Don’t know who to play? Check out the complete tier list below!
HoYoverse is at it again with their latest gacha-centric game full of unique characters. As of the launch version 1.0, we've meticulously tested and evaluated each character's unique abilities, attributes, and combat specialties to bring you a reliable ranking system. Whether you're tackling story missions, casual combat commissions, or the more challenging Shiyu Defense, Hollow Zero, and Notorious Hunt modes, this tier list will help with choosing the best team composition and resource investment. From top-tier Attack, Support, Stun, Anomaly, and Defense characters to more niche options, we've got you covered!
ZZZero Tier List
| Tier | Character |
|---|---|
| S | Ellen, Rina, Lycaon, Soukako, Soldier 11, Grace, Koleda |
| A | Lucy, Piper, Nicole, Anton, Nekomata |
| B | Ben, Billy, Corin, Anby |
ZZZero Tier List Explanation
S Tier
Ellen
TIER: S
SPECIALTY: Attack
ATTRIBUTE: Ice
FACTION: Victoria Housekeeping Co.
Ellen secures her place as an S-tier character in Zenless Zone Zero with her exceptional damage output and mobility. Her Ultimate and Dash Attack deliver devastating damage, making her a formidable force on the battlefield. Ellen's unique dodging mechanic, allowing her to move swiftly by holding down the Dodge Button, grants her unparalleled evasion capabilities and positioning control. This makes her incredibly hard to pin down while maintaining consistent damage output. In Ice teams, Ellen truly shines, as she can significantly boost her own damage when paired with another Ice unit, creating powerful elemental synergies.
Rina
TIER: S
SPECIALTY: Support
ATTRIBUTE: Electric
FACTION: Victoria Housekeeping Co.
Rina’s ability to provide PEN Ratio buffs to herself and the entire team significantly boosts overall damage output, making her a valuable asset in any composition. Rina's long-distance dodge grants her superior survivability, allowing her to easily evade enemy attacks while maintaining her support role. Her versatile buffs make her an adaptable support that fits seamlessly into any team strategy. Rina particularly shines in Electric teams, where she can increase Shock uptime and enhance Electric DMG, solidifying her position as a top-tier support character that can elevate any team's performance.
Lycaon
TIER: S
SPECIALTY: Stun
ATTRIBUTE: Ice
FACTION: Victoria Housekeeping Co.
Lycaon is superior primarily due to his exceptional control and damage amplification abilities. His standout feature is the capacity to deal massive amounts of Daze DMG, which can quickly incapacitate enemies. Lycaon's unique ability to increase the Stun Multiplier is a game-changer, significantly boosting damage dealt to stunned opponents and creating devastating combo opportunities for the entire team. Furthermore, his skill to decrease enemy Ice RES makes him an invaluable asset in Ice-centric teams, effectively amplifying the entire squad's damage output.
Soukako
TIER: S
SPECIALTY: Support
ATTRIBUTE: Ice
FACTION: Hollow Special Operations Section 6
Her universal ATK buff is a game-changer, significantly boosting the next party member's damage output with impressive uptime, making her an asset to any team composition. Soukaku's ability to easily Freeze enemies provides invaluable crowd control, creating openings for her team to exploit. Her Ice DMG buff makes her particularly potent when paired with Ice Attack units, amplifying their damage and creating powerful elemental synergies. This combination of team-wide damage enhancement, crowd control, and elemental specialization makes Soukaku a versatile and highly sought-after support character!
Soldier 11
TIER: S
SPECIALTY: Attack
ATTRIBUTE: Fire
FACTION: Obol Squad
As a beginner-friendly DPS character, Soldier 11 offers an excellent entry point for new players while maintaining high effectiveness at all skill levels. Soldier 11's ability to deal significant damage against stunned enemies makes him particularly lethal when paired with crowd control allies, creating devastating combo opportunities. Holding a unique position as the current sole Fire Attack unit in the game elevates her value dramatically, making her an irreplaceable asset for teams seeking elemental diversity and Fire-based team comps!
Grace
TIER: S
SPECIALTY: Anomaly
ATTRIBUTE: Electric
FACTION: Belobog Heavy Industries
Grace’s standout feature is the ability to deal significant damage even when not actively on the field, making her an exceptional sub-DPS character. Grace's EX Special Attack is highly efficient, requiring minimal energy, which allows for frequent and impactful use during combat. Grace truly shines in Shock-centered teams, where she becomes an indispensable asset, amplifying the team's overall electric damage output and synergies.
Koleda
TIER: S
SPECIALTY: Stun
ATTRIBUTE: Fire
FACTION: Belobog Heavy Industries
Koleda's Core Skill further amplifies this strength by increasing the entire party's Chain Attack DMG against stunned enemies, creating potent damage windows. However, she's not ideal as a main damage dealer, with Attack specialty characters outperforming her in raw DPS. Koleda's effectiveness is also closely tied to Ben's presence in the team, which limits her flexibility in team compositions.
