Skip to content
Squad Planner
Build

Mechanic

Zero Company call for backup explained

Call for Backup costs no Action Points. It adds a teammate's assistance to the next attack, and using it helps build Bonds between the two Operators. Because it is free, it is one of the few actions that never competes with movement or attacking for a turn's budget.

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

Free actions are rare

In a three-AP turn, an action that costs nothing is structurally important. Call for Backup lets an Operator contribute to an attack without giving up their own turn, which is how a squad gets more done than twelve Action Points should allow.

It compounds through Bonds

Using Call for Backup helps build Bonds, and Bonds unlock permanent combat bonuses and are a main source of Focus Points. So the free action is not only a per-turn benefit — it is progression.

That makes support-action frequency a genuine squad-building dimension: a squad that naturally uses Call for Backup often will develop its Bonds faster than one that does not.

Confirmed

The rules as officially stated

  • Call for Backup is a zero-AP support action.
  • It adds a teammate's assistance to the next attack.
  • It helps build Bonds.

Planning

What this means for squad building

  • Count support-action frequency when evaluating Bond value.
  • Free actions should be surfaced in any turn-sequence plan, because they never conflict with the AP budget.
  • Pairings you intend to Bond should be pairings that naturally support each other.

What we don't know yet

The game has not been released. These are open questions we have chosen not to guess at.

  • How much assistance is added to the attack.
  • Whether it can be used more than once per turn.
  • Whether there is a range requirement.
  • How much Bond progress each use grants.

Related mechanics

Sources