Zenless Zone Zero 2.5 Ultimate Character Guide: Best Agents for Endgame Content

Version 2.5 of Zenless Zone Zero dropped on December 30, 2025, bringing sweeping changes to the meta alongside new agents, a revolutionary co-op mode, and significant quality-of-life improvements. Whether you're pushing Shiyu Defense's new five-stage format or tackling Deadly Assault bosses, knowing which agents to invest in can make or break your progression.

This guide breaks down the current endgame meta, covering the strongest DPS units, essential supports, and clutch stunners that'll carry you through New Eridu's most dangerous content. We've researched data from over 24,000 player clears on Prydwen Institute and cross-referenced with Japanese and Korean tier lists to bring you the most accurate assessment of the current meta.

Understanding the Version 2.5 Meta

The current meta revolves around three key elements: Rupture damage dealing Sheer Force that bypasses enemy defenses, powerful universal supports that buff entire teams, and the new Honed Edge attribute introduced with Ye Shunguang. The Potential Vision system has also breathed new life into older agents like Burnice, Ellen, Soldier 0 Anby, Soldier 11, and Grace through multiplier increases and kit adjustments.

Shiyu Defense now features five stages instead of seven, with the final stage requiring three separate teams to claim all rewards. This change emphasizes roster depth over single-team optimization. Deadly Assault continues to test players against three consecutive boss encounters where character selection locks between stages, demanding strategic resource allocation across your entire agent pool.

The introduction of the Potential Vision system marks a significant shift in how players approach team building. Specific agents can now level up their Potential Vision to unlock new combat mechanics and increase their overall strength. The first batch includes Burnice, Ellen, Soldier 0 Anby, Soldier 11, and Grace, with each receiving not just multiplier increases but fundamental kit improvements that address their previous weaknesses.

Tier 0 DPS Agents: The Damage Dealers You Need

Ye Shunguang: The New Damage Ceiling

Ye Shunguang represents a paradigm shift for Physical damage dealers. As the first dual-form agent with the unique Honed Edge attribute, she can enter her Enlightened Mind state to activate Ether Veil: Verdict, inflicting Veil Vulnerability on enemies while unleashing devastating attacks. Her CRIT Rate scaling makes her damage output remarkably consistent, and she's quickly established herself as the strongest DPS agent in the game.

Her Honed Edge attribute functions as a superior version of Physical damage, dealing massive burst during stun windows while maintaining strong sustained output. Players who invest in Ye Shunguang will find Deadly Assault bosses melting significantly faster than with previous meta options.

For builds, prioritize CRIT Rate and CRIT DMG substats. Her signature W-Engine, Cloudcleave Radiance, amplifies her Honed Edge damage significantly, but alternatives like Starlight Engine or Steel Cushion work well for budget builds. Pair her with 4-piece Woodpecker Electro for the CRIT Rate boost, or experiment with the new White Water Ballad set for sustained damage scenarios.

Ye Shunguang's banner runs alongside Lucy as the featured A-Rank, making it an excellent opportunity to build both a top-tier DPS and a solid Fire support simultaneously.

Yixuan: Rupture's Revolutionary Force

Yixuan changed everything when she introduced the Rupture mechanic to ZZZ. Her Sheer Force attacks completely ignore enemy defenses, making her effective against any target regardless of damage resistance. She excels in both single-target and area scenarios, functioning as a versatile powerhouse across all content types.

Her kit rewards aggressive play, building stacks through combat that enhance her already formidable damage output. The Sheer Force mechanic scales from her Max HP, which gets converted into penetrating damage. This unique scaling means Yixuan builds differently from traditional DPS agents, prioritizing HP% alongside standard offensive stats.

For players who missed Miyabi's initial banner, Yixuan offers comparable power with a different playstyle. Her defense-ignoring capabilities make her particularly valuable against high-resistance enemies that would otherwise require specific elemental counters.

Team composition for Yixuan typically includes Banyue (another Rupture specialist) and a flexible support slot. Nicole works well for grouping, while Astra Yao provides universal buffs that amplify Sheer Force damage.

Hoshimi Miyabi: The Frost Queen Remains Supreme

Miyabi remains one of the most devastating damage dealers in the game despite being released in Version 1.4. Her Frost attribute enables three distinct Ice Anomalies (Freeze, Shatter, and Frostbite), and her charged attacks can reach multipliers exceeding 4,000%. Material farming quests that once took minutes now fall in under 20 seconds with a well-built Miyabi.

