What a Sharpshooter does inside the cover system
The Sharpshooter does not win through volume of fire; it wins by choosing the right target. Its official role is an expert marksman focused on long-range engagements, singling out and defeating chosen enemies — and singling out describes the class better than any stat. The Sharpshooter needs the enemy standing somewhere nobody can rescue it.
In system terms, that means the Longarm weapon type lives and dies by line of sight, and the best line of sight combines height with distance. Firing from an elevated platform adds accuracy and critical chance, and standing far away reduces the number of enemies that can answer on their turn.
The openings a Sharpshooter needs
A target behind full cover is wasted Action Points. There are three ways to open one up:
- Flank it yourself. If the Sharpshooter can move to a lateral angle, the target's cover bonuses vanish and the shot becomes a favourable trade.
- Mark it with the Scout. The most efficient pairing, because marking concentrates the target and the Sharpshooter only has to execute.
- Force Push it with the Jedi Padawan. The cleanest opening in the game: the enemy leaves cover and is exposed to a precision shot.
Order matters: open the cover first, fire second. If the Sharpshooter fires before the Assault or Padawan has repositioned, those Action Points go into a position that was still protected.
Turn routine
- Pick your target at the start of the turn, not at the end. Knowing which unit you intend to remove decides whether the rest of the squad should open cover or simply hold.
- Prioritise officers, enemy marksmen, and area-ability operators. A unit that forces your squad to spread out costs more than a basic trooper.
- Save the shot until after you move. Unless the target is already exposed, find the angle first.
Composition and dual-classing
The Sharpshooter is a standard specialization: swappable at the Den's Personnel facility and combinable with a second discipline as operators progress. The strongest pairings are Sharpshooter + Scout (maximum value from marking) and Sharpshooter + Gunslinger (covering the phases where enemies are grouped and a single target is not the profitable play).
Focus Points are best spent on precision and on talents that cut the cost of repositioning before firing. The dual-class & talent tree guide covers how to allocate them without leaving a tree half-finished.
When it is the wrong class
- Tight corridor maps where long range is impossible and enemies close to melee on turn one.
- Missions with many scattered targets and little time: the Gunslinger spreads total damage better.
- Scenarios with smoke, fog, or line-of-sight breaks that leave the Sharpshooter without a clean shot for several turns.
Common mistakes
- Shooting the first visible enemy. The class loses most of its value when the target is not the one the squad needs removed.
- Ignoring high ground. Moving to a platform before the fight starts is the cheapest accuracy upgrade in the game.
- Standing isolated. A Sharpshooter cut off from the fireteam is the first unit enemies surround, and with permadeath on, that gets paid for across the campaign.