Star Wars Zero Company Best Trick Build
The best Trick build in Star Wars Zero Company keeps Soldier as his primary Specialization, adds Scoundrel as his secondary, and uses a Blaster Rifle. Heavy is the obvious pairing because Trick can already survive being Downed through For My Brothers, but I actually think that is exactly why you don't need to double down on defense. Scoundrel gives Trick things Soldier doesn't already have: guaranteed critical-hit setup, Defense penetration, Assist damage, and another way to dismantle priority targets when Rocket Strike isn't the right answer.
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Best Trick Build
Why Scoundrel Over Heavy?
Best Weapon for Trick
How to Use Identify Weakness
Rocket Strike vs. Easy Mark
Best Upgrade Priority
Best Squad for Trick
Heavy & Other Alternatives
Best Trick Build in Star Wars Zero Company
My Trick build is Soldier plus Scoundrel with a Blaster Rifle.
Primary Specialization: Soldier
Secondary Specialization: Scoundrel
Best Weapon: Blaster Rifle
Unique Talent: For My Brothers
Core Soldier Abilities: Rocket Strike, Brutal Strike, Armsmaster
Core Scoundrel Abilities: Identify Weakness, Scoundrel's Instinct, Easy Mark, Never Play Fair
Role: Flexible damage, priority-target setup, and anti-Defense utility
The important part of this build is that Trick doesn't become a normal Scoundrel. Soldier remains the foundation, while Scoundrel fills the gaps in his original kit.
Soldier already gives Trick strong area damage, cover destruction, melee disruption, and improved primary blaster damage. Scoundrel adds a completely different layer by letting him make enemies Vulnerable, penetrate their Defense, and contribute Assist damage through Easy Mark.
Meanwhile, For My Brothers provides the defensive safety net that makes me comfortable skipping Heavy in the first place.
Why Scoundrel Is Better Than Heavy for This Trick Build
Heavy is a very logical Trick pairing. It gives him more Health and Defense, lets him taunt enemies, and can punish attacks through Retaliation. If you want Trick to be your dedicated tank, it works.
My issue is that Trick already has one of the strongest defensive advantages available to any Operator.
For My Brothers allows Trick to withstand his first Downing and revive himself without another Operator spending an action to Rally him. As you invest further into the Talent, that recovery becomes dramatically stronger, eventually removing the Injury from his first Downing and allowing him to immediately stand back up with an AP.
That gives Trick a survivability floor before we even choose his second Specialization.
I'd rather spend that second slot adding something he can't already do.
Scoundrel's Instinct gives Trick's attacks Defense Penetration, ignoring up to four points of enemy Defense. Identify Weakness gives him guaranteed critical-hit setup. Easy Mark gives him a way to join allied attacks, and Never Play Fair makes those Assists hit harder.
Instead of making Trick increasingly difficult to kill, you're making more of his turns matter.
This is also a good example of why I don't think Specializations should be ranked purely by themselves. I rank Scoundrel above Heavy overall in my Star Wars Zero Company best Specializations tier list, but the more important question here is what each one adds specifically to Trick.
Blaster Rifle Is the Best Weapon for Trick
The Blaster Rifle is my favorite weapon for this specific Trick build, even though I normally prefer the Pistol on a dedicated Scoundrel.
That's because Trick isn't a dedicated Scoundrel. He's still a Soldier.
The Rifle deals 10 base damage with +6 Critical Damage at Medium Range. More importantly, its first shot each turn costs only 1 AP, while a second shot costs 2 AP.
That fits perfectly with a hybrid build because Trick doesn't have to decide at the beginning of every turn whether he's attacking or using abilities.
He can fire the Rifle for 1 AP and still have two actions' worth of room left. Or he can spend 1 AP on Identify Weakness and still have enough AP to shoot, move, or change the rest of his plan.
Armsmaster also increases the damage of Trick's primary blaster, so his original Soldier kit continues improving the weapon while Scoundrel's Instinct helps that same attack punch through enemy Defense.
For a normal Scoundrel, I still like the faster Pistol setup explained in my best Scoundrel weapon guide. Trick is the exception because we're trying to connect two Specializations rather than optimize Scoundrel by itself.
