Glossary
Lost at Mindscape, Anomaly or Drive Disc? 28 Zenless Zone Zero terms explained in plain language, each linked to the page where it matters.
28 terms
Account progress
Agent
The playable characters you control in battle — your team's fighters.
Agents are the playable characters. Each has an Attribute (Fire, Ice, Electric...), a Specialty/role (Attack, Support, Stun...), and their own skill set. You build a team of 3 Agents to fight. Agents come in two rarities: S (strongest) and A. You strengthen them via level, skills, and Mindscape. They are the main thing you pull from the gacha.
Denny
The everyday in-game money used to upgrade almost everything.
Denny is the basic currency, not a premium one. You spend Denny to level Agents, enhance W-Engines, upgrade Drive Discs, and buy from shops. You earn it from quests, resource farming, and daily activities. The more you play, the more Denny you need, so don't waste it — but it isn't rare like Polychrome. Running out of Denny is a common upgrade "roadblock" for beginners.
Additional Ability (Faction Bonus)
A personal buff that only activates when a teammate shares the agent's Faction or Attribute; build the team right and you get it for free.
Each agent has a strong Additional Ability that only turns on when the team meets a condition: usually a teammate of the same Faction (e.g. Cunning Hares, New Eridu Public Security…) OR the same Attribute. Meeting just ONE of the two is enough. Some agents differ, requiring a teammate of a specific Specialty (Support, Stun…) rather than a matching element. This is why players build 'same-faction' or 'same-element' teams — to avoid losing this important buff.
Combat
Bangboo
The cute little robot that joins your team and helps out automatically in battle.
A Bangboo is the 4th companion in your squad (besides your 3 Agents). They act on their own — attacking, restoring energy, or buffing depending on type. Bangboo also come in S and A rarity and are pulled on their own channel using Boopons. Duplicate S Bangboo become "Bangboo cores" that level up its skills. Picking a Bangboo that fits your team smooths out combat, but it isn't essential for beginners.
Core Skill
Each Agent's signature "core" skill that drives most of its damage.
A Core Skill is each Agent's signature ability — usually a strong passive that defines how they play. It levels up separately using dedicated materials, across several ranks. It's one of the highest-priority upgrades because it noticeably boosts damage. When building an Agent, don't forget to push the Core Skill alongside level and W-Engine.
Attribute Anomaly
Hit an enemy with the same element enough times to fill a hidden gauge; when it fills, they suffer a status effect (Burn, Shock, Freeze…) and take extra damage.
Each element has its own Anomaly: Fire causes Burn, Electric causes Shock, Ice causes Freeze/Frostbite, Physical causes Assault, Ether causes Corruption. Landing that element builds an invisible buildup gauge; when it fills, the effect triggers and the enemy takes damage over time. This is the main damage source for Anomaly-role teams. How fast the gauge fills scales with Anomaly Mastery, while the damage when it pops scales with Anomaly Proficiency.
Disorder
When an enemy already has one Anomaly and you apply a different one, the two clash and burst into a big damage spike called Disorder.
Disorder needs two agents of different elements: the first applies Anomaly A, the second stacks Anomaly B within about 10 seconds, and the burst is calculated from the Anomaly A that gets consumed. It is a huge damage source for dual-anomaly teams. Since version 3.0, a Wind agent on the team makes Vortex replace Disorder. In practice, keep cycling two different Anomalies to trigger Disorder repeatedly.
Daze / Stun
Hitting an enemy fills their Daze bar; at 100% they get Stunned, stand helpless, and take much more damage for a short window.
Every enemy has a Daze bar; landing hits raises it, faster or slower depending on your Impact stat. When it fills, the enemy is Stunned: frozen in place, bar turns rainbow, and they take a fixed extra chunk of damage. This is the moment to fire a Chain Attack and dump your biggest damage. Stun-role agents specialize in filling this bar quickly.
Chain Attack
When an enemy is Stunned, the game lets you pick another agent to leap in with a powerful hit, chaining several agents in a row.
When an enemy is Stunned and you have two or more agents, two portraits pop up to choose from; the chosen agent leaps in, is briefly invulnerable, and lands a big hit. You can chain from agent to agent, usually up to 3 in a row (some support Bangboo push it to 4). This is your main damage window, so save your strongest DPS for the finisher. Tap the moment a portrait lights up so you don't miss it.
Quick Assist
When your active agent gets knocked back, a teammate's portrait flashes red; tap to swap in a fresh agent who jumps in and keeps attacking without losing tempo.
Quick Assist is different from Perfect Assist (parry): it triggers when your agent is launched, knocked back, or staggered. A teammate's portrait flashes red, and tapping swaps them in safely to continue the combo. This keeps your offense flowing instead of stalling when you get hit. It is a basic team-rotation skill, and getting used to it makes your combat far smoother.
