Best Class in Star Wars Zero Company (Tier Breakdown)
Scout is the most-recommended starting class for Hawks, but the tier picture depends on which launch guide you follow. Here is the full breakdown with the disagreement spelled out.
The Short Answer
Scout is the most widely recommended starting class for Hawks at launch, backed by both Polygon’s early-class guide and GameRant’s tier list. Its Combat Recon passive generates Advantage for each enemy in a target area, which feeds the whole squad’s ability economy. This page aggregates published launch-week guides — this site has not run its own playthrough — and each recommendation below is attributed to its source.
Launch-Week Tier Rankings
GameRant tested every specialization and published the only full tier list (launch week, August 27, 2026):
| Tier | Specializations |
|---|---|
| S | Scout, Padawan / Wayseeker (Tel-Rea’s unique Jedi classes), Assault |
| A | Sharpshooter, Soldier |
| B | Scoundrel, Gunslinger, Warrior (Cly’s unique class) |
| C | Astromech / Analytics, Medic |
| D | Heavy |
The reasoning highlights: Scout drives strategy through Advantage generation; Assault’s Sweeping Salvo is among the best offensive abilities for just 4 Advantage; Scoundrel peaks when paired with Sharpshooter because Identify Weakness guarantees Precision Shot crits; Medic lands mid-C because Combat Stim is often the only ability you end up using.
Best Starting Class for Hawks
Polygon’s early-class guide recommends three options for Hawks’ first assignment:
- Scout — the top pick. Combat Recon grants Advantage per enemy in a target area, and Hawks’ personal kit (granting Action Points to allies, boosting assist damage and ally defense) multiplies that economy.
- Heavy — Polygon’s tank recommendation, built on taunt, retaliation and defense buffs, for players who want a durable frontline.
- Soldier — the versatile pick with daze capability and grenade buffs.
Polygon also notes that Gunslinger needs more mods and buffs to be competitive early, and that Medic can be safely skipped for the first several hours. Since classes can be reassigned later without penalty, an early pick is reversible.
Where the Sources Disagree
The sharpest disagreement is Heavy. Polygon recommends it as the best tank class for an early Hawks build; GameRant’s tested tier list places Heavy in D tier, arguing its passive package is outclassed once secondary specs open up. Both are launch-week takes. Practical read: Heavy is the only true tank kit among the eight classes, so it still owns the tank role — the disagreement is about whether that kit is strong relative to alternatives, not about a different class filling the role.
How to Read Tiers
Tier lists at launch week describe the shipped build with the meta still forming. Balance patches can move classes, and dual-spec combinations (primary + secondary) change rankings more than single-class strength does. If you want a recommendation you can act on today: start Hawks on Scout, put Assault on an aggressive Operator like Kabb, and treat the tier table as a priority order rather than a gate.
Sources
- GameRant — all specializations ranked, August 27, 2026
- GameRant — tested every specialization, August 27, 2026
- Polygon — best early class for Hawks, August 27, 2026
All sources accessed August 29, 2026. This page aggregates published launch-week guides and does not include first-person testing by this site.