How To Gain Influence In Star Wars Zero Company

Published Aug 27, 2026, 12:11 PM EDT Collin is a Guides Staff Writer at TheGamer who has been writing guides for nearly ten years. He is also a professional game/level designer. More importantly, he's still waiting for a new Ape Escape game to release. With Star Wars Zero Company's release, players can now experience the tail end of the Clone Wars, as you run a mercenary group tasked with doing off-the-books jobs for the Republic. Throughout the campaign, you'll expand your roster of operators, encounter dangerous foes, help some familiar faces, and spread your influence throughout the galaxy. That last part isn't just a story beat, as Influence is a real mechanic you'll need to master if you want to unlock key upgrades and earn rewards. It can be a little confusing at first, so if you are unsure of how to use Influence, where to earn it, and what Contacts are, here is everything you need to know. What Is Influence? Influence is an experience mechanic that is tied to twelve different zones, each of which contains three tiers that give you rewards when you hit a specific threshold. The amount of experience needed to advance your Influence is the same across each zone and Influence cannot be lost once it's gained. Zones are also broken up into three distinct rings (Core, Mid, and Outer), which you can determine by where on the rings a planet sits on the map. You can access the zone map by selecting the holotable in The Den and picking the "Influence" tab at the top of your screen. From here, you will be shown a map of the galaxy with all twelve zones along with the amount of progress you've made towards fully completing them. Each tier requires this much Influence to unlock its respective rewards: Tier 1 Reward — 20 Tier 2 Reward — 30 Tier 3 Reward — 50 Completing the tier earns you the item shown in the bar at the bottom of your screen. These range from utility items and weapon mods to more substantial upgrades, like increasing the quality of gear in the black market. This makes increasing your Influence, especially in specific zones, exceptionally strong since gaining access to a lot of the tier 3 rewards can be game-changing. Now that we know what Influence is, how do we actually get it? Surprisingly, it's not that difficult, but it can be a bit tricky to very specifically target one zone. Unlike operator bonds, which are increased through numerous actions, you can only reliably gain intel in a few ways: From successful Operations Using Contacts Den Facility Upgrades Mission Rewards Zone Grek Tier 2 Reward Your main method for gaining Influence will be through Operations, as it's one of the main rewards you get in a vast majority of them. However, the amount of Influence you earn from them is typically low, since you can complete multiple Operations in a single cycle if you have enough Intel. Unfortunately, you won't always be able to see what the rewards are before engaging in an Operation, so it is a bit of a gamble to pick the right one. The Influence you earn is determined by what zone the Operation is taking place in on the map. So if you're trying to upgrade Zone Leth, make sure to always complete any Operations that appear on the map in that area to gain experience towards the next tier. Contacts are going to be your main method for getting a large burst of Influence, as these are a finite, rare resource you will earn by progressing through the story or as a reward for certain Operations. Contacts will net you 7 Influence per use, and they can be spent on any zone of your choice. There's no limit to the amount of Contacts you can spend on a single zone (or have stockpiled) so make use of them to complete specific tiers to quickly earn rewards. The amount you earn from Contacts can be increased via the Den Upgrade menu under the "Facility" tab. Select the "Networking" node and spend the required amount of credits to improve the amount of Intel you earn from them. You'll also want to fully upgrade this node when possible, as the final unlock in Networking will give you an additional five Intel per mission completed, which can really help in the long run. Speaking of Den upgrades, you can also gain up to 10 Intel for each of the planets in the Core, Mid, and Outer Zones by obtaining their specific nodes in the Den's Facility upgrade menu. This can give you a nice burst of Intel quickly across every planet, but I would prioritize the "Networking" upgrades first, since they're better in the long run.