Walkthrough#

What Kind of Progression This Is#

Zenless Zone Zero is HoYoverse’s urban action RPG with roguelike elements. The core of progression isn’t any single character — it’s Inter-Knot Level growth, which gates commissions, Hollow regions, and features. This guide’s spine: raise Inter-Knot Level fast while spending each day’s limited Battery Charge wisely.

The growth arc: tutorial period → main line and level sprint → agent development → endgame loop. Unlike a conventional single-player campaign, everything here is bounded by daily Battery (cap 240, 1 per 6 minutes) and weekly resets — the planning skill is spending Charge where it counts, not “one-shotting the game.”

One piece of context first: since version 2.0 (June 6, 2025), Hollow exploration is primarily full 3D exploration, with the early TV-grid “array mode” only surviving in some content (old chapters were rebuilt into the maze-style mode). Older walkthroughs built around the TV grid are obsolete — read progression through the current forms.

Stage 1: Tutorial and First Pulls#

You’ve just taken over the Random Play video store. The opening story is about “getting to know Sixth Street,” and three skills matter: Hollow exploration, three-agent real-time combat, and fighting Ethereals.

Operation notes:

• Follow the store-management story beats to learn the dual Proxy/Agent perspective.
• Do not skip the perfect-dodge and Assist-attack tutorials — they’re the survival base for every boss ahead (details on the Combat System page).
• When Signal Search unlocks, pull the Standard channel directly: beginner rules are built in — first 5 ten-pulls at 20% off (8 Master Tapes each), first standard S-rank always an agent, guaranteed S-rank agent within 50 pulls. There is no separate beginner banner.
• Don’t rush Polychrome into any banner: max the standard freebies, figure out which specialty you enjoy, then aim Polychrome at Exclusive-channel targets.

Starting roster thinking: the story agents carry the early and mid game. Clear Chapter 1 with them first, learn whether you prefer Attack, Stun, Anomaly, Support, or Defense play — then decide your pull direction.

Stage 2: Main Line and the Level Sprint#

This stage’s core tension is “gated story commissions”: some main-line commissions require an Inter-Knot Level threshold or completed prerequisites — progress stalls on level walls. Ways through:

Level gates: the cap is 60, and levels 20/30/40/50 each require the promotion trial before further growth — the most common stall point. Dailies and side commissions are the main reputation/XP sources; when gated, work the list instead of waiting.

Side content and faction reputation: most side commissions come from factions; completing them raises that faction’s reputation and opens its shop rewards. After each new district in the story, loop back for side content — Inter-Knot XP plus reputation in one pass.

Exploration rhythm: current exploration is 3D — just route toward commission goals; only maze-mode content keeps grid-style pathing choices. Before entering Hollow Zero, collect everything the main-line commissions offer so you’re not underpowered going in.

Stage 3: Agent Development#

Once Inter-Knot Level stops being the bottleneck, the focus shifts to actually finishing a team:

1. Fix your main DPS: concentrate resources on one damage agent until they’re finished first.
2. Add the Stunner: the Stun specialty builds Daze fast and opens Chain Attack windows — the ignition switch of your damage loop.
3. Then support or defense: the last slot carries buffs or survival duty and tolerates lower stats.

Resource order: levels first, then core skill, then W-Engine, then Drive Discs — never spread Charge evenly across everyone.

Drive Disc thinking: early on, use transitional discs with correct main stats (slot 1 HP, slot 2 ATK, slot 3 DEF are fixed mains) and ignore god-tier substats; farm properly through the disc modes once the team nears endgame thresholds.

Stage 4: Endgame#

With a finished team, the loop becomes a long-term weekly rhythm:

• Shiyu Defense: rotating two-team score challenges — a stable Polychrome source.
• Hollow Zero: the roguelike Hollow run, building loadouts with Resonia buffs; sub-modes include deep survey runs, area exploration, and matrix operations.
• Deadly Assault and the other rotating challenges: on their own schedules — see the Challenge Modes page.
• Notorious Hunts: unlock at Inter-Knot 30 after the Chapter 2 interlude; 3 free weekly runs yielding core skill upgrade materials.

The endgame team standard: can you reliably clear Shiyu Defense’s later phases and Hollow Zero’s deep surveys? If your runs keep dying at the finish line, the problem is usually “Daze builds too slowly” or “damage windows missed” — go fix the Stunner-to-DPS loop instead of stat-stacking.

Resources and Charge Planning#

Chapters and Bosses: A Note#

Main-line and endgame content shifts with every update — chapter structures, stage names, and boss mechanics change often. To avoid stale info, this page doesn’t list specific chapter numbers or move tables; treat main-line progression as the loop “raise Inter-Knot Level → clear prerequisites → continue the story.”

Three indicators that the main line can advance:

1. Your Inter-Knot Level meets the commission’s requirement (mind the 20/30/40/50 promotion trials).
2. No unfinished prerequisite commissions remain.
3. Team investment reaches the recommended bar.

If any check fails, go back to the Stage 2 list and patch it — no brute-forcing.

Weekly and Version Rhythm#

Versions run roughly 42 days, each bringing a flagship event, new agent banners, and endgame adjustments. Don’t try to clear everything at once — handle time-limited rewards in the version’s final stretch.

Fixed weekly flow:

• Clear weekly resets first (3 Notorious Hunts, Hollow Zero weekly, current Shiyu Defense) to lock in this week’s income.
• Empty dailies each day.
• Prioritize event quests marked limited-time whose rewards include Polychrome or growth materials.

Common Progression Mistakes#

Closing the Loop#

ZZZ progression is one cycle: Inter-Knot-driven unlocks, daily-bounded Charge, and a long-term endgame grind. Run it like a cultivation plan — main line and level sprint, concentrate on one team, then settle into a stable weekly endgame — and limited resources will carry you smoothly.