Zenless Zone Zero 1.0 All Changes

Zenless Zone Zero is finally gearing up for its 1.0 release, bringing a large host of all-new features and some fantastic changes sure to please all veterans of beta tests.

These things range from minor changes, such as improving how the Gacha system works, to larger ones such as brand new characters and story content. There’s a lot to see here, whether you got to play the Closed Beta Tests or not.

So, without further ado, let’s dive into all of the changes we can expect with Zenless Zone Zero 1.0!

All Changes & Additions in Zenless Zone Zero 1.0

New Characters & Factions

A new group of characters will join Zenless Zone Zero to celebrate the 1.0 launch. Some of them are returning characters, while others are brand-new ones. These are the known new characters for each faction so far:

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• Hoshimi Miyabi – A girl with fox ears who uses a katana in combat. She uses the Ice Element, but her Specialty is still unknown. She has a strong sense of responsibility and seeks to protect order in New Eridu.
• Soukaku – A blue girl that resembles an Oni from Japanese folklore. A Support specialist who uses Ice to create small storms that buff Anti-Interrupt Levels for her party. She’s famously known for being a glutton.

New Eridu Public Security (N.E.P.S.)

• Zhu Yuan – A respected leader of the Criminal Investigation Special Response Team, known for her stylish black and red hair. She’s an Attack specialist who overwhelms her foes with her pistols, dealing Ether damage.

Sons of Calydon

This is a brand new faction for 1.0, unlike the previous ones. It seems to be made up of people who live on the Outer Rim of New Eridu, surviving in a chaotic post-apocalyptic society. These are the known characters so far:

• Piper Wheel – An aloof girl who seems to love cars and hates things she can’t rely on, such as gambling. Not much is known about her gameplay, but she deals Physical damage and is an Anomaly specialist. She seems to excel when spinning her weapon constantly, dealing high damage to groups of foes.
• Lucy – A girl who seems to lead a group of piglets around, using them to aid her in combat… though she seems to not care too much about their wellbeing. She deals Fire damage and is a Support specialist. Little is known about her skills, but she can bat her piglets to deal high damage at long ranges.

These are the known new characters that we can expect at launch. Make sure you understand what the fighting styles and attack types mean so that you can decide which ones best fit your party!

New Gacha Banners & Mechanic Changes

Zenless Zone Zero is a Gacha game, after all, as we’ve explained in our look at the Gacha system. As such, we can expect some new exclusive banners in 1.0. Alongside the new banners, though, there are a few mechanic changes to go over first:

• Unlike in the CBTs, you can now select one of 6 characters as an additional recruitment for the Stable Channel. You’re guaranteed to get this character once you pull a total of 300 times in the Stable Channel. These are the choices: Grace, Rina, Koleda, Nekomata, Soldier 11, and Lycaon.
• The Bangboo Channel will allow you to pick any S-Rank Bangboo as your target. You’re guaranteed to get your chosen Bangboo whenever you roll an S-Rank Bangboo!

As for which new banners to expect, there are few ones confirmed for 1.0. The first one will run from July 4th until July 24th:

• Mellow Waveride – Features Ellen Joe as the S-Rank Agent. Anton Ivanov and Soukaku are the featured A-Rank Agents.
• Rate Up: Deep Sea Visitor – Features Deep Sea Visitor as the S-Rank W-Engine. Drill Rig – Red Axis and Bashful Demon are featured as the A-Rank W-Engines.

Starts July 24th. The ending date is unconfirmed currently but is suspected to be August 14th:

• Unswerving Bullet – Features Zhu Yuan as the S-Rank Agent. Ben Bigger and Nicole are the A-Rank Agents.
• Rate Up: Riot Suppressor Mark VI – Features the Riot Suppressor Mark VI as the S-Rank W-Engine. The Vault and Big Cylinder are the featured A-Rank W-Engines.

As you can see, the banners follow the usual HoYoverse formula of having an exclusive banner for specific characters alongside a banner for their weapons, or W-Engines as they’re called in ZZZ.

