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Assault + Sharpshooter Control Build

Use close-range pressure to force enemies out of cover, then remove them at range.

Theorycraft
Confidence
Theorycraft
Verified
4 August 2026
Version
pre-release (no retail build)

Build summary

Players who want a squad that dictates where the fight happens.

Campaign phase
early
Difficulty
Standard, permadeath enabled
Game version
pre-release (no retail build)
Strong against
entrenched enemies, high-value targets

This build has not been tested

The game has not been released. Every mechanic cited below is confirmed, but the combination of them is our reasoning rather than anything played. It will be re-tested and re-labelled after 27 August 2026.

Loadout

The four bays

Weapon choices are role-based. No weapon statistics have been published, so treat them as starting points rather than optimised picks.

  1. Bay 1

    Tel-Rea Vokoss

    Assaultpistol

    The pressure piece. The Assault's role explicitly includes attacking enemies in cover, and Force Push removes them from it outright.

  2. Bay 2

    Luco Bronc

    Sharpshooterlongarm

    The finisher. Exposed priority targets are exactly what a long-range precision specialist is for.

  3. Bay 3

    Hawks

    Medicpistol

    Required for story missions. The Assault takes the most exposure of any role, so Injury prevention goes on the same squad as one.

  4. Bay 4

    Custom Operator

    Scoundrelrifle

    Identify Weakness adds a confirmed multiplier to the Sharpshooter's finishing shot.

Reasoning

Why it works

Mechanic by mechanic. Anything stated as confirmed traces to a source listed at the bottom of this page.

  • The Assault is officially a mobile frontline fighter that attacks enemies in cover.
  • The Sharpshooter is officially a long-range precision specialist that singles out chosen targets.
  • Cover reduces hit chance; flanking and high ground raise it. An Assault applying pressure forces enemies to reposition, and repositioning enemies are enemies not in cover.
  • Force Push makes the exposure deliberate rather than incidental.
  • Identify Weakness turns the resulting shot into a critical.

Execution

Example opening turn

An AP and Advantage plan. Costs are unpublished, so the order matters more than the exact budget.

  1. Step 1

    Turn 1 — Sharpshooter: take high ground and establish sightlines before the fight starts moving.

  2. Step 2

    Turn 1 — Assault: advance on the enemy's covered position and use Force Push to remove the priority target from cover.

  3. Step 3

    Turn 1 — Scoundrel: flag the exposed target with Identify Weakness.

  4. Step 4

    Turn 1 — Sharpshooter: fire on the exposed, flagged target.

  5. Step 5

    Turn 1 — Medic: reposition to stay in range of the Assault, who will take the return fire.

Strengths

  • Both roles are officially described, and the cover mechanics connecting them are confirmed.
  • Answers entrenched enemies, which is the hardest problem for a purely ranged squad.
  • Covers close and long range with a genuine plan connecting them.
  • The Assault's mobility helps on timed objectives, unlike a static Overwatch squad.

Weaknesses

  • The Assault advancing into the open gives up cover bonuses and accrues Injuries fastest.
  • Depends on two authored Operators, both losable to permadeath.
  • A three-step turn — expose, flag, fire — that falls apart if any step is out of range.
  • Nothing in the squad answers enemy groups; it is built for priority targets.

Alternatives

Safer and more aggressive versions

Including what to do when an authored Operator in this squad is permanently lost.

Safer
Swap the Scoundrel for a Heavy. You lose the critical multiplier but gain a damage sink that lets the Assault push with less risk.
More aggressive
Swap the Medic for a Soldier and use explosives to destroy cover rather than pushing enemies out of it — faster, but with no Injury prevention under permadeath.
If Tel-Rea Vokoss is lost
Kabb Uppercut's Uppercut is the only other confirmed displacement tool. Any Custom Operator can take the Assault Specialization, but the push does not come with it.

How this will be verified

Re-test in the retail build, recording version, platform and difficulty, then update the status label from theorycraft to tested. Specifically: confirm how much hit chance cover actually removes, since the value of exposing a target is exactly that difference.

Mechanics this build depends on

Other builds

Sources