Zenless Zone Zero Version 2.5 launches December 30, 2026, introducing S-Rank Physical attacker Ye Shunguang and free Ice defender Zhao. This guide analyzes banner priorities, new Drive Disc sets (White Water Ballad and Shining Aria), and resource optimization. F2P players get ~110 pulls through events and dailies, while Phase 2 Exclusive Rescreening guarantees Alice, Soldier 0 Anby, or Astra Yao.
Pre-Download: Complete Setup Guide
Version 2.5 releases December 30, 2026, 11:00 AM UTC+8, after five-hour maintenance starting 06:00 AM. Pre-load opens December 28, 2026, 12:00 PM until December 30, 05:50 AM UTC+8—42-hour window for immediate post-maintenance access.
Storage requirements:
PC: 17.03 GB (16 GB download)
iOS: 5 GB
Android: 4861 MB
PS5: 21 GB
Xbox Series X/S: 26 GB
PC users click Pre-Install next to Start Game. Mobile users tap Pre-Download Resources in bottom-right corner. Download during off-peak hours for faster speeds. Clear cache and temporary files beforehand to prevent installation failures.
For maximum pulling potential, Zenless Zone Zero Monochrome top up through BitTopup offers competitive rates with instant delivery.
Common errors and fixes:
Insufficient storage: Ensure 2-3 GB buffer beyond minimum
Corrupted downloads: Use wired connection instead of Wi-Fi
Permission errors (PC): Temporarily disable antivirus during pre-download
Download failed (mobile): Clear game cache, restart app, retry
Console errors: Update system software first
Banner Schedule: Complete Timeline
Phase 1: December 30, 2025 – January 21, 2026
Ye Shunguang (S-Rank Physical Attack, Honed/Yunkui Summit)
Signature W-Engine: Lone Light in the Clouds
Phase 2: January 21 – February 17, 2026
Exclusive Rescreening: Alice, Soldier 0 Anby, or Astra Yao
Free S-Rank: Zhao (Ice Defense via login rewards)
Total: 49-day update cycle
Phase 1 Banner Details
Ye Shunguang synergizes with White Water Ballad Drive Disc set: 10% Physical DMG (2-piece), 12% CRIT Rate + 12% Attack for 30s when Ether Veil activates (4-piece).
Pull costs:
0.6% S-Rank rate
Soft pity: pull 75
Hard pity: 90 pulls (14,400 Polychrome)
First-time 10-pull discount: 1,280 Polychrome (20% off)
Lone Light in the Clouds stats: 743 base ATK, 48% CRIT DMG, 20-28% Physical RES ignore (refinement 1-5). When Ether Veil activates: DMG +25-40%, CRIT DMG +25-40% for 40s.
Phase 2 Exclusive Rescreening
Select one agent from three options—your choice becomes guaranteed first S-Rank pull. Hard pity at 90 pulls, pity carries over between sessions. Selection locks permanently.
Choose based on roster gaps:
Astra Yao: Premium support, healing, damage amplification
Alice: Versatile DPS, strong Anomaly application
Soldier 0 Anby: Stun-focused, enables burst damage windows
Zhao (free Ice Defense) distributed through Version 2.5 login rewards. Build with Yunkui Tales 2-piece (HP +10%), HP% main stats on Slots 4/6, HP% or Ice DMG on Slot 5.
W-Engine Banners
Hard pity: 80 pulls (12,800 Polychrome), soft pity: pull 65. Separate pity system from character banners.
Half-Sugar Bunny (Zhao's signature): 713 base ATK, 30% HP, 0.46 Energy Regen/s. Squad buffs: 10% ATK, 10% Max HP. When Ether Veil triggers: entire squad gains 30-40% CRIT DMG for 60s.
Must-Pull Characters: S-Tier Priority
Ye Shunguang dominates Physical damage with sustained DPS output.
