The eight standard Specializations are Assault, Gunslinger, Heavy, Medic, Scoundrel, Scout, Sharpshooter and Soldier. Choose by the battlefield job your squad lacks; the launch build does not establish one universally best class for every mission.
Quick pick by squad need
| If your squad needs… | Start by reading… | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Close-range pressure and movement | Assault | Officially framed as a mobile frontline fighter against targets in cover. |
| Damage spread across several targets | Gunslinger | Built around multi-target blaster attacks and fast strikes. |
| A durable frontline anchor | Heavy | Focuses on armor, survivability and drawing enemy attention. |
| Healing and Injury prevention | Medic | Supports recovery and boosts teammates. |
| Flexible opportunity conversion | Scoundrel | A wildcard role designed to capitalize on changing situations. |
| Reconnaissance and team setup | Scout | Creates opportunities through planning, timing and reconnaissance. |
| Long-range single-target removal | Sharpshooter | Specializes in chosen targets at distance. |
| Broad close-to-medium offense | Soldier | Combines melee, grenades, blaster fire and heavy ordnance. |
The table is a navigation aid based on EA’s official role summaries. It does not score power, exact damage, upgrade depth or late-game class combinations.
All eight standard Specializations
Assault
Closes distance and attacks enemies in or around cover. This is the most direct fit when movement should become offensive pressure.
Primary job: breach and finishGunslinger
Spreads fast blaster attacks across multiple targets instead of concentrating entirely on one enemy.
Primary job: distribute damageHeavy
Uses armor and toughness to survive in exposed positions and absorb attention that would endanger less durable Operators.
Primary job: anchor the lineMedic
Heals, helps prevent Injuries and provides physical or psychological boosts to the rest of the team.
Primary job: keep the squad functionalScoundrel
Turns imperfect or unexpected situations into opportunities. The official description emphasizes flexibility over a narrow formation job.
Primary job: exploit openingsScout
Uses reconnaissance, timing and planning to create openings for the whole team rather than only improving personal output.
Primary job: enable the next actionSharpshooter
Engages from range and focuses on defeating a selected enemy, making target selection central to the role.
Primary job: remove priority targetsSoldier
Works at close to medium range with a broad offensive toolkit that EA describes across melee, grenades, blaster fire and a rocket launcher.
Primary job: flexible direct damageHow should you choose Hawks’ starting role?
Start with the responsibility you want the player-character to carry every mission, not a forecasted tier ranking. EA’s Q&A says Hawks is required on story missions, while skirmish missions allow other combinations. That makes consistency and personal decision load reasonable factors:
- Choose a frontline role if you want Hawks making positioning and pressure decisions.
- Choose a support or reconnaissance role if you want Hawks enabling the rest of the squad.
- Choose a ranged damage role if you prefer Hawks working from clearer target priorities.
EA Help confirms that Hawks and fully custom Operators can choose and change Specializations. Some authored Operators have fixed Specializations, so “most Operators can respec” is too broad. Treat the role selector shown for a specific character as the authority.
For the difference between Hawks, fully custom Operators, and authored characters, see the character customization owner guide.
Why this page does not publish a “best squad”
Squad recommendations depend on more than the eight role summaries. Bonds, Operator Talents, Focus upgrades, Utilities, weapons, mission objectives, Injuries, and availability can all change what a good four-person group looks like. Those interacting layers prevent a single role ranking from answering every mission.
Sources and version note
- EA Help — Specialization and weapon class guide ↗ — launch-build abilities, weapon classes, and class-change rules.
- EA — Specializations hub ↗ — confirms the eight standard roles and three-ability structure.
- EA — Gameplay overview ↗ — official role summaries and Personnel facility context.
- EA — Community Q&A ↗ — Hawks deployment requirements.
Evidence boundary: reviewed August 29, 2026 against EA Help. Role names, launch abilities, weapon classes, and change permissions are official; universal “best class” claims remain editorially unsupported.