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The best first base upgrades in Star Wars Zero Company are usually the Black Market and its quality improvements, followed by Medbay capacity when injuries are slowing your roster. Unlock Droid Repair Bay only if droids are part of your plan, then favor squad-wide benefits such as Combat Readiness or an extra weapon-mod slot before spending on weapon types nobody is carrying.
That is a practical default, not a fixed build order. Your next mission, injury queue, active weapon mix, available Credits and remaining campaign length should decide whether you move a conditional upgrade forward. Version 1.2 reduced many Upgrade Facility prices, so older guides can make early purchases sound more expensive than they are; confirm the live in-game cost before committing. EA’s version 1.2 patch notes document the reductions.
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At a glance
| Name | Best for | Key spec | Free plan / price | Platforms | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Market: Quality Goods and Better Black Market Deals | Most early companies | Higher-quality stock; Better Deals gives a 15% price reduction | Price varies; use the live Upgrade Facility | PS5 | November 2026 |
| Medical Bed capacity | Companies with repeated injuries | More operators can recover simultaneously | Medical Bed III and IV were reduced to 500 Credits each in version 1.2 | PS5 | November 2026 |
| Droid Repair Bay | Players recruiting droids | Enables droid recruitment and repair | Price not specified in the supplied data; check in game | PS5 | November 2026 |
| Combat Readiness | Any squad that reliably uses Advantage | Starting Advantage: +1 at rank I, +2 at II, +3 at III | Combat Readiness I was reduced from 2,500 to 2,000 Credits | PS5 | November 2026 |
| Additional Weapon Mod Slot | Mod-focused, stable rosters | One more weapon-mod slot across the relevant setup | Reduced from 4,500 to 4,000 Credits in version 1.2 | PS5 | November 2026 |
| Teamwork III and the Lounge | Players rotating a deep bench | Operators left in the Den earn Bond XP through the Lounge | Price not specified in the supplied data; check in game | PS5 | November 2026 |
| Weapon-specific damage, critical or movement upgrades | Companies concentrated on a few weapon families | Improves only the weapon type named by the upgrade | Varies by weapon and rank; verify the live entry | PS5 | November 2026 |
Details checked November 2026.
What should you upgrade first in the Den?
Start with the Black Market when equipment access or purchase price is your largest limitation. Improve its stock quality and then take the discount if the facility presents those options. This path reaches every operator who can use the gear, rather than adding a benefit to one character.
Move Medical Bed capacity ahead of the market only when injuries are regularly benching core operators or you are about to undertake a risky Operation. Choose Droid Repair Bay early instead when recruiting and maintaining droids is a central part of your intended roster. Once those immediate needs are covered, Combat Readiness, an additional weapon-mod slot and selective weapon improvements are the strongest general candidates.
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- Standard Edition for PlayStation 5 (disc) includes the full Star Wars Zero Company game. Single-player turn-based tactics set in the twilight of the Clone Wars—lead Hawks and Zero Company in an intense campaign.
- Build your squad from clone troopers, scoundrels, astromechs and even a Jedi—combine abilities and gear in deep Tactical-Strategy combat.
- Plan at your base, adapt on dynamic battlefields and make decisions that shape missions and replayability in this cinematic Star Wars story.
- Customise Hawks and your operatives, tailor loadouts and unlock powerful squad synergies designed for Strategy, Turn-Based and Sci-Fi fans.
The Den is the company headquarters. At its holotable, you choose Operations and Tactical Missions; Operations consume Intel and can return rewards or alter Bonds, while both kinds of activity can expire. Each cycle ends with a Tactical Mission, and deploying advances the cycle, so use the facilities before you leave the Den. The official StarWars.com guide to the Den and campaign cycles explains that preparation window.
Why is the Black Market the safest first investment?
The Black Market is the best default because it addresses two common early bottlenecks at once: getting equipment at all and getting better equipment without exhausting Credits. The facility’s Quality Goods effect improves the chance of higher-quality stock. Better Black Market Deals reduces listed prices by 15%, according to the community-maintained facility reference.