Why Rifle Beats Pistol for Trick
The numbers make the distinction easier to see.
A Blaster Pistol deals 6 base damage with +4 Critical Damage and costs 1 AP per shot. A Blaster Rifle deals 10 base damage with +6 Critical Damage, with its first shot costing 1 AP.
If Trick spends an entire three-AP turn simply attacking, Rifle gives him two shots for 20 base damage, while Pistol gives him three shots for 18.
More importantly, look at what happens if Trick uses Identify Weakness and then consumes the Vulnerable effect himself.
The guaranteed Rifle crit starts from 10 base damage plus its +6 Critical Damage, while the equivalent Pistol attack starts from 6 plus +4.
I'd still rather hand Vulnerable to a harder-hitting teammate when possible, but the Rifle means Trick doesn't waste the setup if he needs to cash it himself.
The weapon therefore works in both directions: it is efficient enough for utility turns and strong enough to act as the finisher when nobody else has a better shot.
Why Not Use a Longarm for Guaranteed Crits?
There is an interesting Longarm version of this build.
Longarms deal 12 base damage and add another +12 Critical Damage, making them an obvious beneficiary of Identify Weakness. Spend 1 AP making the target Vulnerable, then use the remaining 2 AP for a Longarm attack and you have a very powerful self-contained critical-hit turn.
I still prefer Rifle for Trick.
Identify Weakness plus Longarm consumes his entire three-AP turn. Rifle preserves another AP after the initial setup and first shot, and its Medium Range fits much better with Brutal Strike and Soldier's broader close-to-medium-range toolkit.
Longarm Trick is a perfectly valid burst variation, but you're sacrificing much of what makes Trick flexible to turn him into something closer to a makeshift Sharpshooter.
I'd rather let an actual long-range damage Operator take the giant crit while Trick creates it.
Identify Weakness Is the Center of the Build
Identify Weakness is the main reason I want Scoundrel on Trick.
It costs 1 AP and makes an enemy Vulnerable, causing the next damaging attack against that target to critically hit. At its highest rank, it can apply two stacks of Vulnerable instead.
That means Trick can use one-third of his normal turn to dramatically increase the value of another Operator's attack.
The important part is choosing who consumes it.
If your next Operator is holding a Longarm with a large Critical Damage bonus, don't immediately shoot the Vulnerable enemy with Trick's Rifle just because you can. Put Trick's Rifle shot somewhere else and let the bigger weapon take the guaranteed critical.
This turns Trick into a strange hybrid between a Soldier and an offensive coordinator. He's still perfectly capable of killing enemies himself, but sometimes his strongest action is spending 1 AP to make someone else's next attack substantially better.
Trick Can Work Two Enemies in the Same Turn
One of my favorite parts of the Rifle setup is that Trick doesn't necessarily have to set up and attack the same enemy.
Use Identify Weakness on the heavily armored priority target your Sharpshooter is about to attack.
Then use Trick's 1 AP Rifle shot on a different enemy.
You've now contributed damage, created a guaranteed crit for the squad, and still have another AP available.
That's much more interesting to me than using all three AP to shoot one target or stacking every defensive passive available and waiting for enemies to attack Trick.
It also captures what Scoundrel is actually good at: exploiting opportunities without forcing an entire turn around one rigid rotation.
Scoundrel's Instinct Turns Trick Into an Anti-Defense Operator
Scoundrel's Instinct is the passive part of this build that shouldn't be overlooked.
Trick's attacks gain Defense Penetration, allowing them to ignore up to four points of Defense.
That matters because Defense reduces the value of ordinary attacks, especially when you're relying on consistent medium-sized hits instead of one enormous attack.
Armsmaster is already increasing Trick's primary blaster damage from the Soldier side of the build. Scoundrel's Instinct then helps more of that damage actually reach protected enemies.
It's a clean interaction because you don't need to press anything or spend additional AP. Trick's normal Rifle attacks simply become more reliable against targets where flat Defense would otherwise blunt them.
This also gives Trick a different target profile from some of your other Operators. He doesn't need to spend every turn cleaning up the weakest battle droid on the map. The Scoundrel side of the build gives him tools specifically worth using against tougher enemies.
