Star Wars Zero Company just got a lot more dangerous for players who found it too forgiving. Bit Reactor has released update 1.2 for the Clone Wars tactics game, headlined by Campaign Modifiers — a suite of configurable rules that let players make a run dramatically harder, from instant permadeath to enemies that can land critical hits.
The modifiers can only be enabled when starting a new campaign, through the Difficulty Settings menu on any difficulty level — they cannot be switched on mid-run. They take effect once the tutorial is complete. The headline options target Injuries and Permadeath: players can make a single defeat permanently kill an Operator, add a flat or escalating percentage risk of death every time an Operator falls, strip out health growth from Focus Points entirely, and delay Bond cross-training until Bond Level 4 for disliked pairs.
The tactical layer can be tightened just as hard. Assist shots can be made able to miss, enemies can critically hit for bonus damage, and Operator accuracy can be capped at 99% — no more guaranteed shots. Advantage generation, the engine of the game's action economy, can be reduced or removed from area attacks and assists. A set of Lockout Modifiers goes further still, freezing talent, specialization and weapon respecs and even locking the recruitment refresh, so a squad's early decisions become permanent.
Bit Reactor says the options were built in direct response to players asking for ways to raise the difficulty and start campaigns under extra rules — particularly around Injuries and Permadeath — and recommends a default-rules run on Normal first. The studio also says it plans to explore additional configurations in future updates.
The patch does more than add difficulty knobs. Upgrade Facility costs have been slashed across the board after the studio found players were not engaging with Build Slots because they rarely had enough credits; recruitment now costs a flat 100 Credits per Operator instead of scaling with roster size. Balance changes rein in two overperformers: Astromechs can no longer cycle Action Points through Built-In Comlink as freely, the Scout's Tactical Timing no longer guarantees Advantage, and Cly — whose jetpack mobility enabled what the studio calls exploitative strategies — is limited to one Combat Jump and three Electroweb Darts per turn.
The bug-fix list is extensive, with a dedicated pass at the long-glitchy Overwatch system, which should now trigger more consistently and display its coverage honestly. The update lands as the game's outlook brightens: after reports that most of Bit Reactor was furloughed before launch, Zero Company has sold over a million copies, and the studio has been able to bring some staff back.
The full patch notes for update 1.2, which went live October 15, follow below.
Campaign Modifiers
Modify Injury Limits
Instant Death: an Operator defeated in a Tactical Mission is permanently killed, regardless of current Injuries.
Two Strikes: an Operator defeated with one or more Injuries is permanently killed.
Three Strikes: the default rules — an Operator defeated with two Injuries is permanently killed.
Add Risk of Death
No Risk of Death: the default rules.
Static Risk of Death: a 20% chance of permanent death whenever an Operator is defeated in tactical combat.
Escalating Risk of Death: the death risk starts at 20%, rising to 40% after the first survived defeat and 80% after the second.
Health and Bond Progression
Reduced Health Increases: +1 Maximum Health per 6 Focus Points instead of 3.
No Health Increases: no Maximum Health gains from Focus Points at all.
No Cross Training Between Disliked Pairs: disliked pairs receive no Cross Training from Bond increases until Bond Level 4.
Advantage Rules
No Advantage from Area Attacks: grenades, scatterguns and flamethrowers generate no Advantage.
No Advantage from Assist Attacks: backup shots and Easy Mark generate no Advantage.
Reduced Advantage from Damage: Advantage-generating attacks have only a 50% chance to increase Advantage.
Tactical Modifiers
Assist Shots Can Miss: assist shots follow standard ranged attack rules.
Enemies Can Critically Hit: all enemy attacks gain a 5% critical hit chance for +8 damage.
No Perfect Shots: Operator ranged attacks are capped at a 99% hit chance.
Lockout Modifiers
Locked Talent Respec, Locked Tactical Respec and Locked Weapon Respec: talents, specializations and weapons cannot be changed.
Locked Recruitment Refresh: the Refresh Recruits button is disabled (recruits still refresh automatically each cycle).
Feature Updates
Balance
Astromech Self-Repair reduced to twice per combat, healing equal to AP spent at 30%/45%/60%; Built-In Comlink capped at three uses per turn at maximum rank, ending an Action Point feedback loop.
Scout Tactical Timing progression rebalanced to 30/40/50/65/80, and Scouts now gain Advantage only from ranged and melee attacks.
Cly's Electroweb Dart limited to three uses per turn; Combat Jump limited to one use per turn.
Upgrade Facility
Upgrade costs reduced across the board — most Tier II and III weapon, crew and facility upgrades now cost between 0 and 3,000 Credits, with several (including Increased Crew Quarters I–IV) now free.
Recruitment Facility
Operators now always cost 100 Credits to recruit, regardless of roster size.
Call For Backup
The ability can now be bound to a custom hotkey.
Bug Fixes
The patch fixes dozens of issues across abilities, customization, cinematics, gameplay and UI. Highlights include a major pass on Overwatch reliability and targeting validation, fixes for abilities malfunctioning after loading saves, the final battle failing to end when a mission-critical NPC dies, B1 Battle Droids being unflankable in high cover, enemy overwatch shots incorrectly sitting at 85% accuracy, a PlayStation 5 issue that could delete the Character Databank, and several crashes and softlocks.
Source: EA