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Those effects have broad reach. A weapon, armor piece or utility item can be reassigned as your squad changes, while an upgrade tied to one weapon family may sit unused after a roster reshuffle. Market improvements also remain useful when a replacement recruit joins the company, making them less sensitive to casualties or changing class preferences.
When should you take each market improvement?
- Unlock the Black Market. Do this when the equipment shop is the obvious reason your active squad is underpowered or inflexible.
- Raise stock quality. Quality Goods is more valuable when you are checking the shop every cycle and have several operators who can use different item categories.
- Take the discount. Better Black Market Deals is especially attractive before a shopping cycle in which you expect multiple purchases, but do not delay a recovery or droid prerequisite that the next mission demands.
The exact price and build opportunity are version-sensitive. Use the current Upgrade Facility entry rather than copying a number from a guide written before version 1.2.
When should Medbay capacity come before everything else?
Buy an additional Medical Bed when injuries, rather than Credits or equipment, are the reason missions are being delayed. Each added bed lets more operators recover at the same time; it does not make an operator immune to injury or guarantee instant recovery.
The first bed expansion is the practical early recommendation when your core team is repeatedly unavailable. Later capacity levels should wait until the injury queue actually fills them. If only one operator is usually recovering, a second or third capacity level ties up Credits and a build opportunity without shortening the current bottleneck.
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- PC download code for EA app. Single-player turn-based tactics set in the twilight of the Clone Wars—lead Hawks and Zero Company in a gritty Star Wars campaign.
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- Single-player turn-based tactics set in the twilight of the Clone Wars—lead Hawks and Zero Company in a gritty, cinematic Star Wars campaign.
A simple injury-based decision rule
- One injured operator, no imminent deployment: keep the market or a company-wide combat upgrade ahead of extra capacity.
- Several injured operators at once: move the next Medical Bed level to the front of the queue.
- A high-risk Operation with a thin bench: buy recovery capacity before deploying if the upgrade can come online in time.
- A deep, healthy roster: defer later beds until simultaneous injuries become routine.
Version 1.2 reduced Medical Bed III from 600 to 500 Credits and Medical Bed IV from 700 to 500 Credits. Those are patch-note changes, not a guarantee that a later update has not changed the live values.
Should you unlock Droid Repair Bay early?
Yes, if you intend to recruit and field droids; otherwise it is usually a lower priority than an upgrade your organic roster can use immediately. The facility reference describes Droid Repair Bay as enabling droid recruitment and repair, so its value is partly a gate: without it, the droid plan cannot function as intended.
Do not buy it merely because droids are available in the setting. Compare the facility’s cost and build slot with your next deployment. If your current company has no droid recruit planned, the Black Market, a needed Medical Bed or a squad-wide combat effect can produce value sooner. If an astromech or another droid is a planned core member, unlock the bay before spending heavily on equipment that the droid cannot access without the repair infrastructure.
The supplied sources do not establish a universal droid damage breakpoint or a campaign-wide return on investment. Treat this as a roster decision, not a claim that Droid Repair Bay is always third in every playthrough.
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Broad upgrades become attractive once the company can deploy consistently. They reach several operators at once and keep paying off when you rotate the roster, but only if the squad actually uses the underlying mechanic.
Combat Readiness
Combat Readiness grants starting Advantage: +1 at rank I, +2 at rank II and +3 at rank III in the facility reference. It belongs near the top of the general-purpose list if your tactics regularly convert Advantage into better attacks, positioning or other combat benefits. If your team rarely preserves or exploits Advantage, its nominal rank is less important than a market purchase the squad will use every mission.
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EA’s version 1.2 notes reduced Combat Readiness I from 2,500 to 2,000 Credits. The change matters because the first rank is now a smaller early commitment than older cost lists suggest. Check the current entry before buying higher ranks.
Additional Weapon Mod Slot
An Additional Weapon Mod Slot is a strong mid-early purchase for a company whose primary weapons already have useful compatible mods. It scales with every operator who can use the slot, but its real reach depends on the mod inventory and weapon types you bring. If the slot would sit empty, the benefit is theoretical rather than immediate.
