Zenless Zone Zero Beginner Guide 2026 - Best Starter Characters & Who to Build First
Short version: the free starter trio 
Anby-
Nicole-
Billy (the Cunning Hares) already carries you through the early main story, and Nicole is the one to build first since she's essentially the only free support who shreds enemy DEF by -40%. Don't bother rerolling — just playing normally guarantees an S-Rank Agent within your first 50 pulls. A-ranks like 
Anton, 
Grace and 
Soldier 11 are worth raising early because they're cheap, but the current tier list places them at B for endgame, so treat them as a stepping stone rather than a permanent destination.
The free trio Anby, Nicole, Billy: who should you build first?
Straight talk: ZZZ hands you three characters right at the start — Anby, Nicole, and Billy — forming the Cunning Hares team, strong enough to carry the entire main story and even the early floors of Shiyu Defense without a single extra pull.
If you need a build order, prioritize Nicole first: she's essentially the only free support who shreds enemy DEF by up to -40%, a team-wide damage multiplier no other free character replaces. After Nicole comes Billy, an easy-to-M6 main DPS, then Anby to learn the Stunner role.
AnbyStun - free agent, learn basic Daze combosNicoleSupport - shreds enemy DEF by -40%, build her firstBillyAttack - ranged DPS, extremely easy to M65 Attributes + 5 Specialties, explained fast
ZZZ has 5 main Attributes — Physical, Fire, Ice, Electric, Ether (plus Wind in later patches) — and 5 role Specialties: Attack carries the main damage, Stun builds Daze to open a stun window, Anomaly spreads elemental effects to trigger Disorder, Support handles buffs/debuffs/energy, and Defense tanks hits to keep the team alive.
A solid team always needs at least one Attack (or an Anomaly + Stun combo) plus one Support. Learn these 5 roles before pulling gacha so you don't waste Polychrome on a character your team already has covered.
A-ranks worth raising early: Anton, Grace, Soldier 11
These three A-ranks are cheap and easy to pull off the standard banner, exactly what most starter guides point beginners toward — but raise them with the right expectations. Anton is a very cheap Electric DPS who only shines once a partner has already applied Shock, and he's one of the most Energy-hungry agents in the game, so prioritize Crit Rate = Crit DMG before Energy Regen.
Grace is a pure Anomaly unit — do NOT build Crit, since her base Crit is only 5%/50% — and instead stack Anomaly Proficiency to apply background Shock for an Attacker to feed on. Soldi
er 11 is a dead-simple Fire Attacker: run her enchanted Basic string for steady damage with zero anomaly management.
Straight talk so you don't get attached too hard: per GameVika's current tier list, Anby, Nicole and Grace sit at A-tier while Anton, Billy and Soldier 11 sit at B-tier for endgame in the 3.0 meta — great for early/mid game, but they'll fall behind once you hit the tougher Shiyu Defense floors. Treat these A-ranks as a stepping stone for learning mechanics and balancing your budget, not a forever pick.
AntonElectric DPS - the game's most Energy-hungry agent, needs a Shock-applier partnerGraceElectric Anomaly - no Crit build, stack Anomaly Proficiency insteadSoldier 11Fire DPS - point-and-shoot Basic string, the simplest of the threeA suggested starter team lineup
The simplest option is running the full free Cunning Hares team: Billy stands and fires Standing Shot, Nicole groups enemies and shreds DEF before you swap Billy in, and Anby builds Daze to open the stun window for a team burst. If your roster already has Grace or Anton, pairing Grace's background Shock with Anton's Burst Mode crits is another cheap Electric team that fits the 'easy A-rank' theme. For a lineup tailored to characters you actually own, plug your roster into GameVika's team builder instead of guessing.
Is rerolling worth it?
Straight answer: for most players, no. Each reroll takes 30-40 minutes and needs a fresh email since ZZZ has no guest accounts, while simply playing normally already guarantees an S-Rank Agent within your first 50 pulls on the standard Star-Studded Cast banner. The free starter trio already carries the early game, so the time spent rerolling usually isn't worth it compared to spending that time farming real resources. To track the pity ceiling and 50/50 odds for long-term pull planning, check GameVika's pity tool.
Check your account to know who to build next
Instead of guessing, plug your UID into GameVika's UID tool to see exactly who you own and which role you're missing, then cross-check it against the build data above. If your Drive Discs feel off-target, use the disc scoring tool to see which sets are worth keeping and which to farm again — so you don't waste both Polychrome on the wrong character and upgrade materials on the wrong disc.
Bottom line: start cheap, level up in the right order
New ZZZ players don't need to rush the gacha on day one. Build Nicole first for a DEF-shred no other free character replaces, learn the Stunner role with Anby, run Billy as your main DPS, then add Anton/Grace/Soldier 11 if your roster is missing an element. Skip the reroll grind, and before pulling a new banner check GameVika's banner schedule, redeem codes, or tier list to pull at the right time on the right agent.
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