Quick answer
EA's accessibility page confirms four difficulty levels: Story, Normal, Hard, and Expert. Permadeath is a separate squad-death option that can be toggled on or off, and Steam's official FAQ says it is enabled by default. EA Help also documents Beskar Mode as a separate campaign setting that limits saving. Public sources do not publish exact enemy stat multipliers, reward changes, or achievement restrictions for each difficulty.
Campaign settings
When you start a new campaign, EA Help says you choose Difficulty Settings, including whether Permadeath is on or off, and that those settings apply to that campaign only. The same help page says the choices made on the Difficulty Settings screen cannot be changed after selecting Start Campaign, so players who want different Permadeath or Beskar settings need a new campaign.
Can you change difficulty later?
There is one official wording conflict to keep visible for future audits. StarWars.com says players can adjust the difficulty rating outside combat, while EA Help says the Difficulty Settings screen choices are locked after starting a campaign. Until the live menu is rechecked, treat Permadeath and Beskar Mode as locked campaign rules, and verify any mid-campaign base difficulty change in the current build before promising it.
What the four levels mean
Story is the safest pick for players who want the cinematic campaign and learning tools with less tactical pressure. Normal is the baseline starting point for players familiar with RPG or strategy systems but new to Zero Company. Hard is best reserved for tactics players who expect failed plans, tighter positioning, and more careful recovery. Expert should be treated as the high-risk option until exact modifiers are documented. These recommendations are based on the confirmed level names, not hidden numeric data.
Mission difficulty is separate
Campaign difficulty is not the only difficulty language in the game. StarWars.com describes individual Missions with labels ranging from Risky to Dangerous to Extreme, and says Critical missions advance the story. Use those mission labels to decide who is healthy enough to deploy, but do not confuse them with the global Story, Normal, Hard, and Expert campaign levels.
Permadeath explained
Permadeath affects squad members, not the existence of your whole save. EA Help says an Operator who is Downed suffers an Injury; a teammate can Rally them back into the fight, but if Permadeath is on, an Operator who reaches three Injuries is Killed in Action and permanently removed from the squad. Hawks is the exception: if Hawks is defeated, the mission fails and must be restarted, regardless of the Permadeath setting.
Beskar Mode
EA Help describes Beskar Mode as a campaign setting where you have only one game save and cannot manually save. That makes choices and consequences permanent in a way that is separate from the base difficulty names. Players who want a first run for content discovery, screenshots, or guide verification should avoid Beskar Mode until they understand the campaign rhythm.
Which setting should you choose?
For a first casual run, start on Story or Normal and decide whether emotional stakes from Permadeath are worth the risk. For experienced XCOM-style players, Normal with Permadeath on is a clean first campaign, while Hard or Expert makes more sense after you understand Action Points, cover, Advantage, injuries, and Den recovery. If your goal is guide research rather than challenge, use a forgiving setup so failed missions do not slow down fact-checking.