Zenless Zone Zero (ZZZ) Tier List

Last updated: September 20, 2024 1:58 AM

Jane Doe & Seth are now added to the tier list. Jane is an Anomaly character which mainly deal Assault damage. Seth is a Defense character designed for assisting Anomaly character.

This Tier List of the crossplatform game Zenless Zone Zero categorizes the characters of the game into different tiers based on their performance in the game. The characters are assessed based on their performance in the core game content of the game – Shiyu Defense.

Shiyu Defense

Shiyu Defense is an End Game Combat Challenge. In Shuyu Defense, players are required to defeat all enemies within a certian time period. The performance of the combat is rated by how many time is remaining. Higher ratings will result in better rewards, including Polychrome, Investigation Merits (a currency to purchase useful items in Scott Outpost) and Denny.

Shiyu Defense consists of two sections – Stable Node and Critical node. Stable Node is permanent, and its rewards can only be obtained once, while Critical Node is reset and updated periodically.

We hope this tier list can be a reference of what characters are more potential to defeat Shiyu Defense and so players can have better planning of spending resources on upgrading their characters or pulling characters.

Click the Character icon for more details about each character, which includes Character build, weapon and their background information.

*Current Tier list is based on latest V1.1 Character performance and skill data.

Update History

Updated Tier List information regarding the most update version 1.1.

Jane Doe & Seth are now added to the tier list. Jane is an Anomaly character which mainly deal Assault damage. Seth is a Defense character designed for assisting Anomaly character.

Previous Update :

Qingyi is added to the tier list.
Lycaon is adjusted from SS to S.

Search character name

SS

Jane Doe Build

Qingyi Build

Ellen Build

Zhu Yuan Build

S

Grace Build

Rina Build

Lycaon Build

Soldier 11 Build

Soukaku Build

A

Seth Build

Lucy Build

Piper Build

Nekomata Build

Koleda Build

Nicole Build

B

Corin Build

Anton Build

Ben Build

C

Billy Build

Anby Build

Jane is an Anomaly character. Jane’s actions can acquisite “Passion Stream”, when “Passion Stream” is full, Jane enters “Passion” state. During “Passion” state, Jan’s Anomaly Build-up rate and Atk increase. The dodging of Jane becomes more swift and agile which makes her able to pass through enemies.

Pros

Highly suitable for solo play
Got an excellent dodge mechanism
Performs well in both AoE and single-target scenarios.

Cons

It requires players to have the ability to avoid damage to accumulate “Passion Steam” more quickly.

Seth is a Defense-type character designed to support Anomaly characters. Seth primarily accumulates “Resolves” through Ex Special and Chain Attack. Once “Resolves” reaches 75%, Seth can unleash an enhanced Basic Attack, providing teammates with 100 Anomaly Proficiency and a shield.

Pros

Provides AP to Anomaly characters, increasing their damage output.
The applied shield offers a safe environment for teammates to deal damage.
Can provide buffs without requiring much on-field time.

Cons

Can only support Anomaly characters.

Zhu Yuan is a short burst type character, mainly obtaining ‘Enhanced Shotshells’ through Defensive Counter, Ex Special, Chain, and Ultimate. By holding the Basic Attack button, Zhu Yuan will enter [Suppressive Mode], where Zhu Yuan will consume ‘Enhanced Shotshells’ to perform enhanced Ether attacks.

Pros

Short and High burst damage DPS
Highest Ultimate DMG multiplier in ver 1.0

Cons

The damage rotation needs to be determined based on the number of Enhanced Shotshells, which makes Zhu Yuan’s operation quite challenging.

Excellent single-target and AoE capabilities, unique enchantment damage-increasing mechanism. As the first limited character, Ellen is definitely a powerful all-rounder covering all output dimensions, currently the most versatile ice attribute main DPS. Compared to Regular Banner’s Attack Characters, Ellen has a relatively powerful stacking enchantment mechanism, and her main damage-dealing method does not consume energy, making her very flexible.

Pros

Highest DPS among all Attack characters.
Decent attack range and slight crowd control ability.
Main damage-dealing method does not consume energy.
Best team composition already formed.

Cons

Almost none.

Lycaon’s characteristics mainly used Charged Attack to stun enemie. This mechanism makes Lycaon’s stun efficiency more stable. This simple, efficient, and reliable method makes Lycaon a versatile option for tough battles and a trustworthy character for prolonged battlefield engagements.

