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Download APPZenless Zone Zero Zhu Yuan Guide – Skills, Builds, Teams, & More
AlanLube
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10 Min read
AlanLube
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10 Min read Table of contents
Zenless Zone Zero Zhu Yuan Overview
Welcome to our Zenless Zone Zero character guide, where we cover everything you need to know about Zhu Yuan.
Zhu Yuan is an S Rank Agent from the CISRT Faction with the Ether Attribute and Attack Fighting Style. Zhu Yuan is a Limited Agent, meaning you can only obtain her from a limited-time banner. You can find more details about the ZZZ Gacha System here.
Upon the release of ZZZ, Zhu Yuan won’t be available immediately. The first limited Agent banner will be Ellen, followed by Zhu Yuan 3 weeks post release.
Zhu Yuan marks the second Agent with the Ether Attribute, and she’s currently the only Agent from CISRT (Criminal Investigation Special Response Team).
Because of this, her team possibilities are quite limited. However, she pairs easily with Nicole, a free character from Cunning Hares. This issue will also resolve as more Ether/CISRT Agents release in the future.
Let’s jump into the guide.
Zhu Yuan |
CISRT |
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S Rank |
Ether |
Attack |
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Zhu Yuan Skills/Abilities
Basic Attack 
Basic Attack: Don’t Move!
Assault Mode: Press Basic Attack Button to activate.
Unleash a flurry of martial arts, bullets, and Ether Buckshots in a series of up to 5 attacks, dealing Physical DMG and Ether DMG. Upon activation of the 5th hit, obtain 1 Enhanced Shotshell.
While using this skill, drag the joystick and press Basic Attack to activate Dash Attack: Firepower Offensive and readjust to face the selected direction. While under Assault Mode, hold Basic Attack to switch to Suppressive Mode.
Basic Attack: Please Do Not Resist
Suppressive Mode: Hold the Basic Attack Button to activate.
Unleash up to 3 Shotshell piercing attacks, dealing Physical DMG. If Zhu Yuan has Enhanced Shotshells upon firing, 1 Enhanced Shotshell will be consumed, dealing massive Ether DMG.
While using this skill, drag the joystick and press Basic Attack to activate her Dash Attack and readjust to face the selected direction.
While under Suppressive Mode, hold Basic Attack to switch to Assault Mode.
Dodge 
Dodge: Tactical Detour
Press Dodge to dodge. A rapid dodge. Character is invulnerable while using this skill.
Dash Attack: Firepower Offensive
Assault Mode
Press Basic Attack during a dodge to activate. Uses handgun to attack, dealing Physical DMG.
Dash Attack: Overwhelming Firepower
Suppressive Mode
Press Basic Attack during a dodge to activate. Unleashes a Shotshell piercing attack, dealing Physical DMG. If Zhu Yuan has Enhanced Shotshells upon firing, 1 Enhanced Shotshell will be consumed, dealing massive Ether DMG.
Dodge Counter: Defensive Counter
Press Basic Attack during a Perfect Dodge to activate. Shoots enemies in front with an Ether Buckshot, dealing Ether DMG. Character is invulnerable while using this skill.
Special Attack 
Special Attack: Buckshot Blast
Press Special Attack to activate. Shoots Ether Buckshots that deal Ether DMG. This can be repeated 3 times by rapidly tapping Special Attack. Anti-Interrupt level is increased while using this skill.
EX Special Attack: Full Barrage
When Zhu Yuan has enough Energy, press Special Attack to activate. Shoots a series of Ether Buckshots that explode and deal massive Ether DMG. Upon activation, gain 3 Enhanced Shotshells. Character is invulnerable while using this skill.
Chain Attack 
Chain Attack: Eradication Mode
When a Chain Attack is triggered, select the character to activate. Uses Modified Master Firearm to attack, firing lasers and seeking missiles to deal massive Ether DMG. Upon activation, gain 3 Enhanced Shotshells. Character is invulnerable while using this skill.
Ultimate: Claw Smash
When Decibel Rating is at Maximum, press Chain Attack to activate. Unleashes powerful slashes at enemies ahead in a large area, dealing massive Physical DMG. Character is invulnerable while using this skill.
Core Skill 
Core Passive: Special Ops Ammunition
When Zhu Yuan is under Suppressive Mode, using Enhanced Shotshells to attack increases her DMG by 20%. When attacking Stunned enemies, this DMG boost is further increased by 20%.
Additional Ability: Tactical Coordination
When another character in your squad shares the same Attribute or Faction:
Increases Zhu Yuan’s CRIT Rate by 30% for 10s after using an EX Special Attack, Chain Attack, or Ultimate.