Perfect Dodge
Dodge at the exact moment the enemy's attack flashes yellow/orange; time it right and everything slows down, giving you an opening to counter.
Just before an enemy strikes, a yellow or orange flash warns you. Dodging right then is a Perfect Dodge: you take no damage and the game briefly slows down. Immediately press Basic Attack to launch a Dodge Counter and hit back. This is the defensive option for players who like dodging themselves; those who prefer safety can use Perfect Assist (swap in to parry) instead.
Perfect Assist (Defensive / Parry)
When an attack flashes gold, swap to another agent so they leap in to parry the blow, blocking it and building a chunk of Daze.
Perfect Assist is an umbrella term covering two kinds: Defensive Assist (the actual parry) and Evasive Assist, depending on the agent. When an attack flashes gold, tap to swap: the incoming agent blocks the blow, builds lots of Daze, and usually interrupts the enemy. Then press Basic Attack right away for an Assist Follow-Up. Compared with dodging yourself, this is more forgiving since you only need to swap on time, which suits beginners afraid of missing dodge timing.
Drive Discs
W-Engine
The weapon you equip on an Agent to boost its power — the character's gear-weapon.
A W-Engine is an Agent's weapon. Each gives base stats (like ATK) plus a special effect, and works best on an Agent of the matching role/attribute. They come in S, A, and B rarity. An Agent's "signature" S W-Engine is usually strongest for them, but free A/B W-Engines are fine early on. W-Engines can be pulled on their own channel.
Drive Disc
The 6-slot gear you equip on an Agent to raise stats — like its armor and accessories.
Drive Discs are gear split across 6 slots (I to VI). Equipping 4 or 2 discs of the same set unlocks strong set bonuses. Each disc has a main stat and random substats and is leveled with materials to raise stats. This is the long-term "farming" that powers up your Agents, like relics/artifacts in other HoYo games. Matching the right set and stats to an Agent matters more than rarity alone.
Impact
The stat that decides how fast you fill an enemy's Daze bar; the higher your Impact, the sooner they get Stunned.
Impact only affects how quickly the Daze bar builds, not your regular damage. Stun-role agents have high Impact, so they break enemies' balance fast and open the Chain Attack window for the whole team. Beginners often confuse Impact with damage and stack it on their DPS, but usually only Stun agents should prioritize it. In short: Impact is a 'stunning tool,' not a 'damage tool.'
Anomaly Mastery vs Anomaly Proficiency
Two easily confused Anomaly stats: Mastery makes Anomalies build up FASTER, while Proficiency makes them HIT HARDER.
BE CAREFUL with the names in each language because they clash. The stat that fills the Anomaly buildup FASTER (each point +1% buildup rate): English Anomaly Mastery, Chinese 異常掌控, Korean 이상 장악, Japanese 異常掌握. The stat that makes Anomalies deal MORE DAMAGE (each point +1% Anomaly DMG): English Anomaly Proficiency, Chinese 異常精通, Korean 이상 숙련, but Japanese is 異常マスタリー — it sounds like 'Mastery' yet is actually the DAMAGE stat! On an Anomaly team, supports want Mastery (fast anomaly application) and the DPS wants Proficiency (hard hits). Analogy: Mastery is like Crit Rate (frequency), Proficiency like Crit DMG (power).
PEN (Penetration)
A stat that ignores part of the enemy's Defense so your hits pierce through and deal more damage.
PEN comes in two forms: flat PEN (a fixed amount of Defense ignored) and PEN Ratio (a percentage of Defense ignored). The more Defense an enemy has, the more valuable PEN becomes, since raw ATK gets less efficient there. PEN creates no new damage on its own; it makes each existing hit hurt more by drilling through defense. For most regular content, prioritize PEN only when a character or Drive Disc set is built to benefit from it.
Gacha & Resources
Polychrome
The premium currency you spend to get gacha pulls — the game's gems.
Polychrome is the main premium currency. You earn it from quests, events, logins, or by buying it. You convert Polychrome into Master Tapes (standard pulls) or Encrypted Master Tapes (limited pulls): 160 Polychrome = 1 pull. It's the "wallet" you save up to pull the Agent/W-Engine you want. Don't spend it randomly — save for characters you truly like.
Master Tape
The pull ticket for the standard, always-available pool.
A Master Tape is the ticket for the standard "Star-Studded Cast" channel — home to permanent Agents and W-Engines. You get it from Polychrome (160 = 1) or for free. The standard pool never rotates, and it has a milestone: at 300 total pulls you freely SELECT one standard S Agent. Hard pity for an S here is 90 pulls. Beginners should usually prioritize saving for the limited pool instead.
Encrypted Master Tape
The pull ticket for the limited, time-featured pool.
