Permadeath is optional. It is enabled by default, but you can turn it off. Difficulty settings can be adjusted outside combat.
The standard injury rule
When permadeath is active, the standard setup gives an Operator a fatal threshold of three injuries. That turns survival into a campaign resource: a risky objective can affect more than the current encounter.
An injury is not merely a temporary combat penalty. It should influence who deploys, who receives protection, and when withdrawing from a bad position is wiser than forcing another attack.
Hawks is the exception that ends the mission
Hawks is the company leader. If Hawks dies, the mission fails. Protecting Hawks is therefore both a tactical and campaign requirement, even when another Operator could absorb the immediate pressure.
Can difficulty be changed later?
The official beginner material says difficulty can be adjusted outside combat. Do not plan on changing the rules in the middle of an encounter; make the choice between missions.
Which setting should a new player use?
Choose based on what kind of consequence helps you learn:
- Keep permadeath on if lasting roster risk is part of the experience you want.
- Turn it off if losing developed Operators would make you avoid experimentation.
- Lower the broader difficulty if the tactical rules are becoming hidden behind repeated failure.
- Raise it when you understand the turn economy and want positioning errors to matter more.
The approved sources explain the rule and its flexibility. They do not provide enough controlled evidence to rank every difficulty setting or promise the same experience for every squad.
Before accepting a dangerous move
- How many injuries does this Operator already have?
- Can cover, Backup, or Overwatch reduce the risk?
- Is Hawks exposed if the plan fails?
- Does the objective require this fight at all?
- Would a safer action still preserve the mission?