Pros

Main stun method is Charged Attack, not reliant on EX and Ultimate.
Excellent damage support capabilities, can reduce enemy Ice RES and increase vulnerability during daze period, both of which are valuable multipliers.

Cons

Weak damage output, accounting for only a single-digit percentage of the team’s overall damage.

Grace is the core character responsible for the crucial Electric buildup in the Shock team. With high frequency, and high buildup efficiency skills, she can trigger Shocking in the shortest time, making her the absolute core of the Electro team, providing high-frequency Electro buildup for the whole team.

Pros

Special is Grace’s main buildup method, and the skill’s action is astonishingly short at only 30 frames.
In terms of buildup efficiency, Grace surpasses other Electro characters, with buildup contribution directly exceeding 60%.
Does not rely on Ex and Ult.

Cons

Can’t think of any for now.

As the only Fire attribute Attack character in the launch version, Soldier 11’s fire blade damage is stable and her output method is simple. Soldier 11’s skills, chain, or ulti can provide fire enchantment damage increase for the next 8 Basic Attacks. By controlling the rhythm of Basic Attacks and freely triggering the fire blade mechanism, she can seamlessly enter a powerful output state in most environments. The damage of the eight Basic Attacks after is concentrated on the fourth attack, making it quite easy to be interrupted. The fire attribute Basic Attack damage accounts for a significant portion, nearly 50%.

Pros

Simple operation and high damage, suitable for beginner players
Easy mechanism to enter burst mode

Cons

Damage is concentrated on the 4th enhanced Basic Attack, and being interrupted greatly reduces damage

Rina’s unique mechanism of providing buffs with her doll on the field, combined with the dual influence of her core passive and team passive, allows her to offer the team various support such as PEN Ratio, increasing Shock duration, and increasing Shock DMG. Moreover, since Rina’s abilities are related to her doll, we don’t need to put Rina on-field. This makes her a comprehensive support character who spends most of her time off-field.

Pros

The PEN Ratio buff provided by Lina is universally beneficial for all characters and is difficult to overflow.
Besides PEN Ratio, another significant buff is the extension of Shock duration and the additional Shock damage increase, which are consistently covered.
Doesn’t require much effort in terms of equipment; as long as she can maintain her cycle and ensure full support, it’s sufficient.

Cons

Merely no DMG output.

In terms of speed of attack, Nekomata is undoubtedly the best in Zenless Zone Zero. With swift and light combos, instant skill execution, and unique wide-range Ultimate and QTE in the game, Nekomata excels. Te absolute advantage in speed and range grants Nekomata a distinctive combat style. Nekomata is positioned as a burst-type quick-swap main or sub DPS with an extremely agile playstyle.

Pros

Rapid Attack
Large Area AoE
Good in quick-swap DPS

Cons

Weak as a Main DPS and Single Target

Koleda is currently the character with the strongest burst Stun ability. She can easily push small enemies into an Daze state, continuously triggering QTEs for teammates. Therefore, Koleda is currently the fastest burst stun character.

Pros

Extremely strong burst Stun

Cons

Usually needs to team up with Ben, leading to fewer combinations
Lacks support capabilities compared to Lycaon

Soukaku’s attack actions are slow and lack mobility, giving Soukaku no advantage in rapid fight. However, his unique Banner skill transfers the attack boost effect to teammates and increases the whole team’s Ice DMG, making Soukaku a highly versatile Ice-type attack support and the best partner for Ellen.

Pros

Provides comprehensive buffs
Ellen’s best support

Cons

Low mobility

Lucy’s unique support mode, featuring a one-time activation semi-permanent auto-combat pig squad and attack boost support through hands-free skills, allows her to provide damage increase to teammates while also having her own damage output. She is an excellent versatile attack support for quick clears, unaffected by the environment or pairings. Lucy’s pig squad mechanism means that once Special is activated in the battle, the pigs will continue to fight alongside, whether Lucy is on-field or off-field. Lucy’s buffs depend on her own ATK but cannot exceed 600, which is 400 lower than Soukaku’s. Since Lucy’s buffs are based on a percentage of ATK plus a fixed value, any weapon with an attack main stat can reach the limit.