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The 1.2 notes reduced this upgrade from 4,500 to 4,000 Credits. The same notes reduced Additional Utility Slot from 5,000 to 4,000 Credits. Choose between them by looking at what your active squad can equip now, not by treating either price as proof of a superior build.
Teamwork III and the Lounge
The Teamwork path is more valuable for a rotating bench than for a fixed strike team. The referenced effect at Teamwork III unlocks the Lounge, which grants Bond XP to operators left at the Den. That can turn non-deploying characters into a useful development pool while other operators handle a mission.
This is a long-term roster investment. It is less compelling when the same few operators deploy every cycle or when the campaign is close to its final missions. Consider it after immediate recovery, equipment and droid requirements are satisfied.
How should you choose weapon-specific upgrades?
Buy a weapon upgrade only after checking who carries that weapon family in the next several missions. Damage, critical chance and movement upgrades are type-specific; a bonus for an unused pistol or rifle category does nothing for the squad currently on the holotable.
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- Count active users. Favor a weapon carried by multiple regular operators over one used by a single reserve character.
- Match the stat to the build. Base Damage is a broad offensive improvement. Critical Chance is more relevant when the operator’s setup already exploits critical damage. Movement is useful when several members of the same weapon category depend on positioning.
- Check the campaign horizon. A narrow upgrade needs enough remaining missions to repay its cost and build slot.
- Recheck after recruitment. A new operator can change which weapon family has the widest reach.
The reviewed guide presents these as conditional priorities, not guaranteed damage breakpoints. No supplied source proves that one weapon stat produces a particular combat-time or mission-success increase, so use the effect description and your roster rather than an invented percentage.
Are Crew Quarters, influence rewards and extra slots worth early Credits?
They can be, especially in a campaign long enough for compounding infrastructure to matter. The independent guide highlights Zone Influence level-three rewards that can provide another facility upgrade slot and a squad-wide Weapon Mod slot. Those rewards expand what the Den can support, but their value depends on the path you have unlocked and how many cycles remain.
Increased Crew Quarters I through IV were reduced to zero Credits in version 1.2, according to EA’s patch notes. That makes the opportunity cost primarily timing and prerequisites rather than the listed purchase price. A free capacity upgrade is still not automatically the correct next action if it delays a Medical Bed needed for the next mission.
Use additional facility slots as a campaign investment when you can name the next two upgrades they will enable. If you cannot, spend on a direct company need first. The same rule applies to Influence: pursue it when the next reward changes your operating capacity, not simply because a higher level sounds valuable.
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How do version 1.2 price changes affect the order?
They make early experimentation less punishing than pre-1.2 guides imply. EA says player data showed that many people were not engaging deeply with the Upgrade Facility because they lacked enough Credits, then lists reductions across several upgrades. The notes also state that recruits now cost a flat 100 Credits.
Documented examples include Combat Readiness I falling from 2,500 to 2,000 Credits; Medical Bed III and IV falling to 500 Credits each; Increased Crew Quarters I-IV falling to 0; Additional Weapon Mod Slot falling from 4,500 to 4,000; Additional Utility Slot falling from 5,000 to 4,000; and Focus Point I-III each falling to 2,000 Credits. These figures come from the official patch notes, checked against the version 1.2 information available for this guide.
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The patch page contains apparent repeated or inconsistent weapon-cost rows, including two Pistol Movement III entries with different former prices. Do not turn those ambiguous lines into a definitive price table. The live in-game Upgrade Facility is the authority for the amount you will actually pay.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What should you do before committing an upgrade?
- Inspect the next Tactical Mission. Note its timing, enemy demands and whether a particular operator must be available.
- Review injuries. Count simultaneous recoveries, not just the number of injured characters.
- Open the shop. Decide whether better stock or a discount can improve several active operators immediately.
- Audit your roster plan. Mark whether droids, a rotating bench or one dominant weapon family is central to the next few cycles.
- Compare the build slot. A cheaper upgrade can still cost more in timing if it blocks a facility effect needed before deployment.