Mindscape Cinema bonuses:
C1: 6 Qingming Sword Force every 180s, DMG +10%, DEF ignore +20%
C6: Gain 2 Lantern Wish stacks, replace EX Special with Ultimate Cleaving Heavens at 3 stacks (1,500% additional Physical DMG final hit)
Optimal teams:
Ye Shunguang + Zhao + Dialyn (balanced offense-defense)
Ye Shunguang + Zhao + Astra Yao (max survivability)
Ye Shunguang + Nicole + Astra Yao (amplified damage via debuffs)
Zhao Value Assessment
Free S-Rank Ice Defense with squad-wide buffing potential via Half-Sugar Bunny. Ice teams lacking dedicated defenders benefit most. Note: New Version 2.5 bosses are unfreezable with +40% Ether/Ice RES, reducing Ice team effectiveness in certain content.
Exclusive Rescreening Priority
Review upcoming banner leaks and long-term goals before committing. Select the agent least likely to receive reruns soon, maximizing the unique guarantee value.
Skip List: Characters to Avoid
Skip Ye Shunguang if you have established Physical DPS (Soldier 11, Ellen) with optimized builds. 14,400 Polychrome represents ~90 pulls—better invested in future Ether/Electric specialists.
Power-crept units: Early-release agents with superior standard pool alternatives. Diversifying elemental coverage yields better Shiyu Defense performance than marginal same-type upgrades.
Standard banner sufficiency: Koleda and Rina provide adequate support. Pull limited supports only for specific synergies or min-maxing endgame.
Replacement Strategies
Skipping Ye Shunguang? Invest saved Polychrome into perfecting existing Physical agents:
Farm White Water Ballad sets
Upgrade W-Engines to max refinement via standard pulls
Optimize A-Rank teammate Mindscape Cinemas
Fully-invested A-Rank with perfect substats often outperforms under-invested S-Rank.
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Zhao's free distribution eliminates need for limited Ice defenders. Save 14,400 Polychrome for future banners while maintaining competitive roster strength.
New Drive Disc Sets: Complete Stats
White Water Ballad:
2-piece: 10% Physical DMG
4-piece: 12% CRIT Rate + 12% Attack for 30s when Ether Veil activates
Shining Aria:
2-piece: 10% Ether DMG
4-piece: Basic Attacks grant 36 Anomaly Proficiency for 8s; stunning enemies increases DMG by 25% for 18s
White Water Ballad: Optimal Users
Physical Attack agents with high Ether Veil uptime. 12% CRIT Rate bonus reduces reliance on CRIT Rate substats—prioritize CRIT DMG and ATK% on Discs 4/5/6.
Damage comparison: 10% Physical DMG 2-piece alone justifies farming. 4-piece CRIT Rate bonus grants ~12% more damage (assuming 200% CRIT DMG baseline) + 12% Attack multiplier = 24%+ total increase under optimal conditions.
Shining Aria: Anomaly Mechanics
36 Anomaly Proficiency per Basic Attack enables Anomaly triggers 30-40% faster than baseline. 25% DMG increase during Stun synergizes with Stun-focused teams.
Best users: Grace, Piper (Ether Anomaly agents). Dual scaling eliminates traditional Anomaly vs. DPS build trade-off.
Farming Priority
Farm White Water Ballad first for Physical DPS; Shining Aria for Ether Anomaly. Domains unlock at Inter-Knot Level 4 (requires Version 2.5 story progression). Dedicate 240 stamina daily (~6 runs) until securing 4-piece sets.
Substat priorities:
DPS: CRIT Rate, CRIT DMG
Supports: HP%, DEF%
Anomaly: Anomaly Proficiency
Good enough thresholds:
DPS: 50% CRIT Rate, 150% CRIT DMG
Tanks: 30,000+ HP
Anomaly: 300+ Anomaly Proficiency
Perfect substats yield 10-15% gains—significant for endgame but not mandatory for clearing content.
W-Engine Banner Analysis
W-Engine banners cost 12,800 Polychrome for 80-pull hard pity (88.9% of character banner cost). Only pull when featured W-Engine provides 20%+ performance gains over standard alternatives.