Rocket Strike and Easy Mark Compete for Advantage
This is the most important part of the build, and it's also why I wouldn't play Trick like a normal Scoundrel.
Rocket Strike costs 10 Advantage. Easy Mark starts at 7 Advantage.
Both are drawing from the squad's shared Advantage pool.
Trying to define the build around constantly using both misses the point. Instead, I treat them as two different modes for two different types of encounter.
Against groups of enemies using cover, I save for Rocket Strike.
Against one major target where concentrated single-target damage matters more than blowing apart a cluster, Easy Mark becomes much more appealing.
This makes Scoundrel especially interesting on Trick because its most important contribution isn't necessarily its Ultimate. Identify Weakness and Scoundrel's Instinct cost Trick none of the shared Advantage he wants for Rocket Strike, which means he can gain Scoundrel utility without disrupting his Soldier win condition.
That's the part of the pairing I think is easy to miss.
Use Rocket Mode Against Groups
Rocket Strike should be the Advantage priority when the battlefield gives Trick a meaningful cluster.
The rocket damages enemies in an area and destroys cover, which means the real payoff extends beyond Trick's own damage. Removing several pieces of cover can improve the attacks of every Operator acting afterward.
At higher investment, Rocket Strike can also make surviving targets Vulnerable, creating another way for Trick to set up the squad without spending AP on Identify Weakness.
In these fights, I wouldn't spend seven Advantage on Easy Mark just because it's available.
Keep using Identify Weakness, Rifle attacks, Brutal Strike, and Trick's passive Scoundrel benefits while building toward the rocket.
If you're struggling to fund expensive Special Actions, my Star Wars Zero Company Advantage guide explains how to generate the shared resource more consistently.
Use Easy Mark Against Priority Targets
Easy Mark becomes the alternative when there isn't a Rocket Strike worth waiting for.
It marks an enemy so Trick can Assist when an ally attacks that target. Never Play Fair increases Trick's Assist damage, while Easy Mark itself becomes stronger as you invest into it.
This shifts Trick away from blowing apart groups and toward helping the squad repeatedly pressure one important enemy.
It also pairs naturally with Identify Weakness.
Make the target Vulnerable, then let a high-Critical-Damage teammate attack it. That ally receives the guaranteed critical hit, while Trick contributes through the Scoundrel side of the build instead of trying to outperform your dedicated damage dealer himself.
That's the boss-killing version of Trick.
The Rocket version changes the battlefield. The Easy Mark version changes how efficiently your team deletes one target.
Brutal Strike Still Gives Trick a Third Answer
Scoundrel doesn't make Trick's original Soldier abilities obsolete.
Brutal Strike lets him rush a target, deal melee damage, and Daze it. Dazed enemies can't attack until the effect ends, although they can still move and perform non-offensive actions.
That gives this build a third solution for dangerous targets.
You can make an enemy Vulnerable because you want it dead.
You can use Easy Mark because you want the squad concentrating damage into it.
Or you can Daze it because killing something else is more important right now and you simply don't want that enemy participating in the next exchange.
This is why I like Scoundrel Trick so much more than treating him as a pure damage dealer. His turn becomes about identifying which problem actually needs solving.
For My Brothers Replaces the Need to Overbuild Defense
For My Brothers is still the ability making this entire idea possible.
Trick's first Downing doesn't behave like everyone else's. He can revive himself without forcing another Operator to spend an action rescuing him, with later ranks making that recovery significantly stronger.
That doesn't mean I deliberately send him into suicidal positions.
It means I can accept a little more risk while spending his build elsewhere.
There's a big difference.
If Trick survives the mission without ever triggering For My Brothers, that's ideal. But because the Talent exists, I don't feel obligated to spend his secondary Specialization adding another pile of defensive mechanics before he's allowed to do anything interesting.
Scoundrel converts that built-in safety net into offensive freedom.
Best Trick Upgrade Priority
I would prioritize For My Brothers whenever its next rank substantially improves Trick's recovery. The stronger that Talent gets, the easier it becomes to justify the more aggressive Scoundrel route over Heavy.
