Confused about Zenless Zone Zero’s gacha system? Check out our explainer.
HoYoverse’s latest gacha game Zenless Zone Zero has finally launched, and like many players worldwide, we’re doing our best to pull the characters we want to play the most. Seasoned gacha players might already know how exactly to attain new characters in this game, but newcomers could be a little lost. You might be staring at the Signal Search screen, wondering to yourself: “What are Master Tapes? Who is Ellen Joe? Which channel should I pull from?"
We can’t blame you. There’s a lot to take in at first glance, but we have a handy guide that should help you make the most out of Zenless Zone Zero’s gacha system. If you want to know more about Agent rarity, the pity system and how to get more Bangboos, you’ve come to the right place.
What are Signal Searches?
Zenless Zone Zero’s gacha system revolves around Signal Searches, which are split into different ‘Channels’ depending on whether you’re pulling to get Bangboos, W-Engines, or Agents. If you’ve just started playing however, you might find yourself a little overwhelmed with the many different kinds of currency the game has thrown at you. Which ones do you spend? Which ones do you save? Well, let’s break it down.
Polychromes are given to the player generously for doing all sorts of in-game activities, from ticking off commissions to the simple act of reading through Workbench guides. This can be considered as a free in-game currency, used to trade for Master Tapes or Encrypted Master Tapes. Both of the latter resources are used to make Signal Search pulls. Encrypted Master Tapes essentially allow you to pull from more exclusive Signal Search channels, so they are much harder to come by.
Monochromes are a paid currency, purchased in the in-game store and tradeable for specific bundles or Polychromes. It costs 160 Polychromes to get a Master Tape or Encrypted Master Tape, so you should save up those Polychromes until you’re ready to make some pulls. Technically, you can use Polychromes to do things like unlock battle pass tiers and replenish your Battery levels, but we really would recommend hoarding it for Signal Searches.
There is another kind of currency we haven’t mentioned yet: Boopons. These are used specifically to pull Bangboos in Signal Searches, but you can’t trade Polychromes for them. You can also find Boopons pretty easily just by playing through the story and completing other in-game activities.
Rates and pity system explained
The entire basis of a gacha system relies on your bad luck, so it’s no surprise that Zenless Zone Zero’s gacha rates don’t favour rare S-Rank characters. Still, you should be able to pull a few thanks to the pity system even if your luck runs out - but more on that in a second. Here are the rates: when you make a Signal Search, you have a 0.6% chance of pulling an S-Rank character. For A-Rank characters, that chance increases to 7.2%. For B-Rank characters, that chance goes all the way up to 92.2%.
You might think that the paltry 0.6% pull rate for S-Rank characters pretty much locks you out of getting them entirely, but that thankfully isn't the case. The game has a pity system, which guarantees that players get an S-Rank character in 90 pulls or less. They will also get an A-Rank character every ten pulls. For W-Engines, you can get an S-Rank every 80 pulls instead.
But that’s not all! There’s another twist to the pity system that allows players to have an increased chance of getting an S-Rank character after making 75 pulls. By the 90th pull, that chance increases to a 100%, but between 75 and 90 is where you’ll likely get the pull you’re looking for.
How to get Limited Characters (Exclusive Channel)
Zenless Zone Zero puts its most coveted Agents in the Exclusive Channel, which requires rare Encrypted Master Tapes to make pulls. Here, you want to pay attention to the Limited Character Banner, which lasts approximately three weeks and rotates in different S-Rank Agents. Right now, you can make pulls for Ellen Joe - widely considered to be the best damage dealer in this game’s roster at the moment. The next banner will kick off on July 24 and feature Zhu Yuan, though we’ll have to wait and see how she fits into the meta.
If you’re aiming to play this game for free, you should carefully consider which banners to spend all your Encrypted Master Tapes on. Although pity will carry over to the next banner, you never know when a specific character might return to the Exclusive Channel. In other words: we don’t know when Ellen Joe is coming back.
One other thing to note is that the Exclusive Channel will also give certain A-Rank Agents a higher chance of being pulled. If you’re trying to get duplicates of specific characters, you’ll want to pay attention to which ones are in the Exclusive Channel at the moment. Pulling an S-Rank Agent will give you a 50% chance of getting either the featured Limited Character or an S-Rank agent from the regular pool. If the odds don’t go your way, don’t worry! Your next pool is guaranteed to be the featured Limited Character.
How to get the rest of the Agents (Stable Channel)
The Stable Channel is where you spend your regular Master Tapes, and where you can safely expect to pull the same Agents until more are added in future updates. Currently, the Stable Channel features the following S-Rank characters:
- Grace
- Rina
- Koleda
- Nekomata
- Soldier 11
- Lycaon
It’s worth checking out the Stable Channel, if only because new players will find that their first 50 pulls are discounted by 20%. You’ll definitely have enough Master Tapes to make those pulls just by playing through the story, and one S-Rank is guaranteed for every 50 pulls. Go get that S-Rank!
It’s also a good idea to bulk up your playable roster using this channel, as same-element team composition is hugely beneficial in Zenless Zone Zero’s combat. If you want an Ice team or an Electric team, you need at least two Agents who specialise in each element. Having multiple teams for each element is generally recommended to exploit enemy weaknesses.
One last thing: once you reach 300 pulls, you’ll be able to select any S-Rank character you want to get from the roster for free. You can only do this once, and if you’re a free-to-play player, it will likely take you close to a year of playtime to get there. Patience is key.
W-Engine Channel
Even with an S-Rank Agent, your ideal build will be incomplete without the right W-Engine. This channel rewards you with gear and follows the same format as the Exclusive Channel, with one S-Rank W-Engine and two A-Rank W-Engines. Right now, the S-Rank W-Engine is specifically meant to be used for Ellen Joe. How do we know that? Well, it looks like a shark and we put two and two together.
Instead of the usual 50-50 odds you play to get an S-Rank Agent, here players get a 75% chance to get a featured W-Engine when they pull an S-Rank. If they fail, the next pull will guarantee they get the S-Rank. We must note: this channel uses the same Encrypted Master Tape currency as the Exclusive Channel, making it absolutely not worth pulling from if you’re a free-to-play player.
Bangboo Channel
The Bangboo Channel works a little differently than the rest of these channels. Here, you can select from a roster of Bangboos to make your own ‘featured’ Bangboo, and have a higher chance of pulling that one. This Channel also uses Boopons as currency for pulls, and they can’t be purchased with Polychromes. You can only get Boopons by playing through the game normally, ticking off your dailies, weeklies and story quests.
When you get an S-Rank pull in this channel, it’s guaranteed to be the Bangboo you’ve chosen. You can change it at any time, and it shares the same pity as the W-Engine Channel. Select the ideal Bangboo based on your preferred party composition, and go from there.