A Tier
Lucy
TIER: A
SPECIALTY: Support
ATTRIBUTE: Fire
FACTION: Sons of Calydon
Her primary strength lies in her ability to provide off-field damage through her summoned boar, allowing her to contribute to team DPS while not actively on the field. Lucy's Ex Special Attack is particularly valuable, granting a team-wide ATK buff that can significantly boost overall damage output. She shines in Fire or Physical teams, where her supportive abilities and elemental synergies are most effective. However, Lucy's effectiveness can be somewhat hampered against highly mobile enemies, as her summoned boars may struggle to keep pace and maintain consistent damage.
Piper
TIER: A
SPECIALTY: Anomaly
ATTRIBUTE: Physical
FACTION: Sons of Calydon
Piper’s strengths lie in her self-Anomaly Buildup through EX Special Attack and Ultimate, party-wide damage boost after accumulating Power stacks, and self-damage reduction for improved survivability. However, Piper's effectiveness is tempered by her need for extended on-field time to build Power stacks through combos, which can disrupt team rotations. Despite this limitation, her combination of self-buffing, team damage amplification, and durability makes her a valuable asset in teams that can accommodate her playstyle, rewarding patient players with significant combat potential in prolonged engagements.
Nicole
TIER: A
SPECIALTY: Support
ATTRIBUTE: Ether
FACTION: Cunning Hares AKA Gentle House
Nicole’s EX Special Attack's ability to gather enemies is a powerful tool for setting up area-of-effect attacks and controlling the battlefield. Nicole's enhanced Basic and Dash Attacks provide consistent DEF reduction on enemies, amplifying team damage output. As a free character available early in the game, she offers new players a strong and accessible option for team building. However, Nicole's effectiveness is somewhat limited against larger, heavier enemies, where her crowd control abilities may be less impactful.
Anton
TIER: A
SPECIALTY: Attack
ATTRIBUTE: Electric
FACTION: Belobog Heavy Industries
Anton's Core Skill further enhances his damage potential by increasing his Skill's DMG based on the attack type, adding versatility to his kit. However, his effectiveness is largely tied to his Burst Mode and Shock-triggering ability, limiting his value in non-Shock teams. Anton requires careful energy management to maintain his Burst Mode, and his reliance on critical hits during this mode necessitates a high CRIT Rate build.
Nekomata
TIER: A
SPECIALTY: Attack
ATTRIBUTE: Physical
FACTION: Cunning Hares AKA Gentle House
Nekomata's high mobility through her Dodge Skills allows for excellent positioning and evasion. Her damage output significantly increases when utilizing Quick Assist and Dodge Counters, rewarding skilled play. However, she faces several challenges: maintaining her Core Ability requires constant use of Dodge Counters or Quick Assists, demanding more active management than other Agents. Her fast-paced playstyle has a learning curve that may not suit all players. Additionally, Nekomata's effectiveness is somewhat limited by the current lack of dedicated Physical supports among 1.0 characters, potentially restricting her team synergies.
B Tier
Ben
TIER: B
SPECIALTY: Fire
ATTRIBUTE: Defense
FACTION: Belobog Heavy Industries
Ben’s strengths lie in providing shields through his EX Special Attack, increasing CRIT Rate for allied characters, and synergizing exceptionally well with Koleda. As a free, early-game unlock, Ben is accessible to new players. However, his effectiveness is significantly limited by slow attack and movement speeds, and his viability in mid to late game heavily depends on pairing with Koleda. While useful in early-game team compositions, Ben's reliance on specific synergies and his defensive focus in a largely offense-oriented meta place him firmly in the B-tier, making him a situational but potentially valuable pick.
Billy
TIER: B
SPECIALTY: Attack
ATTRIBUTE: Physical
FACTION: Cunning Hares AKA Gentle House
Billy’s ability to deal damage from a safe distance makes him valuable in certain combat scenarios. Billy's damage output increases significantly when holding his Basic Attack, and he can unleash extra burst damage by using his Ultimate after a Chain Attack, providing potent damage windows. However, his effectiveness is hampered by the need to remain stationary while charging his Basic Attack, making him vulnerable to mobile enemies and area attacks. Additionally, Billy's performance is constrained by the current lack of dedicated Physical supports among 1.0 characters, limiting his team synergy options.
Corin
TIER: B
SPECIALTY: Attack
ATTRIBUTE: Physical
FACTION: Victoria Housekeeping Co.
Corins primary advantage lies in her ability to deal significant damage to stunned enemies, making her particularly effective in teams that can reliably apply crowd control. As a free character obtained through pre-registration, Corin provides an accessible option for many players to add to their roster. However, her effectiveness is notably constrained by her lack of area-of-effect (AoE) abilities, making her a purely single-target unit. This limitation can be a significant drawback in scenarios involving multiple enemies or when area damage is crucial.
Anby
TIER: B
SPECIALTY: Electric
ATTRIBUTE: Stun
FACTION: Cunning Hares AKA Gentle House
Anby’s ability to deal substantial Daze damage with her Special Attack, making her effective at controlling enemies. Anby's energy restoration through successful Dodge Counters adds to her combat sustainability, while her high-scaling Ultimate and potent Basic Attacks allow her to function as a capable sub-DPS. However, her effectiveness is somewhat hampered by the need to time her Special Attack precisely after the third hit of her Basic Attack to maximize Daze output, requiring careful execution. Additionally, beyond her Daze capabilities, Anby's kit lacks utility for the wider team, limiting her overall impact in varied combat scenarios.