Which free S-Rank should you pick in Zenless Zone Zero?

Zenless Zone Zero is on the way, and with it will come the chance at a free S-Rank character. If you are wondering who you should choose in order to get the most bang for your buck, then I have plenty of thoughts to share with you.

Which free S-Rank should you pick in Zenless Zone Zero?

When you hit three hundred pulls on the Star-Studded Cast banner, you will get your pick of a free S Rank, which is nice. The best news is that all these characters have something going for them. I would actually argue that every character in the game at launch has an upside, especially as so much of the combat boils down to skill. Some characters, like Nekomata, are very rewarding, but they won’t be if you are a bad player. As such, when discussing them, I will be assuming that you are good enough to take advantage of their kit.

Below, you find my pick of the S Ranks in order of priority. My thoughts are based on my time with the characters during technical tests, so you can expect an update to this list over the coming week as I dive into the full release.

Lycaon

Lycaon will be an up-close fighter who builds up Daze and quickly Stuns enemies thanks to his very high Impact stat. This is a very powerful effect in the game, and it is probably my favorite mechanic because of the fact that all characters can build it up. Some, like Lycaon, are just better at it than others. Lycaon is also an Ice character, which means he can Freeze enemies, making them take more damage from criticals. If you time everything well, you can Stun and Freeze at the same time, really setting up your DPS for a lot of damage output. Also, he is a butler and a dog. What more do you want? I see Lycaon just fitting in well with quite a few characters, and is a must for anyone who is going after Ellen Joe in the first banner.

Grace

Grace does Electric damage and is an Anomaly character. Thanks to high Anomaly Mastery and Anomaly Proficiency stats, she will build up her Shock status quickly on enemies, and that hard-hitting damage will spread among groups with ease. Grace is particularly strong against Machine enemies and is a big hit with fans of the game because of her valuable kit and character design. Widespread Electric damage is the name of the game here, and it’s very valuable in combat. She will work with a lot of teams, and it is likely that character investment for Anomaly types will work out lower than raw attackers, although that remains to be seen in the full release.

Nekomata

Nekemata is a great DPS character with high value because she is one of the Cunning Hares. She works as a solid replacement for Billy in a lineup with Nicole and Anby. A solid ATK stat means that she has consistently high damage, and her damage will go through the roof with the Cunning Hares-specific Bangboo in play.

She also enjoys a lot of I-Frames being built into her kit, and she is quite dodge-reliant to get the most out of her, so there is certainly some skill ceiling here. If you are looking for a pure, melee-focused DPS in the early game, this is the one.

Soldier 11

Solider 11 is a Fighting style character who does fire damage, so her output and potential damage over time is high. More importantly, there is some contradiction in her design. A lot of health means she takes a bit of a kicking, but she also thrives on dodging and countering enemies. As such, I see her as being a very forgiving character for people who are not confident in combat and want someone they can take risks with as they learn.

Rina

Rina is another interesting character as she has such a high health pool but tends to stay at a distance. Good Anomaly Master and Anomaly Proficiency once again allow for quick build and deployment of Shock, and she can nearly always stay safe due to her range. Her Support style is somewhat misleading, as she can do plenty of area of effect and single-target damage, she just doesn’t pump out enough numbers to challenge the true Fighting-style DPS folks.

Koleda

I am sorry, Kolea, I just don’t like our kit. A Stun champ with Fire damage over time, she has slightly lower Impact than my boy Lycaon but slower animations. If you are a fan of Ben, then running Koleda makes a lot of sense due to kit synergies, but I need to see how she plays in the full release, to be honest.