Her best-in-slot W-Engine, Hailstorm Shrine, provides 24% CRIT Rate and 50% CRIT DMG while converting her CRIT Rate into Anomaly Buildup (up to 80% bonus). This conversion mechanic means Miyabi wants to hit exactly 80% CRIT Rate for maximum efficiency. Going over that threshold wastes stats that could be allocated elsewhere.

Pair her with 4-piece Branch & Blade Song and 2-piece Woodpecker Electro. Main stats should be CRIT Rate on Slot 4, Ice DMG on Slot 5, and Anomaly Mastery on Slot 6. Substat priority follows CRIT Rate (until 80%) > CRIT DMG > ATK% > Flat PEN > ATK > Anomaly Proficiency.

Miyabi pairs exceptionally well with Yanagi for Disorder teams, where both agents trigger Anomalies that react with each other for bonus damage. For pure Ice damage, Lighter provides both stunning capability and Ice RES shred, while Soukaku offers accessible ATK and Ice DMG buffs for F2P players.

Alice Thymefield and Evelyn: Strong Alternatives

While not quite reaching the heights of the top three, Alice Thymefield and Evelyn Chevalier deserve mention as excellent DPS options. Alice triggers Assault reactions frequently and can cause Disorder with other Physical Anomaly sources, making her relatively easy to use while still delivering competitive damage.

Evelyn, the Fire Attack agent from Version 1.5, brings devastating burst damage when paired with Lighter's Fire buffs. Her guardian role to Astra creates interesting narrative and mechanical synergies, and she remains the go-to choice for Fire-focused teams.

Essential Support Characters: The Foundation of Every Team

Astra Yao: The Universal Buffer

No support character comes close to Astra Yao's flexibility and power. Her Idyllic Cadenza state increases all squad members' damage by 20% and CRIT DMG by 30% while she remains on the field after swapping. This means your main DPS benefits from her buffs without Astra taking up valuable attack windows.

Her Core Passive adds another layer of power, increasing both her ATK and the incoming character's ATK by 22% of her initial ATK (up to 1,200) whenever teammates swap in through Quick Assist, Chain Attack, or Defensive Assist. This buff refreshes and extends with each swap, potentially lasting up to 30 seconds with proper rotation.

Her Ultimate heals the entire team for a fixed 2,950 HP and upgrades the next two Quick Assists to Chain Attacks. This Chain Attack conversion is massive for damage optimization, allowing teams to squeeze extra burst windows without consuming Decibels.

Playing Astra is straightforward: press E at the start of battle to enter Idyllic Cadenza, then swap to your DPS. She remains on field in an invulnerable state, continuing to provide buffs. The critical mistake to avoid is holding E while in Idyllic Cadenza, which exits the state and loses your buffs.

Build her with 4-piece Astral Voice for Energy Regen and the 18% team damage boost on EX Special or Ultimate. Her signature W-Engine Elegant Vanity is ideal, providing ATK boosts and Energy Regen on Chain Attacks or Assist swaps. The F2P option Reverb Mark I performs within 10% of her signature, making Astra extremely accessible.

Yuzuha: The Anomaly Team Specialist

For teams focused on triggering Anomalies and Disorder reactions, Yuzuha outperforms even Astra. She buffs both ATK and Anomaly damage for teammates, making her the premier choice for Miyabi, Yanagi, Jane, or Burnice compositions. Her placement in teams dedicated to status effect damage is uncontested.

Yuzuha's kit synergizes specifically with Anomaly buildup, providing bonuses that Astra's more general buffs can't match in this niche. If you're running double Anomaly teams (common in current meta), Yuzuha should be your first support consideration.

Nicole Demara: The F2P Powerhouse That Rivals S-Ranks

Don't sleep on Nicole just because she's an A-Rank agent available for free early in the story. Her crowd control pulls enemies together perfectly for AoE damage, and her enhanced bullets reduce enemy DEF by 40% for 3.5 seconds through Energy Fields.

Nicole operates on a reload system. Using her crowd control abilities (EX Special Attack, Chain Attack, or Ultimate) forces a reload on her bullets, enhancing them. These enhanced shots and her Energy Field apply the DEF shred debuff, which amplifies your entire team's damage significantly.

She slots into almost any team composition except Rupture-focused squads (since she can't interact with Sheer Force or HP scaling). Her low field time requirement means she swaps in, drops her Energy Field and DEF shred, then immediately swaps out. This efficiency makes her a budget option that rivals many S-Rank supports in practical effectiveness.

