If miHoYo wasn’t already dominating the motion RPG gacha scene with Genshin Influence and Honkai: Star Rail, it has one more potential success on the best way. Zenless Zone Zero launches on July 4th as a free-to-play title for iOS, Android, PC and PS5 (although console house owners can spend $10 to acquire supplies and foreign money to be used at launch). In contrast to the developer’s different titles, it has a extra exaggerated and vibrant artwork type alongside its fast-paced real-time fight. Listed below are 15 issues it is best to know earlier than taking part in.
Setting
Zenless Zone Zero takes place in a post-apocalyptic future the place unusual beings referred to as Ethereals have worn out most of humanity. The survivors have holed up in New Eridu, using the Ethereals’ expertise whereas additionally harnessing the mysterious Hollows to struggle again. As Belle or Sensible, gamers tackle the position of Proxy and search to information Brokers by way of the Hollows to finish missions.
Brokers
The Brokers in query hail from completely different factions, every with completely different objectives and backstories. Victoria Housekeeping takes on varied requests and is expert at retrieving gadgets, “cleansing” up dangerous guys and getting the job executed underneath any circumstance. Belobog Heavy Industries is a building firm working in areas affected by Hollows, with Koleda Belobog because the president (after her father went lacking). Part 6 is a division of H.A.N.D. and is led by Hoshimi Miyabi, which is all about tackling Hole-related missions.
The Prison Investigation Particular Response Staff is a part of New Eridu’s Public Safety and maintains order within the metropolis. Lastly, there’s Light Home, aka the Crafty Hares, based by Nicole Demara, who’re smaller in scale but additionally tackle Hole-related jobs. Not a lot is thought in regards to the OBOLS Squad or the impassive Soldier 11, however it’s yet another thriller to unravel.
Gameplay Loop
The overall gameplay loop shall be acquainted to those that performed Honkai Influence third. At its core, Zenless Zone Zero is a hack-and-slash motion title the place you choose a crew of three characters. Although just one is playable at any given time, you possibly can freely swap to the others. There’s a narrative mode, with the chapter providing completely different maps and commissions to finish and extra actions to stage up and enhance your characters.
Bangboo
A brand new a part of the system is the Bangboo. Assigned as helpers in New Eridu, they full and specialise in varied duties. In fight, they function the fourth member of your occasion – they will unleash expertise routinely, activate a passive impact underneath sure situations and even present one other chain assault periodically. Bangboos are additionally notable as a result of you possibly can pull them with Coup-Ens earned solely from in-game actions and never actual cash.
Combating Kinds
Nonetheless, your core crew composition will in the end carry you thru the story and different content material. Every Agent has a singular Combating Model, much like the Paths from Honkai: Star Rail. Some are attackers who’re all about piling on injury, whereas defenders can counterattack and take in injury. Helps will buff occasion members; Stuns can crowd-control foes; and Anomaly Brokers are all about build up Anomalies – extra on that later.
Parts
After all, it wouldn’t be a HoYoverse sport with out components and enemy varieties which are susceptible to the identical. Zenless has 5 components – Hearth, Ether, Bodily, Electrical and Ice. Up to now, it’s identified that Mutant enemies are weak to Ice, whereas Electrical assaults are efficient in opposition to Machine enemies. In the meantime, Hearth is sweet in opposition to Natural and Corrupted foes.
Anomalies
Relying on the component and whether or not the Agent makes a speciality of Anomaly Mastery, you possibly can construct up sure Anomalies on enemies. Consider them as standing results – dish out sufficient Bodily injury, and you may afflict both Assault – which interrupts an enemy – or Armor Break – which reduces Bodily injury resistance for a interval. Hearth injury will set off Burn, dealing steady injury over time. When you exploit an enemy’s weak spot to a particular component, they’ll be unable to maneuver whereas debuffed by an Anomaly.
