The Star Wars Zero Company permadeath guide rule is simple but consequential: when permadeath is enabled, an Operator dies after receiving a third Injury. A downed Operator can be Rallied back into the current fight, but Rally adds an Injury, and injured Operators may need the Medbay before another deployment. Permadeath is enabled by default, can be disabled when starting a campaign, and cannot be changed after that campaign begins.
How permadeath works
Operators normally enter a downed state before death. Another squad member can Rally the downed Operator, returning that character to the battle while adding an Injury. If that becomes the third Injury and permadeath is active, the Operator is permanently lost rather than entering another ordinary recovery cycle.
The rule operates across the campaign, not only inside one mission. Existing Injuries therefore change how safely an Operator can be deployed, and the Medbay becomes part of tactical planning. The official getting-started guide explicitly recommends permadeath for the narrative and strategic weight created by possible losses, but the setting remains optional.
Can permadeath be changed later?
No. EA's current combat guide says the permadeath choice cannot be changed after a campaign has started, so changing it requires a new campaign. This is different from the general Story, Normal, Hard, or Expert difficulty setting, which official guidance allows players to adjust outside combat.
Make the decision before investing many hours in a run. Enable it if permanent consequences are part of the intended experience, or disable it if keeping authored companions and their story material matters more. Neither choice prevents the player from using strong recovery and roster-management habits.
What happens when Hawks goes down?
Hawks is the campaign protagonist and follows a stricter mission rule. EA states that Hawks being defeated immediately fails the mission regardless of the selected permadeath setting. That does not mean every ordinary Operator behaves the same way, and it should not be used to infer an instant permanent death for companions.
Protect Hawks as both a combat asset and a failure condition. Do not leave the protagonist exposed merely because the rest of the roster has no current Injuries. In story missions where Hawks is required, build the remaining three slots to provide protection, control, and a safe route to the objective.
Injuries and Medbay recovery
An Injury can carry penalties and remove an Operator from the ideal lineup until treated. The Medbay lets injured Operators recover between missions, but recovery consumes time and capacity, so several wounded characters can create a campaign bottleneck. Facility upgrades become more valuable when the chosen difficulty and play style produce frequent downs.
Avoid sending an injured Operator simply because the favorite Bond or build is familiar. A healthy substitute with the correct mission role is often safer than a stronger companion approaching the third-Injury threshold. The best squad composition guide includes lineups that are easier to rotate when recovery changes the roster.
Best permadeath strategy
Start by maintaining a functional bench. Develop at least one replacement for front-line pressure, ranged finishing, and support or control so one injury does not remove an essential job. Spend resources across a core roster without making every backup too weak to survive the first mission that needs them.
During combat, prevent downs rather than planning around Rally. Use cover, denial, Overwatch, displacement, and target priority to reduce incoming actions, and keep a retreat tile available before committing to close range. A successful mission that adds two serious Injuries can be worse for the campaign than a slower victory that preserves the roster.
Permadeath versus mission restart
The official getting-started guide says ordinary missions can be restarted from the menu with the same Operators. Permadeath creates the consequence for an accepted result, while a normal campaign may still provide restart protection after a failed attempt. Beskar Mode is the separate commitment setting that restricts the ability to return to an earlier outcome.
Do not treat permadeath and Beskar as synonyms. Players can enable permanent Operator loss while retaining ordinary save and restart behavior, or combine the systems for a more demanding ironman-style run. See the Beskar Mode guide for the save restriction and Patch 1.1 fixes.
Should a first playthrough use permadeath?
Normal difficulty with permadeath on and Beskar off is a reasonable first campaign for players who want consequences without committing to the harshest save rules. The Bacta and recovery systems are more forgiving than on the highest settings, while protecting companions still matters. New tactics players who primarily want the complete cast story can disable permadeath without changing the game's core turn-based combat.
The correct choice depends on tolerance for irreversible loss, not skill alone. Authored Operators carry personal conversations, Bonds, and missions, so losing one can change more than the battle roster. If that possibility would cause the player to abandon the campaign, turning the option off is more sensible than repeatedly restarting around a rule they do not enjoy.
Permadeath checklist
Before each mission, check every Operator's current Injuries, Medbay capacity, objective, threat rating, and available substitutes. Confirm who can Rally safely, who protects Hawks, and whether a fragile companion has an exit route. Do not let a high-value reward hide the campaign cost of deploying an exhausted roster.
After the mission, treat Injuries before advancing another cycle when the affected role has no healthy replacement. Invest in recovery facilities when the bottleneck is recurring, and broaden the roster before an Extreme or Critical mission forces an unsafe lineup. Permadeath is most manageable when every deployment is planned as part of the campaign rather than an isolated battle.
When a favorite character is one Injury from death, use a healthy recruit instead of assuming careful play will prevent every accident. Reinforcements, unfamiliar objectives, and a missed high-percentage attack can all break a clean plan. Preserving the character for a later Critical mission is often the stronger strategic decision.