Zenless Zone Zero Strategy Guide · Cosmo Strategy Guides

01 · The Combat Loop

Three-Agent squads; real-time action; Chain Attacks and Ultimates.

Squad of three Agents Players build teams of three from the Agent roster. Two-character "Faction" combos unlock specific bonuses; three-Agent squads cover damage, support, and disruption roles.
Real-time action combat Combat is fast-paced melee/ranged action with character swapping. The active Agent fights; teammates wait off-field until swapped in.
Chain Attacks When a Daze meter fills (via Stun damage), the team triggers Chain Attacks: chained ultimate-style hits from all three Agents. The core burst-damage window.
Anomaly buildup Each Element applies an Anomaly status (e.g., Burn, Shock, Freeze, Corruption, Assault). Stack Anomaly on enemies; trigger reactions for elemental amplification.
Disorder reactions Applying two different Elements to an enemy with high Anomaly buildup triggers Disorder: the most damaging reaction in ZZZ. The endgame Anomaly damage scaling.
Hollow exploration Combat happens inside "Hollows" (dimensional rifts). Each Hollow is a procedurally-arranged dungeon; explore for combat encounters, story beats, and rewards.
TV Mode (legacy story format) Some Hollows use a grid-based "TV Mode" navigation system. Players moved across tiles; encounters and choices play out as TV-screen vignettes. Simplified after launch to reduce friction.

02 · The Six Elements (Plus Wind 3.0)

Each Agent is locked to one Element.

Element	Anomaly Effect	Best Use
Physical	Applies Assault (high single-target damage)	Direct DPS. Reliable Anomaly with high damage scaling; works in any team comp.
Fire	Applies Burn (damage-over-time)	Sustained damage in extended encounters. Pairs with Anomaly-trigger Agents for amplification.
Ice	Applies Freeze (movement halt + damage spike when shattered)	Crowd control + burst. Effective on fast or evasive enemies.
Electric	Applies Shock (lightning chain damage)	AoE pressure. Strong in multi-enemy encounters.
Ether	Applies Corruption (turns enemies into temporary allies)	Unique pacifying mechanic. Tactical advantage in cluttered encounters.
Wind (3.0 release)	Coming June 17, 2026 with Pyrois as first Wind Agent	TBD. Likely a balance-disruption element with movement-based effects.

03 · The Six Combat Types

Agent roles defined by primary contribution.

Attack & Stun Direct damage dealers

Attack: Ellen Joe (Ice), Soldier 11 (Fire), Burnice (Fire)
Stun: Lighter (Fire), Anton (Electric), Jane Doe (Physical)

Bring: Aggressive playstyle and willingness to play the on-field carry.
Take: The team’s main damage output and Daze-meter filling (Stun).

Most teams run one Attack Agent and one Stun Agent. The Stun feeds Chain Attacks; Attack carries DPS.

Anomaly & Rupture Status-effect-based damage

Anomaly: Jane Doe (Assault), Burnice (Burn), Yanagi (Electric)
Rupture: Promeia (Ice, 2.8 release), Starlight Billy (Physical, 2.8 release)

Bring: Patience for status buildup and willingness to play long encounters.
Take: Damage that scales over the encounter rather than spiking in burst windows.

Anomaly teams favor extended fights. Less effective in short burst windows; dominant in long endgame encounters.

Support & Defense Team enablers and tanks

Support: Astra Yao (Ether), Lucy (Fire), Caesar (Physical)
Defense: Seth (Electric), Soukaku (Ice)

Bring: Team-first mindset and the willingness to play characters that don’t top damage charts.
Take: Multiplicative buffs and reliable team survival. Endgame-defining roles.

Support Agents are often the difference between clearing endgame and being stuck. Astra Yao, Caesar, and Lucy are top picks.

04 · The Factions of New Eridu

Each Agent belongs to one of several in-world factions.

Cunning Hares A scrappy agency including Anby Demara, Billy Kid, Nicole Demara, and Nekomata. The protagonist’s "starter" faction; balanced kits across roles.
Belobog Heavy Industries A construction/labor conglomerate. Anton, Ben Bigger, Grace Howard, Koleda, Lighter. Heavy-armor / heavy-hitter aesthetic.
Victoria Housekeeping Co. A maid-themed cleaning agency. Lycaon, Corin Wickes, Ellen Joe, Rina Mathiesen. Mechanically high-burst DPS units.
Section 6 / Public Security Law enforcement aligned. Jane Doe, Qingyi, Seth, Zhu Yuan. Disciplined units with synergy-based kits.
Sons of Calydon A motorcycle-gang-aesthetic faction. Lucy, Piper, Burnice, Caesar. High Anomaly and damage support.
Stars of Lyra (Astrobotanica) An astrology/Ether-themed faction. Astra Yao and other Ether specialists. Newer in the roster; expanding.
Angels of Delusion (2.5+) An idol-group themed faction. Sunna, Aria, Nangong Yu. Anomaly-focused team comp; the first faction to ship as a unified Chain-Attack synergy.