Fight Fundamentals
Every character has a Fundamental Assault and Particular Assault, although you possibly can maintain down the previous to execute an alternate charged assault, which varies between Brokers. Attacking enemies will construct up Vitality, and you may as well dodge assaults. Dodge completely, and you may assault afterwards with a Dodge Counter. As famous earlier, you possibly can change between characters at any level. It’s deceptively simple to get into, however there’s loads of nuance.
Chain Assaults, Ultimates, Help Assaults and Excellent Assists
Every character has an Final means constructed up with Dodge Counters, Chain Assaults and extra. The useful resource is shared between the entire occasion, so you possibly can’t set off an Final with one character, after which change to the subsequent for an additional. Chain Assaults set off after hitting a Shocked enemy with a Particular Assault – you’ll see an indicator to modify to a different occasion member, who will soar in and carry out a strong assault. They will then hit the Shocked enemy and set off one other Chain Assault. You even have Help Assaults, out there in case you’re hit and able to shelling out some injury to offer a breather.
Then there’s the Excellent Help, the place switching to a different occasion member earlier than an assault connects will activate a singular Help (relying on the Agent). For instance, Nicole can carry out a Defensive Help to parry an assault and construct up Daze on an enemy. Excellent Assists rely on the variety of Help Factors out there, that are recovered by performing Chain Assaults.
Daze, Vitality and EX Talent Variants
Enemies accumulate Daze as they take injury. As soon as it hits 100%, they’ll be Shocked and susceptible to Chain Assaults. As you construct up Vitality from assaults, you should use it for EX Talent Variants – stronger variations of Particular Assaults which deal distinctive injury. It’s thus necessary to know when to unleash them and in opposition to which enemies.
Disk Drives
Disk Drives are your de facto gear, which impacts an Agent’s stats. You possibly can equip as much as six at a time on an Agent, and in the event that they’re a part of a set, then equipping a sure quantity from the identical will present set bonuses. These vary from elevated assault and vitality regen to growing important hit likelihood in opposition to a Burning enemy by 28 % or dealing 30 % extra injury to enemies when their HP is 50 % or greater.
W-Engines
Equally, you’ve got W-Engines, your weapons and the Gentle Cones of the sport offering distinctive, doubtlessly game-changing passives. Every is coded to a particular Combating Model, and just one will be outfitted by an Agent. Additionally, like Disk Drives, they add stats to your character and will be refined additional to extend the efficiency of their results.
Extra Actions
Outdoors of the story, a big portion of the end-game in Zenless Zone Zero will go in the direction of farming levels for XP, foreign money and supplies to improve expertise. There are some twists on the system – the Fight Simulation enables you to farm separate levels for particular supplies, or a Customized Stage, the place you possibly can specify completely different supplies and earn them suddenly. After all, you even have the gear farming levels, bosses that grant character ascension supplies, and the weekly boss challenges for foreign money to buy W-Engines, amongst different rewards.
Shiyu Protection
When you loved Honkai: Star Rail’s Reminiscence of Chaos, say hey to Shiyu Protection. Ten levels, every that have to be cleared inside a set time and that award 300 Polychromes every (in case you get three stars, that’s). Every stage has an attribute that gives an edge, like growing Stun injury multipliers or Agent Anomaly Buildup fee, and a Boosted Factor, with the corresponding component dealing extra injury (thus encouraging using sure Brokers). The upper you go, the tougher levels turn out to be, and also you’ll want two separate groups to clear the final ranges.
Hole Zero
Then there’s Hole Zero, Zenless Zone Zero’s tackle the Simulated Universe. Choose your crew and enterprise by way of completely different encounters, choosing up buffs en path to the ultimate boss. It’s rogue-like in construction, so dying outcomes in the long run of a run. One intriguing change of tempo is that you simply begin with just one character. The others are added to your occasion after clearing later encounters. You too can undergo Corruption upon progressing, not not like the Swarm Catastrophe’s Countdown Timer, although its debuff will be eliminated.
