Zenless Zone Zero: The ultimate Burnice build and combat guide

Looking to maximise Burnice White? Here's a guide to help you make optimised builds for her.

It’s been a week since one of the quirkiest agents ever in Zenless Zone Zero, Burnice White has been released and she’s bringing some fire into Anomaly teams. 

Burnice is a Fire Anomaly DPS unit with exceptional potential, capable of delivering high damage both on-field and off-field. 

Her unique ability to apply and trigger Afterburn effects makes her an ideal candidate for teams focused on anomaly damage. This guide will take you through Burnice’s abilities, her combos, best teams and bangboo, skill priority, W-Engines and Drive Discs, ensuring that you get the most out of her kit.

Abilities Breakdown

Core Passive – Nitro-Fuel Cocktail

Burnice’s core mechanic revolves around her Heat bar, which fills as she consumes energy. For every 1 Energy used, Burnice gains 1.4 Heat, with a max of 100 Heat. 

Once she reaches 50 Heat, she enters the Nitro-Fuel Cocktail state. This unlocks additional effects.

Burnice starts every battle with max Heat (100), allowing her to perform at peak efficiency right from the beginning. 

While in the Nitro state, Burnice applies the Scorched effect to enemies using her basic attacks, EX Specials, Chains, or Ultimates. Scorched marks enemies for Afterburn damage, which allows allies to trigger off-field damage bursts.

When an ally hits a Scorched enemy, the Afterburn effect is triggered, consuming 8 Heat and dealing Fire DMG equal to 290% of Burnice's ATK. This effect has a 1.5-second cooldown and accumulates Fire Anomaly Buildup. 

Afterburn damage increases by 1% for every 10 Anomaly Proficiency, up to 30%. Additionally, the damage dealt by Afterburn is considered Assist Attack DMG.

Afterburn and Off-Field Anomaly application

Burnice's off-field potential comes from the Afterburn mechanic. Once an enemy is marked with Scorched, allies can trigger Afterburn damage, which counts as assist attack damage. 

This effect can occur every 1.5 seconds, dealing a significant amount of fire damage and applying Anomaly.

The damage scales with Anomaly Proficiency, making 300 AP a crucial goal for increasing Burnice’s overall DPS.

EX Specials: Two Variations

Burnice has two different EX Specials:

• EX 1: Special Attack - Intense Heat Stirring Method - Less energy-intensive and allows for movement, making it useful for repositioning while dealing consistent damage.
• EX 2: Intense Heat Stirring Method - Double Shot - Higher energy cost but greater burst damage. Use this to quickly build Heat and deliver massive amounts of damage.

Ultimate: Glorious Inferno

When Burnice’s Decibel Rating is at maximum, pressing her Ultimate triggers a rapid dash forward, followed by a leap into the air to spray flames over a wide area, dealing massive Fire DMG.

During the leap, a Quick Assist can be activated, extending the duration of the flame spray. Upon activation, Burnice recovers 50 Heat, maintaining her Nitro-Fuel Cocktail state. She is invulnerable while using this skill.

Burnice’s Ultimate excels due to its high burst damage, instant Heat recovery (50 Heat) and the Quick Assist, which allows her to extend the attack. Additionally, the off-field assist attacks allow Burnice to continue dealing damage even when swapped out.

Additional Ability: Team Synergy

When paired with Anomaly units or Sons of Calydon members, Burnice gains:

• 65% anomaly buildup increase for her Special Basic, EX Specials, and Afterburn effects.
• Team utility via increased damage procs and synergy with anomaly-focused teams.

Combos and Playstyle

• Heat Management: The key to mastering Burnice is balancing her Heat generation. Use EX Specials to build Heat quickly and enter Nitro state. Keep an eye on your Heat bar and time your abilities accordingly to maximise Afterburn damage.
• Special Basics: Start the fight with a Special Basic to apply Scorched and conserve Heat. This is especially useful when facing multiple enemies or when your EX is unavailable.
• EX Combos: Burnice can transition directly into her EX 2 from three different actions: holding a Special Basic, finishing a Chain Attack, or executing an Assist Follow Up. These combos allow you to skip EX 1 for more efficient damage output.
• Ultimate: Use Burnice’s Ultimate to refill her Heat and unleash massive damage. Prioritise her Ultimate in battle for consistent Nitro state uptime and strong off-field damage.

Burnice Skill Priority

Focus on Burnice's Core Skill first to enhance Anomaly Buildup and Afterburn DMG, then work through the rest, leaving Dodge for last.

1. Core Skill – Upgrade first as it boosts Anomaly Buildup and Afterburn DMG.
2. Basic Attack – Upgrade next since it’s used to consume Heat.
3. Dodge – Save for last as Burnice spends little time on the field.
4. Assist – Often used with her Special Attack, so upgrade accordingly.
5. Special Attack – Prioritise along with the Core Skill, as it's key when she's on the field.
6. Chain Attack – Prioritise if the enemy is weak to Fire.

