Zenless Zone Zero: My 2026 Beginner's Guide to New Eridu

I've spent more hours than I care to admit wandering the neon-soaked streets of New Eridu, and if there's one thing I've learned, it's that Zenless Zone Zero doesn't hold your hand. It throws you into a blender of fast-paced combat, grid-based exploration, and gacha temptations. So here's my personal beginner's guide, updated for 2026, to help you survive the Hollows without losing your mind—or your wallet.

The HDD: Your Mission Control

Most of your time outside combat is spent at the Random Play video store, where the Hollow Deep Dive (HDD) terminal serves as your mission hub. Commissions fall into three categories:

• Story Commissions – Main quests with cutscenes, dialogue, and a mix of combat and exploration.

• Combat Commissions – Pure battles, sometimes with time trials or specific objectives (e.g., defeat X enemies with a certain attack type).

• Exploration Commissions – Grid-based puzzles where your Bangboo avatar moves across tiles.

I treat the HDD like a chef's tasting menu: sample a bit of everything, but don't binge on one flavor or you'll burn out.

Squad Building: Harmony or Chaos

Your squad has up to three agents. The golden rule: matching factions or elements activates extra passives, shown by a yellow smiley face. For example, Soukaku (HSOS6) and Lycaon (Victoria Housekeeping) both use Ice, so their passives trigger together. But toss in Billy Kid (Cunning Hares, Fire), and his Third Starlight passive stays dormant. Building a squad is like assembling a jazz ensemble—each member must harmonize, or the performance collapses into cacophony.

Agent specializations matter too:

• Attack – Pure DPS.

• Defense – Survivability and protection.

• Stun – Builds daze meter for chain attacks.

• Support – Buffs and utility.

• Anomaly – Applies debuffs.

Leveling uses Investigator Logs for XP and Certification Seals every 10 levels for ascension. Familiar if you've played Genshin or Honkai: Star Rail.

Gear Up: W-Engines and Drive Discs

Agents come with default weapons, so gearing means equipping:

• W-Engines – Core components tied to specializations (e.g., Deep Sea Visitor boosts Ice damage for Attack types). High-tier ones come from gacha, but you can buy some at the Gadget Store on Sixth Street.

• Drive Discs – Up to six accessories with 2-piece and 4-piece bonuses. Purchase them from the Music Store across from Random Play.

Combat: Frenetic and Fluid

Combat is a blur of normal attacks, dodges (for temporary immunity), and specials. Energy pips below your HP meter govern special attacks: tap E for a basic special, or wait for a full gauge to unleash an EX special that interrupts enemies.

As you hit foes, their daze meter fills. When stunned, follow up with a heavy attack to trigger a chain attack. You can chain two times against elites and three times against bosses—choose your agents wisely, as each has unique chain effects.

The decibel gauge (left side of screen) fills to 3,000 points, letting you unleash an ultimate with Q. It's shared across your squad, so swap to whoever needs the spotlight.

Bangboo and Noodle Buffs

You can bring a Bangboo as a fourth party member. They act independently and join chain attacks. Think of them as a loyal pet that occasionally saves your hide.

Before tough fights, visit General Chop's noodle store on Sixth Street. For dennies, you get temporary buffs:

Grid Exploration and Resonium

Exploration Commissions use a grid where your Bangboo moves tile by tile. You'll push blocks, avoid corruption, and fight demon slime enemies. Funnel icons teleport you between layers. Collect Dennies, Polychrome, Gear Coins (to unlock paid tiles), and Ether Dewdrops (full HP restore).

Some grids, like the Qualification Assessment in Scott Outpost, drop Resonium cards. Examples:

• Critical: Tactical Goggles – +2 insight stacks.

• Critical: Muzzle Compensator – +15% crit damage from behind.

• Duel: Baseball Bat – Basic attacks inflict +10% more daze.

• Duel: Gong of Jubilation – Reduce enemy attack by 15% for 30 seconds after stun recovery.

Collect same-type cards to fuse stronger versions. It's a roguelike layer that rewards experimentation.

Side Activities and Progression

Press M to fast-travel and check unlocked areas for side quests and Mewmew's Medals objectives. The Inter-Knot (E key) is a social feed where you can filter "Help Request Info" for side quests. Everything grants Inter-Knot XP—your overall progression.

When you're stuck, head to the HIA Club for VR simulations. They farm Investigator Logs, W-Engine components, and Plating Agents, plus Inter-Knot XP. But they drain energy, which regenerates slowly. Buy coffee from Coff Cafe or spend Ether Batteries/Polychrome for +60 energy.

Your phone (Q) lets you text agents, schedule meetups, and boost trust. Check Partner Archive at the Random Play workbench. Minigames at God Finger arcade (Snake Duel, Soul Hounds) offer breaks. The Camera gadget (hold F, select, left-click) snaps photos for errands. And the Video Archive lets you rewatch cutscenes as VHS tapes.

Gacha Caution

Finally, remember this is a free-to-play gacha game. The Star-Studded Cast banner features six S-tier agents: Grace, Rina, Koleda, Nekomiya, Soldier 11, and Lycaon. But RNG can hand you junk W-Engines. The gacha system is like a slot machine disguised as a treasure chest—it's shiny, but the house always wins. Set a budget and stick to it.

That's my 2026 beginner's guide. New Eridu is a wild ride, but with these tips, you'll navigate the Hollows like a seasoned Proxy. Now go out there and make Belle and Wise proud. 🎮⚔️🍜