Reactive Assist: Covering Fire
When the on-field character is launched, press Assist to activate. Shoots enemies in front with an Ether Buckshot, dealing Ether DMG. Character is invulnerable while using this skill.
Evasive Assist: Guarded Backup
When the character on the field is about to be attacked, press Assist to activate. Dodges the enemy’s attack and activates the Vital View. Character is invulnerable while using this skill.
Assist Follow-Up: Defensive Counter
Press Special Attack after an Evasive Assist to activate. Attack with a combination of martial arts and shotshells, dealing Physical DMG and Ether DMG. Upon activation, gain 3 Enhanced Shotshells. Character is invulnerable while using this skill.
Zhu Yuan Talents
| A | Quick Reload: When Zhu Yuan hits an enemy with Chain Attacks/Ultimates, gain the Quick Reload effect. When Zhu Yuan has the Quick Reload effect and uses up all Enhanced Shotshells, the Quick Reload effect will be consumed to instantly gain 6/9 Enhanced Shotshells. |
| B | Ether Ember: In Suppressive Mode, Zhu Yuan’s Anti-Interrupt level is increased and DMG taken reduced by 10%. When Zhu Yuan hits an enemy with Enhanced Shotshells, the target takes 10% more Basic Attack: Please Do Not Resist and Dash Attack: Overwhelming Firepower DMG, stacking up to 5 times and lasting for 5s. Each shot adds one stack of this effect, and repeated triggers reset the duration. |
| C | Public Security Special Training: Basic Attack, Dodge, Special Attack, and Chain Attack Lv. +2 |
| D | Ether Perforation: When Zhu Yuan hits an enemy with Enhanced Shotshells, her Basic Attack: Please Do Not Resist and Dash Attack: Overwhelming Firepower ignore 25% of the target’s Ether RES. |
| E | Special Ops Experience: Basic Attack, Dodge, Special Attack, and Chain Attack Lv. +2 |
| F | Expanded Energy Pack III: When Zhu Yuan consumes a total of 12 Enhanced Shotshells, she receives the Ether Afterglow effect, and the Energy cost of the next EX Special Attack is reduced by 30. Launching an EX Special Attack will consume Ether Afterglow and shoot an additional 4-bullet Ether Buckshot. Each extra bullet deals DMG equal to 220% of Zhu Yuan’s ATK. |
Zenless Zone Zero Zhu Yuan Build Guide Overview
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| W-Engine | Drive Disc | ||
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| Main Stat | Substats | ||
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As with all Attack Agents, building up Zhu Yuan’s personal damage will be the main goal. There are lots of ways to scale damage in this game with things like Crit, PEN, ATK, DMG bonuses, etc.
One thing to note is that a lot of Zhu Yuan’s damage is fairly split between Physical and Ether. While most Agents deal Physical damage with things like Basics, Zhu Yuan has more Physical DMG present than most. Once we’re able to do more testing on the released game, we can have a better idea of what the optimal build will be.
Zhu Yuan W-Engines
Riot Suppressor Mark VI |
ATK: 48/713 | Crit Damage: 19.2%/48% Increases Ether DMG by 25/31.5/38/44.5/50%. Launching an EX Special Attack grants the equipper 8 Charge stacks, stacking up to 8 times. Whenever the equipper’s Basic Attack or Dash Attack deals Ether DMG, consumes a Charge stack and increases the skill’s DMG by 45/56/67/78/90%. |
Cannon Rotor |
ATK: 40/594 | Crit Rate: 8%/20% Increases CRIT Rate by 8/9.2/10.4/11.6/12.8%. Attacks that land a CRIT on an enemy will inflict an additional 275% of ATK as DMG. This effect can only be triggered once every 8/7.5/7/6.5/6s. |
When it comes to W-Engines in ZZZ, every Agent has a signature weapon. You can definitely tell as one W-Engine will match the aesthetic and kit of every character.
For Zhu Yuan, her signature W-Engine is Riot Suppressor Mark VI. This W-Engine is also Limited, meaning you can only obtain it during the limited-time banner.
As expected, the Engine has very high base stats for both ATK and Crit. The passive also gives a ton of extra damage, scaling up Zhu Yuan’s Ether DMG.
If you don’t have this W-Engine, most other A Rank Engines will suffice. You can also use other S Rank W-Engines as a stat stick. While the passive may not apply to Zhu Yuan, they still will have high base stats as an S Rank.
Cannon Rotor is an example of a flexible Attack Engine. The passive applies to basically every Attack Agent, making it a solid universal option. Any other A Rank Engine with a usable passive will work as well.