Build Recommendations

W-Engines:

Equip engines that enhance Fire Damage and Critical Chance to ensure Burnice’s damage is maximised, especially during her EX Specials and Afterburn triggers. Here are some of the best W-Engines for Burnice:

Recommended: Flamemaker Shaker

While off-field, the equipper's Energy Regen increases by 0.6/s. Hitting an enemy with an EX Special Attack or Assist Attack, the equipper's DMG increases by 3.5% for max 10 stacks lasting for 6s, triggering once every 0.3s. While off-field, the stack effect is doubled and repeated triggers reset the duration. Once DMG increase is in effect and if current stacks are greater than or equal to 5, Anomaly Proficiency increases by 50. This does not stack and lasts for 6s.

Alternatives:

• Electro-Lip Gloss: When enemies have an Attribute Anomaly, the equipper’s ATK increases by 10% and they deal 15% more DMG.
• Roaring Ride: Hitting with an EX Special Attack triggers one of three random effects for 5 seconds (can trigger every 0.3s, effects reset on repeat): +8% ATK, +40 Anomaly Proficiency or +25% Anomaly Buildup Rate.
• Rainforest Gourmet: For every 10 energy consumed, gain a 2.5% ATK buff for 10 seconds, stacking up to 10 times. Each stack has its own duration.
• Weeping Gemini: When a squad member inflicts an Attribute Anomaly, gain +30 Anomaly Proficiency, stacking up to 4 times. Buff expires when the target recovers from Stun or is defeated, with each stack calculated separately.

Drive Discs 

Focus on boosting Burnice’s energy regeneration and anomaly damage. Look for discs that increase Anomaly Proficiency and Energy Efficiency, as these will help keep her Heat up and optimise Afterburn procs.

• Chaos Jazz (4-pc) - Chaos Jazz is the best Drive Disc for Burnice, increasing her DMG when she's off-field. Inferno Metal (2-pc) is her best for increasing Fire DMG.
• Swing Jazz (2-pc) - A 2-piece Swing Jazz is great for Burnice, providing Energy Regen for consistent EX Special Attack usage.
• Freedom Blues (2-pc) - A 2-piece Freedom Blues offers Anomaly Proficiency, boosting Burnice's Burn DMG.

Best Teammates

Burnice excels in teams that focus on anomaly damage. Pair her with units that apply debuffs or deal anomaly-based damage to maximize her off-field presence.

Burnice – Jane Anomaly Team

Burnice works well with another anomaly unit of a different element, applying Burn while the other unit inflicts their own Attribute Anomaly to deal Disorder DMG.

• Burnice (Anomaly)
• Jane (Anomaly)
• Caesar (Defense)
• Bangboo: Moccus/Bangvolver
• Alternative Bangboos: Luckyboo, Magnetiboo

Burnice – Grace Anomaly Team

A duo Anomaly team with Grace functions similarly to Jane’s team, with Grace on-field and Rina offering support. Grace excels against Electric and Fire weaknesses, while Burnice applies Fire Anomaly off-field to boost DPS.

• Grace: DPS, Shock Buildup
• Burnice: Sub-DPS, Burn Buildup
• Rina: Support, PEN
• Seth: Alternative Support, Defense
• Bangboo: Moccus/Bangvolver
• Alternative Bangboos: Luckyboo, Magnetiboo

Sons of Calydon Team (F2P Friendly)

For a budget-friendly setup, Piper and Lucy are solid picks alongside Burnice. Piper provides on-field DPS and Burn application, while Lucy offers support. Caesar can replace Lucy to boost survivability.

• Piper: DPS, Assault Buildup
• Burnice: Sub-DPS, Burn Buildup
• Lucy: Support
• Bangboo: Red Moccus
• Alternative Bangboos: Bangvolver, Luckyboo, Magnetiboo

Burnice Mono-Fire Team

Burnice can fit into a Mono-Fire team with Lucy, applying off-field Burn to increase CRIT Rate for DPS units with Inferno Metal.

• Burnice (Anomaly)
• Soldier 11 (Attack)
• Lucy (Support)
• Bangboo: Rocketboo
• Alternative Bangboos: Cryboo, Red Moccus

Mindscape Cinema

To get the most out of Burnice, here are the key Mindscape Cinema upgrades we recommend focusing on. These upgrades enhance her Afterburn and overall damage output, making her a more powerful and efficient choice in both anomaly and burn-based teams.

• M1 –  A great quality of life upgrade for Afterburn, giving Burnice Heat at combat start and increasing Afterburn's DMG and Anomaly Buildup.
• M2 – Ideal for spenders. Afterburn gains increased PEN Ratio every time it triggers.
• M4 – EX Special Attack and Assist gain higher CRIT Rate, boosting Burnice's on-field DMG significantly.
• M6 – Massive DMG boost for Afterburn and Burn, with the ability to ignore enemy Fire RES.

Burnice’s versatile kit makes her an essential pick for anomaly-focused teams, and we hope this guide helps you unlock her full potential in Zenless Zone Zero.