Zenless Zone Zero boasts 17 characters for its version 1.0 launch period. Make no mistake: it will be extremely expensive to obtain all of them. That's why we believe the vast majority of players will only focus on a select few. As such, it's important to consider the ideal options for your squad. Here are the best characters in our Zenless Zone Zero tier list.

Zenless Zone Zero tier list - The best characters for version 1.0

Our Zenless Zone Zero tier list is divided into four ranks: S-tier, A-tier, B-tier, and C-tier. We also considered several factors, such as:

• Character availability - You can make the most out of characters that can be unlocked for free, instead of spending a lot of real-world money on gacha banners. That means gacha-only agents need to be highly impressive right out of the gate.
• Specializations and attack sequences - Characters have a particular specialization: Attack, Defense, Stun, Support, and Anomaly. Due to the core gameplay mechanic that involves building up an enemy's daze meter to trigger a chain attack, Stun-type characters might have better value in the long run. However, they can be outclassed by agents with faster animations and sequences, as successive hits also cause significant daze build-up.
• Team composition and additional passive perks - To determine the best characters in Zenless Zone Zero, it's important to take note of how your three-person team composition affects passive perks:
  • An agent's core passive is always functional in battle.
  • However, an agent's additional passive ability can only be activated if they're in a squad with (a) someone from the same faction, or (b) someone with the same elemental attribute.
  • While you can always try a team composition that you prefer, you might miss out on powerful perks. Alternatively, trying to build a team that can maximize the potential of a character might be harder than usual.

S-tier: Nicole

• Element/specialization: Ether - Support
• Faction: Cunning Hares
• Rarity: A-rank or 4-star; can be obtained for free

Nicole is one of the free characters you can get--call her default agent along with Anby and Billy. What makes her one of the best characters in Zenless Zone Zero is that she uses the Ether element, which inflicts corruption and deals extra ether damage. The only other Ether-based user is Zhu Yuan, and she's a 5-star with her own limited-time banner that's available during the second half of the version 1.0 phase.

Her kit is further bolstered by her Stuffed Sugarcoated Bullet EX special and Ether Grenade ultimate, both of which create gravitational fields that pull in enemies toward the center. If you've played Genshin Impact then think of Nicole's gravitational fields as akin to Venti's windy torrent pulls, albeit with smaller area-of-effect (AoE) coverage. In spite of this, she becomes invaluable since she can group enemies together, allowing teammates to bombard them with devastating abilities.

S-tier: Ellen

• Element/specialization: Ice - Attack
• Faction: Victoria Housekeeping Co.
• Rarity: S-rank or 5-star; limited-time banner

The limited-time banner for the first half of the version 1.0 phase has Ellen up for grabs. You might be enticed to pull for her, and with good reason as she's at the top of our Zenless Zone Zero tier list.

Ellen combines fast and fluid movement, allowing her to avoid blows from hostiles with ease, as well as rapid attack sequences that hit multiple times. This shark-tailed lady even uses the Ice element, which can cause freeze, shatter, and frostbite. Let's just say that freezing your opponents in place is like triggering an extra stun effect.

S-tier: Nekomiya

• Element/specialization: Physical - Attack
• Faction: Cunning Hares
• Rarity: S-rank or 5-star; default banner

We all know cats are awesome, and cat person Nekomiya certainly proves this fact. Her attack animations are so fast that you'd think everyone else is as slow as turtles. Her combo sequences are a sight to behold, allowing her to zip across the screen to rip apart targets and avoid nasty hits. Likewise, the fact that Physical damage also causes opponents to flinch (i.e. increased daze build-up) turns her into a Stun-type agent in her own right. While she can be hard to control at first (the only downside we've seen), almost all other characters pale in comparison to her overall output.

S-tier: Ben

• Element/specialization: Fire - Defense
• Faction: Belobog Heavy Industries
• Rarity: A-rank or 4-star; can be obtained for free

As of the time of this writing, Ben Bigger is the only Defense-type agent in the game. This makes him unique in his own way, though it can also cause hassles when trying to gear him up. There are items only meant for him, but they're unlikely to be equipped by other party members.

In spite of this, the burly bear is an invaluable part of any squad that he's part of. His Guardian core passive grants 40% of his DEF as bonus ATK, and it allows for his EX special to grant shielding to his allies. Speaking of Ben's Cashflow Counter EX special, activating it blocks a ton of damage and unleashes a brutal counter, making him an obvious pick when dealing with late-game encounters. Oh, and you can get him for free, too.

