The most-awaited faction steps into the spotlight as New Eridu prepares for its next wave of updates.
HoYoverse, the developer of Zenless Zone Zero has revealed plenty of news, events and rewards for Version 2.6 named “Encore for an Old Dream”, which also includes the Angels of Delusion debut and virtual press conference.
Finally, after more than a year of waiting, the most-awaited faction, the Angels of Delusion are here, and with them come plenty of changes, events, and a flurry of Polychromes to celebrate Gilded Carrot Day!
Before we dive into all the important details in the livestream, don't forget to redeem the Version 2.5 livestream’s code for free Polychromes and in-game resources:
DREAMINGANGEL: 300 Polychrome, 30,000 Dennies, two Senior Investigator Logs, and three W-Engine Energy Modules.
Sunna and Aria will be the first two playable S-rank agents of Angels of Delusion
The first two playable agents from the Angels of Delusion faction will be Sunna and Aria.
Sunna's combat kit preview
Sunna is a Physical Support Agent, and as the devs put it, “Sunna’s abilities are nothing to scoff at when it comes to combat.”
She brings some handy support for Attack and Anomaly teammates. In fights, Sunna’s adorable, bouncy buddy Bubblegum applies Cat’s Gaze to enemies through certain attacks. When Attack or Anomaly Agents keep hitting targets marked with Cat’s Gaze, they can detonate the mark to deal extra damage. That bonus damage counts as coming from the Agent who triggered it.
Sunna isn’t meant to stay on the field for long. Instead, the devs suggest using her Special Attack to bring Bubblegum out to help. With enough Energy, Bubblegum can fire off heavy attacks and put the whole squad into the Angelic Chord-ination state. Hitting Special Attack again at that moment lets Sunna launch coordinated attacks with Bubblegum, activating Ether Veil: Delusion Reprise and boosting the team’s ATK.
If Cat’s Gaze drops off an enemy, Bubblegum uses a stack of Claw Sharpener to apply it again. Sunna’s banner will be available in the first half of Version 2.6, alongside a rerun banner for Yixuan and her signature W-Engine.
Aria's combat kit preview
Aria, meanwhile, is an Ether Anomaly Agent with a dual-form style. She focuses on charged heavy attacks that deal huge burst damage to enemies already affected by an Attribute Anomaly. A big part of her kit is her Basic Attack, Perfect Pitch. Holding the Basic Attack charges it up to three stages before slamming down in a powerful strike. Absorbing nearby Fandom Power greatly speeds up the charge. A fully charged hit can trigger Abloom when it lands on an enemy with an Attribute Anomaly, and the damage goes even higher if that enemy is stunned.
In combat, Aria mainly builds Fandom Power through her EX Special Attack and additional ability. Hitting enemies with Fall Into Delusion and Instantly Hooked gives her more Fandom Power, and she also gains a good amount when Ether Veil is active. After her teammates set the stage for an offensive, Aria comes in to perform a Delusional Finale (not an Ultimate).
When she uses her Ultimate at 100% Energy, Aria goes all in, activating Ether Veil: Delusional Reprise and gaining multiple stacks of All-Out Cheering. In this state, she can immediately unleash several fully charged heavy attacks, leading to massive burst damage when combined with all the Fandom Power she’s built up.
Aria’s banner will run in the second half of Version 2.6, alongside the rerun banner for Yuzuha and her signature W-Engine.
New outfits available for Sunna, Aria, and Pan Yinhu
Apart from the new Agents will be new skins for both Sunna and Aria and A-rank agent Pan Yinhu from the Yunkui Summit. Sunna’s new outfit is called After Tea Break, where she is dressed like a server in a maid café. Meanwhile, Aria’s outfit is called Discordant Note, which looks like a more devilish version of Aria, donned in Black and pink.
Finally, Pan Yinhu’s outfit is called Culinary Jewel, where Pan is finally dressed up like the fine chef he is for the Suibian temple. There’s also an easter egg where a steamed bun on top of Pan Yinhu’s head will be revealed when he takes off his wok hat. Pan Yinhu’s outfit will be given as a limited-time freebie for all proxies by participating in limited-time events during Version 2.6. The outfit will also be available for purchase in the shop in the future.
