Summary
After a successful launch,Zenless Zone Zerois bringing new content, characters, and banners in its 1.1 update, the first major patch for the game since its initial release. HoYoverse’s third major release following the breakout success of theopen-worldGenshin Impactand turn-based RPGHonkai: Star Rail,ZZZis more firmly in action game territory, emulating the likes ofBayonetta,Devil May Cry, and, most closely, one of the studio’s somewhat less popular titles,Honkai Impact 3rd.
Despite the difference in genres, however,ZZZdoes share manysimilarities with bothGenshinandStar Rail, most notably in terms of update scheduling — all three games tend to follow a six-week patch cadence, with several smaller “interval” patches between the major “x.0” patches which happen roughly once a year. Importantly, however, even the smaller patches between major updates introduce new events, story content, and character banners, creating plenty of reasons for players to constantly keep up with each game.
Zenless Zone Zero 1.1 Leak Shows Off New S-Rank Bangboo
A new S-Rank Bangboo for Zenless Zone Zero has leaked ahead of the 1.1 update, and players have already revealed a great deal about its abilities.
Zenless Zone Zero’s 1.1 Release Date
ZZZ’s First Major Update Releases On August 14
As announced in the customary HoYoverse pre-patch livestream,Zenless Zone Zero1.1,Undercover R&B, will release on July 28, 2025, and will introduce three new playable characters across two limited banners. Promotional material indicates that the patch’s story content will focus mainly on the New Eridu Public Security (N.E.P.S.) faction, expanding on its somewhat minor part in the story ofZZZ1.0, where faction characters Zhu Yuan and Qingyi only made major appearances in the Chapter 2 Interlude, “Mission Unthinkable.
Every New Character In ZZZ 1.1
1.1 Introduces Qingyi, Jane Doe, And Seth Lowell As Playable Characters
Alongside new story content and events,ZZZ1.1 will introduce three new characters - Qingyi, Jane Doe, and Seth Lowell, all of which will be obtainable from the two limited banners that will run over the course of the patch. Out of the three, Qingyi and Jane are S-rank Agents, with Qingyi being Electric Stun and Jane being Physical Anomaly, while Seth is an A-rank Electric Defense Agent. Notably, Qingyi and Jane have the exact same element and role combinations as A-rank Agents Anby and Piper, respectively, making them somewhat like direct upgrades to those characters.
Qingyi, as the game’s first limited Stun character, specializes in inflicting rapid Daze buildupwhile still dealing a respectable amount of damage and her kit centers around rapid combo attacks and a unique meter mechanic. Whenever Qingyi inflicts Electric damage, she builds up her meter, and when it reaches 75% or higher, she enters a special state where holding the Basic Attack input allows her to use a special attack. This attack inflicts massive damage and Daze on enemies while also increasing the damage multiplier when the enemy is stunned.
In contrast,Jane Doe, as an Anomaly character, focuses mainly on taking advantage of the game’s elemental status effects- particularly in terms of combining Assault with another elemental status to triggerZZZ’s Discord mechanic. Her kit revolves around building up a stackable buff through Dodge Counters, Perfect Assists, or simply dealing damage - at max stacks, she enters a special state that buffs her stats, allows her to use a special attack, and consumes a stack of her buff whenever she deals damage. Uniquely, her Core Passive also allows the Assault status effect to be a critical hit.
Notably, while Jane Doe is displayed as having a unique faction, for gameplay purposes, she counts as the same faction as Zhu Yuan, Qingyi, and Seth, meaning any of these characters can trigger each other’s secondary passives.
Finally, Seth joins Ben as only the second Defense character to be added to the game and can similarly provide a shield to other teammates when they swap through a Quick Assist or Chain Attack. Like Qingyi, Seth also has a unique meter that can be built up through various means and spent on a special Basic Attack, which consumes 75% of the meter and deals extra Electric damage. Uniquely, Seth can offensively trigger a Quick Assist opportunity by hitting enemies with his Defensive Assist follow-up, making him the first non-Support character who can do so.
Zenless Zone Zero: All Current Banners & Next Banners
Zenless Zone Zero’s current banners explained, alongside a description of what’s coming in the next updates that we’re alreadyt aware of.
ZZZ’s 1.1 Banners And Other Changes
Zenless Zone Zero 1.1 Introduces New Banners And Other QoL Updates
As is standard for HoYoverse games,Zenless Zone Zero1.1 will include two limited character banners, each of which will run in separate “halves” of the patch.The first limited banner of 1.1 will feature Qingyias its exclusive S-rank, with Anby and Billy as the featured rate-up A-ranks. Immediately after the end of that banner,the next limited banner of the patch will begin, featuring Jane Doeas its S-rank, with Seth and Corin as its featured A-ranks.
For players not leaning towards one banner or the other, the banner with Jane and Seth may have a slightly higher value, as Seth likely won’t be obtainable from the Standard banner until after patch 1.1 ends.
Each limited character banner will also have a limited W-Engine banner running alongside it, with each one featuring the signature W-Engines of the corresponding Agents. So, the first banner will feature the signature W-Engines for Qingyi, Anby, and Billy, while the second will feature the same for Jane, Seth, and Corin. W-Engine banners tend to be a secondary priority for most players, as limited W-Engines are typically most useful on the limited characters they’re intended for, but anyone favoring a specific limited character may want to grab their corresponding W-Engine as well.
Aside from banners,ZZZ1.1 will also include some important quality-of-life changes. These include significant changes to the Chain Attack mechanic, giving players the option of enabling a Manual Chain Attack mode, where Chain Attack won’t be automatically triggered on stunned enemies, and the ability to cancel Chain Attacks partway through. Other additions include additional challenge modes for combat, an improved enemy preview in Shiyu Defense, and more UI customization options on mobile devices.
With its first major update on August 14,Zenless Zone Zerois heading into 1.1 with a fair amount of momentum from a largely successful launch. While the patch may not include much development in terms of the game’s central narrative, opting instead to shine a spotlight on a relatively underdeveloped faction, it should include some important advancements leading into the following 1.x patches and eventually to a major 2.0 patch forZenless Zone Zero.