A-tier: Billy

• Element/specialization: Physical - Attack
• Faction: Cunning Hares
• Rarity: A-rank or 4-star; can be obtained for free

Billy joins you alongside Nicole and Anby very early in the campaign. Similar to Nekomiya, he deals Physical damage as an Attack-type character. The key difference is that he's ranged DPS with a playstyle that's hilariously easy to get used to.

Spamming the attack button causes Billy to happily fire his dual pistols, hitting foes around him. Yes, this means room-wide coverage and mob-clearing with barely any effort. This is further boosted by his Steady Shot core passive, where he gains +25% damage while in his Crouching Shot stance (i.e. just repeatedly press the attack button), though you need to avoid moving or getting knocked back.

A-tier: Rina

• Element/specialization: Electric - Support
• Faction: Victoria Housekeeping Co.
• Rarity: S-rank or 5-star; default banner

Both Billy and Rina are exceptional ranged DPS agents. While Billy can shoot everyone around him, Rina focuses on smaller groups of targets, and she's got ridiculous range to boot.

The Electric element inflicts shock, which can cause further damage or interruption if you attack a debilitated foe. Both her Quadruple Meter Gavotte EX special and Code of Conduct chain attack see her Bangboo dolls creating electrical fields with a decent AoE radius, enough to whittle down packs of enemies as she floats around. Meanwhile, her Mini Destruction Partner core passive ensures that penetration (and thus damage dealt) is increased for your squad.

A-tier: Grace

• Element/specialization: Electric - Anomaly
• Faction: Belobog Heavy Industries
• Rarity: S-rank or 5-star; default banner

Although Rina and Grace are from different factions, you can ensure that their respective additional perks are activated since they're both Electric-based agents. In Grace's case, her Pre-Driven Needle core passive provides a buff that causes high Electric anomaly build-up, while her Tech Support perk boosts shock damage taken by a target. She's also got grenades that deal further Electric damage. Make no mistake: a Rina and Grace duo is ideal for those who want an Electric-focused team.

A-tier: Lycaon

• Element/specialization: Ice - Stun
• Faction: Victoria Housekeeping Co.
• Rarity: S-rank or 5-star; default banner

Lycaon the wolf man has quick attack combos that deal Physical and Ice damage. His other abilities primarily make use of the Ice element, too, which can inflict the freeze, shatter, and frostbite status. Given that he's a Stun specialist, the multiple hits from his punches and kicks can incapacitate his targets.

The downside is that he's not that viable in non-Ice comps. He does, however, excel when in a team with Ellen and Soukaku, a pure-Ice comp that reliably freezes hostiles.

A-tier: Zhu Yuan

• Element/specialization: Ether - Attack
• Faction: New Eridu Public Security
• Rarity: S-rank or 5-star; limited-time banner

Zhu Yuan is one of the best characters in Zenless Zone Zero, and she becomes available in her own limited-time banner during the second half of version 1.0. Her combo sequence, a flurry of martial arts combined with pistol shots, deals both Physical and Ether damage. Her amazing attack speed is further complemented by the Special Ops Ammunition core passive, which grants bonus damage especially against stunned targets. Likewise, there's the Tactical Coordination additional perk, which provides a massive +30% crit rate after you use her EX special, chain attack, or ultimate.

The only reason why we couldn't place her in the S-tier category is because there's currently no other character from the New Eridu Public Security faction. As such, maximizing her potential means that you should always have Nicole in your squad. Well, that, and we recommend Ellen as the 1.0 gacha pull (for those who prefer only one agent from a limited-time banner).

B-tier: Soukaku

• Element/specialization: Ice - Support
• Faction: Hollow Special Operations Section 6
• Rarity: A-rank or 4-star; can be obtained for free

Soukaku holds the unfortunate distinction of being the worst Ice-based character right now, though this is mostly because Ellen and Lycaon are quite impressive already. The main drawback, outside of being the only HSOS6 member right now, is that her attack animations are significantly slower compared the two aforementioned Ice characters.

Nevertheless, her Rally/Fly the Flag special provides a massive ATK boost, which can be passed to her allies by way of quick assists or chain attacks. Her Group Set Meal additional perk is useful for Ice-focused squads, though Rally the Flag is great for any team comp.

B-tier: Koleda

• Element/specialization: Fire - Stun
• Faction: Belobog Heavy Industries
• Rarity: S-rank or 5-star; default banner

There's something strange about Koleda's playstyle: she's a Stun specialist and her blows deal extra daze build-up, but her animations are slower compared to her counterparts. Thankfully, both her Boiling Furnace EX special and Hammerquake ultimate deal tons of Fire damage.

On her own, she might disappoint you at first. However, once Ben Bigger is part of your roster, you can make use of their unique combined assists and ultimates. The reason we've dropped her down a couple of notches is that Ben is viable regardless of the team comp, whereas Koleda needs Ben to improve her viability.

