Quick take
- Combat alternates between the player's operators and opponents.
- Each operator has three action points.
- Objectives can matter more than eliminating every enemy.
What happens on a turn
Combat pauses while you choose what each operator does. After you select an action, the result is resolved immediately; once your operators have made their moves, the opponent takes a turn. Each operator has health and three action points, which are spent on movement, attacks, and abilities rather than an uninterrupted real-time sequence.
The actions players can combine
Move to a reachable location and take cover when possible. Attack with ranged or melee options, call for a nearby teammate's assist, or place an operator on overwatch for a reaction attack. Rally can return an injured operator to their feet; special actions spend Advantage points gained by dealing damage. Mission objectives are shown on the map, so eliminating every enemy is not always required.
How tactics fits the campaign
Tactical Missions deploy a chosen squad to an objective. Story missions can include a small third-person free-roam phase before the encounter, while Operations on the Galaxy Map handle non-combat choices and rewards between missions. Mission difficulty ranges from Risky to Dangerous to Extreme, so squad health and availability matter when deploying. Critical missions eventually become obligatory if left too long. The game therefore uses turn-based combat for decisive encounters while keeping campaign planning at the Den.
Checked references
Sources and verification
Facts on this page were checked against the following first-party material and named post-launch coverage.