05 · Notable Agents

A handful of the most-relevant S-Rank Agents.

Agent	Element / Type	Notes
Ellen Joe	Ice / Attack	Ice DPS carry. Strong shark-themed aesthetic; high single-target burst.
Zhu Yuan	Ether / Attack	Ether DPS. Section 6 enforcer; reliable single-target damage with corrupting effect.
Jane Doe	Physical / Anomaly	Physical Anomaly carry. Section 6 detective; defines the Assault Anomaly meta.
Caesar	Physical / Defense	Physical Defense + buffer. Sons of Calydon; one of the best Support units in the game.
Astra Yao	Ether / Support	Premier support Agent. Stars of Lyra; multiplies team damage significantly.
Burnice	Fire / Anomaly	Fire Anomaly carry. Sons of Calydon; burning damage-over-time specialist.
Yanagi	Electric / Anomaly	Electric Anomaly carry. Tunes electric DPS; pairs with Astra Yao for Disorder builds.
Miyabi	Ice / Anomaly	Ice Anomaly carry. Hollow Special Operation Section 6; Frost Burn enabler.
Promeia (2.8)	Ice / Anomaly Rupture	New 2.8 Agent (May 2026). First Rupture Agent for Ice Anomaly compositions.
Starlight Billy (2.8)	Physical / Rupture	New 2.8 Agent (mid-May 2026). Physical Rupture variant; pairs with the existing Billy Kid roster.

06 · W-Engines & Drive Discs

Weapons + 6-piece relic gear.

W-Engine: Agent weapon Each Agent equips one W-Engine. W-Engines are Type-locked (Attack W-Engine for Attack Agents, etc.). Higher rarity W-Engines unlock larger passive bonuses.
S-Rank Signature W-Engines Each S-Rank Agent has a Signature W-Engine. Strongest possible weapon for that Agent; pulls have a 75/25 system (similar to Genshin weapon banner).
A-Rank W-Engine alternatives A-Rank W-Engines from the standard banner perform within 80-85 percent of S-Rank Signatures. F2P viable for clearing most endgame content.
Drive Discs: 6-piece system Six Drive Disc slots (1-6). Slots 1-3 have Main Stats locked to specific types; Slots 4-6 are flexible. Drive Discs are ZZZ’s equivalent of Genshin Artifacts.
Set bonuses 2-piece set bonus and 4-piece set bonus on Drive Discs. Most builds run 4-piece + 2-piece (4/2) or 2-piece + 2-piece + 2-piece (2/2/2) for diversified stats.
Substats grind Each Drive Disc has 4 Substat slots that roll on enhancement. Crit Rate / Crit DMG / ATK% / Anomaly Mastery are the main targets depending on Agent.
Engagement on Battery Daily Battery is the resin equivalent. Spend on Drive Disc dungeons; high-tier sets require focused grinding sessions.

07 · Endgame Modes

Three rotating endgame modes for high-end progression.

Shiyu Defense The flagship endgame. Multi-stage encounters across 12 floors with two-team requirements. Resets every 4 weeks; clear all for max Polychrome rewards.
Deadly Assault Boss-focused endgame mode. Three boss encounters per cycle with specific mechanics. Tests single-team optimization; rewards Polychrome and W-Engine materials.
Hollow Zero Permanent roguelike mode. Random Resonia and Lost & Found items stack into broken builds. Multiple difficulty tiers and unlock paths.
Withering Garden / Lost Void Limited-time endgame variants. Often paired with seasonal events; tests different team compositions per cycle.
Daily Activity (Activity Level) Daily missions worth Activity points. Completing 100% gives 60 Polychromes per day. The minimum daily routine.
Battery Charge ZZZ’s stamina system. Regenerates 1 per 6 minutes (240/day). Spend on training XP, Mastery for Drive Discs, W-Engine ascension materials.
Bangboo Boom Side gameplay with collectible Bangboo (companion robots). Mini-game element with cosmetic rewards.

08 · The Story & TV Mode

New Eridu, Proxies, Hollows, and the narrative structure.

