A Zenless Zone Zero Guide—Proxies? Hollows? What’s Going On Here?

Looking for a Zenless Zone Zero guide to help you understand some of the key elements of HoYoverse’s new gacha game? Look no further because we’re here to answer some of your questions about the newly released experience. Zenless Zone Zero has not been out for too long—the game was officially launched on July 4, 2024, after months of us swooning over the high-quality trailers that showed off the explosive and colorful graphics of the game. If you were worried that it would be too similar to Genshin Impact or Honkai: Star Rail, HoYoverse’s two other successful launches, then this Zenless Zone Zero review should make it apparent that there are some brand new elements to enjoy with this one, particularly with the combat.

If you haven’t started the expansive game already, then now is a great time to obtain some free pulls and start amassing your own reserve of characters or “agents,” for the full experience. Let’s dive into some essential Zenless Zone Zero tips and background information to put you on the right track toward cooking your enemies.

Zenless Zone Zero Guide: Things to Know About the New Game

Genshin Impact has redefined what it means to design an open-world gacha game and everyone on the block knows it. Whether you’ve been a fan since day one or some of the game’s toxic fans have scared you away, the HoYoverse experience is easily one of the most loved games in the genre. Wuthering Waves, a recent release by Kuro Games, has attempted to take over some of the market space that Genshin has been occupying, and it did succeed to a degree, ranking number one in download charts across 100 regions within less than a week.

Despite that, Genshin Impact, and the tad bit more modernized Honkai: Star Rail, have left some big shoes to fill and the many positive Zenless Zone Zero reviews suggest the game is on its way toward doing just that. 

What’s the Story Behind Zenless Zone Zero?

Unlike its predecessors, the game is set in the urban world that is familiar to us today, with TVs and computers and city skyscrapers, with the one expectation of mythic monsters being a big threat to the well-being of the city, New Eridu. The dangers are presented in the form of “Hollows” that appear around town and if you’re thinking of the masked nightmares from Bleach, then you’re actually close to guessing what lives inside a hollow. Hollows refer to abnormal dimensions that pop-up across the city and they hold some very edgy creatures known as the “Ethereals.” 

For the everyday person, entering these Hollows can have disastrous consequences, putting you at the mercy of these Ethereal or slowly causing you to mutate from the pressure surrounding you. Thankfully, the Hollow Investigative Association has ways to get you out of there—if they manage to find you on time. 

None of these details matter to you though, because you’re a “Proxy.” You play one of the siblings from a popular brother-sister Proxy duo, with your trusty Bangboo helper by your side. There’s no Paimon in this game, but the Bangboos add the touch of cuteness you might find yourself missing. Proxies work with Hollow Raiders, who are agents who function in the moral gray between the government and the lawless thugs. They help these raiders explore Hollows, defeat Ethereals, and regularly take on commissions to get in and out of these domains safely. 

When you’re not out supporting Hollow Raiders on their missions, you can be found running the Random Play video store with your sibling. It is a wholesome setting compared to the sad and separated sibling trope in Genshin. If you’re considering starting the game, that’s all you need to know to understand the rest of the Zenless Zone Zero guide.

Is Zenless Zone Zero a Gacha?

Yes, Zenless Zone Zero is a gacha game, which means there will alway be an endless cycle of characters and items you can try to acquire. All luck-based systems can be injurious to your health and wallet so it is essential for you to play with care—an important Zenless Zone Zero tip to remember is to hold off on spending your money. Most characters will return to the banner soon enough so you will get to try them out. Even without your favorite characters on your team, the gameplay is designed in such a way that just about all of the characters will be easy to use and fun to try out. 

If you like collecting characters, you should start playing right now, because early game content has the guarantee of a 100 “pulls” or summons to get you started with building your account. 

To try your luck on each banner you have to use either Encrypted Master Tapes, the premium summoning material, or Master Tapes, which you can use on the more standard banner. Instead of Primogems or some form of wishes, you use Polychrome to make purchases in the main store. Similarly, instead of Mora or currency, you have Dennys for purchasing leveling material (and noodles) from the little stores across your city.