Nicole's M6 (final Mindscape Cinema) adds CRIT Rate to her kit, further increasing her value. Since she's available from standard banner and has appeared on multiple rate-ups, most long-term players will naturally accumulate her dupes.

Lucia: The Healing Alternative

For content requiring sustained healing alongside damage buffs, Lucia provides an alternative to Astra. She triggers Aftershocks for bonus damage while offering healing that keeps your team alive through extended encounters. Her placement depends on whether your team needs more healing or more raw damage amplification.

Top Tier Stun Agents: Controlling the Battlefield

Dialyn: The Meta-Defining Stunner

Dialyn's arrival in Version 2.4 fundamentally changed how teams approach Daze. Her oversized chakram delivers 170+ Impact for massive Daze buildup, and she provides CRIT DMG buffs while accelerating Ultimate uptime for the entire squad. Her ability to convert Chain Attacks into Ultimates without using Decibels makes her nearly irreplaceable in optimized teams.

As a Physical Stun agent from the Krampus Compliance Authority, Dialyn presents herself as a friendly customer service representative while secretly enforcing "compliance" with devastating efficiency. Her smooth EX abilities and supportive buffs make her one of the best characters for players looking to maximize both damage and control.

Upon entering combat, Dialyn recovers 20 Energy, with this effect triggering once every 180 seconds in Investigation Zone Mode. While her Overwhelmingly Positive effect is active, her ATK increases by 500. Combined with her CRIT DMG buffs for the team, Dialyn contributes to damage even while fulfilling her primary stunning role.

She works with virtually any DPS agent but truly shines in teams that can capitalize on extended stun windows. Her synergy with Ye Shunguang is particularly notable, as both agents benefit from prolonged stagger states.

Lighter: The Dual-Element Buffer

Lighter occupies a unique niche as a Stun agent who simultaneously buffs both Fire and Ice damage. His Morale system builds passively (2.9 points per second) and actively (0.26 Morale per Energy consumed by any squad member), and once triggered at 80 Morale, his Morale Burst state reduces enemy Ice and Fire RES by 15% while extending stun duration by 3 seconds through the Collapse effect.

This dual-element buffing makes Lighter essential for mixed Fire/Ice teams and invaluable for players who want one Stun agent to support multiple team compositions. His M1 Mindscape adds another 10% RES shred, making it a worthwhile investment over his signature W-Engine if you must choose between them.

For teams running Miyabi, Ellen, Evelyn, or Soldier 11, Lighter provides both the stun utility and elemental amplification that pushes damage to new heights. His ability to trigger Elation grants allies Ice and Fire DMG boosts up to 75%, making him a hybrid support-stunner that excels in both roles.

Build Lighter with Impact as the priority stat on Slot 6, paired with 4-piece Shockstar Disco for additional Impact. His Blazing Laurel W-Engine increases Ice and Fire CRIT DMG taken by enemies, but Hellfire Gears, The Restrained, and even Precious Fossilized Core work as alternatives.

Ju Fufu: Off-Field Excellence

Ju Fufu brings something rare to the Stun role: consistent off-field Daze application with team-wide CRIT DMG bonuses. As an Electric Stun agent, she's particularly effective in Electric teams featuring Yanagi or Grace, but her universal CRIT buff makes her functional in any composition when Dialyn isn't available.

Her off-field presence allows your DPS to maintain continuous damage while Daze builds passively, streamlining rotations and reducing the mechanical complexity of stun-focused gameplay.

Trigger: Long-Range Disruption

Trigger rounds out the top Stun options with long-range off-field Daze application through Aftershocks. While more niche than Dialyn or Lighter, Trigger excels in specific team compositions that benefit from ranged stunning without sacrificing melee uptime.

Building Your Endgame Teams: Practical Compositions

Shiyu Defense Strategy

Version 2.5 Shiyu Defense rewards balanced team composition with its +30% ATK, +15% CRIT DMG, and +20% Stun DMG Multiplier buffs. Focus on rapid Daze meter depletion using Defensive Assists against Elite enemies.

The new five-stage format with three teams required for Stage 5 rewards means roster depth matters more than ever. Here are recommended compositions for each damage type:

Physical Team: Ye Shunguang, Dialyn, Astra Yao. This composition maximizes Ye Shunguang's burst potential with Dialyn's extended stuns and Astra's universal buffs.