An Encrypted Master Tape is the ticket for limited channels: the featured Agent (Exclusive) channel and the featured W-Engine channel. You convert it from Polychrome (160 = 1). It is SEPARATE from Master Tapes and its pity counts on its own, not shared with the standard pool. The limited Agent channel has a 90 hard pity with a 50/50; the W-Engine channel has an 80 pity and a 75% chance for the featured W-Engine. This is the ticket you use to grab newly released characters.
Mindscape Cinema
A special power-up you unlock by getting DUPLICATE copies of an Agent — from M0 (base) to M6 (full).
Mindscape (Mindscape Cinema) is an upgrade system fueled by duplicate copies of an Agent, similar to Constellations/Eidolons in other HoYo games. Owning an Agent once = M0; each duplicate unlocks one level, up to M6. Each level boosts power or adds new effects to their skills. M6 is the strongest "full" state but costs a LOT. Beginners do NOT need to chase M6 — M0 clears even hard content fine.
Signal Search
ZZZ's gacha system — where you roll for Agents, W-Engines, and Bangboo.
Signal Search is the name of ZZZ's gacha system. It has 4 channels: limited Agent (Exclusive), limited W-Engine, the standard "Star-Studded Cast" pool, and the Bangboo channel. You pull with Master Tapes (standard) or Encrypted Master Tapes (limited), both converted from Polychrome. The base S-rank rate is about 1%, with a guaranteed pity and milestone rewards. It's the main gateway to characters, so understanding it helps you spend resources wisely.
Pity
The "pull enough times and an S is guaranteed" mechanic — you can't stay unlucky forever.
Pity is the maximum number of pulls before an S Agent/W-Engine is guaranteed. In ZZZ: the Agent channels (standard and limited) have a hard pity of 90; the W-Engine and Bangboo channels have 80. Around pull 75 the odds ramp up sharply ("soft pity"). Separately, every 10 pulls guarantees at least one A-rank item. Your pity count is saved and tracked separately per channel type, and it doesn't reset if you take a break.
50/50 & Guarantee
When you hit an S on the limited pool: 50% it's the featured one; miss, and the NEXT S is guaranteed.
50/50 & guarantee is the rule of the limited Agent (Exclusive) channel. When you hit an S Agent, there's a 50% chance it's the featured one; if you miss (get a different standard S Agent), you get a "guarantee": your next S is CERTAIN to be the featured Agent. So at worst 180 pulls secures the limited Agent. The W-Engine channel works similarly but with better odds: 75% for the featured W-Engine, guaranteed on the next hit if you miss. Your "guaranteed" status carries over between banners.
Residual Signal
Reward points you earn from every pull, spent at the Signal Shop.
Residual Signal is a bonus point you earn from EVERY pull on any channel. You collect it and spend it at the Signal Shop for Master Tapes, Encrypted Master Tapes, and a few other items — usually best spent on Encrypted Master Tapes. Because of it, pulling a lot is never fully "wasted": every roll builds a little toward future pulls. On the standard pool, more pulls also get you closer to the 300-pull free-select milestone, and this leftover currency is a steady consolation reward.
Endgame
Shiyu Defense
An endgame mode where you clear bosses with two teams under a time limit to earn stars and rewards, refreshing periodically.
Shiyu Defense is like Genshin's Spiral Abyss or HSR's Memory of Chaos: endgame content to test your teams. It has three node types: Stable, Disputed, and Critical. Critical nodes score on clear speed within a time limit, while Disputed nodes instead ask you to survive without losing an agent. You need two strong teams because tough floors usually split into two halves. It is a steady source of Polychrome for mid-to-high level players.
Deadly Assault
A hard boss-rush endgame mode where you rack up as many points as possible in 3 minutes; bosses rotate every two weeks with rich rewards.
Deadly Assault is a permanent high-difficulty mode added in version 1.4, rotating with Shiyu Defense's Critical node every two weeks. You fight enhanced versions of story bosses, each with new, harder mechanics. The goal is to pile up as many points as possible within three minutes, usually across three teams for three bosses. It is a challenge for well-built accounts, rewarding lots of Polychrome and resources. Just aim to clear the reward thresholds first; topping the leaderboard can wait.
Hollow Zero
A roguelike exploration mode where you move through randomized maze tiles, pick up temporary buffs, and fight for rewards.
Hollow Zero is a repeatable exploration mode: each run generates a random tile map where you move square by square, meeting enemies and events, and grabbing temporary buffs that last only for that run. Going deeper makes you stronger, but an 'Ether corruption' mechanic punishes lingering too long. It is a steady source of upgrade materials and currency, with weekly rewards. Beginners can treat Hollow Zero as relaxed 'play-and-farm' content that doesn't demand a perfect build to enter.
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