Summary
Zenless Zone Zerohas finallylaunched on PC, PS5, iOS and Android.HoYoverse’s urban lifestyle game is a bit of a departure from the usual for the company, with an emphasis placed on world-building and style- and a little less grinding than people might expect. The game’s marketing was also something a little different, with aZZZx Tiësto music collaboration marking the game as something to keep an eye on right before release.
Even thoughZenless Zone Zerois different from HoYoverse gamesin a lot of ways, its core identity remains something familiar. It’s a gacha game with a slew of different agents who then team up in groups of 3 to tackle content, which ranges from standard action-RPG battles to roguelite dungeon exploration. Combining the right agents is a satisfying experience, and even thoughZenless Zone Zerois meant to be accessible to the point that every character is viable, there are obviously some standouts at release. Here’s everyZZZcharacter ranked at launch for flexibility, impact, and fun.
Many of these character rankings are at least partially based on the relative enjoyment players will have with eachZenless Zone Zeroagent. Obviously, strong characters will be ranked highly, but less powerful ones may be higher than expected because they add something unique or particularly fun to the game. If your opinion on characters is different, feel free to sound off in the thread below!
15Corin - Physical Attack
Cleaning Up Enemies With A Chainsaw
Corin is something of a consensus “worst” character atZenless Zone Zerolaunch. She’s limited in her kit, which is heavily focused on crit rate and avoiding interrupts by increasing her anti-interrupt level. She’s limited to close-range fights but makes up for that somewhat by having a chainsaw AoE attack chain and some decent movement and follow-throughs to help with positioning.
Ultimately, that hyper-focus on one specific niche means that Corin is inflexible, and that paired with her fragility mean teams have to work harder to accommodate her than most. While still very playable, she’s just not on the same level as most otherZZZagents, who can more easily slot into multiple teams. Physical also isn’t as flashy or intriguing as other attack typing at launch (funnily enough, mirroringHonkai: Star Railin that manner) but there’s a chance future releases change that and make Corin more desirable as a result.
14Soukaku - Ice Support
Whirling Vortexes With Fly The Flag
Soukaku is one of the most visually unique character designs atZenless Zone Zerolaunch, with her oni-inspired aesthetic complemented by a blue skin tone that matches her element typing of ice. She’s listed as a support unit, and that is true largely because she needs to be in ice-focused teams to get the most out of her kit, but she’s no slouch when it comes to damage, either.
Soukaku’s Special Attack, Fly The Flag, is an incredibly powerful ability when used correctly. Essentially, Soukaku needs to accumulate three stacks of Vortex before it really shines, but if she does so before popping it, she enters a special damage state that lets her quickly deal ice damage with basic attacks. Unfortunately, her damage output beyond Fly The Flag is a little lacking, so she ranks low on this list because of her reliance on team builds and the energy required for her to really unleash DPS potential.
13Ben Bigger - Fire Defense
A Gigantic Bear With Battlefield Impact
Let it never be said thatZenless Zone Zerolaunch characterslack variety - Ben Bigger is a gigantic, anthropomorphic bear with better fashion sense than many of the stylish cast. He’s a fire type defender, which means he occupies an incredibly rare role inZZZ. How much that role matters to a given player is likely going to be how each person ranks Ben Bigger individually; he’s a valuable teammate for those without much action-RPG chops or who simply want to have an easier, safer time with content, but he’s largely unnecessary for those who can dodge well.
Ben’s shielding abilities are what set him apart, and his high DEF stat mean he’s especially good at swapping in to tank damage that might kill more fragile characters. He’s unbearably slow, however, and moving around the battlefield with him can feel like too much of a pace change for some. He serves a very specific role, which is why he slots in a bit higher on this list, but damage output coupled with a potentially unneeded niche mean he doesn’t score very well, either.
Zenless Zone Zero Is Ambitious, Chill, And Has Immaculate VIbes
Zenless Zone Zero is both the most ambitious and chill effort from HoYoverse yet, a delightful blend of urban fantasy and high octane combat.
12Billy Kid - Physical Attack
A Pistol-Wielding Robot With Long-Range Output
Billy Kid is one ofZenless Zone Zero’s starting characters, but that doesn’t mean he’s relegated to a newbie-friendly role - he’s actually quite a viable team component when paired with teammates of the same attribute or faction thanks to a 50% damage boost to his Ultimate thanks to his passives.He’s also a long-range damage dealer who, while very fragile like many other attack agents, is capable of doing massive DPSwhile remaining relatively safe, away from melee range of enemy units. He isn’t the best damage dealer in the game by any means, though, and his low HP/DEF combination means he’s going to be in trouble with even one fumbled dodge.