Lycaon and Harumasa will be getting Agent enhancements
Two S-rank Agents, Harumasa from HSO6 and Lycaon from Victoria Housekeeping will be getting Agent enhancements.
Hoyoverse has added new attacks for Lycaon, and included a brand-new mechanic that allows him to stay on-field, allowing Lycaon to follow up on the on-field Agent’s actions with coordinated attacks. There’s also a new Quick Assist entry mechanic that will allow him to be more valuable in teams.
Limited Agent Asaba Harumasa is also getting an enhancement in 2.6. According to devs, he is getting a “new and improved EX Special Attack with enhanced capabilities and some stat boosts. There will also be combo optimisations “to boost his margin for error in combat.”
Interknot Membership Surprise Supply gives proxies a chance to claim double rewards
For Version 2.6, there will be a giveaway event called Interknot Membership Surprise Supply. From 30 January onwards, proxies would need to complete simple missions, such as logging in or spending battery charge, to claim 300 polychromes and the Interknot Membership Festival edition, where they can get up to 3,300 Polychromes in total from the event. Once you claim the Interknot Membership Festival edition, you get 300 Polychromes right away, and then daily claim an extra 90 Polychromes.
The Interknot membership Festival edition can be stacked together with the regular paid Interknot membership.
Four billion Polychrome prize pool available during Gilded Carrot Day, Gilded Surprise and Wonderful Boo-ns event
Another Polychrome reward related event is the Gilded Surprise Wonderful Boo-ns. From 14-20 February, proxies who participate will be included in the four billion Polychrome prize pool. Proxies can participate in the lucky draw once per day upon logging in. On top of 30 Polychromes, Proxies can also get a special Bangboo badge. By consuming a certain amount of battery charge that day, Proxies can obtain three additional draws. Then on 17 and 21 February, Polychrome prize distribution will happen, where Proxies can submit the amount of Bangboo Badges they have collected.
New Version events include idol training mini-games, movie dates, and more
Of course, there are plenty of events that proxies can enjoy to gain Polychromes, resources and other unique prizes. These include:
- Angels of Delusion Training in Progress, which includes a tetris-like minigame
- A Harmony of Delusions, which include a rhythm game, some Marcel maps, and an extremely disturbing Horse Head accessory as a prize.
- Gravitational Storytime, which features the return of cinema dates, this time with Jane, Yixuan, Billy, Seed, and even Sweetie.
- Snap! Hollow Realm Showdown, where Proxies will once again help Mr. Click snap the best photos with brand new filters and conditions.
- Stacking Fortune, where interacting with the Proxy’s friends in New Eridu will gain players red envelopes which contain prizes.
Gameplay improvements
A few quality-of-life gameplay enhancements have also been announced. First, the combat results animation which some players think takes too long, can optionally be skipped by toggling a specific setting. The HDD display has also been optimised to show progress to various orbs for guidance.
Training and building up Agents will become a bit easier too. Instead of having to manually go through each Agent tab to see what materials need to be farmed, proxies can head to the training tab in the Compendium and quickly select an agent as the training target. After the agent is seleted, the stages needed for the agent’s growth will all be listed down. While in training mode, the needed stage displays will be sorted accordingly as well.
Hollow Zero is getting a brand new mode named Operation Matrix, where there will be a different themed stage each week. Proxies can rotate through and challenge a variety of fun mechanics. All rewards in progress will be displayed in a consolidated tab. There will also be a quick-sweep function available through the Deep Cleaning card, which allows players to quickly complete challenge stages and collection systems in one tap.
Version 2.6 is scheduled to roll out with these additions and updates as part of Zenless Zone Zero’s next major patch cycle.
Want to max out your upcoming playable Agents, or maybe you just want their W-engine, but don’t have any more Polychromes? Get 10% off your premium currency purchases for a limited time only when you buy directly on Playasia.com! In addition, use the code GOSUTOPUP for an additional 3% off. That’s 13% to make sure Ye Shunguang comes home in Zenless Zone Zero Version 2.5!