Ice Team: Miyabi, Lighter, Astra Yao (or Soukaku for F2P). Lighter's Ice RES shred amplifies Miyabi's already devastating Frost damage, while Astra or Soukaku provide ATK buffs.

Disorder Team: Jane, Burnice, Nicole. Jane's Physical Anomalies react with Burnice's Burn for massive Disorder damage, while Nicole groups enemies and shreds their DEF.

Fire Team: Evelyn, Lighter, Lucy. A mono-Fire composition where Lighter's Fire buffs and Lucy's ATK buffs maximize Evelyn's burst windows.

Electric Team: Yanagi, Rina, Astra Yao (or Grace). Rina provides Shock-related buffs and PEN Ratio specifically for Electric damage dealers.

For F2P players, teams like Corin, Ben, and Zhao can achieve consistent A-ranks with proper Drive Disc investment. Level 70 with skill levels 8-10 on primary abilities is recommended for consistent S-rank clears.

Deadly Assault Preparation

Deadly Assault's three-boss format demands strategic planning. Characters selected in one stage cannot be used in subsequent stages, so save your strongest agents for the most challenging encounters.

Current analytics from over 21,000 player clears show Ye Shunguang dominating the highest-difficulty stages due to her sustained damage output. Miyabi excels against enemies with shorter vulnerability windows where her burst can be fully utilized.

Key tips for Deadly Assault success:

During Control Skills, successfully perform Defensive Assists and Dodge Counters to gain Performance Points. Shutting down boss Control Skills nets 2,000 Performance Points, significantly boosting your score.

Build at least three viable teams before attempting higher difficulties. The investment required for three competitive teams is substantial, but the rewards justify the resource expenditure.

Prioritize learning boss patterns over raw stats. A player who perfectly times Defensive Assists will outperform a higher-investment player who misses defensive windows.

Free Rewards and New Agent: Zhao

Version 2.5 generously provides Zhao, a new S-Rank Ice Defense Agent from the Krampus faction, completely free to all players. She offers team protection, healing, and Ether Veil activation while converting overheal into teamwide ATK buffs. Her talent also allows allies to bypass enemy resistances, making her valuable even in non-Ice teams.

Zhao's kit includes her signature W-Engine Half-Sugar Bunny, available through the event shop. Her Defense role means she can take hits for squishier DPS agents while her overheal conversion keeps your team's damage high even during sustained encounters.

Similar to anniversary events in games like NIKKE, additional free rewards include 1,800 Polychrome, a Jane Doe outfit (Nocturne of Light), and various event prizes. The new co-op mode Joint Investigation: The Divine Maze allows three-player squads to tackle content together for the first time, with stages ranging from Standard to Nightmare difficulty.

Investment Priority: Where to Spend Your Resources

If you're deciding where to spend your resources, here's the recommended priority based on current meta impact and future-proofing:

1. Astra Yao - Universal support that improves every team. Her buffs are percentage-based, meaning she scales with your DPS investment. She's the single best value character in the game.
2. Ye Shunguang or Miyabi - Top-tier DPS (choose based on banner timing and personal preference). Both are capable of clearing all content, so pick whichever appeals to your playstyle.
3. Dialyn - Best-in-slot stunner for most compositions. Her Daze output and team buffs make her essential for optimized play.
4. Lighter - Essential for Fire/Ice hybrid strategies and offers flexibility across multiple team types. His dual-element buffing is unique and irreplaceable.
5. Yixuan - Rupture specialist with defense-ignoring damage. Valuable for high-resistance content where other DPS agents struggle.
6. Nicole Demara - Despite being A-Rank, her DEF shred and grouping justify early investment. She's free and performs competitively with S-Rank supports.

For Mindscape Cinema (dupe) priorities, most S-Rank agents see significant power spikes at M1 and M2, with diminishing returns afterward. Lighter's M1 is specifically recommended over his signature W-Engine if resources are limited.

Looking Ahead: Version 2.6 and Beyond

The 404 Livehouse addition in Version 2.5 ties directly into the upcoming 2.6 Angels of Delusion event, suggesting continued storyline development for the Phaeton siblings. The Proxy Outpost system introduces social features that will likely expand in future updates.

Players should conserve some resources for Version 2.6 banners while ensuring their current roster can handle 2.5 content. The meta tends to shift with each major update, but characters like Astra Yao and Miyabi have maintained relevance across multiple patches, making them safe long-term investments.

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