Residual Signal is one of the most important currencies in Zenless Zone Zero, which is why it’s a good idea to consider saving it instead of spending it willy-nilly.
Essentially, Residual Signal is a sort of pity mechanic for the game’s Gacha system. Every time you use any of the Signal Search channels for rolling, you’ll get an amount of Residual Signal depending on your rolls. You can then spend it at a special shop for a variety of items, including W-Engines and Agents!
In this article, we’ll explain the importance of saving this unique currency.
Why It’s Important to Save Residual Signal in Zenless Zone Zero
As we mentioned in our introduction, you get Residual Signal whenever you use the game’s Gacha system, Signal Search. The amount you get varies depending on the rarities and types of pulls you get, with duplicate S-Rank Agents seemingly giving the most.
You can spend your Residual Signal at any moment by opening the in-game shop and visiting the Residual Signal tab in the Signal Shop. This lets you buy a variety of rotating items, with the most important being the Encrypted Master Tapes and the A-Rank Agents.
The Encrypted Master Tapes are required to use the time-limited Gacha banners, called Exclusive Signal Search Channel. You can buy an unlimited amount of them for 20 Residual Signal each, which isn’t a bad deal. However, since there’s no limit, we recommend that you save until there’s a banner you actually want.
Now, the A-Rank Agents are your main reason for wanting to save your Residual Signal in Zenless Zone Zero. These Agents rotate every month and are relatively cheap since they cost just 140 Residual Signal. If you save up enough, you’ll be able to easily get new A-Rank Agents down the line. This also works for getting duplicates, which is key to unlocking passive abilities through the Agents’ Mindscape Cinema system.
Aside from these, you can also get S-Rank W-Engines from the Signal Shop. These are the signature weapons for various Agents, but they cost 600 Residual Signal each currently. That’s an exorbitant price so we recommend avoiding them unless absolutely necessary.
In Conclusion
Ultimately, you want to try to save at least 140 Residual Signal each month so that you can get at least one of the rotating A-Rank Agents from the Signal Shop. This can be either to expand your roster with brand-new additions or even just to empower one of the Agents you already have with a duplicate.
If you don’t like any of the A-Rank Agents available after the shop rotates, save up so you can purchase lots of Encrypted Master Tape instead. It’s a good idea to have a lot of Residual Signal whenever there’s a new Exclusive Channel you want to pull from. HoYoverse always announces new banners in advance, so it’s not too hard to plan ahead. We already know what banners to expect during 1.0, for example.
On that note, the current banner is a solid choice. It features Ellen, who’s considered one of the best characters in the game and placed at the very top of our S-Rank Agents tier list!
As for the W-Engines, we don’t really recommend that you save your Residual Signal for them. Sure, having the signature W-Engine for your Agents is important, but 600 Residual Signal is too steep a price. Just to put it into perspective, with 600 Residual Signal you could get 30 Encrypted Master Tapes or 4 A-Rank Agents instead. You would even have a bit to spare after buying those!
But well, now you know why it’s important to save your Residual Signal in Zenless Zone Zero. We hope this helped you figure out what you want to prioritize as you take on the Hollows around New Eridu!
Venezuelan gamer cursed by being interested by most games, resulting in a ridiculous backlog he’ll never be able to conquer. Been gaming for over two decades now! Few things exemplify his wide variety in gaming tastes as the fact that he’s a big fan of both Souls games and the Atelier series at the same time. Also a big fan of Yakuza/Like a Dragon, Deadly Premonition, Zero Escape, and Dead Rising, among others. Considers Lost Judgment and Sekiro to both be masterpieces.