Zenless Zone Zero 2.5 throws all the pieces at us, from a free S-rank and co-op to a brand new solution to dodge the gacha’s worst curse

Zenless Zone Zero 2.5 was already on my radar, however it’s wanting like the very best time to come back again to Hoyoverse’s fashionable hack-and-slash gacha recreation when you’ve fallen off the prepare. Hoyoverse is clearly pulling out the stops in an try to get ZZZ the extent of consideration that its older siblings Genshin Influence and Honkai Star Rail have. There is a free S-rank agent, a sweep of character buffs for some favorites which have dropped off, and even a solution to circumnavigate the most important single frustration with banner pulls.

The ZZZ 2.5 launch date is Tuesday December 30, and it is setting us up for an enormous begin to 2026. The brand new story chapter continues the continuing story round Waifei Peninsula, the Lemnian Hole, and the Lumite mining operations which have been happening. It will see new brokers Ye Shunguang and Zhao step onto the battlefield, with the previous being a very notable addition as the most recent Void Hunter (ZZZ’s equal to Genshin’s Archons, that means you may rank her alongside the mighty Miyabi power-wise).

This implies the model 2.5 banners will characteristic Ye Shunguang and Zhao, together with their respective W-Engines. To chop again on FOMO, these will final for all the patch – and we’re even being given a free copy of Zhao merely for logging in (together with sufficient improve supplies to get her to degree 40). On high of this, new Jane Doe pores and skin ‘Nocturne of Gentle’ will give everybody’s favourite rat a recent look, and it is utterly free when you seize it throughout 2.5.

That is all nice information, however the brand new ‘unique rescreening’ banner that is happening within the second half of the patch is maybe extra thrilling. It is a mixed rerun for Alice, Soldier 0 Anby, and Astra Yao, and also you’re in a position to decide on which one you need as the main target agent. The primary time you hit the S-rank roll, it is assured to be the character you picked, with no 50/50 probability. There’s additionally an identical W-Engine banner that works a lot the identical method.

Spending all of your pulls looking for the character you’ve got been eyeing up solely to lose that coin flip is maybe the one most annoying a part of Hoyoverse’s gacha system. Having a solution to circumnavigate it’s an absolute godsend, and a unbelievable solution to encourage folks to think about banner reruns, which might usually really feel somewhat bit underwhelming. Hoyoverse confirms that it is also going to be rolling out ‘energy up’ buffs via an improve mechanic for Burnice, Grace, Soldier 11, Ellen, and Soldier-0 Anby.

On high of this, anticipate login bonuses that embody 10 Encrypted Grasp Tape, 1,000 Polychrome, and 10 Boopons, plus a further 800 Polys that may be earned via pre-registration bonuses and occasions, even earlier than you rely all the extra sources reminiscent of story completion and weeklies.

Subsequent is the ‘Filmgoer thank-you present,’ which does require you to spend cash however will allow you to select an S-rank agent (from the unique listing plus Burnice, Jane Doe, and Qingyi) together with a W-Engine as a bonus reward on high of your buy. There’s even some recent ZZZ codes from the announcement stream which can be nonetheless reside this weekend, so make sure you seize them if you have not already executed so.

There’s an entire lot extra within the patch on high of this, too. Most notable is the primary actual co-op fight characteristic, Joint Investigation. Every participant takes cost of 1 agent, permitting you to make use of new ways in battle. You can too revive your allies in the event that they fall, and Hoyoverse teases emotes that will help you talk and exhibit. Elsewhere, we’ll be getting our first correct glimpse on the upcoming idol group, the Angels of Delusion.

Even that is not all. Shiyu Protection is being reworked right into a five-stage format down from its present iteration, by primarily slicing out the three that had been normally skipped attributable to earlier development and including a brand new one on the tip. Lethal Assault now features a squad-building information that can allow you to take suggestions primarily based on what’s out there to you.

New Drive Disc tuning can be utilized to focus on particular sub-stats, making discovering that final piece to finish your construct much less of a pure gamble. The presentation of harm numbers throughout fight has been made cleaner, together with a brand new show you may toggle on to simply see the entire output of your assault expertise. There’s even a third-person free digital camera to make taking pictures simpler than ever.

The Zenless Zone Zero 2.5 replace launches on Tuesday December 30. I might have been there anyway; for all of the issues round late-game well being bloat and challenges that demand overly particular staff compositions, it is nonetheless one of the crucial fulfilling pure motion experiences in years, and I am wanting to see the place the lead-in to three.0 takes us narratively. However when you’ve been off the boat, now’s the very best time to hop again on board.