Action economy

Budget the entire activation

AP is the turn's hard constraint. Before moving, total the cost of the attack you want, the ability that enables it, and the square that keeps the operator alive afterward.

SAFE ACTIVATIONAccess + Action + Exit ≤ Available AP

If the equation fails, change the target or let another operator open the line first.

  • Move last when the current tile already has line of sight and safe cover.
  • Do not spend the final point by habit; reserve can protect a reaction or reposition.
  • Use AP-granting tools, including an Astromech's Built-in Comlink, on the operator whose extra action changes the objective.
Team resource

Generate advantage with low-risk work

Cross-checked launch guidance recommends using simpler droids as safe sources of advantage rather than treating every weak enemy as a full-squad problem. Advantage is valuable when it accelerates the decisive ability, not merely when the meter is available to fill.

  1. Identify the spender: decide which ultimate or high-impact action the mission needs.
  2. Choose the feeder: let a suitable operator handle a low-risk target or class action that adds advantage.
  3. Protect the timing: do not trigger the payoff after the enemy formation has already scattered.
Focus fire

Assist geometry turns talents into damage

Hawks officially improves assist damage, defense, and accuracy for the other deployed operators. Jae's Final Shot can assist against low-health targets. Both talents become better when the squad can see the same priority enemy without standing in the same blast zone.

ASpotter
Priority target
BFinisher

Practical inference: spread support angles, not focus. Two useful lines of sight are better than three operators sharing one grenade-sized patch of cover.

Battlefield as inventory

Explosives, lanes, height, and displacement are resources

Explosive objects

Sabotage can detonate an explosive object directly. Check blast radius and friendly positions before using map damage.

Displacement

Cly's Combat Leap pushes enemies and applies burning. Use the new position to break cover or create a better follow-up.

Open areas

Explore before committing. Launch guidance notes that wider spaces often contain angles or objects that create a combat advantage.

Threat order

Remove the enemy who breaks your plan

ThreatWhy it risesAnswer
Flanker or displacerTurns safe cover into exposure.Control, burst, or block its route.
FinisherConverts an injury into a permanent loss.Break line of sight or remove it early.
Elite / bossHigh durability can waste ordinary attacks.Save debuffs and “The Bigger They Are” style bonuses.
Simple droidLow threat, but still occupies space.Use as an advantage feeder or efficient chain target.

“Highest health first” and “closest target first” are not plans. The right priority is the unit most likely to invalidate your current position or objective.

Campaign cost

A victory can still damage the campaign

Injuries, permadeath, and bonds make survival part of the objective. Trick's official talent gives one recovery from being downed, but it should be treated as insurance, not permission to leave him isolated.

Before ending the turn

Check every exposed operator, every enemy with a line to a wounded target, and whether the objective will force another round. If a named companion can be extracted now, the extra kill may not be worth the campaign risk.

Verification ledger

Sources used on this page

Community reports show that a question recurs; they do not prove a cause or fix. Patch-sensitive details were checked on 2026-08-31.