Decision page
Pick by the problem you want an Operator to solve, then compare the resolved ability data behind each fit.
What do you want this Operator to do?
The goal you pick is filtered against resolved ability families — not a hand-written tier order.
| Goal | Recommended fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Direct damage | Soldier | 6 resolved damage ability families: Armsmaster, Brutal Strike, Explosives Master +3 more. |
| Ranged pressure | Scout | 5 resolved overwatch and spotting ability families: Ambush, Combat Recon, Slip Through The Gaps +2 more. |
| Survivability | Heavy | 3 resolved defense ability families: Bulwark, Double Down, Heavy Armor Training. |
| Squad support | Medic | 6 resolved support ability families: Combat Stim, First Responder, Health And Vigor +3 more. |
| Enemy control | Heavy | 2 resolved control ability families: Bulwark, Intimidating Posture. |
| Advantage setup | Scout | 4 resolved marking and setup ability families: Ambush, Combat Recon, Tactical Timing +1 more. |
✦ Comparison of resolved abilities and effects. Counts are evidence, not a ranking.
Core comparison
Strength and tradeoff for every path, with the Operators who can actually take it and the weapons its ability text refers to.
Standard · 7 families · 21 records
Standard · 7 families · 21 records
Standard · 8 families · 22 records
Standard · 7 families · 21 records
Standard · 7 families · 21 records
Standard · 7 families · 21 records
Standard · 9 families · 23 records
Standard · 8 families · 22 records
Standard · 8 families · 22 records
Character path · 15 families · 33 records
Character path · 11 families · 26 records
Character path · 5 families · 13 records
Character path · 3 families · 16 records
Best by role
This is not a tier list. Each row is the standard specialization with the most resolved evidence for one job, so answers like best damage class, best support class or best tank class share this single page.
Raw Damage
Soldier
6 resolved damage ability families: Armsmaster, Brutal Strike, Explosives Master +3 more.
Next closest: Warrior
Critical Setup
Gunslinger
4 resolved critical-hit ability families: Keen Eye, One, Two, Three, Pinpoint Parade +1 more.
Next closest: Warrior
Support
Medic
6 resolved support ability families: Combat Stim, First Responder, Health And Vigor +3 more.
Next closest: Heavy
Survival
Heavy
3 resolved defense ability families: Bulwark, Double Down, Heavy Armor Training.
Next closest: Medic
Control
Heavy
2 resolved control ability families: Bulwark, Intimidating Posture.
Next closest: Assault
Mobility
Assault
2 resolved movement ability families: Bull Rush, Fleet of Foot.
Next closest: Scout
Ranged Pressure
Scout
5 resolved overwatch and spotting ability families: Ambush, Combat Recon, Slip Through The Gaps +2 more.
Next closest: Assault
Melee
Soldier
2 resolved melee ability families: Brutal Strike, Strength.
Next closest: Assault
✦ Character-specific paths (Padawan, Astromech, Analytics, Wayseeker) stay out of these rows because only their own Operator can take them. They are listed in full in the comparison above.
Head to head
Pick any two specializations. Every row is resolved data, so the same page answers Assault vs Scout, Medic vs Scout and Soldier vs Heavy.
| Assault | Scout | |
|---|---|---|
| Role | Direct offensive pressure · Enemy marking and setup | Enemy marking and setup · Direct offensive pressure |
| Role | Direct offensive pressure · Enemy marking and setup | Enemy marking and setup · Direct offensive pressure |
| Ability profile | 7 families · 21 game records | 7 families · 21 game records |
| Range | Ranged 4 · Melee 1 | Ranged 2 · Melee 0 |
| Damage | Damage 3 · Critical 1 | Damage 2 |
| Survival | Movement 1 | Defense 1 · Movement 1 |
| Support | None resolved | None resolved |
| Advantage | Setup 3 · Control 1 | Setup 4 |
| Relevant Talents | Leader, Baroness | Leader, Clone |
| Operators | Hawks, Trick, Jae Mordant, Kabb Uppercut, Cly Kullervo, Luco Bronc | Hawks, Trick, Jae Mordant, Kabb Uppercut, Cly Kullervo, Luco Bronc |
✦ Highlighted rows differ between the two paths. Counts are evidence, not a ranking.
