New Eridu Ethereals
Zzz is hardly a snooze
Guide by James Billcliffe Guides Editor
Published on
Zenless Zone Zero is a brand-new fantasy RPG from Hoyoverse - the Singapore-based subsidiary of MiHoYo of Genshin Impact fame - where you control a cast of diverse characters taking on Ethereal ghouls and high-tech troopers across the city of New Eridu.
It’s flashy, 3rd-person action at its best on mobile and pc, creating an explosive light show as you pummel baddies to a pulp with over-the-top ultimate abilities and flurries of pounding basic attacks.
While you’re going to be doing the much of the same thing with the whole roster - beating up unsuspecting Ethereals and watching bigger and bigger numbers pop out of them - there’s still some tough choices to be made.
Who from the wide array of Zenless Zone Zero characters is going to be your main? Who’s going to round out the rest of your team? And who should you avoid?
However, with this run-down of the full Zenless Zone Zero roster so far that task just got a little bit easier.
Zenless Zone Zero Character Roster
So far in the closed beta there are 12 Zenless Zone Zero characters available to play with:
Zenless Zone Zero | New SOLDIER 11 Unlockable Character Gameplay - Skills & Ultimate's - Lycaon - Wolf Kickboxer
A mobile and acrobatic hero with a lot of single-target power, Lycaon deals fast damage in ultra-quick combos with short lulls in between as he swaps to the next move in his arsenal.
He’s a fun and versatile character capable of shortening distances and rushing enemies down, just try not to think about the inevitable fan art that’s probably already out there.
- Nekomiya - Cat Girl fast close-quarters-combat
Nekomiya sees the mobility on offer elsewhere and takes things up yet another level, bouncing around the arena with blink-and-you’ll-miss-it speed.
The range of her twin short daggers is limited, but her movement ability is such that she can close distances and isolate enemies with ease.
- Ben - Big bear rocket launcher
“Big bear with a rocket launcher” is a big promise to make good on, but luckily Ben delivers all you want and more.
Combining huge crowd control capability and explosive ammunition, he’s great for when you just need to blow stuff up.
Zenless Zone Zero | Anby, Billy and Nicole Character Gameplay - Skills & Ultimate's - Billy - Rapid dual guns
Billy is like a cross between the ranged combat in Devil May Cry and Diablo’s Demon Hunter class.
As well as long-ranged potshots with his pistols to hold enemies at bay from a distance, he can slide around the battlefield and fire his guns in a quick circle for crowd control.
- Nicole - Huge cannon
The heavier ranged option, Nicole’s giant gun can also be used as a melee weapon at close range where she literally bashes bad guys with it like a briefcase.
While her attacks are slightly slower, the large area-of-effect blasts are even more powerful than you might first expect, effectively dealing with groups of enemies.
- Miyabi - Fox-eared katana
Miyabi is a great blend of power, mobility and range, as her quick katana strikes whip around the battlefield with devastating blue light.
Another versatile melee fighter capable of taking on anything New Eridu can throw at her, she stands out thanks to her unique spirit abilities.
Zenless Zone Zero | Koleda, Anton and Ben Character Gameplay - Skills & Ultimate's - Aokaku - Oni girl axe-wielder
Probably one of the closest things Zenless Zone Zero has to a slow character other than Ben, Aokaku is the typical heavy-weapon-wielding high-damage hero on the roster.
What she lacks in basic speed however she makes up for with a wide attacking range and specials and ultimates that dish out hits a lot more quickly.
- Anton - Badass drill master
Despite his badass billing, Anton might not seem that exciting on first playing with him, but once you realise his ability to mix up short and medium ranged melee attacks his utility becomes clear.
Good area-of-effect and ground pound moves make him a good allrounder.
- Koleda - Fast dual hammers
Koleda’s hammer-wielding attack style is a lot of fun to watch as she leaps into the air during combos.
She’s quite focused on what’s immediately in front of her - you wouldn’t expect someone that size to have much range - but she’s capable of flitting around levels between targets with ease.
Zenless Zone Zero | Corin, Unagi, Nekomiya Character Gameplay - Skills & Ultimate's - Anby - Fast lightning sword
A nippy and solid melee character, Anby has the added advantage of elemental electrical attacks, imbuing her sword with blue lightning damage.
Her long strides close distance very quickly, so she also has a longer effective range than the length of her sword would suggest.
- Soldier 11 - Clone fire attacks
Like Anby, but fire - what more can you ask for?
- Corin - Maid Chainsaw
A unique fighter who deals ultra-fast repeated damage to enemies as she revs her chainsaw, Corin is going to be a popular character regardless of whether she’s good or not.
While the jury’s still out on that one, we’re leaning towards the former, since her damage output seems great and feels good to play.
To get a sense of how all of the characters play, check out the embedded video from our friends at Arekkz gaming below. While some of the characters are described specifically as “fast”, given the rapid pace of slow-motion inducing dodges and the game in general, no one is particularly slow.
However, each has their own personality, quirks and fun animations to stand out from the crowd.
Zenless Zone Zero - 15.3 Seconds of New Gameplay for All Characters Closed Beta Test! Zenless Zone Zero Ultimates
Each character in Zenless Zone Zero has a devastating ultimate ability to wipe out whole waves of enemies or put a dent in even the worthiest of foes.
To save you some time in testing them all out, here’s a mashup of every single one available in the game at the moment, again from our friends at Arekkz Gaming:
Zenless Zone Zero - All Character Ultimates Closed Beta Test Gameplay 