B-tier: Soldier 11

• Element/specialization: Fire - Attack
• Faction: Obol Squad
• Rarity: S-rank or 5-star; default banner

At this point in our Zenless Zone Zero tier list, you might be wondering if the characters here are terrible. Well, no, they're not. In fact, Soldier 11 is quite decent: easy Fire application via her attacks and specials, a powerful ultimate ability, and increased Fire damage through her additional perk.

The problem is that she's currently the only agent from Obol Squad, so you'll miss out on her extra perk unless you bring another Fire-based character with you. That means getting Ben (great), Koleda (great if she's with Ben), or Lucy (so-so). The Ben and Koleda duo primarily focuses on the unique combos of those two, which leaves Soldier 11 at an odd spot.

C-tier: Anby

• Element/specialization: Electric - Stun
• Faction: Cunning Hares
• Rarity: A-rank or 4-star; can be obtained for free

If our Zenless Zone Zero best characters guide was solely for the free-to-play agents, then you can be sure that we'd rank Anby highly. But we have to consider all characters in the version 1.0 phase, causing Anby to drop several spots.

The extra daze application from her Fluctuating Voltage core passive requires you to do a Basic Attack: Thunderbolt, special attack, or EX special after the third hit of her regular attack sequence. The special attack and EX special are self-explanatory, but her Thunderbolt is triggered after a delayed button press or by holding down the attack button after you hear a ping sound effect. With combat being a bit too spammy and frenetic, you can end up missing your queue completely.

With no shortage of agents that have rapid animations and multiple hits, the very average Anby gets outclassed by other members of your roster.

C-tier: Corin

• Element/specialization: Physical - Attack
• Faction: Victoria Housekeeping Co.
• Rarity: A-rank or 4-star; can be obtained for free

To be clear, Corin has the potential to be one of the best characters in Zenless Zone Zero. This is primarily due to dozens of hits from her chainsaw weapon and her ability to lower a target's Physical resistance. The problem is that this is only activated upon reaching Agent Focus/Cinema rank 2--i.e. Constellation 2, C2, or getting two more duplicates of her.

By default, you have to contend with slower sequences, and the fact that she has to remain on the field for prolonged periods to rev up her chainsaw. Worse, other Physical-type agents (i.e. Nekomiya and Billy) are significantly better in comparison right from the get-go.

C-tier: Anton

• Element/specialization: Electric - Attack
• Faction: Belobog Heavy Industries
• Rarity: A-rank or 4-star; default banner

We tried hard to make Anton work during our playthrough, but he just wasn't cutting it. An Electric-type Attack-focused character requires him to stay on the field longer to deal damage while in Burst Mode. The issue is that the Grace-plus-Rina setup has you just alternating between the two (and it's pretty effective already), with barely any time for Anton to showcase his skills. It's certainly disappointing to see the main DPS get outshined by the Support and Anomaly classes.

C-tier: Lucy

• Element/specialization: Fire - Support
• Faction: Sons of Calydon
• Rarity: A-rank or 4-star; default banner

Lucy has a minion-based playstyle with abilities spawn Guard Boars. These inherit her ATK and impact stats, as well as crit rate and crit damage if her additional perk is active. These critters independently attack your foes. Sadly, AI pathing is a bit wonky, and the quick movement of your characters leads to situations where the Guard Boars themselves don't even reach opposing mobs.

Similarly, while her Cheer On! buff affects the ATK of Lucy's allies and Bangboo (the increase is dependent on a percentage of her own ATK), the boosted effect is lower and the duration is shorter compared to Soukaku's Fly the Flag.

C-tier: Piper

• Element/specialization: Physical - Anomaly
• Faction: Sons of Calydon
• Rarity: A-rank or 4-star; default banner

Rounding out the pack is Piper who, just like Lucy, is also a member of the Sons of Calydon faction. We did test her capabilities in battle, but we found her sorely lacking in several departments. Firstly, her DPS throughput isn't as reliable compared to Nekomiya's or Billy's--you'd have to use her EX special or ultimate to regain a stacking buff. In the same vein, her attack animations are relatively slow, made worse by the notion that she has to stay on the field for longer than necessary. Even Corin at C2 or C4 is a more viable option for a Physical-focused team.

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That does it for our Zenless Zone Zero tier list and best characters guide. We hope that our extensive testing gives you an idea as to which agents are worth it in the long run. While these are our findings, it's still a given that you should try out different team comps that might work well for you. For those who are just starting the campaign in New Eridu, we recommend checking out our beginner's guide and free-to-play agents guide.