Star Wars Zero Company Trick Build Guide: Frontline Tank
If you’ve spent enough time playing tactical RPGs, you know exactly how quickly a mission can fall apart. One bad position, one unexpected critical hit, or one enemy getting a lucky angle on your weakest squad member can turn a comfortable battle into a disaster.
That is exactly why Trick quickly became one of my favorite companions in Star Wars Zero Company.
He isn’t necessarily the flashiest character in the squad. He doesn’t have the long-range precision of a dedicated sniper, and he isn’t built around complicated technical tricks. What Trick does have is something I value even more in a game with serious consequences: he gives you room to make mistakes.
And when permadeath is part of the experience, especially on tougher difficulty settings, that is incredibly valuable.
This Star Wars Zero Company Trick build guide focuses on turning the veteran clone trooper into a powerful frontline anchor. The idea is simple: combine strong Soldier damage with Heavy defensive abilities, give Trick the right weapon, and build your squad around his ability to absorb punishment while still dealing terrifying amounts of damage.
The result is a character who can walk into dangerous territory, attract enemy attention, destroy clustered targets, and sometimes survive situations where almost any other operator would be permanently lost.
Why Trick Is One of the Best Frontline Characters
Trick’s background already makes him feel like the kind of soldier you want standing between your squad and incoming blaster fire.
Formerly known as CT-3301, Trick is an experienced clone veteran with years of military discipline behind him. After surviving a devastating Separatist ambush and eventually leaving regular Republic service, he became one of the core members of Zero Company.
But his real value isn’t just story flavor.
Mechanically, Trick has one of the most forgiving abilities in the game for players who enjoy aggressive tactical positioning.
Trick’s Unique Talent: For My Brothers
His signature ability gives him a second chance when things go terribly wrong.
At its basic level, Trick can be reduced to zero health and become Downed, only to automatically return to the fight on the following turn. No teammate needs to spend precious Action Points rescuing him, and you don’t have to waste a medical item just to get him moving again.
That alone is excellent.
However, once the talent is upgraded through the Focus Tree, things become even better. Trick can return with dramatically improved health, eventually reaching a point where his first revival becomes an extremely powerful safety mechanism.
My personal opinion: this talent completely changes how you should play him.
Most characters make you think, “Is this position too dangerous?”
With Trick, the question becomes:
“How much damage can I cause before the enemy realizes they’ve made a mistake?”
That doesn’t mean you should intentionally throw him into every dangerous situation. But it does mean Trick can safely take positions that would be far too risky for your sniper, medic, or technical specialist.
The Best Primary Class for Trick: Soldier
You can experiment with different setups, but I strongly recommend keeping Trick’s Soldier specialization as the foundation of his build.
The Soldier class gives him something extremely important: consistent damage without forcing him into a single narrow role.
Trick needs to be able to fight at medium range, damage groups of enemies, destroy cover, and remain useful even when the battlefield becomes chaotic.
The Soldier toolkit does exactly that.
Best Soldier Skills to Prioritize
| Skill | Why It Works for Trick |
|---|---|
| Heavy Blaster Training | Improves reliable weapon and explosive damage |
| Grenadier | Makes grenades more effective and easier to use from the frontline |
| Rush and Strike | Adds aggressive mobility and close-range pressure |
| Rocket Strike | Excellent for destroying groups, cover, and dangerous positions |
Rocket Strike Is the Real Game Changer
Once you unlock Rocket Strike, Trick becomes much more than a durable rifleman.
Large enemy groups are one of the biggest threats in tactical battles. Multiple enemies firing during the same round can overwhelm even a well-positioned squad.
Rocket Strike gives Trick a direct answer.
Clustered enemies? Rocket.
Enemies hiding behind cover? Rocket.
A dangerous position that needs to disappear immediately? You already know the answer.
The ability’s area damage also fits perfectly with Trick’s frontline role. Since he naturally plays closer to the action than your long-range companions, he often gets better angles for explosive attacks.
The Best Secondary Class: Heavy
This is where the build really starts to come together.
If Soldier is Trick’s offensive foundation, then Heavy is what transforms him into a true frontline tank.
Some players may prefer a mobility-focused combination, and I understand the appeal. More movement is always useful in tactical games.
But for my favorite Trick setup, the Soldier + Heavy combination simply feels more reliable.
You get the damage needed to eliminate threats while gaining defensive tools that allow Trick to remain exposed longer than most other squad members.
The Heavy Perks I Recommend
Conditioning should be one of your priorities because more health means Trick can survive larger bursts of incoming damage.
Unstoppable adds additional defensive value when Trick is positioned correctly in strong cover.
And then there is Bulwark.
This is the ability that truly supports the tank playstyle.
By pulling enemy attention toward Trick, you protect the characters who absolutely cannot afford to take concentrated fire.
That creates a very satisfying tactical loop:
- Trick moves into a strong frontline position.
- He draws enemy attention.
- Your vulnerable operators remain safer.
- Trick absorbs the punishment.
- His self-revival acts as an emergency backup plan.
It is a simple strategy, but sometimes simple strategies are the strongest ones.
