Zenless Zone Zero Beginner Tips Before You Start

Zenless Zone Zero is the latest installment in Hoyoverse’s series of mobile RPGs. Although the aesthetics differ significantly from the other games, the systems and gameplay mechanics are quite familiar.

Whether you are an expert who Honkai Impact 3., Genshin InfluenceAnd Honkai: Star Railor a newbie looking to try out their first Gacha mobile game, we have listed some things you should know before diving in ZZZ.

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Yes, ZZZ is a gacha game

If you are wondering whether Zenless Zone Zero was just a really stylish mobile RPG or if it has the infamous gambling element – ​​yes, it has gacha. That means when it comes to unlocking new powerful characters and weapons, you have to spend hard-earned or purchased premium currency for a chance to get your desired character.

ZZZ is the same as the other Hoyoverse games – the free lower rarity characters are good enough to complete the story, and you will amass an army of higher rarity characters as you play. Just don’t expect every Character.

Image: Hoyoverse via Polygon

ZZZ follows the same gameplay loop as other popular mobile games

The story, the fight and the puzzles in Zenless Zone Zero are different from the other games, but the gameplay loop you follow each day as you complete daily tasks is the same as your average mobile character-building RPG.

You collect characters (Agents) and weapons (W-Engines) through the Gacha system. You must use stamina (battery charge) to collect materials that you can use to power up those characters. Eventually, you’ll get to a point where you collect sub-equipments (drive disks) for each character that have unique passive abilities and gain random stats.

There are a few different things, like mini-games and certain game modes, that set ZZZ Aside from these other games, but at its core, after you complete the game’s story, you will be doing similar things on a daily basis.

Don’t forget the noodle house and the cafe

At the cafe and noodle restaurant you can get buffs for money. Also, a cup of coffee can refill 60 battery charges per day, meaning more free materials to farm!

Image: Hoyoverse

Use your battery charge (stamina) as quickly as possible

Not long into the story, you’ll unlock the HIA Club, a place you can head to to farm materials for your characters. You’ll want to start using it right away to use up some of your battery charge (what the game calls its stamina system). Since battery charge caps out at 240 and the excess is wasted, you’ll want to spend it on farming materials, otherwise you’ll just be wasting a valuable resource.

Completing these levels will also reward you with EXP, which you can use to increase your Inter-Knot Level (your account level), which you need to progress in the game.

Test your agents before you start creating them

Using the VR device in front of the Hollow Deep Dive System, you can learn how to use different agents in the Agent Academy. You might want to try out the different characters, not just because you get rewards for doing so, but because you might like the characters you like the kit for even though you had no intention of building them. Koleda certainly looks cool, but you might like Lycaon’s kit better after trying it out.

At the beginning, your resources are limited, so you won’t be able to create all the characters you get. Find out which ones you like best and go from there.

Turn off test mode if you do not want to use the story characters

There will be cases where Zenless Zone Zero wants you to play certain characters relevant to the story, but you can toggle this on and off in the bottom left corner of the character selection screen. If you want to use your characters instead, toggle this off.

Image: Hoyoverse

Do not use your Polychrome to pull the standard banner

Polychrome is the premium currency you can spend on the gacha system (and on some other less important things, like charging your battery). As you play, you’ll collect a lot of Master Tape, a currency that lets you roll on the standard gacha banner. This banner never changes and will likely feature the same S-rank agents and W engines.

You should instead use your Polychrome to purchase Encrypted Master Tape, which allows you to roll on any event banner that’s currently going on. Event banner characters are only available for a limited period of time (but they will return in later updates), so instead of spending your precious premium currency on the standard characters that will inevitably be drained of power, consider using your Polychrome on the limited-edition characters.

Any gacha game expert will tell you that you shouldn’t waste your precious money on permanent banners because you can still get those characters through event banners anyway.

Get used to dodging and countering

The monsters you fight at the beginning are a breeze and you’ll feel like you just need to hammer the buttons to take them out. As you progress, it gets harder and you should start using this dodging tactic, making sure to time it right when the enemy shines so you can parry and counter. You can also start developing good habits right from the start and get used to dodging attacks even when you feel like you don’t need to.

Image: Hoyoverse

The time of day affects what you can do, but don’t stress about it

Some side quests are only available at certain times of the day, but don’t worry too much about making the most of your day. There’s no penalty for taking extra days, and you can lounge on the couch and pass the time to access the quests you want.

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For more Zenless Zone Zero Guides, check out our list of active codes and a guide to Officer Mewmew Medal locations.