How to Get Agents in Zenless Zone Zero? Presenting A Guide on How To “Pull”

If you’re unsure about how a gacha system works, then you start by using the Signal Search tab to “pull” and acquire new characters. You can use the Encrypted Master Tape and Master Tape to get characters and W-engines. For special Bangboos, you use another form of currency, which is the Boopen. 

There are different banners in the Signal Search section and each uses specific material to provide specific rewards. The Stable Channel is a permanent banner that remains unchanged, while the Exclusive Channels has a rotating cast of agents who have a higher chance of dropping with the banner. Every time you use these materials, you run a lucky draw that presents you with a reward. Every time you’re rewarded a new character, that agent becomes available to join your team. Duplicate rewards of characters you already have can be used to unlock new skills for the specific character.

If you get W-Engines, you can use them on your characters to make them stronger. Specific engines are compatible with specific character types. 

Getting Started with the Gacha System

Just like other gacha games, Zenless Zone Zero has a pity system that helps players get higher-ranking items. With every 10 pulls, you are guaranteed an A-rank character or W-engine. With every 90 pulls, you get an S-Rank agent, which is the highest rank in the game. There should be a soft pity on the banners as well, which means around 75 pulls, the likelihood of getting an S-Rank increases. 

You have a 50-50 chance of getting the promoted character on the Exclusive banner. If you get a different S-Rank character from the one featured on the banner, you’re guaranteed the limited S-Rank character on the next banner if you make enough of the pulls.

Currently, on the Stable Channel, new players have a discount on the first five 10 pulls, so you only have to spend 8 Master Tapes for a 10-pull instead of 10 for 10. A Zenless Zone Zero tip here is that for the Stable Banner, don’t waste your resources initially on single pulls. Use the discounted offer to use 8 tapes to get 10 items instead. 

You are guaranteed an S-Rank item within 80 pulls on the W-Engine banner. So instead of a 50 percent chance, you have a 75 percent chance of getting the banner item. Finally, on the Bangboo banner, you are also guaranteed a cute assistant of your choice at 80 pulls.

How to Claim 100 Pulls in ZZZ?

One of the most important things about Zenless Zone Zero is that the early marketing for 180 free pulls was slightly misleading. Users were led to believe they could start with a 100 free pulls right as they logged in, but that is not the case. The rewards will trickle in slowly across the initial week of play. The only free rewards you receive right at log-in are the pre-registrations rewards with one free character, Corin, but the rest can be collected through daily log-ins. 

You will only be able to see the events and other rewards once you complete a decent chunk of the main storyline and return the Cunning Hares back to the city after helping them with their original commission. Once that is complete, you should soon be able to unlock events such as the New City Visitor’s Passport event, which gives you 7-day log-in rewards in the form Encrypted Master Tapes. There are other event rewards also available. The more you play, the higher your “Inter-Knot” level will be. By level 30, you’ll have 1,600 Polychrome to make a 10-pull.

If you’re worried that you have to put in too many hours to get started with any characters at all, then don’t worry. Something to know about Zenless Zone Zero is that just playing the game normally at your own pace will give you rewards that can be channeled back into the banners. Reading through the in-game Zenless Zone Zero guide also gives you some Polychromes so you benefit from brushing up your knowledge of how to play. HoYoverse also regularly releases some codes that you can redeem for freebies, so keeping an eye out for their official updates will help you. 

There are a couple of different ways to build towards pulling for your favorite character so just play and have fun when you do.

How Does the Combat Work In Zenless Zone Zero?

The combat system appears extremely simplistic at first but there are a lot of different aspects to consider, which makes a Zenless Zone Zero guide essential for you. Your main character doesn’t enter combat but assists the players through the HDD or Hollow Deep Dive—an unusual little electronic map designed for you to navigate closer to the enemy hoards. When you land on a playable location, you have a 3-person team at your disposal, who have a few different attributes to consider. 