Signature vs Standard Comparisons
Lone Light in the Clouds (refinement 1) outperforms standard S-Rank Attack W-Engines by ~25% in optimal rotations. Gap narrows to 15-18% comparing refinement 5 standard vs. refinement 1 signature.
Pull justification:
Dolphins/whales targeting top 1% Shiyu Defense: Yes
F2P/low-spenders: Better value investing 12,800 Polychrome into character pulls
Half-Sugar Bunny's squad-wide buffs (10% ATK, 10% Max HP, 30-40% CRIT DMG for 60s) provide universal value. Support W-Engines maintain relevance even when benching associated agent.
F2P Cost-Benefit
F2P accounts get ~110 pulls per version. Allocating 80 pulls to W-Engine banners leaves only 30 for character banners—insufficient for guaranteed limited characters.
Optimal F2P strategy: Prioritize character roster diversity over weapon optimization. Use standard pool W-Engines until character needs satisfied.
Exception: If securing target character early (30-40 pulls) with surplus Polychrome, invest in signature W-Engine. Rare for strict F2P but viable for monthly pass holders.
Polychrome Budget Planning
Version 2.5 provides F2P: 14,250 Polychrome + 21 Encrypted Master Tapes = ~110 pulls.
Phase 2 sources (5,000-8,000 Polychrome):
Daily commissions: 1,680 (60/day × 28 days)
Story progression: 1,000-2,000
Limited events: 1,500-3,600
PlayStation Partner Award: 1,000 (PS users only)
Pity System Explained
Character banners:
Hard pity: 90 pulls (14,400 Polychrome)
Soft pity: pull 75
75% of S-Rank pulls occur between pulls 75-85
W-Engine banners:
Hard pity: 80 pulls (12,800 Polychrome)
Soft pity: pull 65
Pity carries over between same-type banners. Does NOT transfer between character and W-Engine banners—separate counters.
Monthly F2P Income
Daily commissions: 1,680 (60/day)
Shiyu Defense: 6,120 (3,060 biweekly for S+ ratings across five stages)
Events: 1,500-3,600
Story updates: 1,000-2,000
Total: 10,300-12,800 Polychrome monthly = one guaranteed limited character every 70-90 days (excluding version bonuses/compensation).
Shiyu Defense details: Each stage caps at 60,000 points. Stage 5 has three rooms, 90,000-point S+ threshold. Consistent clearing = 78% of monthly F2P income.
Optimal Spending Paths
F2P: One limited character per version, skip W-Engine banners, accumulate pity for meta-defining releases. Target roster gaps over marginal upgrades.
Low-spender (monthly pass): One limited character + signature W-Engine every 1.5 versions, OR two limited characters per version with standard W-Engines.
Dolphin (monthly pass + occasional top-ups): All limited characters C0, selective signature W-Engines for main DPS, consider C1 for transformative constellations.
Whale: Max limited characters to C6, refine signatures to level 5, complete roster with optimal builds. BitTopup's bulk discounts and instant delivery maximize value.
Team Building for 2.5 Content
Ye Shunguang + Zhao + Dialyn: Balanced Physical core, defensive stability, healing/energy regen. Excels in sustained encounters.
Ye Shunguang + Zhao + Astra Yao: Max survivability via layered defensive buffs and healing. Risk-averse composition for learning new bosses.
Ye Shunguang + Nicole + Astra Yao: Damage amplification through Nicole's DEF reduction (15-25% effective damage increase). Astra Yao ensures sustainability.
Zhao Ice teams: Zhao + Ellen/Lycaon + Ice support. Half-Sugar Bunny transforms Zhao into squad buffer (30-40% CRIT DMG to entire team).