11Koleda - Fire Stun
A Daze Machine With Strong Synergy Potential
Koleda wants specific builds to maximize the effects she has on team synergy, but following the relatively easy requirements will create a Chain Attack DMG buffer capable of inflicting Daze repeatedly.Koleda’s passive states that when she’s in a party with a team member of the same attribute or faction, stunned enemies take more Chain Attack DMG following Koleda’s EX Special Attack hitting them. Koleda can also use enhanced attacks at specific points in her attack chains that will then buff her Daze even more; it’s a powerful loop that makes her a great beginner character for making content easier and introducing several game mechanics to newZZZplayers.
The downside, of course, is that shereallyneeds to have a Fire or Belobog character in her party to be effective. There’s enough of those at launch inZenless Zone Zerothat it’s not a huge problem, but it does mean she’s a little less flexible than other top level agents.
10Nicole Demara - Ether Support
An AoE Enabler With A Great Attribute Niche
Nicole is one of a few Ether attributeZenless Zone Zeroagents, which means she’s capable of inflicting Corruption on enemies. Corruption is one of the better debuffs inZZZ, as it deals bonus Ether damage over time while also interrupting targets' actions, breaking up potentially dangerous attack chains or group situations that might require more frantic dodging otherwise.
Nicole also benefits from having incredible AoE potential due to her EX Special Attack, Chain Attack, and Ultimate, which all produce energy fields that draw enemies in and group them together, leaving them vulnerable to AoE damage in another unit on the team. These kinds of abilities are often underrated - Venti and Kazuha inGenshin Impact, for instance, have only grown in legend over the years they’ve been available - and as one of the few crowd control agents inZZZat launch, Nicole stands above many of her other competitors as a great choice to build around.
Zenless Zone Zero’s Producer Has A Refreshing Approach To The Gacha Grind: “You Can Have A Coffee”
In our roundtable interview with Zenless Zone Zero producer Zhenyu Li during a media event, we asked about gacha grind and got an interesting answer.
9Anton Ivanov - Electric Attack
A Drill-Wielding Burst Damage Dealer
The strength in Anton’s kit comes entirely from his Burst Mode, which triggers whenever he uses his EX Special Attack.Burst Mode infuses his drill with the Electric attribute to deal increased damage and change the behavior of his basic attacks, which become harder hitting. He’s not as squishy as other damage dealers, too, thanks to his B Talent Effect, which grants him a shield upon entering Burst Mode.
The biggest drawback to Anton is that he’s very stat hungry for specific substats, notably Energy Regen. His Burst Mode doesn’t consume energy immediately, but rather lasts longer depending on how much energy Anton has accumulated upon use. It’s a tricky balance that isn’t always super beginner friendly, and Anton’s kit also feels a bit more independent of team synergy than many others, which might make building around him long-term more difficult and less desirable.
8Anby Demara - Electric Stun
Anby is another starter character that absolutely performs better than expected.As an Electric Stun character, Anby boasts an absurd amount of Daze application, meaning she’s also a great Chain Attack initiator. She’s very team-friendly, with passives in her talent pool that boost Electric character’s energy regeneration. More than anything, though, Anby is a character that is incredibly beginner-friendly, which makes sense given her role inZenless Zone Zero. She’s basic attack-oriented and easy to play, but impactful enough to slot into more deliberately built teams, making her a well-balanced agent that’s worth building around because she remains viable later intoZZZwhen things get a bit more complicated.
7Solder 11 - Fire Attack
A Rock-Solid High Rarity Agent With A Straightforward Kit
Soldier 11 has some seriously impressive stats when compared to previous entries on this list - she boasts a high ATK, which makes sense for her role, but also is no slouch for HP, meaning she’s a bit more forgiving if a dodge is mistimed. That said,dodging will be a seriously important part of any Soldier 11 team composition, as she’s a great include for any team that wants a high ATK damage dealer in Chain Attack builds.
She is pretty straightforward, though, which might make her a bit less valuable in the eyes of some.Soldier 11 really does two things- trigger Fire Suppression whenever possible, and then capitalize on that by, well, using Fire Suppression to deal enhanced basic attack damage. It’s effective, but it’s not exactly the flashiest thing available atZenless Zone Zerolaunch.
6Nekomata - Physical Attack
A Quick Kitty Capable Of Devastating Damage
Nekomata has an incredibly high ATK stat and has the kit to put it to use, with most of her passives dedicated to selfishly increasing her own damage by triggering Assault or dodging. She’s also aZenless Zone Zeroagent that relies heavily on circumstance and positioning to get the most out of her kit,with a buff to energy regeneration for being in a 1-on-1 situation and a debuff to enemy Physical RES when attacking from behind just two examples of how she wants players to think while using her.
Ultimately, Nekomata is the definition of a feel-good character to use. She’s heavily designed around game mechanics that require precise inputs or positioning to put to use, so those who love the satisfying feeling of a dodge counter will especially want to add Nekomata to their team ASAP.