Soldier + Heavy Trick Build Overview
| Build Element | Recommended Choice |
|---|---|
| Primary Specialization | Soldier |
| Secondary Specialization | Heavy |
| Combat Role | Frontline Tank / Damage Dealer |
| Main Weapon Style | Heavy Repeater |
| Best Defensive Focus | Health, Armor, Damage Reduction |
| Best Squad Support | Astromech Droid |
| Core Advantage | High damage with self-revival protection |
Best Weapon for Trick: Heavy Repeater
For this build, my preferred weapon choice is the heavy repeater-style blaster.
A standard rifle is still useful, particularly earlier in the campaign when flexibility matters more than raw damage. It allows Trick to move, reposition, and attack without committing everything to a single devastating turn.
But later?
I want Trick carrying something much heavier.
A repeater allows him to convert his Action Points into an overwhelming burst of firepower. When the situation demands it, Trick can commit everything to deleting a high-priority target.
That makes him especially useful against dangerous elite enemies.
The downside is obvious: after spending all those Action Points, Trick can be left vulnerable.
Fortunately, that’s exactly why this build works so well.
Trick has:
- Heavy defensive perks.
- A larger health pool.
- Better protection in strong cover.
- His unique self-revival safety net.
He is one of the few characters who can afford to play this aggressively.
The Astromech Droid Combo Makes Trick Ridiculous
If you really want to push Trick’s damage potential, pairing him with an Astromech Droid focused on Action Point support is one of the strongest combinations available.
This is where the build starts feeling slightly unfair.
The general strategy works like this:
Trick spends his available Action Points unleashing a massive repeater attack.
Normally, that’s the end of his turn.
But the Astromech can support him by restoring or transferring additional actions.
Suddenly, Trick isn’t finished.
He can attack again.
Or reposition.
Or launch another powerful ability.
That kind of action economy is incredibly dangerous in a tactical RPG because extra actions often matter more than simply increasing raw damage numbers.
A character who gets another meaningful action can completely change an entire battle.
This is probably my favorite part of the build. Watching Trick unload everything into a dangerous target and then immediately get the resources to continue fighting is incredibly satisfying.
Building Trick’s Squad Relationships
The Character Bond system is another reason Trick becomes more valuable over time.
Deploying companions together allows relationships to develop and unlock useful benefits. That means your team composition shouldn’t always be based entirely on immediate combat statistics.
For Trick, pairing him regularly with Luco Bronc can create an interesting long-term combination.
Their personalities and backgrounds don’t necessarily make them an obvious perfect partnership at first. That actually makes their progression more interesting.
The important thing is getting them into missions together and allowing their relationship bonuses to grow.
Don’t Ignore the Backup Mechanic
Backup attacks can create huge value when used correctly.
The best approach is to think about which characters benefit most from coordinated fire.
A long-range attacker supporting Trick can help finish targets that survive his initial assault.
Meanwhile, Trick supporting another high-damage companion can turn a normal attack into a decisive elimination.
Whenever possible, I recommend using Backup strategically rather than treating it as a random bonus.
Focus your coordinated attacks on targets that absolutely need to die that turn.
That is especially important against bosses, elite units, or enemies capable of seriously damaging your squad.
Star Wars Zero Company Campaign Walkthrough: Strategy Guide and Mission Walkthrough
Best Trick Progression Path
Early Game
During the first part of the campaign, keep things straightforward.
Stick with the Soldier specialization and focus on reliable damage improvements.
Prioritize abilities that strengthen Trick’s blaster and grenade performance. At this stage, mobility is still important, so a more traditional rifle setup can feel comfortable.
Don’t try to force Trick into being invincible too early.
Instead, build his fundamentals.
Mid Game
This is when the real tank build begins.
Unlock the Heavy secondary specialization and start investing in durability.
Conditioning and Bulwark should become important priorities.
At this point, you can begin transitioning toward a heavier weapon setup and more aggressive frontline positioning.
Trick should now be capable of taking attention away from weaker squad members.
Late Game
Once the major Soldier abilities are unlocked, including powerful explosive options, Trick becomes a complete frontline package.
Your priorities should be:
- Maximizing his offensive Soldier skills.
- Improving Heavy defensive perks.
- Upgrading For My Brothers.
- Strengthening armor and survivability.
- Pairing him with reliable Action Point support.
- Building strong bonds with frequently deployed companions.
At this stage, Trick should feel less like a standard soldier and more like a walking emergency plan for the entire squad.
Final Thoughts: Is Trick the Best Tank in Star Wars Zero Company?
For my playstyle, Trick is absolutely one of the best frontline characters to invest in.
What makes him special isn’t just his damage or his durability individually.
It’s the combination.
The Soldier specialization gives him explosive offensive potential. The Heavy class makes him difficult to remove from the battlefield. His unique talent provides an additional layer of protection that few other operators can match.
And when you add an Astromech capable of supporting his Action Point economy?
Things get very interesting.
My recommendation is simple: don’t build Trick like a cautious backline shooter.
Let him do what he does best.
Put him near the danger.
Give him the tools to survive.
Give him a weapon capable of punishing enemies for focusing him.
Then build the rest of your squad around the breathing room he creates.
In a game where one disastrous mission can cost you a veteran operator forever, having someone like Trick standing on the frontline is more than convenient.
It’s insurance.
And sometimes, in Star Wars Zero Company, insurance is exactly what keeps your entire squad alive.