We spoke to Zenless Zone Zero’s producer Zhenyu Li about this week’s big Version 2.0 update.
Zenless Zone Zero has officially dropped its highly-anticipated Version 2.0 update, kicking off the game’s second season of content with an anniversary event, a new region, new Agents, new story content, and multiple gameplay changes. To list down all of its changes here would be a fool’s errand given their sheer volume, but suffice it to say: this is a big update.
We spoke to Zenless Zone Zero’s game producer Zhenyu Li about Version 2.0’s content and what might be in store for players in the rest of Season 2, especially where the main story and characters are concerned.
Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Gameplay changes in Season 2 of Zenless Zone Zero
Zenless Zone Zero's Version 2.0 update did something unprecedented: it buffed the game’s oldest limited S-Rank Agent, Ellen Joe, to bring her back into relevance in the current meta. Newer playable characters tend to shift the viability of older ones, and Ellen has sadly been left by the wayside in recent updates. When we asked producer Zhenyu Li if players can expect more Agent buffs in the game’s future, he was quick to point out that Ellen has already gotten one, saying:
"In Version 2.0, we will first implement optimization adjustments for Ellen. As the first S-Rank character in Zenless Zone Zero since launch, Ellen represents the bond between us and the players who have accompanied Zenless Zone Zero along the way. That's why we chose her as the first released character to be optimised [...] we have thoughtfully integrated the Hollow Zero's Icy Blade mechanic into Ellen's skills, while also introducing an "Activate Potential" feature for her. Proxies who own Ellen can unlock this feature by participating in an event. After unleashing her potential, Ellen will gain new Basic Attack skills and more team composition possibilities, with her passive mechanics also updated to enhance her damage output."
Don't expect these character adjustments to hit all of the game’s Agents, however–at least, not regularly. HoYo promises that “In the future, we will continue to make adjustments to existing characters while considering overall game balance and player feedback to enhance the gaming experience. While this type of adjustment may not have a fixed frequency, it's something we will continue to do in the long term.”
Wait, where did TV mode go? And what about Fairy and Eous?
Ever since HoYoverse decided the dial down the prominence of Zenless Zone Zero’s TV mode–an exploration-based 2D game mode that had players progress through a map made out of TV screens–players have not been able to interact with Eous and the Phaethon’s AI assistant Fairy nearly as much.
When it comes to Eous and Fairy, players need not worry. Hoyo assured us that both of Phaethon’s helpers will be more prominent in time:
"Eous will have more identities and abilities to assist Proxies in dealing with the Hollow crisis during Hollow exploration. Whether it's puzzle-solving exploration or action stages, Eous's gameplay potential will be further developed. Fairy still holds many unrevealed secrets, and as a mysterious AI assistant and an undisputed "snarky commentator," Fairy will continue to play a role in the story of Zenless Zone Zero as we gradually uncover the mysteries behind Fairy."
As for TV mode, HoYo bore no such promises. Instead, the developer intends to keep the “3D combat stage experience” its main focus:
"We will consider presenting stage content in the TV mode format at appropriate times in the future, bringing fresh experiences to everyone. Meanwhile, we want to emphasize that there are many ways to present stages, and the TV mode is just one of them. We hope players can feel our determination in trying, expanding, and optimizing the stage experience. We won't limit ourselves to any single presentation style, but rather keep "enhancing 3D combat stage experience" as our core focus, continuing to explore more ways to present stages and hoping to bring players experiences that exceed their expectations."
How has storytelling in Zenless Zone Zero changed since launch?
Season 2 of Zenless Zone Zero has begun, kicking off a new story arc for the game with new characters, locations, and mysteries to discover. After a full year of live-service story updates, the developer is shifting gears with a new location: the Waifei Peninsula, featuring a new city called Failume Heights. That’s not the only big change in Season 2, of course. HoYoverse plans to put more emphasis on long-term storytelling with the new season’s story chapters.
The developer told us:
“In its early narrative, Zenless Zone Zero focused on presenting individual version storylines, delivering complete story arcs within each version to provide players with a fulfilling narrative experience. Starting from Season 2, we'll place greater emphasis on long-term main story development and setup, diving deeper into character development and showcasing more complex, multi-dimensional character relationships. Additionally, we're working to integrate storytelling with core gameplay mechanics, such as combining narrative scenes with 3D stage experiences, allowing players to become more immersed in Zenless Zone Zero's story through both exploration and combat.”
While the developer asserted that it was too early “to reveal the overall core narrative of Season 2” in order to preserve certain surprises, it did emphasise that it “isn't trying to tell a grand "fighting against fate" story, but rather [one that] focuses on a human-centric narrative.” It then pointed to Version 2.0’s story chapter as an example:
“For example, in Version 2.0's story, there's a minor character named Damian, who serves as a merchant representative for the local office. Through his perspective, we can see how an ordinary person navigates and survives in a complex, dangerous environment while balancing the interests of himself, the group, and outsiders. We consistently aim to showcase perspectives of ordinary people, highlighting how even in a chaotic apocalyptic setting, people can still pursue happiness and long for better things, as it's simply human nature.”
Where did the Angels of Delusion faction go?
During an early Zenless Zone Zero livestream, HoYoverse showed off an upcoming in-game faction: the Angels of Delusion, an idol group made up of musicians. Fans have long anticipated their addition to the game, but alas, no mention of their arrival was made until a Version 2.0 developer update confirmed that the faction will be a part of Season 2 in some shape or form.
We asked HoYoverse about their release window during our interview, but the developer simply reiterated: “What we can share for now is that the Angels of Delusion faction will debut in Season 2, but please stay tuned for more details about the launch date and the faction itself.”
Alas, we still don’t have a release window for the idol group–but we do know that they’ll arrive soon-ish!
Are we going to be able to romance our favourite Agents?
On 8 April, HoYoverse released a Dev Talk video to confirm that Season 2 would “create more meaningful relationships” between the proxies and the Agents. The developer specifically mentioned that players would be able to “take their bond to the next level.” Many players took that statement as confirmation of future in-game romance mechanics.
HoYoverse, however, noted that there will be plenty of ways to expand on players’ relationships with their favourite Agents–just not all the way into outright romance. Said the developer:
“The Agent companionship system will continue to expand in both narrative and gameplay, as we strive to enhance interactions between players and Agents, showcase their charm beyond combat settings, and create a sense of daily companionship. On the narrative side, we'll highlight the Agents' unique appeal and their bonds with players through highlighting their personalities, backgrounds, and relationships with the Proxy. In terms of gameplay, we'll unlock more shop functions alongside events and expand interactive features with Agents.”
We’ve already seen Version 2.0’s latest method to expand on player-Agent relationships: the Gravity Cinema event, which has players take out their favourite Agents to seemingly-platonic movie dates in Lumina Square. More events along this line will be introduced over time in Season 2.
HoYo said, “as more Exploration Areas are released, additional shop functions will be optimized and expanded, enabling even more interactions between players and Agents, and offering deeper insights into their daily lives and personalities in New Eridu.”
Zenless Zone Zero Version 2.0 is now available, with banners for Yixuan and Astra Yao for the first half, followed by banners for Ju Fufu and Caesar King in the second half.