- Check Credits in the live entry. Prices may change in later patches, and the 1.2 notes themselves contain ambiguous weapon rows.
- Deploy only after Den work is complete. Operations and missions advance the cycle, so a last-minute purchase can be more useful than a purchase after the deployment.
This sequence turns the ranking into a decision tool. The first question is not “What is the strongest upgrade?” but “What will the next cycle prevent me from doing if I leave this problem unresolved?”
Recommended orders for common campaign situations
| Your situation | Suggested order | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Typical early campaign, equipment is weak | Black Market unlock → Quality Goods → Better Black Market Deals → Combat Readiness or a used weapon upgrade | Improves access and price for multiple operators before specializing. |
| Two or more core operators are recovering | First Medical Bed expansion → Black Market → later capacity only if the queue stays full | Restores deployment capacity before adding benefits to a sidelined roster. |
| Droids are a planned part of the company | Droid Repair Bay → Black Market → squad-wide upgrade | The bay gates recruitment and repair, so market value cannot replace that prerequisite. |
| Stable roster with one dominant weapon family | Black Market → Additional Weapon Mod Slot → damage, critical or movement upgrade for that family | Combines broad equipment value with a specialization the squad actually uses. |
| Large rotating bench | Black Market → Medical Bed as needed → Teamwork III/Lounge → extra slots | Bench-based Bond XP and capacity have more time to compound. |
| Late campaign with few missions left | Immediate recovery or mission-specific combat effect → defer long-horizon infrastructure | There may not be enough cycles for Influence, Lounge or additional capacity to repay their opportunity cost. |
What are the most common upgrade mistakes?
- Following an old price list. Version 1.2 changed many costs, and later patches may change them again.
- Buying beds without a queue. Capacity helps simultaneous recovery; it does not help an empty bed.
- Unlocking droid infrastructure without a droid plan. The bay’s gate is valuable only if you intend to pass through it.
- Purchasing a weapon bonus for a reserve category. Recount active users before each specialized purchase.
- Ignoring the build slot. The Credits are only one part of the cost; a delayed facility can be the real loss.
- Assuming one order is proven optimal. The sources provide effects and editorial recommendations, not controlled success-rate data across difficulties or play styles.
- Deploying before doing Den business. The official beginner guidance says to complete what you need in the Den before deployment because missions advance the cycle.
How we picked these priorities
The order weighs immediate need, reach, utilization, timing, opportunity cost and campaign horizon. Market and squad upgrades rank highly because several operators can use them. Medbay and Droid Repair Bay move forward when their specific gates are blocking deployment. Weapon and Influence options move back when their benefits are narrow or need many future cycles to compound.
The effects and rank values come from the community-maintained Den facilities reference, while price changes come from EA’s version 1.2 notes. The practical sequence is an evidence-based default assembled from those effects and the independent Den-upgrade guide, not an official mandatory build order.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Medical Beds should I buy in Star Wars Zero Company?
Buy the first expansion when more than one operator commonly needs recovery at the same time. Delay later levels until the injury queue repeatedly exceeds your current capacity; otherwise the Credits and facility timing are usually better spent on equipment or a squad-wide effect.
Is Droid Repair Bay required for every campaign?
No. Its documented purpose is to enable droid recruitment and repair, so it is a prerequisite for a droid-centered roster rather than a universal early purchase. If you are not planning to field droids, compare it with the next upgrade your current company can use immediately.
How much does recruiting a new operator cost after version 1.2?
EA’s version 1.2 patch notes say recruits now cost a flat 100 Credits. Check the current in-game screen for any later patch changes before budgeting a replacement or expanding the bench.
Where can I see the current price of a Den upgrade?
Open the Upgrade Facility in the Den and inspect the upgrade’s live entry immediately before purchase. This is particularly important for weapon upgrades because the published 1.2 patch list contains repeated or inconsistent rows.
What should I do in the Den before launching a mission?
Review injuries, shop stock, Operations and available facility actions before deployment. Missions advance the campaign cycle, and the official beginner guidance recommends completing necessary Den work first.