Pros

Low requirements for Main Stats and Sub Stats
Has some damage output capability

Cons

As a support, the buffs are somewhat insufficient

Pros

Low requirements for Main Stats and Sub Stats
Has some damage output capability

Cons

As a support, the buffs are somewhat insufficient

Piper, as the second Anomaly character in the game, has revitalized the Physical team and activated the Disorder team. Piper can boost teammates’ damage while efficiently building up Physical Anomaly, making her a highly versatile physical status character.

Pros

Astonishing physical status buildup efficiency
Provides damage boosts for the whole team

Cons

Can’t think of any for now

Corin’s damage output style fully leverages the advantages of the Daze mechanism. Her extremely high Ex Special damage multiplier is even surpassing the ultimates of most characters. This single-skill advantage makes her the best short-cycle physical burst main DPS among the current A Rank characters. From a multiplier perspective, Corin’s skills are all excellent, but her damage output is too slow and overly reliant on energy, making her effective mainly during the imbalance period for bursts.

Pros

Excellent skill multiplier

Cons

Too reliant on Ex Special
Slow damage action

Anton’s unique mechanism allows him to trigger an additional 45% Shock damage every 5 critical hits while in Burst mode. Placing Anton after a strong buildup character like Grace, the extra damage from his direct attacks combiness with addional Shock DMG. This mechanism enables Anton to carry the damage output for the Shock team, achieving high damage in a short time, making him a short-cycle Electric burst DPS.

Pros

Triggers additional Shock DMG

Cons

Relies on Ex Special
Target must be shocked to maximize damage

As the only pure ranged character among the initial three characters, Billy’s core gameplay involves simple operation, flexible movements, and maintaining a safe distance from strong enemies. Billy’s combo is unique; the second half of his crouching shot can be infinitely extended by holding the Basic Attack button. Billy’s mechanism also increases the damage of this crouching shot. The output logic is straightforward, but the performance in terms of damage is quite poor, making Billy a character with a low ceiling, not suitable for extreme damage output challenges. However, with an extremely low operation difficulty and safe attack distance, Billy can still be a character to rely on during difficult stages.

Pros

Simple operation
Fully ranged character

Cons

Very low damage

Ben has the slowest movement speed in the game, making him the worst mobility. However, Ben possesses the strongest survivability. Whether facing mobs or bosses, with his unique blocking mechanism, all attacks can be nullified. This gives Ben the unique role of a Defensive character, making him the most reliable team survival support.

The blocking judgment is quite lenient; as long as the hit occurs during Ben’s use of Special, the attack can be blocked regardless of whether the defensive action is completed. Holding the Speical button after initiating the block maintains the defensive stance, and pressing the Special button again triggers a counterattack. If energy is consumed, the block counterattack becomes stronger and provides a shield to the entire team based on Ben’s defense. In stages with strong enemies or requiring level challenges, Ben’s blocking mechanism can significantly improve team survivability. Regardless of operation, Ben’s damage contribution to the team is very low, but he has good performance in Fire Buildup.

Pros

Blocking mechanism suitable for players with less skill
Provides shield for teammates, increasing team’s survivability
Decent Fire Buildup capability

Cons

Low damage
Slow movement, low mobility

Anby’s characteristics are quick and smooth combos but with low multipliers, and his skills are swift, easy to use, and excellent at stunning enemies. This combination of strong skills and weak combos makes her more inclined to deliver small bursts, making her the best short-cycle battlefield stun character for beginners. As a newbie character, Anby’s gameplay is not complicated, and you don’t need to worry about combo routines. When you don’t have energy, using three Basic Attacks followed by a Charged Attack achieves the highest Daze efficiency. Skills should also be released after the third Basic Attack to fully utilize the character’s performance.

Pros

Easy to operate

Cons

Daze efficiency relies on energy

All Games

Zenless Zone Zero (ZZZ) Tier List

Shiyu Defense

ZZZ Tier List

SS

Jane Doe Build

Qingyi Build

Ellen Build

Zhu Yuan Build

S

Grace Build

Rina Build

Lycaon Build

Soldier 11 Build

Soukaku Build

A

Seth Build

Lucy Build

Piper Build

Nekomata Build

Koleda Build

Nicole Build

B

Corin Build

Anton Build

Ben Build

C

Billy Build

Anby Build

Zenless Zone Zero Characters Overview