questions: how many Operators you can own and how many you can deploy in a mission. An upgrade that increases the roster limit does not automatically increase the standard tactical squad size.
The exact relationship between Den upgrades, additional mission characters, and deployment rules is Retail verification required.
Intel and Galaxy Map Operations
EA says players have a certain amount of Intel to spend on Operations at the Galaxy Map between missions. Operations can expire, story-critical missions become obligatory after a point, and each Operation costs various amounts of Intel.
For beginners, this means Intel should not be treated as an unlimited background resource. Before choosing an Operation, consider:
- how soon it expires;
- what the current roster actually needs;
- whether a story-critical mission is approaching;
- whether spending Intel now blocks a more useful later option.
The exact Operation list, rewards, expiration windows, and cost values are Retail verification required.
How to think about base progression before launch
Use three questions rather than a fixed build order:
- Capacity: Do I need more Operators to cover roles or maintain a reserve?
- Timing: Will a story mission or expiring Operation make this choice urgent?
- Flexibility: Does the upgrade help several mission types or only one unconfirmed scenario?
- Assuming the first available Den upgrade is always the best.
- Confusing HQ roster capacity with the four-Operator standard squad limit.
- Spending Intel without checking Operations that may expire.
- Ignoring story-critical mission timing on the Galaxy Map.
- Treating an unreleased resource cost as confirmed.
- Building a roster around one narrow combat scenario.
- Players start with a maximum of seven Operators at HQ.
- The current HQ Operator limit is 20.
- The limit can increase through The Den upgrades, story progression, and new Authored Operators.
- Intel is used to conduct Galaxy Map Operations between missions.
- Operations can expire.
- Story-critical missions become obligatory after a certain point.
- Operations have different Intel costs.
- Complete The Den room and upgrade list.
- Upgrade costs, prerequisites, timing, and resource effects.
- Exact Operator-capacity milestones.
- Operation names, rewards, expiration windows, and Intel costs.
- Whether upgrades affect combat, recovery, equipment, or only roster capacity.
- The most efficient beginner upgrade order.
If you cannot answer these from the game interface, record the choice as a retail test instead of presenting it as a universal recommendation.
Beginner mistakes to avoid
Confirmed now vs. retail verification required
Confirmed now
Retail verification required
FAQ
Should I rush Operator-capacity upgrades?
Only if roster capacity is your current bottleneck. The Den can increase the limit, but the best timing and priority are Retail verification required.
Is the HQ limit the same as the mission squad limit?
No. EA separately describes a current HQ limit of 20 and a standard tactical squad limit of up to four Operators, with additional characters in certain missions.
Can Operations expire?
Yes. EA says Operations can expire. The exact expiration timing and rewards are Retail verification required.
Should I save all Intel?
Not automatically. Intel exists to conduct Operations, but each Operation has a cost and some can expire. Compare the current opportunity with upcoming story-critical missions before spending or saving.
Is there a confirmed best The Den build?
No. The full upgrade tree, costs, prerequisites, and tested returns are Retail verification required.
Bottom line
Use The Den to solve the roster problem you actually have. Capacity upgrades may matter when your reserve is too small, but the correct order depends on upgrade costs, timing, Operations, and story progression that are not fully verified yet.
Track Intel carefully, watch for expiring Operations, and separate HQ capacity from mission deployment limits. Replace this framework with tested upgrade priorities after retail release.