New Eridu setting A post-apocalyptic city built around dimensional rifts (Hollows). Players are Proxies, guiding teams of Agents to explore Hollows for missions and survival.
Wise & Belle (the Proxy twins) Player characters: choose Wise or Belle (male or female Proxy). The story Protagonists; non-combat narrative role.
Hollow Special Operation Section 6 A government-sanctioned agency exploring high-risk Hollows. Includes Miyabi, Yixuan, and other Hollow Specialists. Late-game story focus.
Season 2 storyline (2.0–2.8) Long-running arc featuring the Angels of Delusion idol group and existential threats. Finale: Version 2.8 (current).
Season 3 (3.0+) in Roscaelifer Version 3.0 (June 17, 2026) opens the new region Roscaelifer with the Wind element. Fresh story arc; new factions; new villains.
TV Mode simplified Early ZZZ used grid-based TV navigation extensively (controversial). Updates have reduced TV Mode encounters; most current content uses direct combat with cinematic interludes.
Inter-Knot social hub New Eridu’s social network. Read messages, browse forums, check Agent backgrounds. Side content for lore enthusiasts.

09 · Polychrome Economy & Pulls

Two currencies; standard 4-star/5-star gacha structure.

Polychromes: main currency Earned from quests, exploration, events, endgame clears. F2P players accumulate ~13,000-16,000 Polychromes per 6-week patch (roughly 90-100 pulls).
Master Tapes vs Encrypted Master Tapes Master Tapes pull on Standard Banner (W-Engine + Agent pool, mostly A-Ranks). Encrypted Master Tapes pull on limited Agent banners (50/50 system).
50/50 system First S-Rank you pull on an Event Agent banner is 50/50: limited featured Agent or standard pool S-Rank. Lose the 50/50? Next pull guaranteed featured.
Pity at 90 (S-Rank) Hard pity at 90 pulls for an S-Rank Agent. Soft pity ramps from ~75. 4-Star A-Rank pity at 10 pulls.
W-Engine Banner: 75/25 W-Engine banner uses a Path-style system. Pick a target weapon; first 75/25 lose; second guarantee. Different mechanic than Agent banner.
Free 5-star Selector Anniversary and major patch events occasionally offer free S-Rank Selectors. Choose meta-relevant Agents (Astra Yao, Caesar, Miyabi) over flashy alternatives.
Battle Pass for value Battle Pass is the highest-value purchase for F2P-leaning players. A-Rank W-Engine selector + Polychromes + ascension materials per cycle.

10 · Audio & Settings

Combat is fast; settings tuning helps.

Headphones for combat audio Audio cues (Daze meter ready, Anomaly trigger thresholds, Chain Attack windows) decide reaction timing. A wired headset improves response significantly.
Master volume around 50–60 percent ZZZ peaks loud during Chain Attacks. Lower master volume preserves headroom for ambient audio cues.
Display: 60 FPS minimum on mobile, 120 on PC Higher framerates improve dodge and parry timing. ZZZ is mechanically responsive; framerate matters more than in turn-based gacha.
Battle UI customization Adjust health bar size, Anomaly indicator visibility, and combo counter. Match the UI to your platform (mobile vs PC).
Mouse/controller mapping PC users: rebind dodge and Ultimate to comfortable keys. Default is fine; competitive play benefits from optimized bindings.
Cinematic frequency Reduce cinematic frequency in story menu to skip repeated content. Saves time on repeated runs.
Verify after every patch HoYoverse ships balance updates and UI changes every 6 weeks. Five minutes of menu review per patch prevents missing new features.

11 · Pro Tips

Compound habits across the live-service cycle.

One team deep, then expand Build one optimized team to S6 before splitting Polychromes. Spread thin equals weak everywhere.
Anomaly + Disorder is the meta peak High-Anomaly teams with Disorder triggers deal the most damage in extended encounters. Worth mastering even if you prefer direct DPS.
Stun feeds Chain Attacks Stun Agents fill the Daze meter to trigger Chain Attacks. Every team should have one Stun (or strong stun-pivot) Agent. Skipping it costs DPS windows.
Bangboos matter Bangboo (companion robots) join Chain Attacks. Pick Bangboos that match your team’s damage type for additional burst.
Watch theorycrafters YouTube creators like Ottomanic, IWinToLose, and ZZZ-focused theorycrafters post per-patch meta breakdowns. Two hours per week saves dozens of hours of misallocation.
Skip if unsure Banners rerun. If an Agent is unclear in value, skip; next patch gives another chance. Pulling on bad fits is the highest-cost mistake.
Take breaks ZZZ is a live-service game with a long arc. Burnout in month 1 means no enjoyment in year 1. Pace yourself.