After that, Identify Weakness is one of my highest priorities. Increasing its usable range makes Trick much less dependent on standing near the target he wants to set up, while the eventual ability to apply more Vulnerable dramatically improves its ceiling.
Armsmaster is the Soldier passive I'd emphasize because the Blaster Rifle remains Trick's default action on turns where no bigger ability is required.
Scoundrel's Instinct is valuable immediately because Defense Penetration improves Trick's attacks without consuming AP or Advantage.
Rocket Strike and Easy Mark are where I'd let your squad composition decide the rest.
If Trick is your main Advantage spender and you're consistently fighting groups, prioritize the Rocket path. If the rest of your squad is built around killing one dangerous target at a time, investing harder into Easy Mark and Never Play Fair makes more sense.
I don't think you need to fully commit to both at the same time.
Best Squad Members for Trick
Sharpshooter is probably the cleanest damage partner for this Trick build because Identify Weakness guarantees the next damaging attack will crit, and Longarms have an enormous Critical Damage bonus.
Trick spends the setup AP; the Sharpshooter cashes it.
Scout is the other pairing I like because Combat Recon can generate Advantage based on enemies detected, helping the squad fund whichever expensive mode Trick wants to use. That is particularly useful if you're saving all the way to Rocket Strike instead of spending the pool elsewhere.
For Scout's own weapon, I prefer Longarm, which I cover in my best Scout weapon guide.
A Medic remains useful, but isn't as structurally necessary as it is for a dedicated tank Trick who intentionally absorbs enemy attacks. This build would rather eliminate or disable major threats than spend every turn soaking their damage.
If you're bringing one, my best Medic weapon guide uses a flexible Rifle setup that leaves plenty of room for support actions.
Is Heavy Still Good on Trick?
Absolutely. Heavy is the safer Trick build.
If your squad needs someone whose primary responsibility is standing in front, drawing attacks, and surviving them, Soldier plus Heavy makes complete sense.
I just don't think it's the most interesting use of Trick's unique advantages.
Heavy takes the thing Trick is already unusually good at—surviving mistakes—and makes him even better at it.
Scoundrel takes the survivability Trick already has and adds an entirely new axis to the character.
That's why I prefer it.
If you try both and decide you want the tank version instead, you're not permanently stuck with the choice. My Star Wars Zero Company how to change class guide explains how changing Specializations works.
Mistakes to Avoid With Scoundrel Trick
The biggest mistake is spending Advantage without deciding what you're saving for.
If Rocket Strike is the play, don't burn most of the shared pool on Easy Mark because one enemy looked annoying. If the encounter is centered around one elite target, don't sit on Advantage waiting for a perfect rocket that may never appear.
The second mistake is automatically consuming your own Identify Weakness with Trick's next attack. Always look at who acts after him and which weapon has the larger Critical Damage payoff.
The third is treating Trick like a normal Scoundrel and automatically switching to Pistol. Pistol is excellent for pure Scoundrel action economy, but Rifle benefits more naturally from Trick's existing Soldier identity, Armsmaster, Medium Range, and higher per-hit damage.
Finally, don't confuse For My Brothers with immortality. The Talent gives this build permission to take calculated risks; it doesn't make bad positioning free.
Best Trick Build Summary
My best Trick build is Soldier plus Scoundrel with a Blaster Rifle.
The reason isn't simply that Scoundrel is strong. It's that Trick uses Scoundrel differently from almost anyone else.
For My Brothers already gives him a defensive safety net, freeing the second Specialization slot for utility instead of more survivability. Identify Weakness adds guaranteed critical-hit setup for only 1 AP. Scoundrel's Instinct gives his attacks Defense Penetration. Armsmaster keeps the Rifle relevant, while the Rifle's cheap first shot preserves the flexibility both halves of the build want.
Most importantly, Trick now has two completely different ways to spend the squad's Advantage.
Rocket Strike is the demolition option when enemies cluster behind cover. Easy Mark is the execution option when one priority target needs the entire squad's attention. Identify Weakness and his passive bonuses continue working regardless of which route you choose.
That gives Trick a much broader role than simply being the clone you send forward because he can get back up. He's still difficult to permanently remove, but now that survivability is supporting the build rather than defining it.