Zhu Yuan Drive Discs
Woodpecker Electro |
(2): Increases CRIT Rate by 8%. (4): Triggering a critical hit with a Basic Attack, Dodge Counter or EX Special Attack increases the equippers ATK by 9% for 6s. The buff duration for different skills are calculated separately. |
Chaotic Metal |
(2): Increases Ether DMG by 10%. (4): Whenever a squad member inflicts Corruption on an enemy, that enemy takes 18% more damage for 12s. Passive effects of the same name do not stack. |
Fanged Metal |
(2): Increases Physical DMG by 10%. (4): Whenever a squad member inflicts Assault on an enemy, the equipper deals 35% increased damage to the target for 12s. |
Usually, we recommend Attack Agents to equip Woodpecker Electro + the Metal set that corresponds to their Attribute. For most Attack Agents, you can usually equip either one as 4/2. However, for Zhu Yuan, things are a bit different.
Chaotic Metal is unique in that it applies a debuff to the enemy rather than buff the holder. Because of this, Zhu Yuan doesn’t have to be the Agent wearing Chaotic Metal (4).
With the current roster, you’re very likely pairing Zhu Yuan with Nicole. If Nicole is holding Chaotic Metal (4), Zhu Yuan will not need to. You can then run Woodpecker (4) and Chaotic (2).
In the future, if you are running Zhu Yuan in a CISRT team without Nicole/Ether Support, you can then put Chaotic Metal (4) on Zhu Yuan. You can also do this if Nicole is wearing a different set other than Chaotic Metal (4).
Lastly, you can mix and match multiple 2-piece bonuses for small buffs all around. Crit Rate, Ether DMG, Physical DMG, ATK%, Energy Regen%, etc.
Zhu Yuan Drive Disc Stats
Main Stats
- (4) Crit Rate%/Crit DMG%
- (5) PEN Ratio%/Ether DMG%
- (6) ATK%/Energy Regen%
When it comes to Main Stats, every piece is important to further increase the damage of Attack Agents.
Crit Rate and DMG are ideal for Partition IV, since the other two Partitions can’t have Crit Main Stats. Ether DMG and PEN Ratio are two more strong offensive Main Stats for Partition V. Lastly, you have the option of ATK% or Energy Regen% for Partition VI. Both are good, but more testing will be done to see which is better.
Substats
- Crit Rate%/Crit DMG%
- PEN
- ATK%
- ATK
When it comes to Substats, things are mostly the same. Crit, PEN, and ATK are all great Substats to increase the personal damage of Zhu Yuan.
Anomaly can be a nice bonus, but shouldn’t take priority over Crit/ATK/PEN stats. Most of your damage will come from traditional multipliers rather than Anomaly.
Zhu Yuan Skill Priority
Once the game releases, we’ll update this section. In general, leveling up an Agent’s Core Passive is the most effective, as this levels up their Core Passive, Additional Ability, and Assist Moves.
Zhu Yuan Teams
As with all characters, Zhu Yuan pairs best with other Agents that are either the same Attribute or Faction. This activates her Additional Ability, which provides strong passive buffs.
This puts Zhu Yuan in a difficult position, since there are no other Agents in CISRT. Furthermore, there is only one Agent with the Ether Attribute, Nicole.
Zhu Yuan Team
Zhu Yuan, Anby, Nicole
Currently, this is our only recommended team for Zhu Yuan. Since Nicole is the only Agent that shares the same Attribute, having her on the team is of utmost importance.
The last slot is flexible for a Stun/Anomaly/Defense Agent, but we pick Anby as her Additional Ability will also activate alongside Nicole. The other two Cunning Hares options are Billy and Nekomata, neither of which synergize with this team.
While this team may not have the highest ceiling, it’s very approachable since Anby and Nicole are both free Agents you receive at the start of the game.
As more Agents release, there will be more opportunities for Zhu Yuan to shine. If her DPS on release is strong enough to rival top teams even with two F2P teammates, the future will only be brighter.
Closing Words
This wraps up our guide for Zhu Yuan in Zenless Zone Zero.
Since Zhu Yuan is releasing as the second Limited Banner of 1.0, there is debate on who to pull for. Ellen is Ice Attribute, and she already has a strong team with Agents like Lycaon being Ice/Stun.
However, Zhu Yuan is easier to build around with Anby/Nicole. Either way, both units will likely be strong Agents to carry your account. If you pull Lycaon on the Standard Banner, maybe Ellen is the better choice.
If you enjoy Zhu Yuan’s playstyle or enjoy Ether Agents, pulling for Zhu Yuan will be better. You can then save up for a future Agent that synergizes with her.
