Banyue plays like a fighting game character, where sequencing attacks and mastering combos is key to unlocking his full damage potential.
Zenless Zone Zero Version 2.4 introduces Banyue, an S-Rank Fire Rupture agent and the first playable member of the Krampus Compliance Authority. He has quickly gained a reputation as one of the most input-heavy DPS characters in the game, but also one of the most rewarding if you are willing to learn his rhythm.
At first glance, Banyue can look intimidating. His kit leans heavily into combo sequencing, timing windows, and resource management. In practice, though, his overall game plan is familiar. Build resources, let your supports set the stage, enter his empowered state, and unload everything during a stun window. The depth comes from how efficiently you execute that plan.
This guide breaks down how Banyue works, how to play him comfortably, how to build him, and which teams allow him to shine.
How Banyue works
Banyue is built around Wrathful Fires, a resource that fuels his strongest damage windows. Most of his actions either generate this resource or spend it to unlock his empowered state.
He can store up to 150 Wrathful Fires, but the key threshold is 120. At that point, Banyue can enter Visage of Wrath, a state that significantly boosts his damage and changes how his abilities behave.
His damage scales from Max HP, which is converted into Sheer Force. This makes HP stacking a core part of his build and explains why Banyue favours teammates and gear that provide sustain and Sheer buffs rather than raw ATK. He also starts combat with some Adrenaline, allowing him to access early combos before fully ramping up.
Core gameplay loop
Despite his mechanical depth, Banyue’s overall game plan is simple:
- Build Wrathful Fires through combat
- Let supports apply buffs and set up a stun
- Enter Visage of Wrath
- Spend resources during the stun window
- Finish with his hardest-hitting attacks
The challenge lies in how cleanly you execute his attack strings.
Attacks, combos, and perfect cancels
Banyue plays closer to a fighting game character than a traditional DPS agent. His kit revolves around sequencing Basic and Special attacks.
In simple terms:
- Basic Attack functions as a light attack
- Special Attack functions as a heavy attack
Alternating between the two unlocks different EX Special attacks. Each attack chain also has a Perfect Cancel window. Hitting these timings skips recovery frames and lets Banyue transition into follow-up attacks faster. Mastering this is one of his main skill checks, but it also makes his gameplay feel fluid once learned.
Wrathful Fires and Visage of Wrath
Wrathful Fires are generated naturally through active play, including:
- Spending Adrenaline during attacks
- Perfect dodges and perfect blocks
- Parries
- Defensive assists
Once Banyue reaches 120 Wrathful Fires, he can enter Visage of Wrath by holding his Basic Attack.
While active:
- EX Special attacks consume Mountain’s Might instead of Adrenaline
- Holding Special Attack automatically chains EX Specials
- Banyue gains buffs to Sheer Force, CRIT DMG, and Fire DMG
- His strongest finishers become available
This state is where most of Banyue’s damage comes from.
Manual combos and Vidyaraja
Inside Visage of Wrath, Banyue can gain Vidyaraja stacks by manually executing certain EX Special inputs instead of relying on auto-combos. Each stack increases his Fire damage, up to three stacks.
This is optional optimisation. Auto-combos are more than enough while learning Banyue, with manual inputs mainly rewarding players who want tighter control and slightly higher damage ceilings.
Skill upgrade priority
Banyue’s damage output is heavily concentrated in a small part of his kit, which makes skill prioritisation especially important. Investing in the right areas early has a noticeable impact on both his damage and consistency.
- The Core Skill should be upgraded first, as it directly enhances Banyue’s core mechanics, including how his resources convert into damage. This skill underpins his entire kit and scales his strongest damage windows, making it the most impactful upgrade by a wide margin.
- Basic Attack comes next, as it forms the backbone of Banyue’s combo strings and finishers. Many of his hardest-hitting sequences, including those used during stun windows, rely on upgraded Basic Attack scaling.
- Special Attack follows closely behind. While it is essential for accessing EX Special attacks and combo extensions, its damage contribution is slightly more situational than his Basic Attack, especially outside of Visage of Wrath.
- Chain Attack is useful but more conditional, as its value depends on team composition and how often you can trigger chains. It contributes solid burst damage but is not central to Banyue’s core rotation.