New Events

As you might expect, HoYoverse is celebrating the launch of Zenless Zone Zero 1.0 with a variety of events. Most of them are really just ways to give us all some free goodies, too! These events will be available as soon as the game officially launches:

• Cunning Generosity – A simple giveaway event. Log in during the event to get 10 Master Tapes.
• Road to Proxy Greatness – This event will give you rewards for reaching certain account levels, known as Inter-Knot Levels in-game. Make sure to check out our early game progression guide to level up fast! You will get the following rewards:
  • Level 5 – 10 Master Tapes and 10 Boopons
  • Level 15 – 10 Master Tapes and 10 Boopons
  • Level 20 – 10 Master Tapes and 15 Boopons
  • Level 25 – 10 Master Tapes and 10 Boopons
  • Level 30 – 1600 Polychromes and 20 Boopons

Additionally, you will be able to redeem the ZZZFREE100 code from July 4th to July 11th to get a variety of items, including the game’s premium currency Polychromes.

Now, there are some time-limited events as well. The following events will run from July 4th to August 13th:

• “En-Nah” Into Your Lap – A 7-day check-in event. Log in during the event to earn up to 10 Boopons across 7 days.
• New City Visitor’s Passport – Another check-in event! Log in while the event is active to earn up to 10 Encrypted Master Tapes across 7 days.
• Sixth Street Giveaway – As the name might suggest, this is another check-in event. Log in during the event to earn up to 10 Encrypted Master Tapes across 7 days.

Expanded World & New Game Modes

The game’s world is said to have expanded greatly. According to the developers, players in the Closed Beta Tests only got to see about half of what the city of New Eridu had to offer. Old areas have been greatly expanded in the city, new areas have been added, and there are even some new NPCs to find.

You’ll be able to find Bangboos which you can help for rewards, as well as chests containing some sweet loot. You can also encounter Mew Mew, a new friendly NPC who tells you about things you can do in the city. They’ll even give you extra rewards for completing their objectives!

Even your headquarters have been expanded compared to the CBTs, too. You can now go up to the second floor and sleep on a comfy bed instead of the crusty sofa on the first floor. Plus, you can now also do Trust Events where you invite various Agents to hang out.

Additionally, there are two new game modes which you will unlock as you progress through the story and level up:

• Hollow Zero – A roguelite mode where you take on a series of procedurally-generated challenges. You can get temporary boosts to help you complete a run, but losing will force you to restart. It’s a great way to gain resources and Experience.
• Shiyu Defense – The most challenging endgame content. Pick out your best Agents and fight against hordes of tough foes. Manage to defeat all the waves of enemies and you’ll be handsomely rewarded!

All in all, there’s a lot to see and do in every part of New Eridu. We highly recommend that you explore every nook and cranny once you get into the game!

Story Additions & Changes

Those of you who got to play the CBTs for Zenless Zone Zero should be more than familiar with the Prologue, Chapter 1, and Chapter 2 of the story. As part of all of its changes, 1.0 is continuing the story in two ways.

First off, there will be a new interlude during Chapter 2. It will feature Zhu Yuan and Ellen prominently and will focus on the Public Security faction. What exactly did our protagonists do to catch their attention, though? Guess we’ll have to wait to find out.

As for Chapter 3, it will mark the official story debut of the Victoria Housekeeping Company faction. Members of the faction include Von Lycaon, Ellen, and Rina. If you’re a fan of any of these characters already, you’re in for a treat as we’ll officially get to learn more about them!

Aside from the new story content, HoYoverse also confirmed that they will add a Skip feature. It’ll let us skip cutscenes if we wish, although they didn’t confirm that it would be available at launch or as a hotfix later on during Zenless Zone Zero 1.0. It would definitely make the reroll process a bit more bearable, however.

Nonetheless, that’s the end of our list. Now you know of all the changes and new additions coming to Zenless Zone Zero 1.0!