First run
Choose based on the problem you want your first Operator to solve. There is no single objectively best starting path, so each option below is the standard specialization with the most resolved evidence for that job.
Safer first run
Heavy
3 resolved defense ability families: Bulwark, Double Down, Heavy Armor Training.
View Heavy →Simple damage
Soldier
6 resolved damage ability families: Armsmaster, Brutal Strike, Explosives Master +3 more.
View Soldier →Flexible positioning
Assault
2 resolved movement ability families: Bull Rush, Fleet of Foot.
View Assault →Support and recovery
Medic
6 resolved support ability families: Combat Stim, First Responder, Health And Vigor +3 more.
View Medic →Operator fit
Only specializations an Operator can actually take are listed. Character-specific paths appear for their own Operator and nowhere else.
Hawks
Assault · Blaster Rifle
Talent: Leader
Recommended fits
Assault Role path
matches the Operator’s role path · Direct offensive pressure
Assault abilities →Scout Available path
pairs with a published build · Enemy marking and setup
Scout abilities →Sharpshooter Available path
verified usable · Direct offensive pressure
Sharpshooter abilities →
Trick
Soldier · Blaster Repeater
Talent: Clone
Recommended fits
Soldier Role path
matches the Operator’s role path · Direct offensive pressure
Soldier abilities →Scout Available path
pairs with a published build · Enemy marking and setup
Scout abilities →Sharpshooter Available path
verified usable · Direct offensive pressure
Sharpshooter abilities →
Jae Mordant
Assault · Blaster Rifle
Talent: Baroness
Recommended fits
Assault Role path
matches the Operator’s role path · Direct offensive pressure
Assault abilities →Sharpshooter Available path
verified usable · Direct offensive pressure
Sharpshooter abilities →Heavy Available path
verified usable · Durability and damage avoidance
Heavy abilities →
Kabb Uppercut
Scoundrel · Blaster Rifle
Talent: Fighter
Recommended fits
Scoundrel Role path
matches the Operator’s role path · Critical-hit support
Scoundrel abilities →Sharpshooter Available path
verified usable · Direct offensive pressure
Sharpshooter abilities →Heavy Available path
verified usable · Durability and damage avoidance
Heavy abilities →
Cly Kullervo
Warrior · Blaster Pistol
Talent: Mandalorian
Recommended fits
Warrior Role path
matches the Operator’s role path · Direct offensive pressure
Warrior abilities →Sharpshooter Available path
verified usable · Direct offensive pressure
Sharpshooter abilities →Heavy Available path
verified usable · Durability and damage avoidance
Heavy abilities →
Luco Bronc
Sniper · Blaster Longarm
Talent: Umbaran
Recommended fits
Sharpshooter Role path
matches the Operator’s role path · Direct offensive pressure
Sharpshooter abilities →Heavy Available path
verified usable · Durability and damage avoidance
Heavy abilities →Soldier Available path
verified usable · Direct offensive pressure
Soldier abilities →
Tel-Rea
Padawan · Melee 2H TelRea
Talent: Lost Padawan
Recommended fits
Padawan Character path
character-specific to this Operator · Durability and damage avoidance
Padawan abilities →
BR-1
Astromech · No weapon resolved
Talent: Astrogator
Recommended fits
Astromech Character path
character-specific to this Operator · Mobility and repositioning
Astromech abilities →Talent fit
Talents belong to Operators, not to specializations. These rows are the Operator talents whose resolved ability text supports each playstyle.
Damage
talents that add damage
Leader · Hawks
Fearless Leader — When Hawks is present, increases Assist Damage by +1 for all Operators
Baroness · Jae Mordant
Coil Vendetta — This Operator deals an additional +2 Damage to Coil units.
