I've been playing Zenless Zone Zero a lot, so I figured that I go over what I think are the "must have" characters that were introduced to us in this Version 1 of the game. There's actually only a couple! So, if you're keeping an eye out for reruns, I think these are the ones that you should strongly consider.
5: Lighter (Stun + Fire)
Pros:
- Simple and easy to learn!
- Boosts the Ice and Fire Damage for the entire team.
- Hands out Ice and Fire Resistance Shred.
- Extends the enemy Stun duration, allowing for larger burst windows.
- Has an incredibly front-loaded combo, thus capable of taking up minimal field time if desired.
Cons:
- Limited to Ice and Fire teams only.
- Loses support capabilities when unable to hit 270 Impact.
- Can lead to downtime when Morale, Energy, and Counter opportunities aren’t available.
Teams:
Miyabi: Lighter is currently the best Stun character to pair up with Miyabi, providing a lot of buffs and shred onto enemies. All of this combined somehow makes up for lower stack generation, when compared to Yanagi.
Evelyn: Lighter is able to output solid amounts of Daze and without taking up too much field time, allowing Evelyn as much time as needed in order to prepare for her next burst combo. In addition, Lighter grants tremendous damage amplification and extends the stun window, granting Evelyn additional combo potential.
Ellen: The combination of Ice buffs + shred, extended stuns, and very low field time requirements gives Ellen everything she could ever want from a stun partner. With this combo, Ellen’s damage is substantially increased, and she can freely monopolize the field time for her lengthy attack combos.
Soldier 11: Lighter offers Soldier 11 all his usual benefits of Fire buffs + shred, and extended stun time, making the two a solid combo for those not possessing, well, Evelyn (which is okay, she'll probably get ate by the next Void Hunter anyways). Her Additional Ability functions specifically against stunned enemies, making Lighter more accessible if desired.
4: Qingyi (Stun + Electric)
Pros:
- Effortlessly slots into almost any team!
- Tons of Daze output, capable of stunning enemies in short order.
- Satisfying combo playstyle, albeit after some practice, flows smoothly.
- Multiple Damage Reductions, Anti-Interrupt buffs, and Immunities throughout all of her combos.
- Applies tremendous Damage Amplification during the stun window, allowing for any burst DPS to reach new heights.
Cons:
- Requires a massive amount of field time.
- Combos take time to fully execute, sometimes making combat awkward.
- May not always be able to fully unleash 20 stacks of Subjugation if they’re stunned too fast or Qingyi can’t generate enough Voltage in time.
Teams:
Harumasa: Outside of Zhu Yuan, Qingyi is Harumasa's best stun partner. It's practically a requirement, honestly. She assists with his goal of keeping Shock active for his passives, but also assists Harumasa with quick access to Quivers thanks to both sharing the same element. Qingyi also provides enormous damage multipliers during the stun window, something that doubles down on Harumasa's identity as a burst DPS, unloading destruction as soon as stun lands.
3: Caesar (Defense + Physical)
Pros:
- Supreme team flexibility!
- A huge refreshable Shield with Anti-Interrupt attached to it.
- A massive attack buff with near permanent uptime.
- Strong damage increase, which is easy to keep up.
- Amazing Daze application, even for a character who isn’t a dedicated Stun agent.
Cons:
- A jack of all trades, but a master of none.
- The ability to inflict top-tier Daze is reliant on executing Defensive Assists, at the cost of Assist Points.
Teams:
Caesar is incredibly versatile and can find a place in most team compositions thanks to her Defensive and Offensive buffs, flexible roles, and strong kit. Caesar synergies excellently with most of the characters currently in the game and it’s very likely any team you have in mind for her will work.
2: Astra (Support + Ether)
Pros:
- Not reliant on her signature W-Engine to perform well!
- Universal support that can be played in almost any team composition.
- Buffs affect the whole team, offering even greater power to double DPS teams than other supports.
- Provides healing to teammates, which is useful for content where sustain is relevant.
- Allows incredibly frequent use of Quick Assissts and the use of Chain attack outside of stun windows.
- Provides an incredible array of buffs, including one of the highest attack buffs currently in the game.
Cons:
- Brain dead; effectively locking you into a 2 character playstyle.
Teams:
Astra Yao is a universal Support and can be used in any team composition.
1: Miyabi (Anomaly + Frost)
Pros:
- Absurdly large damage multipliers!
- Huge AoE on many attacks, allowing her to quickly deal with large groups.
- A good amount of team options.
Cons:
- As one of the first crit-based Anomaly characters, her W-Engine options outside of her signature are limited.
- Relies on applying Frost Anomaly at specific points in her combo for maximum effectiveness, and disruption to this can cause issues.
- Stat-hungry; wants to achieve 80% crit rate for the 80% Anomaly buildup to assist with the point above.
- Rotations and playstyle can drastically change based on team composition, leading to a steep path to mastery.
Teams:
Yanagi: Serves as a Fallen Frost super battery for Miyabi thanks to the fact that each Disorder trigger, including those baked into her kit, grant Miyabi Fallen Frost orbs.
Lighter or Lycaon: Two different incredibly potent Stun options to pair alongside Miyabi, both offering fantastic damage amplification. Lighter certainly has the edge in terms of raw boosting potential, but Lycaon has the option to remain on field a little more comfortably, something you may want for your team.
Lucy or Soukaku: Two great supports which each have their own pros and cons. Soukaku provides an excellent buff for Miyabi, but takes up a good chunk of field time. Lucy has slightly less buffing potential, but takes up significantly less field time than Soukaku.