They belong to different factions, fight with a unique weapon with different fighting types (Attack, Defense, Stun, Support, and Anomaly), have different element types (Fire, Ice, Ether, Electric, and Physical), and can equip different W-Engines that provide boosts their unique fighting styles. 

During combat, you have one character on the playing field who can use their basic attacks, dash attack/defense, special attacks, and extra special attacks to fight. Swapping between team members at the right time boosts your fighters so its essential to time when you swap, just like in Wuthering Waves. Instead of a menu on the right to switch between agents, you can use the swap button to shift to the next member on the queue. At opportune times, the screen slows down to give you a change to pick who you want to swap to.

Button mashing works just fine with this game so far, but if you want to get good at play ZZZ, you’ll have to figure out the best way to build your team and swap between them, learning their attack patterns properly to daze the monsters as quickly as possible. 

Is Zenless Zone Zero Playable in Co-op?

For now, Zenless Zone Zero is not designed for co-op—it is largely a single-player game. After some progress in the initial storyline, you should be able to unlock the Godfinger Arcade in New Eridu, where you can play a few mini-games in multiplayer mode. Similarly, Reckless Challenge is unlocked after some more progress in the story, and it does have a multiplayer experience, but the game automatically pairs you up with others on your server. 

ZZZ is not necessarily an open-world game so the free roam experience you had trapezing across Teyvat with your buddies in Genshin is not available here. You can add friends to your friend list but there are limited options for playing with them. A later update may add multiplayer compatibility, but you should be prepared for a more single-player experience.

Is the Game Available on Mobile?

The action RPG is available to play on your smartphone whether you use an iOS or Android device. You might be surprised to know that this particular Zenless Zone Zero guide is based on our smartphone experience with the game so we can confirm that it is easy enough to play on mobile. The small-sized device does leave you with a more cramped screen but does not limit how well you can play the game.

The most significant problem you’ll run into is the storage limitation of your mobile because all HoYoverse games take up a lot of space. You will have to plan ahead to ensure your device can handle it. 

You can also play it on your PlayStation 5 or Windows PC so there are a couple of options to try the game out.

How Many GB Is Zenless Zone Zero?

The most important thing to know before downloading Zenless Zone Zero is that it takes up a lot of space. The initial download size on the Google App Store may say 255MB, but once you open the app, the internal asset download will begin and take up almost 20GB of space. With future updates, the app will only increase in size, so you should clear up some space in advance. 

On PC, the initial file size stands at 57GB but an extra 58 GB will be required to unzip all the assets and actually play the game. A simple tip to get started with ZZZ is to clear up old files and create space on your device first so you can download the game uninterrupted.

Is HoYoverse’s ZZZ Free?

Zenless Zone Zero is free to play for all users who want to give it a go. There are multiple options for spending money in-game but there is no pressure to spend. The free resources are sufficient for a fulfilling experience playing the game and matching up to the enemies. The co-op experiences are few so far, which means there is limited room to be outclassed by a whale without a budget, so you can play as freely as you like. 

The three starter characters you’re offered at the beginning have enjoyable personalities and play styles, of which Billy already feels like he’s destined to be a permanent member of my rotation. Mastering the characters’ combat style is engaging all on its own, even if you only have a small roster of characters. Take your time to master these agents and the other A-Ranks teammates you receive initially, and you’ll get your preferred S-Rank eventually. 

Should You Play Zenless Zone Zero?

We’ve just begun to cover the surface of everything there is to discuss about the game with this Zenless Zone Zero guide, but we’ll dive into more details over time. If all of this information feels overwhelming, you should just get past the time consuming download and enjoy the comic-style narration you’re greeted with right off the bat. The game relies heavily on conversations and building up the background, so if you want to rush straight to combat, the early game content may not be for you. The action, when it does happen, can be extremely fast-paced, but it does take some time to get there.

If you love a good story with lots of room to explore the character lore, you should definitely give ZZZ a go. Zenless Zone Zero goes into detail with all the things you need to know but it can get a little cluttered at times, which is where we can step in to help. Is Zenless Zone Zero worth playing? Definitely. Do you have more questions about the game? Let us know!