Is permadeath optional?
Yes. EA states that permadeath is enabled by default but can be turned off for players who want a different campaign experience. The setting is separate from the immediate mission-risk label and from the normal difficulty ladder.
The official recommendation is unusually direct: the developers encourage trying permadeath because loss is part of the intended story. That is a creative recommendation, not a requirement. Turning it off does not make objective play, cover, or resource decisions irrelevant.
Downed is not immediately dead
When an Operator reaches zero Health, the unit becomes Downed and receives an Injury. A teammate can use Rally to return the Downed Operator to the current fight. Rally solves the immediate action problem; it does not erase the Injury.
Injuries reduce combat effectiveness and persist into the campaign layer. On standard rules, accumulating three Injuries results in permanent death. EA’s overview says no member of Zero Company is exempt, which makes unique authored roles strategically valuable and vulnerable.
How to remove Injuries
The Medbay at the Den treats injured Operators. EA describes a standard bed as taking one Cycle, while the Bacta Tank can provide immediate recovery. Treatment costs Credits.
That creates a campaign choice:
- Spend time and Credits to restore a key Operator.
- Deploy a healthy reserve and preserve the expiring mission.
- Accept greater risk by sending the injured Operator again.
Because finishing a Tactical Mission advances the Cycle, check the Holotable before committing the recovery plan. A mission or Operation may expire while a favorite remains unavailable.
How to reduce permanent losses
- Bring a Medic or healing Utility when the mission risk is high.
- Rally a Downed ally only after checking whether the rescue position is safe.
- Use cover and line-of-sight denial after a Heavy taunts enemies.
- Maintain reserves for every core role instead of investing in only four Operators.
- Treat existing Injuries before exposing the same unit to another Extreme mission.
These steps reduce risk but do not guarantee a casualty-free campaign. Hit chances, objectives, and player choices can still produce loss.
Can a mission be restarted?
StarWars.com’s official beginner guide says a mission can be restarted from the game menu to try another strategy with the same Operators. Players seeking an ironman-style experience can choose not to use that option; the game does not force that self-imposed restriction simply because permadeath is enabled.
Should a first-time player enable it?
Enable it if adapting to an imperfect outcome is part of the appeal. Disable it if permanent loss would discourage experimentation or prevent you from enjoying authored squad stories. The underlying Injury and recovery systems remain worth learning either way.