- Dodge upgrades mainly improve survivability and resource generation through perfect dodges. While helpful, they do not meaningfully increase Banyue’s damage output.
- Assist is the lowest priority, offering utility and occasional resource gains, but minimal direct damage value compared to the rest of his kit.
W-Engine recommendations
Banyue benefits most from W-Engines that enhance CRIT stats, Fire damage, and HP scaling.
Wrathful Vajra is his best option, boosting CRIT Rate and stacking Fire Sheer damage after EX Special attacks.
Strong alternatives include:
- Grill O’Wisp: which grants Fire damage and conditional CRIT Rate when Banyue takes damage
- Radiowave Journey: which rewards Chain Attacks and Ultimates with Sheer Force
- Puzzle Sphere: a solid free-to-play option that boosts CRIT DMG and EX Special damage against weakened enemies
- Cinder–Cobalt: b a simple ATK buff on entry or swap-in
If you lack his signature engine, Puzzle Sphere is perfectly serviceable while you wait for better options.
Drive Discs and stat focus
Banyue’s builds are centred around Yunkui Tales as the four-piece core, with the remaining two slots used to stabilise his stats depending on your needs.
Yunkui Tales (4) + Branch and Blade Song (2)
This is the ideal setup if Banyue already has a comfortable CRIT Rate. Branch and Blade Song enhances his CRIT DMG, allowing him to fully capitalise on his strongest EX Special attacks during Visage of Wrath.
Yunkui Tales (4) + Woodpecker Electro (2)
If your CRIT Rate is inconsistent, this pairing is the most reliable option. Woodpecker Electro smooths out his crit frequency, making his damage more stable across longer fights and stun windows.
Yunkui Tales (4) + Inferno Metal (2)
A solid fallback option that provides additional Fire damage. While it lacks the consistency of CRIT-focused sets, it still synergises well with Banyue’s element and is perfectly usable if better pieces are unavailable.
Best teams for Banyue
Banyue performs best in teams that give him long field time, reliable stun setups, and buffs that amplify Sheer Force and HP-based scaling. He is not flexible in every composition, but in the right setups, his damage windows become extremely consistent.
Rupture Team
- Banyue
- Dialyn
- Lucia
- Bangboo: Birkblick
This is Banyue’s strongest overall composition. Dialyn provides CRIT DMG buffs and helps accelerate Ultimate uptime, which aligns perfectly with Banyue’s burst-focused stun windows. Lucia is essential here, boosting Max HP and Sheer Force, both of which directly scale Banyue’s damage. Birkblick rounds out the team by improving rotation flow and keeping pressure high during stuns.
Perfect Synergy team
- Banyue
- Ju Fufu
- Lucia
- Bangboo: Belion
This setup is built entirely around Banyue staying on-field. Ju Fufu functions as an off-field Rupture partner who activates Banyue’s core passives with minimal interruption, allowing him to maintain momentum through extended rotations. Lucia remains a staple for her Sheer buffs, while Belion supports longer damage windows. This team excels in sustained fights where Banyue can fully cycle his empowered state.
Alternative Rupture option
- Banyue
- Trigger
- Lucia
- Bangboo: Belion
If Ju Fufu is unavailable, Trigger fills a similar off-field Rupture role. While the overall synergy is slightly weaker, the team still supports Banyue’s resource generation and stun timing well. It is a reliable and accessible alternative that keeps his core playstyle intact.
Damage and Sustain team
- Banyue
- Pan Yinhu
- Astra Yao
- Bangboo: Belion
This composition trades some burst potential for safety and consistency. Pan Yinhu applies damage vulnerability and enables quick swaps, while Astra Yao provides team-wide healing that helps stabilise longer encounters. This team is slower than Rupture-focused setups but is extremely forgiving and comfortable to play, especially in difficult content.
Banyue rewards mastery more than almost any other DPS in Zenless Zone Zero. His damage ceiling is high, but only if you understand his timing, his inputs, and his team synergies.
If you enjoy technical characters, learning combos, and squeezing value out of stun windows, Banyue is immensely satisfying. If you prefer low-input, low-stress gameplay, he may feel demanding.
The good news is that his auto-combo options make him more approachable than his reputation suggests, and if you are willing to put in the time to learn his flow, Banyue pays that effort back in spades.
