Images: HoYoverse
Version 1.5 will have two new S-rank agents and two S-rank agent banner re-runs. Which agent should you prioritise?
Zenless Zone Zero’s Version 1.5 is almost here, and it’s the first update to include agent banner reruns. This version also introduces two new S-rank agents, Astra Yao, and Evelyn Chevalier from the newest faction, Stars of Lyra.
If you’ve been saving up resources over the holidays, 1.5 is a great time to beef up your roster, with four S-rank agents - Astra, Ellen, Evelyn, and Qingyi - all being up for grabs.
That said, if you’re like most players and resources are tight, choosing who to pull can feel overwhelming. Don’t worry—this guide breaks down the pros and cons of each agent, which teams they work best in, and who might benefit the most from adding them to their roster.
Astra Yao
One of the newest agents with probably the highest value among all four S-rank agents available in Version 1.5 is Astra Yao, an Ether Support agent and the first healer of the game. She’s the second Ether support agent in the game, but she’s the only S-rank agent in the role.
She buffs the team through her EX Special, where she enters a dancing state, boosting the team’s Attack. Her core passive also provides additional attack buffs. Meanwhile, her ultimate heals the team and enables two Quick Assists.
Astra is likely going to be the best support due to her attack buffs and healing. She’s also universally effective across Anomaly and Attack teams. In terms of long-term value, Astra’s universal buffs will make her relevant to the meta for quite a long time.
It’s ideal to pull Astra Yao if you’re the type of player who:
- needs to increase overall DPS for more than one team.
- needs to improve the team’s sustainability when clearing more difficult content.
- is looking to beef up their Ether team (although Nicole is still an excellent pick for Zhu Yuan).
Evelyn Chevalier
Astra Yao’s bodyguard and manager, Evelyn, is an S-rank fire attack agent. Evelyn excels as a frontline melee DPS, specializing in dealing massive Fire damage and supporting the team through consistent area-of-effect (AoE) attacks and crowd control.
Her Ultimate, Dance of Awakened Fire, lets her consistently trigger Chain Attacks for massive damage while staying agile with dodges. Her kit is self-sufficient and doesn’t rely on other agents for chain attack activation. Her high damage output makes her a great option for attack-focused team setups. Evelyn synergises well with other strong fire stun and support characters such as Caesar, Lighter, and Lucy.
Evelyn could be a good addition to your roster if you:
- Need to beef up your fire and physical team. However, if you already like Soldier 11’s playstyle, or are one of the few rare ones that built a rare Ben Bigger DPS team, consider if you really prefer Evelyn’s playstyle, or if you have more pressing needs for your other teams (yes, I am telling myself off too!).
- You need more AoE and crowd control in a few of your runs.
- Just started the game and you’ve just started building your teams (it might be better to go for a limited-banner Evelyn, rather than try to get Soldier 11 on the stable channel).
Qingyi
Qingyi came out in version 1.2 as an electric stun agent. Qingyi specialises in stunning enemies and amplifying her team's damage potential. Her abilities enhance stun multipliers, enabling both her and her allies to deal significant damage.
Because of her unique ability to transform stun damage into attack strength, Qingyi can be a versatile agent. Her basic passive ability may be quickly and easily activated by a character with an attack type or by a teammate from the same faction. Compared to Lycaon, another stun agent, she is an upgrade.
It’s important to note that Lighter is a stronger and more versatile stun agent than Qingyi. However, the N.E.P.S agent is also an ideal addition to agent-specific teams, like Zhu Yuan or Harumasa, where Lighter might not fit.
You should consider pulling for Qingyi if:
- You have Zhu Yuan but you don’t have Qingyi yet; or you’ve heavily invested in Zhu Yuan and want to upgrade her team in general.
- You’ve heavily invested in Harumasa. Although Harumasa can do okay without Qingyi, their synergy is still quite valuable.
- You have a weak electric team.
- You still don’t have any stun agents besides Anby.
Ellen Joe
Of course, we should not forget about Ellen, the game’s first-ever limited banner agent. Ellen is an Ice Attack agent with strong single-target damage.
Ellen Joe is an S-Rank Ice DPS agent in Zenless Zone Zero, known for her fast-paced, high-damage kit centred around mobility and Ice attacks. Her basic attacks chain into fluid combos, dealing consistent Ice damage, while her Dash Attack: Arctic Ambush delivers a powerful spinning slash that grants a Flash Freeze Charge, enhancing her overall damage potential.
Ellen’s Special Attack: Drift and EX Special Attack: Tail Swipe provide bursts of Ice damage with increased resistance to interruption, making her resilient in combat. Her Chain Attack: Avalanche and Ultimate: Endless Winter unleash devastating Ice storms, offering massive area-of-effect damage while keeping her invulnerable during execution.
Ellen’s passive abilities synergise with team setups by granting Flash Freeze Charges and energy recovery whenever enemies are frozen or stunned, making her an excellent pick for Ice-focused teams, or compositions that utilise crowd control effects.
If you’re one of the lucky ones to pull Ellen early and still want to buff your ice team, you can benefit from getting her mindscape upgrades. Her M1 makes her gameplay smoother and M2 further enhances her effectiveness in battle.
That said, if you do have Miyabi and already have a solid ice team, you may want to skip her banner altogether.
You should consider pulling for Ellen if:
- You don’t have a strong ice team and you didn’t get Miyabi in version 1.4.
- You have invested heavily in Ellen and want to improve her gameplay by activating her mindscapes.
- You’re a Free-to-play (F2P) player and don’t have a solid team for Miyabi yet.
This guide is here to help you decide which agent to pull in version 1.5—but the final choice should depend on your account, the strength of your teams, and what you need to progress through content. If you want to pull a character simply because they’re cool or adorable, go for it!
At the end of the day, it’s all about what your account needs, what you like, and how you enjoy playing.
