All Hidden Inputs for Characters in Zenless Zone Zero – Destructoid
Zenless Zone Zero has often been compared to fighting games due to its input-based abilities for certain characters. While most characters’ abilities are well-documented, some have inputs that are either not listed in any moveset or are so obscure they can easily be overlooked—until now.
All Hidden Character Inputs in Zenless Zone Zero
To be clear, not every character in Zenless Zone Zero has an obscured input, but many have special mechanics tied to their abilities that are not obvious. As I go down the list, I’ll make sure to highlight which mechanics, moves, and/or abilities are hidden outright or are just not out in the open, bugs excluded.
Nicole
Nicole is probably the character with the most impactful hidden moves (plural), as they directly affect her performance and are important to make use of thanks to her supportive capabilities. Her EX Skill, Stuffed Sugarcoated Bullet, has three variants, and depending on how you input the move, changes the end result of the skill.
By performing a full-circle motion (moving the stick 360 degrees or pressing WASD in circular secession) during the start-up charge of Nicole’s EX skill, if you hold her charge, she performs a secondary version of the move that lets her charge longer than the standard. You’ll know if you succeeded because Nicole will sit down on her suitcase while charging. The result is a longer-lasting Ether orb (if you have her Cineima level for this functionality). This allows Nicole to shred enemy defenses longer, which is a big help for DPS.
The second variant also requires you to perform a full-circle motion during her EX skill’s start up, but instead of holding, release the charge just after you perform the hidden input. Doing so will allow Nicole to fire off her EX skill faster than normal with the added benefit of it being launched like a mortar at her target enemy, allowing it to bypass enemies in the way of her intended target. You’ll know if you performed this one correctly if Nicole falls down while casting her skill.
Lucy
Lucy’s secretive input isn’t nearly as important as Nicole’s in terms of functionality, but it does have a use if you want to constantly inflict her Fire Damage over her standard Physical during her basic attack string. It’s also easy to perform: no crazy circular inputs here.
When Lucy performs the fourth attack in her basic attack string (the one that causes her Guard Boars to spin), you can click again to finish her string with her fifth and final basic attack. However, if you continue clicking past this point, instead of Lucy restarting at the first attack in her string, she will repeatedly use her fourth and fifth attacks endlessly until you stop pressing basic attack. This is useful because her fourth basic attack deals pure Fire damage, which helps build up the Burn status effect.
Koleda
Koleda doesn’t have a secret input, but she does have a very useful obscured mechanic that is easy to overlook if you’re not paying attention. There’s no need to perform it because it happens automatically, but you do need to be conscious of it, to make use of it.
During the fourth attack in Koleda’s basic attack string (the one that launches her into the air), Koleda is completely invulnerable to all forms of damage while she remains airborne. This means that Koleda does not need to dodge often if you can time her fourth attack to land during the enemy’s attack. Useful if you’re trying to reach her final attack to activate her EX skill for stunning.
Anby
Anby is a pretty basic character, all things considered, but she does have one useful hidden input that will allow her to land her stun combo slightly faster. This input is easy to pull off, but only if you know when to actually use it.
During the third attack in Anby’s basic attack string (the one that makes the hilt of her sword glow blue for a second), you can hold down the basic attack to perform her Thunderbolt move, which does a lot of stun damage, and a lot of damage to enemies that are stunned. This is normal for her.
However, while her sword hilt is glowing blue, you can, instead, use her EX Skill mid-combo, which makes it come out faster, removing the start-up frames from the move. More so, while Anby is airborne, if you hold basic attack, Anby will pick up her basic attack string where she left off, allowing you to go straight into her Thunderbolt move right after her EX Skill. The benefit is a slightly faster version of her typical stun-building combo.
Zhu Yuan
Zhu Yuan, surprisingly, has quite a few obscured mechanics in some of her moveset. While none of it requires any crazy additional inputs like Nicole, there are a few things you’ll want to know about if you’re playing her.
Starting with the biggest impact mechanics, Zhu Yuan has several invulnerability frames in her moveset. The first is during her fourth basic attack in her basic attack string (the one that makes her do an aerial backflip). During the flip portion, she cannot be hit by any attack. This is useful because the fourth basic attack also restores ammo to her gun, which is highly important for her DPS.
Zhu Yuan is also fully invulnerable anytime she is in the middle of her strafing dash basic (while she is diving either left or right, firing her gun). Speaking of her strafing dash basic, if you press Dodge, any directional input, and basic attack together at any time during any of her combos, she will perform her strafing dash basic, This is extremely useful for safe repositioning since many of her attacks launch you toward the enemy without additional input.
Lastly, if you continue pressing Zhu Yuan’s basic attack following her third basic attack, without throwing in any additional inputs, she will continuously perform her third, fourth, and fifth basic attack string without needing to start at the beginning. This is useful because the fourth attack in her string restores one ammo. However, because of how long this sequence is, it may be hard to get off against aggressive enemies.