Umbaran · Luco Bronc
Combat Gas — Gain 3 stacks of Sharpened Senses.
Survival
talents that keep an Operator standing
Clone · Trick
Clone Armor Training — Trick has a base Defense of 2.
Baroness · Jae Mordant
Final Shot — Once per turn, Jae immediately fires her blaster and eliminates any enemy left with 4 Health or less after …
Mandalorian · Cly Kullervo
Mandalorian Armor Training — Cly gains a base Defense of 3 and a Jetpack, allowing her to execute free vertical transitions.
Support
talents that give resources or teammates something back
Leader · Hawks
Fearless Leader — When Hawks is present, increases Assist Damage by +1 for all Operators
Clone · Trick
For My Brothers — Once per mission, when Trick is Downed, he automatically revives at the beginning of the next turn at Half …
Astrogator · BR-1
Built-In Comlink — Grant an ally +1 AP.
Control
talents that move or disrupt enemies
Mandalorian · Cly Kullervo
Combat Jump — Jump to a target location, Pushing nearby enemies out of position.
Umbaran · Luco Bronc
Combat Gas — Gain 3 stacks of Sharpened Senses.
Mobility
talents that change where an Operator can stand
Mandalorian · Cly Kullervo
Combat Jump — Jump to a target location, Pushing nearby enemies out of position.
Lost Padawan · Tel-Rea
Move with the Force — Tel-Rea can execute Vertical Jumps without climbing or using a ladder.
Astrogator · BR-1
Built-in Thrusters — Allows this Operator to jump vertically without restrictions.
Changing your choice
Yes. A specialization choice is not treated as permanent here: the Build Planner lets you swap the primary and secondary specialization and see the resulting abilities, weapon and calculated combat numbers before you commit.
Respec rules, costs and the exact conditions under which a swap becomes available live on their own page, so this page stays about picking the right specialization in the first place.
How to Respec →Questions
There is no single best specialization. Each of the 13 specializations resolves a different set of abilities, so the best pick depends on the goal you want that Operator to solve. The goal selector above ranks specializations by resolved evidence for each goal.
Heavy currently leads the safer first-run pick, because 3 resolved defense ability families: Bulwark, Double Down, Heavy Armor Training. Choose based on the problem you want your first Operator to solve rather than on a fixed order.
Yes — specialization choices are not treated as permanent once the respec system is available. Swap the primary and secondary specialization in the Build Planner to test the result, and read the respec guide for the exact rules.
Soldier currently exposes the most resolved damage-related ability families. 6 resolved damage ability families: Armsmaster, Brutal Strike, Explosives Master +3 more. Damage totals still depend on the Operator, weapon and mods you pair it with.
For a first run, prioritize a kit that answers the problem you keep running into: survival, direct damage, positioning or recovery. Each of those goals is ranked above with the specializations it currently fits.
Medic currently exposes the most resolved support ability families. 6 resolved support ability families: Combat Stim, First Responder, Health And Vigor +3 more.
No. 9 specializations are standard and open to the roster, while 4 are character-specific and locked to one Operator. The operator section above only lists specializations each Operator can actually take.
Assault is a common secondary pick, but pairing depends on the Operator, the primary path and the weapon you bring. This page only points at the idea — the secondary-specialization guide covers the pairing rules in detail.
Next step
I chose a specialization
Best Talents →
Pair the path you picked with the Operator talent that reinforces it.
I want to build an Operator
Build Planner →
Load a specialization, add abilities and mods, then read the calculated combat result.
I need a full team
Best Squad →
Check roles and Bonds across four Operators before you commit to a composition.
I want to change my choice
How to Respec →
Read the rules and conditions that apply when you swap a specialization.
Every fit on this page is derived from the same verified specialization, ability, weapon, Operator and build records the rest of the site reads. Nothing here is a hand-written ranking.