Shiyu Defense Optimization
New Version 2.5 boss stats:
30 base DEF
200% Stun DMG multiplier
12s stun duration
-20% Physical RES
+40% Ether/Ice RES
37.5% buildup resistance
Unfreezable
Mechanics favor Physical teams (Ye Shunguang deals 25% more damage vs. neutral matchups). Stun strategies remain viable (200% multiplier, 12s windows). 37.5% buildup resistance requires higher Anomaly Proficiency—Shining Aria's 36 per Basic Attack addresses this.
F2P Team Alternatives
Anton (Physical) + Anby (Electric Stun) + Nicole (Ether Support): Competent Physical-Electric hybrid. Farm White Water Ballad for Anton, prioritize Stun Multiplier substats for Anby, build Nicole with Energy Regen.
Zhao + Soukaku + Anton: Functional Ice-Physical hybrid. Clears mid-tier Shiyu Defense (Stages 1-3) with proper Drive Disc investment. Upgrade to limited Ice DPS when Polychrome allows.
Common Pulling Mistakes
Chasing constellations before diverse roster: Ye Shunguang C1 costs additional 14,400 Polychrome—enough for entirely different limited character. Roster diversity enables flexible team building; constellations offer incremental single-agent improvements.
Myth: Always Pull New Characters
Evaluate against current roster: Does Ye Shunguang fill a gap or overlap with existing Physical DPS? If you have fully-built Soldier 11 with signature W-Engine and optimized Discs, Ye provides marginal value unless targeting dual Physical teams.
Meta fluctuates with content updates. Pull for long-term progression—filling elemental/role gaps—not temporary meta trends.
Trap: Ignoring W-Engine Compatibility
Signature W-Engines optimize specific characters but underperform on alternatives. Lone Light in the Clouds' Physical RES ignore and Ether Veil buffs specifically benefit Ye Shunguang. Using on other Physical agents wastes unique passive—reducing 12,800 Polychrome investment to standard W-Engine value.
Before pulling, verify weapon versatility. Support W-Engines (Half-Sugar Bunny) maintain value across multiple agents. DPS-specific signatures only justify investment when committing long-term.
Error: Not Accounting for Future Banners
Version 2.5.1 leaks suggest upcoming Ether/Electric specialists (early 2026). Players lacking strong Ether/Electric agents should reserve Polychrome for these releases.
Track pity counters and Polychrome reserves against upcoming schedules. If at 70 pity with 5,000 Polychrome and planning Version 2.5.1 pulls, avoid Version 2.5 spending. 20 pulls won't guarantee Ye but will reset pity, forcing rebuild for future targets.
FAQ
When does ZZZ 2.5 pre-download start? December 28, 2025, 12:00 PM UTC+8 until December 30, 05:50 AM UTC+8. PC: 17.03 GB, iOS: 5 GB, Android: 4861 MB, PS5: 21 GB, Xbox: 26 GB.
Should I pull Ye Shunguang? Pull if lacking strong Physical DPS or need second Physical attacker for dual-team Shiyu Defense. Skip if you have fully-invested Soldier 11 or saving for Version 2.5.1 Ether/Electric characters.
Best Drive Disc sets in 2.5? White Water Ballad (Physical): 10% Physical DMG 2-piece, 12% CRIT Rate + 12% Attack 4-piece. Shining Aria (Ether Anomaly): 10% Ether DMG 2-piece, 36 Anomaly Proficiency + 25% DMG during Stun 4-piece.
How much Polychrome for guaranteed pull? Character banners: 14,400 (90 pulls). W-Engine banners: 12,800 (80 pulls). First-time 10-pulls: 1,280 (20% discount).
Is Exclusive Rescreening worth it? Yes—guarantees selected agent (Alice, Soldier 0 Anby, or Astra Yao) as first S-Rank, eliminating 50/50 loss. Choose based on roster needs. Selection locks permanently.
How to optimize F2P Polychrome spending? One limited character per version, skip W-Engine banners, use standard weapons. Fill elemental/role gaps over constellations. Complete dailies (60/day) and Shiyu Defense (3,060 biweekly) for 10,300-12,800 monthly income.
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