How Does the Campaign Progress?
IGN describes the main story as relatively linear. Critical missions appear among Operations and side missions. Completing key Operations unlocks the next main mission and moves the Zero Company story forward.
Operations are largely choice-based activities without tactical combat. Side missions can provide credits and equipment. Because these activities compete for time and resources, the route between two story missions can differ even when the critical path stays in the same order.
Main Mission Order
The supplied trophy list ties the following named missions to story-progress achievements. It supports this practical order for tracking the critical path:
- First Mission
- Eavesdropping
- Dark Waters
- Smugglers' Den
- Casualties of War
- Enemy Intelligence
- Behind Enemy Lines
- Stillwatch
- Deep Cover
- Unfinished Business
- The Infinite Coil
“First Mission” is kept generic because the supplied achievement text describes completing the opening mission without giving a mission title. The remaining ten names come directly from the story achievement requirements.
What Should You Do Between Main Missions?
Check all current deadlines before selecting a combat mission. Combat missions advance the cycle, while Operations spend Intel and resolve without using a cycle. A character mission, reward, or other opportunity may disappear if you move the campaign clock too soon.
Use the beginner tips guide for Intel, Den upgrades, squad preparation, and combat planning. For achievement runs, the trophy roadmap explains why optional missions, companion stories, Bonds, and difficulty choices need early attention.
Which Full Walkthrough Video Should You Use?
The supplied material contains two videos labeled as full-game, no-commentary walkthroughs. One is a 4K 60 FPS Ultra HD full walkthrough, while the other is a separate 4K 60 FPS full-game run. Their transcripts cover story scenes, Den visits, Operations, and tactical combat across long play sessions.
Use a full-game video when you need to compare your current story scene, objective, map, or mission transition with recorded gameplay. Search within the video by the mission name shown in your game when chapters are available. The collected transcripts do not provide a consistent mission-by-mission chapter map, so this page does not invent timestamps for specific missions.
Expert and Beskar Mode References
A separate supplied video follows the opening portion on Expert difficulty. It shows the early campaign, Den systems, Operations, and tactical missions with commentary about the player's choices.
The material also includes a dedicated Casualties of War walkthrough on Expert difficulty with Beskar Mode. Use that narrower video when the full-game recordings do not match the risks or restrictions of a high-difficulty single-save campaign.
Why Won't Every Battle Match the Video?
Zero Company allows different classes, weapons, recruits, companion combinations, and action orders. IGN therefore frames its walkthrough around useful positioning, class choices, rewards, and outcomes rather than one mandatory sequence of moves.
A video can confirm what one successful run did, but it does not prove that the same move is required. Treat it as a map and objective reference. Adapt positioning to your current squad, injuries, equipment, and difficulty.
What This Walkthrough Does Not Claim
The supplied IGN written walkthrough is still marked as in progress. The full-game transcripts are extensive, but much of their text is dialogue or raw combat audio. They do not consistently label every objective, choice result, reward, or mission boundary.
For that reason, this page does not publish made-up step lists, exact turn orders, or unsupported “best” choices. The named critical path above is supported by the achievement material; detailed tactical solutions remain tied to the supplied video runs.
Source Coverage
- IGN written walkthrough for the campaign structure and the limits of a single tactical route.
- Two no-commentary full-game walkthrough videos for broad campaign coverage.
- An Expert difficulty opening playthrough for narrated early-game decisions.
- A dedicated Casualties of War Expert and Beskar Mode video.
- The supplied trophy list for the named story-mission order.